History traces Halloween back to the ancient religion of the Celtics.
The Celtic people were very conscious of the spiritual world and
had their own ideas of how they could gain access to it – such
as by helping their over 300 gods to defeat their enemies in
battle, or by imitating the gods in showing cleverness and
cunning.
 Their
two main feasts were Beltane at the beginning of summer (May 1),
and Samhain at the end of summer (Nov. 1). They believed Samhain
was a time when the division between the two worlds became very
thin, when hostile supernatural forces were active and ghosts
and spirits were free to wander as they wished.
The
Celtic priests who carried out the rituals in the open air were
called Druids, members of pagan orders in Britain, Ireland and
Gaul, who generally performed their rituals by offering
sacrifices, usually of animals, but sometimes of humans, in
order to placate the gods; ensuring that the sun would return
after the winter; and frightening away evil spirits. To the
Celtics, the bonfire represented the sun and was used to aid the
Druid in his fight with dark powers. The term bonfire comes from
the words “bone fire,” literally meaning the bones of sacrificed
animals, sometimes human, were piled in a field with timber and
set ablaze. All fires except those of the Druids were
extinguished on Samhain and householders were levied a fee to
relight their holy fire which burned at their altars. During the
Festival of Samhain, fires would be lit which would burn all
through the winter and sacrifices would be offered to the gods
on the fires. This practice of burning humans was stopped around
1600, and an effigy was sometimes burned instead.
Samhain
was the supreme night of demonic jubilation. Spirits of the dead
would rise out of their graves and wander the countryside,
trying to return to the homes where they formerly lived.
 Frightened
villagers tried to appease these wandering spirits by offering
them gifts of fruit and nuts. This is the origin of our present
day “trick-or-treat.” They began the tradition of placing plates
of the finest food and bits of treats that the household had to
offer on their doorsteps, as gifts, to appease the hunger of the
ghostly wanderers. If not placated, villagers feared that the
spirits would kill their flocks or destroy their property.
The
problem was… if the souls of dead loved ones could return that
night, so could anything else, human or not, nice or
not-so-nice. The only thing the superstitious people knew to do
to protect themselves on such an occasion was to masquerade as
one of the demonic hoard, and hopefully blend in unnoticed among
them. Wearing masks and other disguises and blackening the face
with soot were originally ways of hiding oneself from the
spirits of the dead who might be roaming around. This is the
origin of Halloween masquerading as devils, imps, ogres, and
other demonic creatures.
Trick
or Treat has been thought to have come from a European custom
called “souling”. Beggars would go from village to village
begging for “soul cakes” made out of square pieces of bread with
currants. The more soul cakes the beggars would receive, the
more prayers they would promise to say on behalf of the dead
relatives of the donors. At the time, it was believed that the
dead remained in limbo for a time after death, and that prayer,
even by strangers could guarantee a soul’s passage to heaven.
In
many parts of Britain and Ireland this night used to be known as
‘Mischief Night’, which meant that people were free to go around
the village playing pranks and getting up to any kind of
mischief without fear of being punished. Many of the different
customs were taken to the United States by Irish and Scottish
immigrants in the nineteenth century, and they developed into
‘trick or treat’.
When
Christianity spread to parts of Europe, instead of trying to
abolish these pagan customs, people tried to introduce ideas
which reflected a more Christian world-view. Halloween has since
become a confusing mixture of traditions and practices from
pagan cultures and Christian tradition. The Romans observed the
holiday of Feralia, intended to give rest and peace to the
departed. Participants made sacrifices in honor of the dead,
offered up prayers for them, and made oblations to them. The
festival was celebrated on February 21, the end of the Roman
year. In the 7th century, Pope Boniface IV introduced All
Saints’ Day to replace the pagan festival of the dead. It was
observed on May 13. In 834, Gregory III moved All Saint’s Day
from May 13 to Nov. 1 and for Christians, this became an
opportunity for remembering before God all the saints who had
died and all the dead in the Christian community. Oct. 31 thus
became All Hallows’ Eve (‘hallow’ means ’saint’). Sadly, though,
many of the customs survived and were blended in with
Christianity.
Numerous
folk customs connected with the pagan observances for the dead
have survived to the present. The various activities traditional
to Halloween are mostly associated with the idea of obtaining
good fortune and foretelling the future. The idea behind
ducking, dooking or bobbing for apples seems to have been that
snatching a bite from the apple enables the person to grasp good
fortune. Samhain is a time for getting rid of weakness, as
pagans once slaughtered weak animals which were unlikely to
survive the winter. A common ritual calls for writing down
weaknesses on a piece of paper or parchment, and tossing it into
the fire. There used to be a custom of placing a stone in the
hot ashes of the bonfire. If in the morning a person found that
the stone had been removed or had cracked, it was a sign of bad
fortune. Nuts have been used for divination: whether they burned
quietly or exploded indicated good or bad luck. Peeling an apple
and throwing the peel over one’s shoulder was supposed to reveal
the initial of one’s future spouse. One way of looking for omens
of death was for peope to visit churchyards, because the spirits
of those who were going to die during the coming year were
thought to walk around the churchyard during this night.
