Every year, I look forward to the Harvest season. The apples, the pumpkins, the gourds, leaves changing and falling, Thanksgiving, crisp, cool days for walking along a painted path, the 'new' feeling that comes with September and the following months. It's all so wonderful - likely my favorite time of year.
And then, there's Halloween. I've actually had requests to write a post on the topic of Halloween - so I'm writing this. But I'm doing so with a bit of reluctance, as I know our family stands with only a small few in our stance against Halloween. (Wow, us? There's a shocker. Ha.)
I find it interesting that Halloween is one of the biggest holidays of the year, and yet, very few people know its origins, why we celebrate, and what the day actually acknowledges and glorifies.
The Origins of Halloween (in a nut-shell)
The celebration of what we know today as Halloween can be traced way back to the 700s (and earlier), to the practices of the ancient Druids. The Druids were a highly educated or 'priestly' class of the Celts of the time. The Celts worshiped many gods, including, the sun god on Beltane (May 1), and the lord of the dead on Samhain (October 31).
It was (and is) believed that on October 31st, "the lord of the dead would gather all the souls of the evil dead who had been condemned to enter the bodies of animals. He then decided what animal form they would take for the next year. (The souls of the good dead were reincarnated as humans.) The Druids also believed that the punishment of the evil dead could be lightened by sacrifices, prayers, and gifts to Samhain (the god of the dead)."*
It was taught that evil spirits roamed the earth on this night and the people had many practices to scare them away. They would light huge fires, dress in grotesque masks and costumes, and make both animal and human (usually infant) sacrifices in hopes of appeasing the gods and keeping their families safe. Sacrifices like these are still made today in many Pagan circles, although it is seldom talked about or revealed.
What about 'Trick or Treating'?
One possible origin for 'Trick of Treating' is the idea that many witches traveled villages stealing goods for their Halloween celebrations and festivals. It is also true that many ancient pagans would beg for and steal items for their great fires (which included sacrifices to the god of the dead). The Druids knew this day was sacred day for Pagans, Wiccans, and Witches alike, which still holds true for modern day pagans.
Another connection to the practice of trick-or-treating is to the evil spirits who roamed the night, playing tricks on the living.
When children "Trick or Treat", they are taking part in the playing out of a very real Pagan belief. Evil spirits roamed the villages, going from house to house - if they were not appeased by 'treats' and sacrifices, they would haunt and torment the living. When people offer treats to the children, they are acting out the tradition of offering sacrifices to evil spirits, or, Satan.
What about dressing up on Halloween?
Along with many of the reasons listed above, Halloween costumes also originated from a time when costumes were used to hide one's attendance at pagan festivals or to change the personality of a person to allow for better communication with the Spirit world. The Celtic Druids also wore large animal heads at rituals, in an attempt to pull energy sources out of that particular animal. Costumes are most largely used in Halloween tradition to either ward off evil spirits, blend in with evil spirits, or appease evil spirits.
What about Jack-o-Lanterns?
There are a few theories about the origins of the Jack-o-Lantern. The first is that the idea stemmed from the tradition of Witches using skulls with candles in them to light the way to their coven meetings. Another is the Irish legend of "Irish Jack", a stingy drunk who tricked the devil into climbing a tree for an apple, but then carved the sign of the cross in the trunk to stop the devil from climbing back down. Jack then forced Satan to promise never to come after his soul, to which the devil reluctantly agreed. When Jack died, he was turned away at the gates of Heaven and was sent to the devil, who also rejected him. Jack was then condemned to wander the earth. As he was leaving hell, Satan pitched a piece of burning coal at him. Jack put the coal inside a turnip and was forced to forever roam with no resting place, holding only his 'Jack o' lantern' for light. The turnip was eventually traded for a pumpkin, and there you have the legend, passed down through generations.
