Articles
Halloween
What Every Christian Should Know About Halloween
by John and Teresa Cavender
THE FESTIVAL OF DEATH - Even as far back
as 300 years before the birth of Jesus, the Celtic civilization
celebrated the Festival of Samhain on October 31st. Samhain
is their God of Death and their most powerful god. Every year
on this day, they believe, the old year dies and the new year
begins. It is the Celtic New Year, as well as the Festival
of Samhain, the Festival of Death. He is particularly honored
on this day, but more especially on this night; and the great
climactic moment will come at midnight. Darkness, fear and
death prevail; many human sacrifices are to be presented to
Samhain, and midnight is the high moment of the year for divination,
spiritism and sorcery of all kinds. Darkness is deepest, and
death more sovereign tonight than at any other time of the
year, and midnight is the climax.
THE BIRTH OF HALLOWEEN - In the eighth century
the Pope, in an attempt to get the people to abandon the festival
of Samhain and all its occult, idolatrous practices, established
All Saints Day on November 1st. This was never a Christian
holiday, but a Catholic holiday to worship and pray to the
Saints who were dead, which is idolatry, even though they were
honoring those who had been martyrs in the terrible Roman persecutions.
He apparently hoped that the similarity of meaning would cause
the people to accept All Saints Day as a substitute and abandon
the Festival of Death. But it didn't work. As a matter of fact,
this attempt to end Samhain follows us and causes trouble to
this day, because its location on the calendar has led many
people to believe that Samhain is a Christian observance. Nothing
could be farther from the truth. This is how it evolved:
In the British Isles: All Saints Day came
to be called "All Halloweds" since it was a day to
worship all the "hallowed ones", the Christian dead.
Since Samhain always occurred the evening before All Halloweds,
it came to be called "All Halloweds Evening" or just "Halloweds
E'en." From this it evolved to "Hallows E'en" and,
finally, to "Halloween" as we know it today. Because
of the relationship in the names, and the adjacent dates, many
today entertain the completely unfounded idea that Halloween
is somehow a Christian holiday. This has made it much easier
for the ungodly festival to move right into the churches each
October and flourish there, spreading its occult poison.
In the Middle Ages: In the midst of the darkness
that prevailed during the Middle Ages there was a mighty revival
of witchcraft and Satanism. During this time there developed
the belief that on October 31st witches traveled to their covens
flying on brooms, guided by evil spirits in the form of black
cats. There was a great outpouring of satanic power, and as
all the old practices continued, some new ones developed; the
Festival of Death continued without interruption as the most
important day (night) of the year for witches and all Satanists,
deepening the darkness that already covered the Earth, as a
corrupted, weakened Church was ineffective in opposing it.
In the New World: When our Puritan ancestors
came to the New World in the seventeenth century, they strictly
forbade all such occult practices and pagan festivals. Among
the Puritans there was no Festival of Death, there was no Saturnalia,
there were no May poles, no Midsummer Night, nor any such things;
they were well aware of the satanic origins, nature and dangers
of them. They may have been harsh, but at least they nourished
no vipers in the bosom of the Church. Then in the eighteenth
and nineteenth centuries, there came a flood of Celtic immigrants
to the New World, mostly from the British isles, and they brought
with their folk beliefs and pagan superstitions; they brought
with them Samhain, the Festival of Death.
The Jack-o-lantern: Hundreds of years before
Christ, on Halloween night each Druid dressed in hooded robes
and had slung over his shoulder on a cord, a large, hallowed-out
turnip with an oil lamp burning inside. Carved into the side
of the hollow turnip was a face, the likeness of the demon
spirit that dwells inside. This spirit was the Druid's spirit
guide, his personal little god, who directed and empowered
his life. When the Celtics immigrated to the New World they
found pumpkins, much easier to hollow out and carve than turnips.
Among the English-speaking Celts the hollowed turnip or pumpkin
was known as "Jock (or Jack) of the Lantern." referring
to the spirit guide (Jock or Jack) who lived in them. Deuteronomy
7:26 says - "Do not bring a detestable thing
into your house or you, like it, will be set apart for destruction.
Utterly abhor and detest it, for it is set apart for destruction."
Trick or Treating: The Druids of old adhered
to strange dietary restrictions, and on the night of the Festival
of Death they would go from home to home demanding these peculiar
foods. If the people comply, they pass on in silence; if their
demands were not met, the people and their home were cursed
with trouble, sickness, and death.
Masks and costumes: Also came from the Druids.
During this night of rituals they sacrificed animals (and sometimes
humans). Often they wore the skins of these animals. Dressed
in this way, they would engage in fortune telling. Villagers
also dressed in hideous masks and costumes in an effort to
disguise themselves from the spirits.