The
Jack-o-lantern is the festival light for Halloween and is the
ancient symbol of a damned soul. Originally the Irish would
carve out turnips or beets as lanterns as representations of the
souls of the dead or goblins freed from the dead. When the Irish
emigrated to America they could not find many turnips to carve
into Jack O’Lanterns but they did find an abundance of pumpkins.
Pumpkins seemed to be a suitable substitute for the turnips and
pumpkins have been an essential part of Halloween celebrations
ever since. Pumpkins were cut with faces representing demons and
was originally intended to frighten away evil spirits. It was
said that if a demon or such were to encounter something as
fiendish looking as themselves that they’d run away in
terror,thus sparing the houses dwellers from the ravages of dark
entities. They would have been carried around the village
boundaries or left outside the home to burn through the night.
 Bats,
owls and other nocturanal animals, also popular symbols of
Halloween, were originally feared because people believed that
these creatures could communicate with the spirits of the dead.
Black cats has religious origins as well. During the Middle Ages
it was believed that witches could turn themselves into black
cats. Thus when such a cat was seen, it was considered to be a
witch in disguise.
Witches
and witchcraft are dominant themes of the holiday. Witches
generally believe themselves to be followers of an ancient
religion, which goes back far beyond Christianity, and which is
properly called ‘wicca’. Witches are really just one side of a
modern revival of paganism
- the following of pre-Christian nature religions, the attempt
to return to worshipping ancient Norse, Greek or Celtic gods and
goddesses. The apostle Paul said Witchcraft is one of the acts
of the sinful nature and those who practice it will not inherit
the kingdom of God (Galatians 5:16-21; see also Revelation
22:15).
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 you. You must be blameless before the
LORD your God. The nations you will dispossess listen to
those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you,
the LORD your God has not permitted you to do so.
[Deuteronomy 18:10-14]
Should
Christians adopt such practices?
“Do not
conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind.” [Romans 12:2]
Can we borrow the pagan customs and superstitions of ancient
peoples and “Christianize” them?
“Test
everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil. [1
Thesalonians 5:21-22] Who can deny
that virtually all of the symbols of Halloween are evil?
Witches, monsters, ogres, vampires, ghosts, ghouls, goblins,
devils and demons all portray evil.
“And have
no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather
reprove them.” [Ephesians 5:11] The
sort of practices celebrated on Halloween are what defiled the
ancient nations [see Leviticus 18:24-30]. The Israelites were
warned against such practices when they entered the Promised
Land,
“When thou
art come into the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou
shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.”
[Deuteronomy 18:9]
Is
Halloween just another innocent holiday that doesn’t harm
anyone? Is it really just childish fun? Should the church be
compromised by accommodating itself to the culture? Vandalism
and wanton disregard for the property of others is common on
Halloween night. Even normally well-behaved children are driven
by unseen forces to destructive behavior. Police officials
everywhere report a great increase in such activities on
Halloween. Worse yet are the horrifying accounts of poisoned
candy and fruits booby-trapped with razor blades and needles.
Such threats are so real that many hospitals offer free X-rays
of Halloween treats in order to prevent children from being
harmed. Who but Satan could inspire such monstrous actions?
As
an alternative to the celebration of evil and death, Christians
should rather do what Christians are supposed to do every day
and that is shine the light of Jesus Christ. We should emphasize
the Christian influences and strive to make Hallow’s Eve a
celebration of the acts of God through his people the saints. We
should make it a day when acts of charity instead of vandalism
and hatred abound. A day that emphasizes the light of Christ
instead of the darkness of evil. A day when people meditate on
the acts of Godly people instead of ghosts and goblins.
When
America and the world celebrates the Festival of Samhain and the
powers of darkness by masquerading as evil creatures or
decorating our homes, schools, businesses and churches with
occult symbols, Satanic power is glorified. While you may have
participated “all in fun,” be assured, Halloween is serious
business for Satanists and witches. Those who oppose Christ are
known to organize on Halloween to observe satanic rituals, to
cast spells, to oppose churches and families, to perform
sacrilegious acts, and to even offer blood sacrifices to Satan.
As
evil prevails, Americans have embraced an evil day of Satan,
with the pranks of ‘would be’ hoodlums, combined with ‘demon
faces’ on pumpkins, clothing of ‘death’ being worn, and calling
it fun. When Christians participate in Halloween, it sends a
message to children that witchcraft, demonism, Satanism, and the
occult are something fun, entertaining and harmless.
Many
years ago, C.S. Lewis wrote that one of Satan’s most deceptive
tactics is to convince people that he doesn’t exist. Apparently
he has done a good job in his deception. Sadly, many people
think of the devil as no more than a symbol of evil: like Santa
Claus, he is just a fictional symbol. Many people today also do
not think of witches as real people who practice magic, but
simply as imaginary figures who represent the supernatural world
and everything that is ’spooky.’ Recognizing this pagan holiday
gives the false impression that what is actually lethal is
innocuous.
 Some
children develop a fascination with the supernatural which leads
them later into more sinister occult practices. It’s the
spiritual equivalent of painting a loaded gun to look like a toy
and giving it to child to play with.
