Christians and Halloween

Christians and Halloween

By Richard F. Ames | Thursday, October 29, 2009

Is it "fun" to play at evil? Should we follow our neighbors, like proverbial lemmings, off the dangerous cliff of pagan practices? Most of society has accepted the lie that Halloween is "innocent fun" and eagerly train their children to take pleasure in symbols of pagan, and even Satanic, evil?

Is it "fun" to play at evil? Should we follow our neighbors, like proverbial lemmings, off the dangerous cliff of pagan practices? Most of society has accepted the lie that Halloween is "innocent fun" and eagerly train their children to take pleasure in symbols of pagan, and even Satanic, evil?

That’s right! When parents let their children dress as witches, demons, goblins or skeletons, they are teaching their children values that will last long after the costume comes off! Parents should have common sense, let alone basic values of right and wrong. Teaching our children to imitate evil is an abomination in God’s sight — and we will reap what we sow! By observing Halloween, we teach our children to make light of Satan the Devil — or even to think like him! Should we then be surprised when our children remain curious about evil — or even invite it — for the rest of the year.

In Luke 7:21, we find that our Savior cured many individuals who were plagued by evil spirits. "And that very hour He cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight." Do we live contrary to our Savior’s example? Do we teach our children to attract and cultivate evil spirits at Halloween? Certainly, dressing up like a demon or a witch INVITES evil rather than opposes it!

The Apostle James advises us to resist evil, not entertain it! James 4:7, "Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." That is your Creator’s instruction to you! "Resist the devil!" Do NOT join the masses in celebrating the dark world of Satan and the occult!

The Bible plainly speaks of fallen angels called demons. The apostle Paul warns us about these "spiritual hosts of wickedness" in Ephesians the sixth chapter. Read this strong admonition starting in Ephesians 6:11, "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places."

Some parents encourage their children to participate in the world of demons. Are some of you parents sacrificing your children to Satan and to wicked spirits? We MUST resist the world’s way of supporting the horrendous evil rampant about us. One can understand the blindness of non-Christians in participating in traditions of darkness. But for professing Christians to clothe themselves and their children with the outright symbols of evil is an affront to the name of Christ! Such practices are wicked, evil, and sinful! It’s time for such so-called Christians to repent of supporting the Devil and rebelling against Christ!

Parents also teach their children the concept of "trick or treat." The child in essence tells an adult, "You had better give me some treat or I will trick you, or damage your property!" What kind of a Christian precept is that? It is definitely not Christian! It is teaching the "get" motive and intimidation! Jesus taught the way of life that emphasizes giving, NOT selfish getting! As the Apostle Paul stated in Acts 20:35, "Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ’It is more blessed to give than to receive.’"

Our nation needs to wake up to its evil practice of embracing the occult and the symbols of wickedness. The Creator God will judge all who participate in such dark traditions. Professing Christians, who ought to know better, need to stand up for the righteous training of their children, and not surrender to the sacrificing of their children to the underworld of evil.

To read more on this subject read our article entitled "Dangers of the Occult" on the Tomorrow’s World website.

Should Christians Celebrate Halloween?

It's true Christians should have nothing to do with the pagan holiday of Halloween. But don't stop there! FORSAKE BABYLON - come out all the way! Don't stay stuck in the whitewashed muck of Christmas and Easter.

For more information, please feel free to check out:

Gay Pride and Christian Hypocrisy

Apostate Christians

Shape up or get shipped out!

Death to America?

http://www.davidbenariel.org/

Halloween isn't for Christians!

Every year at Halloween, well-meaning parents dress their children in grotesque and ghoulish costumes. Is Halloween really harmless? Who and what's behind this bizarre holiday?

Is Halloween Harmless?

The bizarre holiday of Halloween

Every year at Halloween, well-meaning parents dress their children in grotesque and ghoulish costumes. Is Halloween really harmless? Who and what's behind this bizarre holiday?

Is Halloween Harmless?

It's a "scream," but is it good?

It’s a “scream,” but is it good?
By Dylan King Saturday, October 25, 2008

Does the thought of being chased by demons through a maze of death and destruction sound like a good time to you? Every year around this time, tens of thousands across America pay good money to experience an illusory world of magic, demonic spirits, and the occult, and this experience takes place in many of our most beloved “family” theme parks. Are these scare-festivals innocent family fun, or are they a tactic used to influence young minds against the true God of the Bible?

