Halloween : Harmless Holiday ?

On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther is said to have nailed his '95 Theses' to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. The 95 Theses were a 95 point disputation to the heretical teachings and practices of the The Roman Catholic Church regarding their perspective on repentance and penance, authority of the pope, and selling of indulgences (the buying of forgiveness of sin). These points of dispute are what initiated the much-needed, God-ordained age of Reformation and, in other words, revival in Europe. I'll bet you didn't know that (sorry, but did you?). However, I'll bet you do know that October 31, any year, is Halloween!

You don't need a calendar to tell you its Halloween. If all I did was watch tv all year, and nothing else, I would know when it was Halloween simply by the change in the content or theme of movies, and other shows, that are programmed at this time of year. After this weekend, I got to thinking about all the flood of movies that were being aired on multiple networks and stations. Why is it that Halloween is so obsessed and focused with all things that are violent, murderous, bloody, fearful, and occultic....with things that are just plain ugly?? (and what does this say about the people, the owners/execs/sponsors, behind and responsible for this type of vulgar programming?).
I heard a story on the news this morning that the mayor of Madison, Wisc. is thinking about cancelling their annual Halloween celebration because it has turned so increasingly violent. I had to know more. So, I did a little research. Channel 15 news (WMTV) has published three articles on their website. They are titiled as follows: "County Jail Ready for Halloween Visitors", "Another Madison Halloween Ends in Gas Masks and Pepper Spray", and "City Prepares for Halloween". (Why is it this city has to prepare for Halloween like some of our southern coastal cities prepare for the threat of an oncoming hurricane)? Some quotes from these articles are as follows": "City and University officials have been planning for this weekend since the pepper spray cleared away from last Halloween's riot. Fences are in place and ready to up....This all comes in the wake of rioting the past two years....Last year, more than 400 people were arrested..."It wil be the largest police presence ever at a single event in the capital city." "It costs the taxpayers extra money to hire these staff on overtime....the jail is limited in the number of highly intoxicated people it can handle." "Madison's Mayor called the night a limited success saying at least there were no injuries and no property damage....."We did have to deploy pepper spray for the fourth year in a row so I'm disappointed about that." "If you could make the decision would you want to hold this event next year? No, definitely not. I would eliminate the event if I could."

Now, I am not so naive as to think that little kids dressing up and collecting candy from neighbors will set you, the kids, and your household on the path to destruction. However, it would be wise to know something about the origins of that which we practice. (Johnny and Suzy may look cute in their little goblin or gremlin costume but I bet you wouldn't want to wake up next to one---there's really nothing heavenly or angelic in all this). Notwithstanding the origins thereof, it is also the association, the implications we make saying certain things are alright or are harmless and make-believe---"a little harmless fun". Paul wrote, "a little leaven leavens the whole lump" and Solomon wrote that its "the little foxes, that spoil the vine." How many parents are really aware of what little seeds get planted.....and you know what happens when seeds get planted. We reap what we sow.
"As I was eating I came across Ann Landers' column entitled "Parents Must Tackle Violence." The parent wrote 'I heard somehting today that made my hair stand on end...Last October, the teacher of a fourth-grade class asked her students to write a short essay on what they would like to do most to celebrate Halloween. Eighty percent of her 9 year-olds expressed the wish to 'kill somebody.' Where do children get such ideas?' she asked.
The answer is a simple one. Halloween accentuates mutilation, murder, blood, guts and gore. It even glorifies it!
The truth is , millions of people, and likely your kids will be exposed to some of the almost endless string of TV programs, videos, community and church activities that GLORIFY MUTILATION, TORTURE, and BIZARRE MURDERS this Halloween. Now before you say "it won't hurt them, it's only fantasy," perhaps you should consider what a horrified mother discovered in her teenage son's diary. She read 'Last year I stole a car at Halloween and ran over a kid and killed him for the Devil. I plan on doing it again this year.' The boy is now incarcerated." (The Dark Side of Halloween, www.home.computer.net)