It
is the kind of celebration that encourages kids like the
16-year-old in Pearl, Mississippi who stabbed his mother to
death in her sleep and then opened fire at his high school,
killing two students and wounding seven. Authorities found this
student along with at least six others involved in a small,
avowedly satanic clique that calls itself “Kroth.”
How
some people can defend this kind of activity as just another
innocent holiday that doesn’t harm anyone is beyond me.
Light
has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of
light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil
hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear
that his deeds will be exposed. (John 3:19-20)
Central
to Satan’s goals is the widespread acceptance of the
supernatural, including the occult, on the part of North
Americans, accompanied by a great revival of spiritism all over
the world. Over the last 30 years, the occult has moved into the
mainstream of America – in television, movies, magazines,
business, and various aspects of daily life. Movies, books,
magazines and encyclopedias of the supernatural have abounded.
Turn on your TV and hear from the ever-present “Psychic Friends”
hotline, or see lead characters in TV shows meet their “spirit
guide.” Entire bookstores devoted to the occult have become
common. Universities regularly offer courses on witchcraft and
magic – usually the so-called “white” variety. Myriads of
mystical Eastern religions, bizarre and often demonic, have
invaded North America and found in most cases an amazing
responsiveness.
Increasingly
the curriculum in many public schools is becoming a primer in
occultism. Impressions, a curriculum used in many school
districts instructs teachers and students in how to cast spells.
One teacher’s manual reads, “Tell the children that a magician
has cast a spell on some children. Have them work in pairs to
write the magic spell the magician used. Have each pair write
another spell to reverse the first spell. Have them chant their
spells.” About 16,000 school districts use the Pumsey the Dragon
curriculum, by Jill Anderson. Many of the relaxation techniques
used are identical to those used in hypnosis. Another curriculum
called Duso the Dolphin employs relaxation techniques and sends
hypnotized youngsters off on guided fantasies to a place called
Aquatron.
Recently,
a California skateboard manufacturer used a package enclosure
similar in appearance to a gospel tract to encourage purchasers
to sell their souls to the devil. The brochure titled, “Let’s
Make a Deal” has a smiley-faced devil who explains to Flame Boy
what happened in heaven after he was banished: “First off, they
set up a bunch of dumb rules, and then they imposed a really
strict dress code. I’l wager that people must be quite bored up
there, but hey, that’s what they get for being good.” He
contrasts this with, “Flame Boy, even a dimwit like you can see
that hell is by far the best place to retire. Just look at all
the fun to be had.” Children are asked to sign and return a
contract, by which they give possession of their souls to the
devil for eternity.
Satanism
has become a phenomena that crosses the city limit into the
rural areas of our nation. It is reported there are some 6000
witches, and approximately 10 million people are involved in the
occult. However, it is very difficult to establish how many
actually participate. These individuals are involved in a wide
variety of activities from simply casting spells to human
sacrifice. The news wires carry story after story about young
children being kidnapped, only to be found later as victims of
some bizarre ritualistic crime.
As
satantic involvement among our youth increases, we begin to see
the primary goal of such activity. According to Scripture (2
Cor. 4:4; Rev. 12:9), Satan’s goal is to deceive man by blinding
him to the truth of the gospel and to receive worship for
himself (Matt. 4:9; Isa. 14:12-14). It has become clear that the
primary goal is to alter an individual’s values and turn him
against himself, his beliefs, family, God and society.
“Be
sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a
roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” 1
Peter 5:8
Young
satanists believe the strong will rule with Satan. Once an
individual becomes involved, they often make a pact with Satan.
They commit themselves to a future date when they will take
their own lives by suicide. They believe if they submit
themselves to Satan in death, they will come back in another
life as a stronger being and rule with him forever. According to
recent statistics, fourteen young people a day take their own
lives.
What’s
wrong with Halloween? It does not have even one single redeeming
virtue. It is custom born out of pagan superstition. It is a
demon-inspired, devil-glorifying, occult festival. It is an
evening holy unto evil, death, and divination. The Scriptures
tells us to
“Abstain
from all appearance of evil.” [1Thess. 5:22]
Wake up Christian! This is the night of evil and those who love
the Lord Jesus Christ should have nothing to do with it.
We
are all accountable for our choices and decisions. Ignorance is
no excuse. The choice is up to you. Have you been involved in
this satanic holiday? Do you struggle with giving it up because
“it’s just fun” and an innocent opportunity for children to
dress up and collect candy? Don’t take my word for it. Let God
show you what he would have you do. You might begin by praying
the following:
Father
in
heaven I come to you in the name of Jesus Christ to confess
that I’m a sinner. I’m sorry! Please forgive me. I believe
with all my heart that Jesus Christ is Your Son and that You
raised him from the dead. I believe that Jesus Christ died
for my sins and that I might be saved. Each and everyday
Father I turn my will and my life over to Your care, and may
Your Holy Spirit lead and guide me in all the things I think
, do and say. I’m Yours and You are mine. Father, please use
me that I might help others come to know and love Your Son
Jesus Christ. Thank you for saving me. Amen
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