Almost every major city has an amusement park of some variety or another, with thrill rides, carnival games, and funnel cakes. If you live in a city with one of these parks, you will inevitably hear TV and radio ads for their annual Halloween dress-up events, where one can experience a transformed park, teeming with actors in full makeup dressed as ghouls, vampires, zombies and the like. These parks spare no expense in their attempt to create a realistic spirit world, hiring top Hollywood effects artists to transform family “theme parks” to fright-night “scream parks.”

A few years back, before I had ever heard of Tomorrow’s World and the real truth found in the Bible, I went with some friends to perhaps the most famous of these “scream parks” in Southern California. The park had been transformed into a world of “haunted” mazes, full of loud music, special lighting effects, and latex creations of death and gore. We waited in long lines to enter these mazes, where actors coming out of hidden corners and making bizarre noises, startled, chased, frightened, and in some cases petrified, those who passed through. Such parks do such a good job of scaring the wits out of their patrons, legal disclaimers are posted, warning those who are pregnant and who have medical conditions not to participate.

But is this only make-believe, or can real harm come from this kind of entertainment? Can a fabricated world of imaginary spirits actually affect our lives in the real world?

God’s Word shows there is a real spirit world that existed before the earth was ever created (Job 38:4, 7). A real Satan the devil uses his fallen angels (Jude 6) to deceive not only those influenced by the occult, but the whole world (Revelation 12:9)!

This so-called harmless Halloween fun actually serves a purpose in Satan’s power over man, keeping the world blinded from the light and truth of the gospel of the glory of Christ (2 Corinthians 4:3-4). The human mind is easily influenced by such evil spirits, as Satan is “the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:2). These evil spirits can and do sway all the world to sin against God. They have even taken over and possessed some individuals and some of these instances are described in the Bible. In giving us clear instructions to stay away from wicked spirits, God is protecting us from this type of influence.

God’s Word and way is spiritual armor, protecting His people from the wiles of the devil and spiritual wickedness. He implores us to “Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7, cf. Ephesians 6:10-18).

If you would like to learn more about what God says regarding the pagan “traditions of death,” please read Rod McNair’s article entitled “Festivals of Death,” in the September/October 2008 issue of Tomorrow’s World magazine. You can also order our booklet entitled Satan’s Counterfeit Christianity absolutely free, or read it online.

Halloween's Dark Roots

In recent years eye-opening materials have been published about the questionable background of Halloween. Consider these excerpts:

"Halloween-a holiday that mixes generic religious beliefs with ancient folk customs-is supposed to be fun. But for many conservative Christians, it has become a dark and spiritually dangerous celebration ... Many are boycotting the bats, witches, goblins and ghouls that symbolize the holiday because they consider such things to be lures in the satanic struggle for human souls ...

"Halloween's pagan roots are real, as are those of Christmas and Easter. Santa Claus comes from an ancient woodland spirit honored by pagans, and Easter's non-Christian ancestry is derived from a Germanic fertility goddess, thus the Easter eggs and Easter bunny ... Halloween was called samhain in the pagan world-part harvest festival, partly a day to honor the dead" (Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service, Oct. 28, 1993, "Conservative Christians Urge Halloween Alternative").

"The ancient Celtic [Irish, Scottish, Welsh] festival called Samhain is considered by many to be a predecessor of our contemporary Halloween. Samhain was the New Year's Day of the Celts, celebrated on 1 November. It was also a day of the dead, a time when it was believed that the souls of those who had died during the year were allowed access to the land of the dead. It was related to the season: by Samhain, the crops should be harvested and the animals brought in from the distant fields.

"Many traditional beliefs and customs associated with Samhain, most notable that night was the time of the wandering dead, the practice of leaving offerings of food and drink to masked and costumed revelers, and the lighting of bonfires, continued to be practiced on 31 October, known as the Eve of All Saints, the Eve of All Hallows, or Hallow Even. It is the glossing of the name Hallow Even that has given us the name Hallowe'en.

"... The customs associated with Halloween included representations of ghosts and human skeletons-symbols of the dead-and of the devil and other malevolent, evil creatures, such as witches.

"The first week of November is marked in many countries, especially those with a strong Catholic influence, with festivals concerned with death, in a playful but serious way. In Catholic countries we often find some cognate of Halloween associated with All Saints' or All Souls' days.

"... Unlike the American Halloween, in Mexico people build home altars, adorned with religious icons and special breads and other food for the dead. The Day of the Dead incorporates recognition of death as a concept with rituals that remember the deaths of individuals" (Jack Santino, Halloween and Other Festivals of Death and Life, 1994). GN

Is Halloween Harmless?