Bobbing For Apples: Since Samhain was the
beginning of the new year, much divining was done concerning
the coming year, and many things were done to invoke "good
luck" (which meant finding favor with the evil spirits)
for the coming year. A very popular form of this was to kneel
around a tub of water with apples floating in it, and the first
one who could get one out without using hands or teeth would
have good favor with the spirits in the coming year. Then each
would peel his (or her) apple, trying to get the peel off in
one piece (which gave the peeling particular power and gained
special favor with the spirits).
Bonfires: Originally came from these nights
of human and animal sacrifices where they would throw the remains
of the bodies into the fire. The next morning all that was
left were the ashes and bones. Thus the name of these fires
were called "bonefires".
CONCLUSION - Halloween is and always was
the devils holiday! There never was nor has there ever been
anything Christian about it, but he has somehow duped many
Christians into embracing it and accepting it as our own!
Remember a war is never won by compromise. The Bible says
a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough. We should
not even attempt to have some sort of a "substitute" that
mimics what they do, by calling it a harvest party, celebrating
it on or next to the actual date, dressing up and doing what
the pagans do and calling it by another name. Deuteronomy
12:3 - "Break down their alters, smash their
sacred stones and burn their Ashera poles (in America we call
them May Poles) in the fire; cut down the idols of their gods
and wipe out their names from those places. YOU MUST NOT WORSHIP
THE LORD YOUR GOD IN THEIR WAY." We celebrate the harvest
and give thanks to the Lord every November which is called "Thanksgiving".
The Bible says to "deny ourselves, take up our cross
and follow him." If we cannott deny ourselves celebrating
Satan's Holiday, then how can we make it through persecution
and the trials that the Bible says we will have to endure?
It is not "legalism" to love the Lord and not want
to grieve him by going against what he says in the Scriptures.
To teach our children to imitate the practices of witches and
Satanists is to give glory to Satan and what he stands for
by reenacting what they do. It will also teach our children
to compromise and to be like the world which the Bible says
NOT to be like. We cannot serve two masters - Luke
16:13. Proverbs 22:6 says, "Train
a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will
not turn from it."
We have a great responsibility in raising God's children.
They are His and we will be answerable to Him regarding this.
Jesus said to his disciples: "Things that cause people
to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom
they come. It would be better for him to be thrown into the
sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause
one of these little ones to sin. So watch yourselves." - Luke
17:1-2.
Remember though that God is forgiving and loves us greatly. 2
Peter 3:9 says, "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." 2 Chronucles 7:14 says, "if
my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves
and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways,
then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and
will heal their land." and 1 John 1:9 says, "If
we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive
us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." And
finally, John 8:32 says, "Then you
will know the truth and the truth will set you free"
The scriptural denunciation of all such pagan practices is
so overwhelming that I have just included a small percentage
of what the Word says about it. In light of the facts and the
following scriptures you need to make a decision: ". .
.Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve. . .But
as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." - Joshua
24:15
Additional Scriptures:
Deuteronomy 18:9-13 - "When you enter
the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn to IMITATE
the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found
among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who
practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages
in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist
or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable
to the Lord, and because of these detestable practices the
Lord your God will drive out those nations before your. You
must be blameless before the Lord your God."
1 Corinthians 10:20-21 - "I say the
sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and
I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot
drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot
have a part in both the Lord's table and the table of demons."
Galatians 4:8-11 - "Formerly, when you
did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are
not gods. But now that you know God-or rather are known by
God-how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable
principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?
You are observing special days and months and seasons and years!
I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you."
1 Peter 4:1-3 - "Therefore, since Christ
suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude,
because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. As
a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for
evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. For you
have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose
to do--living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing
and detestable idolatry."
Ephesians 5:6-11 - "Let no one deceive
you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath
comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners
with them. For you were once darkness, but now you are light
in the Lord. Live as children of light and find out what pleases
the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness,
but rather expose them."
Romans 13:12 - "The night is nearly
over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds
of darkness and put on the armor of light."
Joshua 7:11-13 - (Amplified): "Israel
has sinned; they have transgressed My covenant which I commanded
them; they have taken of the things devoted (for destruction);
they have stolen, and lied, and put them among their own baggage.
That is why the Israelites could not stand before their enemies,
but fled before them; they are accursed (devoted) things among
you. Up, sanctify yourselves for tomorrow; for thus says the
Lord, the God of Israel. There is an accursed thing in the
midst of you, O Israel; you can not stand before your enemies
until you take away from among you the thing devoted (to destruction.)"
Galatians 6:7-8 - "Do not be deceived:
God cannot be mocked, a man reaps what he sows. The one who
sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap
destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the
Spirit will reap eternal life."
1 John 2:3 - "We know that we have come
to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, "I
know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar,
and the truth is not in him."
Titus 2:12 - "For the grace of God that
brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to
say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and
to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present
age."
1 John 2:6 - "Whoever claims to live
in Him must walk as Jesus did."
Ezekiel 44:23 - "And they shall teach
my people the difference between the holy and the profane,
and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean."
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