Please check all that apply. This year for Halloween, I'll
probably:
1. Dress the little ones up in costumes and escort them
around our neighborhood to collect candy.
2. Check out the local haunted house.
3. Get together with some buddies to watch a scary movie.
4. Dress up in a devil suit and scare the neighborhood kids
that knock on the front door.
5. Turn off the porch light and hope nobody finds me eating
the three bags of Snickers bars I bought for trick-or-treaters.
Most people see nothing wrong with the activities listed
above. They consider Halloween festivities to be a harmless way for their
children to have an evening of "fantasy and fun."
But does this standard hold true for Christians? Is dressing
up like ghosts, goblins, and witches really "no big deal"? Or is it
glorifying and empowering Satan?
If we have truly committed our hearts and our lives to
Christ, we will set ourselves apart as people who seek to reflect God's
goodness and love to the world. Because we become like the things we behold,
the apostle Paul in Philippians 4:8 counsels Christians to think deeply
about-and to continually fill our minds with-what is good. A careful, honest
look at Halloween reveals little or nothing that is good. Instead, it is a day
that points toward Satanism, fear, and gluttony.
Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for
what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion
hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what
part hath he that believeth with an infidel? (2 Corinthians 6:14-15).
Although the word Halloween means "holy or hallowed
evening," history shows that nothing could be further from the truth.
Halloween is clearly a relic of pagan times, and it has never reflected true
Christian virtues.
The customs connected with Halloween are most commonly
traced to a festival celebrated by the Druids-priests of the Celtic tribes that
occupied northern and Western Europe. This celebration, which dates back
several centuries before Christ, began each year on October 31 and was called
the festival of Samhain, the lord of death.
As part of their worship of Samhain, the Druid priests built
huge bonfires on which both animals and humans were sacrificed. This barbaric
practice continued openly for hundreds of years, until Rome conquered Britain
and outlawed it.
Years passed, and Rome continued to conquer new territory
and increase in power. The people of each conquered nation were forced not only
to become Roman citizens, but also to become members of the Roman church. As
you can imagine, these new "converts" cared little about Christianity
and clung tenaciously to their cherished pagan practices.
So, since the Roman church was unable to get people to
abandon their heathen festivals, it decided to "sanctify" some of
them. The Druids' celebration in honor of the lord of death thus became All
Saints' Day, which was to be observed by all churches. Officially, it was
proclaimed a day to honor all the saints who had died, known or unknown. But in
practice, it remained what it had always been-a pagan celebration of the
"Day of the Dead."
Throughout its history, Halloween has been thought of as the
time when supernatural forces prevail. Anton LaVey, author of "The Satanic
Bible" and high priest of the Church of Satan, says that Satanists
consider Halloween the most important day of the year. He says that on this
night, satanic, occult, and witchcraft power are at their highest potency
level, and that any witch or occultist who has been having difficulty with a
spell or curse can usually achieve success on October 31st because Satan and
his powers are at their best that night.
Divination, or fortune telling, is also believed to reach
its highest powers on Halloween, as people are eager to learn what might happen
to them in the upcoming year. Even today, predictions of leading psychics and
astrologers are generally released about the time of Halloween.
Clearly, the rites and symbols of this holiday reveal that
it is still a day that glorifies Satan. Look around you. Though October 31 is
still a month away, you can probably see evidences that Halloween is
approaching. Pictures of ghosts, goblins, witches, skeletons, and devil-faced
pumpkins appear on store windows everywhere. Horror movies are promoted on
television and in the theaters, and most bookstores give prominent attention to
books dealing with death and the occult.
As Christians, we are not to associate with the things of
Satan. Christ Himself said, "No man can serve two masters: for either he
will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and
despise the other" (Matthew 6:24).
"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of
power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7).
Since its beginning, the festival of Halloween has played
upon people's fears. The Celtic people believed that on the night of October
31, demons, witches, and the spirits of all those who had died within the past
year roamed about freely. Most people were afraid to leave their homes on this
night. Those who absolutely had to go out wore grotesque masks and terrifying
costumes. They reasoned that if they looked horrible enough, the spirits would
think they were one of them and would do them no harm!
Fear is a big part of modern Halloween celebrations, as
well. Spooky decorations, horror movies, and haunted houses make a very real
impression on little children. Is there any wonder so many youth have
nightmares or are afraid to be alone in the dark? Satan delights in filling
people's minds with thoughts of fear, death, and destruction. It is a tactic he
has used for centuries to keep mankind under his control.
God, on the other hand, longs to give His children peace. He
doesn't want us to be paralyzed by our fears. In fact, the Bible says that
Christ died. ”And deliver them who through fear of death were all their
lifetime subject to bondage. (Hebrews 2:15).
“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do
all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31).
Several days before their festival began, the Druid priests
would go from house to house demanding food or other items they would use in
their worship of Samhain, the lord of death. If a villager refused to give them
what they wanted, the priest would put a demonic curse on the home. It was no
idle threat, either. Someone from that house usually died within the year. It
is from this abominable practice that our present-day
"trick-or-treat" custom evolved.
While it is true that trick-or-treat is no longer primarily
about curses, it is about gluttony. Children go from house to house, filling
grocery bags full of candy and then returning home to feast on their great
treasure. Often, those who stay at home to hand out the candy consume great
amounts of it themselves!
Even this element of Halloween, which in comparison might
seem harmless, does nothing to glorify God. The Bible says that the body is the
temple of the Holy Spirit. We should not be polluting that temple with food
that clouds our perceptions and draws us away from God.
"Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness,
but rather reprove them" (Ephesians 5:11).
Satan is no doubt jubilant that such a large portion of this
"Christian nation" views a holiday in his honor as something that is
harmless fun. Could it be that by our carelessness, we are contributing to the
extraordinary power Satan seems to have on October 31?
No matter how fun or exciting it may seem, Halloween is no
celebration for a Christian. If we truly seek to glorify God, then how can we
devote one day of the year to worshiping Satan? We can't.
The Bible says, "Ye are a chosen generation, a royal
priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the
praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous
light" (1 Peter 2:9).
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