"This is always a difficult time for Christians, espcially those with children. It has been suggested that for a Christian to be asked to celebrate Halloween is like asking a Holocaust survivor to celebrate Hitler's birthday! It is also a dangerous time for some, since many of the seemingly "harmless" involvements associated with Halloween can also be "entries" for the occult, and can prove very tragic for the unwary.
In early American history, Halloween was not widely practiced until the 20th century, when it was introduced by the Irish Catholic settlements. Gradually, Halloween became a secular observance, and many customs and practices developed...
Since 1965 UNICEF, an agency of the United Nations, has attempted to incorporate into the Halloween observance the collection of money for the United Nations Children's Fund. This exploitation by the ungodlly United Nations of this pagan holiday seems strangely appropriate.
Halloween is, for many, a "crossover" involvement in which innocent games can lead to serious entanglement with real witches, new-pagans, New Agers, and other occultists...Halloween practices can open the door to the occult and can introduce forces into people's lives that they are not equipped to combat." (An Invitation to the Occult? by Chuck Missler, Koinonia House Online).

"Halloween is a 'religious day' but it is NOT a Christian day. Tom Sanquinet, former high priest in the Celtic tradition of Wicca (witchcraft) said 'The modern holiday we call Halloween has its origins in the full moon closest to November 1, the withches' New Year. It was time when the 'spirits' (demons) were supposed to be at their peak power and revisiting the earth planet.' He went on to say, 'Halloween is purely and absolutely evil, and there is nothing we ever have or will do that would make it acceptable to the Lord Jesus'.........The two most frequent ways children are introduced into the occult are through rock music and Halloween. I was introduced to the occult at a Halloween party. Tragically, more and more children are being introduced to the occult by teachers in the public schools. and unfortunately, Halloween is one of the Holidays that public schools celebrate. They choose Halloween (and Valentine's day) because supposedly there is no 'religious' significance. How wrong they are about Halloween. To be sure, there is no Christian significance to Halloween but it is obviously a religious day.
Our forefathers recognized Halloween's association with the occult. The Pilgrims banned celebrating Halloween in America. The ban lasted until 1845. At that time multiplied thousands of Irish emigrants flooded in to New York because of the Irish Potato Famine of 1845-46. They brought Halloween with them and gradually it spread throughout the rest of the country." (The Dark Side of Halloween @ www.home.computer.net).

So, if you have the patience (for another whole ten minutes), here is a quick reference on the history of Halloween (just so you know):