Every year at Halloween, well-meaning parents dress their children in grotesque and ghoulish costumes. Is Halloween really harmless? Who and what's behind this bizarre holiday?

by Jerold Aust

It all looks like so much fun and seems so harmless: jack-o'-lanterns, grotesque grinning masks, long black witch attire with pointed black hats, costumes painted like skeletons, outfits that represent demons and goblins, and children going door to door, soliciting treats from compliant neighbors.

But when Halloween comes around, do you find yourself yearning for the hours to pass until the whole trick-or-treat farce is over? If you don't, you should!

Halloween's not-so-fun side

Since when is it acceptable for little children to threaten to commit vandalism?

What happens if the homeowner doesn't come to the door or doesn't have the treats the kids might expect? Is it permissible for children to then soap his windows, toilet paper his trees, chalk mark his sidewalk or turn over plants as they leave? When is it okay for children to commit vandalism while on another person's property?

Isn't it about time for all well-meaning citizens to just say NO to Halloween?

The clergy, in general, hasn't stood against it. Some churches even have Halloween parties. Some citizens do speak up against it, as the letters to the editor in your newspaper occasionally show.

Is Halloween simply good, clean fun, or is it something else entirely? You need to know!

God is giving a wake-up call to professing Christians. As it was with those the prophet Elijah addressed in his day, so it is with us: "'How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.' But the people answered him not a word" (1 Kings 18:21). What will it take for Christians to accept and stand for God's truth rather than harmful traditions that originated in paganism?

Where did Halloween originate?

Just where did Halloween come from, and why is it so widely celebrated?

The Encyclopedia of Religion explains: "Halloween is the name for the eve of Samhain, a celebration marking the beginning of winter as well as the first day of the New Year within the ancient Celtic culture of the British Isles. The time of Samhain consisted of the eve of the feast and the day itself (31 October and 1 November).

"On this occasion, it was believed that a gathering of supernatural forces occurred as during no other period of the year. The eve and day of Samhain were characterized as a time when the barriers between the human and supernatural worlds were broken. Otherworldly entities, such as the souls of the dead, were able to visit earthly inhabitants, and humans could take the opportunity to penetrate the domains of the gods and supernatural creatures.

"Fiery tributes and sacrifices of animals, crops, and possibly human beings were made to appease supernatural powers who controlled the fertility of the land . . . Samhain acknowledged the entire spectrum of nonhuman forces that roamed the earth during the period" (1987, pp. 176-177, "Halloween").

On this holiday "huge bonfires were set on hilltops to frighten away evil spirits . . . The souls of the dead were supposed to revisit their homes on this day, and the autumnal festival acquired sinister significance, with ghosts, witches, hobgoblins, black cats, fairies, and demons of all kinds said to be roaming about. It was the time to placate the supernatural powers controlling the processes of nature" (The Encyclopaedia Britannica, 15th edition, Micropaedia, Vol. 4, p. 862, "Halloween").

It was, bluntly put, a day devoted to appeasing demonic spirits and the dark side of the spirit world—something no Christian should have any part in (Ephesians 5:11).

So how did this dark celebration continue into modern times? Sadly, Halloween came down to us from the Roman Catholic Church, which assigned a day of each year to each of their saints. When it reached the point that they had more than 365, they then combined them together on Nov. 1 and called it "All Saints Day" or "All Hallows Day"—the night before being "All Hallows Eve" or "Hallow Even" (holy evening), contracted to the name Hallowe'en or Halloween.

Why did they choose this particular day? Again The Encyclopedia of Religion explains: "Samhain remained a popular festival among the Celtic people throughout the christianization of Great Britain . The British church attempted to divert this interest in pagan customs by adding a Christian celebration to the calendar on the same date as Samhain. The Christian festival, the Feast of All Saints, commemorates the known and unknown saints of the Christian religion just as Samhain had acknowledged and paid tribute to the Celtic deities" (p. 177).

Thus a pagan celebration was relabeled as Christian.

The Bible versus Halloween

You cannot find any support for Halloween in your Bible, because God is adamantly opposed to it and the pagan, occult practices it revels in. He warns His people to have nothing to do with these (Leviticus 19:31; Deuteronomy 18:10-12). They blind us from the truth of God.

God does not take Halloween lightly. As He says, "Learn not the way of the heathen" (Jeremiah 10:2, King James Version). And, "Take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, 'How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise'" (Deuteronomy 12:30).

