There are debates amongst believers during this time of year if Christians should celebrate Halloween? Some say, “Sure. There’s nothing wrong with it. It’s not the devil’s day. Everyday belongs to Jesus. We can redeem the day. It’s just dress up to the kids.” Then others say, “No. We will have no part of it. Halloween is rooted in evil. It’s a day of honoring and glorifying the darkness and evil spirits. Christians are to be different and take no part in evil deeds of darkness.” These are very different viewpoints and while we may respect the wisdom and advice of other believers what matters most is what the Lord’s view point on this issue is. The scripture that comes to my mind is Hosea 4:6,
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you [the priestly nation] have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you that you shall be no priest to Me; seeing you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children.”
We must not allow ourselves to be deceived and influenced due to lack of knowledge. A lack of knowledge leads to our destruction and rejecting knowledge leads to severe consequences. So let’s get some insight on the origin and roots of Halloween. Then we can see for ourselves if it’s truly rooted in evil and inspired by the devil? Then we can search out God’s Word to see what He has to say about this.
Origin of Halloween – A Short Overview
Halloween’s origin traces back to the ancient Celtic’s pagan festival of Samhein. The Celtics had over 300 gods and were heavily involved in demonic activity. They believed that on October 31st that the barrier between the supernatural (spiritual world) and natural world was thin and that all divine beings and the spirits of the dead moved freely among men and interfered sometimes violently, in their affairs. The Druids (pagan Celtic priests) would offer sacrifices, usually of crops and 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. During the celebration the Celtics wore costumes, usually of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other’s fortunes.
Frightened villagers were afraid the spirits would destroy their crops and live stock so in order to appease the spirits they would leave fruits and treats on their doorsteps as offerings for the spirits. They were also fearful that the demon spirits would try to harm them if they found them. In an effort to trick the entities they would try to blend in among them by wearing scary masks and costumes.
Pumpkins or turnips were cut with faces representing demons and was 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.
Samhein was also a time when it was customary for the pagans to use the occult practice of divination to determine the weather for the coming year, the crop expectations, and even who in the community would marry whom and in what order.
Halloween Today
Halloween today is the witches new year. It is considered a sacred and holy day to Wiccans and Pagans. It is considered a Sabbath to honor the ancestors who came before them. It is still believed to be a good time to contact the spirit world with a séance, because the belief continues to be that the veil between this world and the next is the thinnest. So the tradition continues with the sacrifices and offerings to the spirits (demons) as well as the divination rituals.
But for those who are not Wiccan the Halloween spirit is still manifested through them whether they realize it or not. During the night of Halloween people all across the United States dress up in scary customs and go from door to door asking for treats. Teens and thrill seekers go to cemeteries hoping to get a glimpse of a ghost or spirit. Pumpkins are carved and placed in the window or porch. At Halloween parties people will often times entertain themselves with playing occult games such as Ouija boards, tarot cards, light as a feather stiff as board, fortune telling, and other games that invite demonic spirits. Scary movies are promoted and encouraged to watch. Tricks, pranks, and mischief will happen on Halloween more than on any other night. Theme parks promote Halloween horror nights where people can go and see the most graphic, gory, demonic, and evil costumes.
The Word of God
"Little children, let no man deceive you.." 1 John 3:7
"Abhor that which is evil, cleave to that which is good." Romans 12:9
“A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against ALL STRATEGIES OF THE DEVIL. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:10-12
Our Lord has warned us to put on all of God’s armor so that we will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. We are supposed to be soldiers in the army of God. Halloween is not the day to put down our swords and sup with the devil. We are to always be ready and alert like Gideon's soldiers were to defeat the enemy. It is apparent that Halloween is one of the devil’s strategies. It is a pagan celebration inspired by the god of this world, Satan. Everything that we do is to be done to glorify God. Does joining with the world to celebrate Halloween glorify God?
He seems to have many convinced that to participate in this celebration is innocent and it is merely dress up. He has blinded many from knowing the truth that it is in fact rooted in evil and witchcraft, inspired by him. He has beguiled some with compromise, who know the evil roots of the celebration but have convinced themselves and others into thinking it is ok to Christianize Halloween. Let us realize that compromise always comes with consequences.
Brothers and sisters..
“DON’T COPY THE BEHAVIOR AND CUSTOMS OF THIS WORLD, but let God transform you into a new person BY CHANGING THE WAY YOU THINK. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” (Romans 12:2)
“Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.”
“Stay away from every kind of evil.” 1 Thessalonians 5:22
We are supposed to be different from the world. A people consecrated to God. We are only here temporarily to set the example of godly living, to be a light in the darkness, urging people to repent and turn back to God. Although we are in this world we are not to act like the world. We are supposed influence them, they are not to influence us. We must not allow our contacts with the world to pollute us. When we begin to mix our faith with the evil customs of this world we are teaching the world, young believers, and our own children that compromise is ok. This is how in the ends days one world religion will be accepted, through this slow fade, COMPROMISE. (James 1:27, Jeremiah 15:19)
What should Christians do?
“Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them.” Ephesians 5:11
“Teach My people to distinguish between the unclean and the clean.” Ezekiel 44:23
Expose the strategy of the devil. Discourage them from participating in traditional Halloween activities. Redeem the day by educating our children and baby believers on the origin of Halloween and expose it’s demonic roots. Show them what the Word of God says about witchcraft, sorcery, and divination. Explain to them how they are called to be different. Assure them we have power through Christ Jesus over the forces of darkness. Then tell stories of how Christ worked in the lives of other believers to overcome the powers of darkness in their days and encourage them to allow God to use them too. If we reject the yeast of compromise now and implement this tradition with our children they will pass it down and they will not be afraid to stand up for what they know is true. They will not feel like they are missing out because they will want no part of anything that even looks evil. (Proverbs 22:6)
Elliot Watson from CBN.com advises after researching Halloween:
“To counter the evil influence of Halloween, we need to join together and celebrate the reality of the heroic efforts of Christian saints over the evil in their day. Many leaders in the past -- and present -- have fulfilled the mandate of destroying the works of the devil through their sacrificial commitment to Christ and His Kingdom.
Too, rather than “hide” in the face of evil, we should unabashedly and boldly create an alternative that is positive and uplifting; that celebrates good over evil and the triumph of God over Satan. We need to provide an environment that also makes room for heaps of fun while using the day as a “teachable moment” to celebrate God’s protection, provision and purpose for our lives.”
May the Holy Spirit minister to your heart His will for your family concerning the celebrating of Halloween.
Below are links for sites that I used to do research and read commentaries:
http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/samhainoctober31/a/About_Samhain.htm
http://www.cbn.com/spirituallife/onlinediscipleship/halloween/halloween_watt05.aspx
http://www.history.com/content/halloween/real-story-of-halloween
http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/halloween.html
http://www.jeremiahproject.com/culture/halloween.html
http://www.chick.com/seasonal/halloween/celebrate.asp
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