"In America, Halloween did not exist until after 1845 or thereabouts. The Pilgrim fathers banned the holiday because it was aware of the occult nature of the holiday. The holiday itself began long before Christ among ancient Celtics, meaning the Britons, Gauls, Scots, and Irish. They observed the end of summer (to them a time when the weather began to get cold) with sacrifices to Saman (Shamhain). He was the Lord of death and evil spirits. This day was the first day of the Celtic New Year. The ones in the Celtic culture who led the holiday celebrations were known as Druids. The Druids were the Priests-Magicians- of the Celtic people. They were Priests and Priestesses.
Although since Christian times Druids have been identified as wizards and soothsayers, in pre-Christian Celtic society they formed an intellectual class comprising philosophers, judges, educators, historians, doctors, seers, astronomers, and astrologers. The earlliest surviving Classical references to Druids date to the 2nd century B.C.
The Druid Lord of death and evil spirits was called by variations of the name Saman, such as Samana, Shamhain, or Samhain...This god they celebrated was shown as a ghostly skeleton holding a sickle in his hand. We know him today as The Grim Reaper.
The Celts considered November 1st as being the day of death because the leaves had pretty much fallen, it was getting darker sooner and temperatures were dropping. They believed that Muck Olla, their sun god was losing strength because Saman or Samhain, lord of death, was overpowering him. They also believed that on October 31st Samhain assembled all the spirits of all who died the previous year. They believed that the spirits of the dead were confined to inhabit animals' bodies as punishment for their evil deeds. On October 31st, they were allowed to return to their former homes to visit the living.
Apparently, Druid priests, in a show to protect these people, led them in worship ceremonies for which animals of many kinds, horses, cats, black sheep, oxen, and even humans were rounded up as sacrifices, stuffed into wicker cages and burned to death.. It was done to appease Samhain and to keep the spirits from harming them. History has shown that the Celts celebrated two great fire festivals, one on the eve of May 1st to celebrate the beginning of summer and the second on the eve of November 1st to celebrate the beginning of winter. It was not hard to understand that when the Druids began human and animal sacrifices on October 31st to appease Samhain, that fire was used to consume these same people and animals.
Druids often got together in pagan worship and would meet in a grove of trees, preferably oak trees, or in a Druidic stone circle, the most famous surviving circle being in Stonehenge, England (no, this circle had nothing to do with UFOs). They know human sacrifice was common at Stonehenge because within three miles of that site there were over 350 funeral mounds that contain the remnants of countless human sacrifices.
The Celts and Druids spread across Northern Europe and celebrated an autumn festival. The Roman Catholic Church recognized early Christians, desiring to be a part of the festivities, created All Saints Day to celebrate in May all the canonized Saints. Since a saint was supposed to have their day celebrated on the anniversary of the day of their death, some saints had special days. But since there were so many saints without special days, 'All-Saints' day was brought to honor all those saints that died. Not to be left out, the Christian church at that time also made 'All Souls Day' on November 2nd to bring people to pray for the dead that were in purgatory in order to have them released and sent to Heaven. This coincided with the November 1st celebration of the Druids and people participated in their own autumn festivals.
Then came an attempt to 'Christianize' this pagan holiday. In A.D. 800 the Roman Catholic Church moved All Saints Day to November 1st to directly coincide with the Druid holiday hoping Christianity would overcome the pagan holiday. This new day was then called 'All Hallow's Day'. The day prior to All Hallow's Day became 'All Hallow's Even' or the evening before All Hallow's Day. It became hyphenated to Hallowe'en, then finally, Halloween. There was also a three day celebration called 'Hallowmas', or the 'Hallowed Mass' meaning celebration of the Hallowed.
Satanists today call October 31st "All Demons Night". All Hallows Eve, that so-called "Christianized" holiday became a time of spells, curses and horrors for those who did not believe in it. For Wiccan witches, it became a joyous holiday similar to the Christian Christmas. It was a major black sabbath for them. Witches tend to believe that witchcraft is different from Satanism. While Satanism is pure rebellion against Christianity, witchcraft is a pagan worship of the Mother Goddess (in whatever form the local coven wants) and her consort, the Horned god. Witches, also called Wiccans claiming not to acknowledge Satan, worship through what are called "degrees". The second degree however was the Satanic pentagram inverted, symbolizing the 'horns" of Satan. The mystic belief of Satan was that he was a creature with horns, hooves, and an arrow-like tail. While the Wiccans do make a distinction between Satanism and witchcraft, biblically, there is no distinction.
At this time of year, it is no accident that missing children increase in October as well as missing animals. Graveyards are desecrated, Halloween movies now overtake Christmas movies on television and theaters. It is as if Hollywood is proud of Satan and ashamed of Christ. And shame to the churches... have Halloween parties, even if it is "for the little children". You are not helping these children.
Gradually, instead of Christians predominating the holiday, Satanists and occultists began winning over the holiday by re-introducing its origin of the dead and today, Halloween easily beats out All Saints Day, All Souls Day and even Easter and Thanksgiving. Only Christmas surpasses Halloween in dollars spent on holidays to date. And even now, Halloween is beginning to be included as one of the "holidays" at the end of the year. Before, the "holidays" began with Thanksgiving, then Christmas, and then New Years. Now, Halloween is beginning to be a part of it as Christmas decorations are seen in stores during October...The lighted houses of Christmas now occur with orange lights on Halloween. It may be a fun holiday to some, but we need to know what is behind the "fun". "
(The Origin and History of Halloween, www.christianheritageonline.com)

In light of this subject the following is a list of pertinent Bible references:

Deuteronomy 18.9-14
Ephesians 5.11-17
I Corinthians 10.20
II Corinthians 6.14-18
II Corinthians 11.14-15
Romans 13.12-14
I John 1.5-10
Deuteronomy 32.16-18
II Kings 17.17-18

The church has been a history of continuous struggle to keep the pure faith and has and does know compromises. Compromises only water down and render anemic vital spiritual life and blood flow. Jesus, before leaving the earth, posed the question "when the Son of Man comes , will He really find faith on the earth?" The Lord, the bridegroom, is awaiting a pure bride and as assuredly as the temple was measured (in Ezekiel), He is measuring His church.
The line is being drawn.

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