God will not always remain tirelessly patient with those who insist on celebrating harmful and superstitious customs such as Halloween. "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance . . . What kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God" (2 Peter 3:9-12, New International Version).

The author of Halloween

The author of sin and death, Satan the devil, is also the behind-the-scenes author of pagan customs like Halloween. Jesus said that Satan is a liar and the father of all lies (John 8:44). God is the God of the living, not the dead (Matthew 22:31-32). He is the God of not only true Christians alive today but, because of the certainty of the coming resurrection of the dead (1 Corinthians 15), of those who will yet live when raised from death. So certain is this resurrection that to God it is looked on as an accomplished fact (see Romans 4:17).

Conversely, Satan is the "lord of the dead." Hebrews 2:14 says of Jesus Christ that "only by dying could he break the power of the Devil, who had the power of death" (New Living Translation).

Satan is the lord of the dead in that he leads people by his lies and influence into the way of death and, as the next verse shows, puts them in bondage to the fear of death.

He has foisted Halloween on ignorant people and even well-meaning Christians in a subtle and deceitful way, perpetuating it through the Catholic Church with a "Christian" mask that hides its demonic origins.

Can people make Halloween harmless?

When it comes to Halloween—or any other holiday for that matter—you should ask yourself, "Did God make man in His image, or did God intend man to remake God in man's image?" Now that's a sobering thought.

The religious excuse for perpetuating Halloween might be that, as we've seen, church leaders long ago called it a "holy evening" for all the Catholic saints who had no day assigned to them. But face it: People who celebrate this evening today couldn't care less about such religious notions. All they think about is instant gratification, to follow the pack with everyone else and to have some fun.

The Encyclopedia of Religion goes on to say: "Modern Halloween activities have centered on mischief making and masquerading in costumes, often resembling otherworldly characters. Folk customs, now treated as games [such as bobbing for apples], have continued from the various divination practices of the ancient celebrants of this occasion. Supernatural figures [such as the ghost, the witch, the vampire, the devil] play a key role in supplying an aura of the mysterious to the evening, whether or not they originally had an association with the festival.

"Children are particularly susceptible to the imagery of Halloween, as can be seen in their fascination with the demonic likeness of a carved and illuminated pumpkin, known as the jack-o'-lantern. In recent times, children have taken up the practice of dressing in Halloween costumes and visiting homes in search of edible and monetary treats, lightly threatening to play a trick on the owner if a treat is not produced" (p. 177).

Halloween is one of many human traditions that cloud biblical teachings and keep people in the dark from God's truth that can set us free (John 8:32). It is not a harmless holiday for you or for your children. God warns us to avoid it and to follow His ways, because He hates for us to dabble in the spirit world of Satan and his demons! Instead, as God tells us in Isaiah 66:2, "On this one will I look: on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word." GN

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Related Resources

Holidays or Holy Days: Does it Matter Which Days We Celebrate?
It's Ironic that so many of today's popular holidays—including major religious celebrations like Christmas and Easter—originated in ancient pagan festivals and customs, while God's Holy Days revealed in the Bible are almost universally ignored. Which should you celebrate and why?

God's Holy Day Plan: The Promise of Hope for All Mankind
Is it possible to know what the future holds for us? The Creator of mankind does have a plan for us, and He reveals it to us through an annual cycle of festivals described in the Scriptures. It is an astounding plan offering an incredible future to every man, woman, and child who has ever lived.

Halloween's Dark Roots
In recent years eye-opening materials have been published about the questionable background of Halloween

Ghouls, Ghosts and Goblins
It seems like such harmless fun—children dressed as witches, skeletons or Darth Vader ringing the doorbell, enthusiastically announcing, "Trick or treat!" But is this preoccupation with the dead, witches and demons really harmless? And do you realize that Halloween was originally an important religious holiday—and still is in many parts of the world?

Can Halloween Be Christianized?
What should you do in deciding how you will approach this hotly debated issue?

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2 Corinthians 6
14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? 15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? 16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said:

“ I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people.”

17 Therefore

“ Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And [then] I will receive you.” 18 “ I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the LORD Almighty.”

If folks want to continue to wallow in the mire of baptized paganism, whitewashed heathen holidays, mix and match some truth with plenty of error, adulterate the Word of God, then they are against the Word and Will of God and are acting like bastards - not the sons and daughters of the LORD Almighty.

Do You Prefer TRADITION Over Truth?

Is the Plain Truth Too Strong?

www.davidbenariel.org