It is important to note that many people think Halloween is actually a 'religious' holiday, linked to the Catholic belief in All Souls' Day. In the Middle Ages the Catholic Church tried to appose the paganism in the Samhain festival by making November 1st All Saints' Day and November 2 All Souls' Day. These days were dedicated to prayer for and to the dead Saints and souls and the dead still suffering in purgatory. The belief that the living can somehow aid the dead is still prevalent among many Catholics.
Why we don't 'do' Halloween...
Many people (including a whole lot of Christians) will argue that Halloween is "no big deal". They feel that by completely rejecting the holiday and refusing to celebrate it in any way, our family is being 'over the top' - reading too much into it, over-reacting. For us, the question lies in, "who does this holiday glorify?". The roots of Halloween are wickedly pagan, the past and present-day associations are directly connected to Satanism.
But, if that's not enough reason, we can look directly at the premise of Halloween. This is a greed-based holiday where children parade around, mimicking evil practices and beliefs. Halloween is the SINGLE most important day to many people in groups linked straight to the devil. We need to wake up.
I have given only a sampling of the truth behind the origins and present-day practices of and on Halloween. If you take time to do further research, there is no doubt that this holiday is incredibly evil. For us, it is vital we weigh Halloween with great care. Our family's spiritual health is incredibly important. In fact, it is everything. Our faith in Christ is what makes us who we are. He is our guide. He is the Light for our path, just like so many followers of Jesus.
Friends - if you are a follower of Christ, you need to be closely examining your involvement with this highly Satanic celebration. By celebrating Halloween, I believe we are mimicking evil practices, giving credence to (honoring) the most important day in the world of Satanism, and we are exposing our children directly to spiritual darkness. If this topic is confusing to you, I suggest getting in God's word and praying strongly that God would give you wisdom and clarity about Halloween.Some scripture to consider:
"Hate what is evil; cling to what is good." Romans 12:9
"Avoid every kind of evil." 1 Thes. 5:22
"Do not imitate what is evil." 3 John 11
"Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deed of darkness, but rather expose them..." (Eph. 5:8-11)
Should your family participate in Halloween?
To help, here are 12 very good, straight-forward points to consider.
Taken from"The Facts on Halloween"
1. It is the most sacred day of many religions that are connected with evil spirits and Satan.
2. It was and is believed to be the day of the year on which the devil's help could especially be invoked for a variety of things; it remains a special day to Satanists.
3. Human sacrifice of children and adults has often been practiced on this day.
4. It has and will continue to encourage non-Christian spiritual activity on the part of both children and adults. Halloween is growing in popularity and decadence.
5. It is a special day to call on spirits through various spiritual practices that are often promoted as innocent and fun. For example, children try out a Ouija board or participate in seances.
6. It is a day historically known for divination.
7. It helps support pagan philosophies and practices such as reincarnation, animism, shamanism, and Druidism.
8. It is of help to the practices and beliefs of mediums and psychic researchers by encouraging people's interest in things such as ghosts and poltergeists.
9. It can unequally yoke Christians and pagans (see 2 Cor. 6:14).
10. It is likely that no Halloween activity or symbol can be found that does not go back to a non-Christian religious source.
11. Christian participation in Halloween can in many ways be dishonoring to God.
12. "Everything that does not come from faith is sin" (Romans 14:23).
I pray every person who reads this post will measure it with the Word of God and the convictions in their own hearts. (hugs) Cassandra
*Small excerpt taken from "The Facts on Halloween" by J. Ankerberg, J. Weldon, and D. Burroughs
2 comments:
Great post, Sherri! We have not "celebrated" Halloween for a few years now. Our kids used to go out trick or treating, but we found in the last few years especially, so much more of the "dark" side comes out. Vampires, zombies, etc...
When my children are too afraid to knock on someones door for a candy, I start to wonder what in the world we are doing out there?
So.... We sit in the dark with the lights off on October 31. I buy candy for my own children. They are not happy about it, but we have to stand by our decision.
Great post, Sherri. We stopped celebrating Hallowe'en years ago when my kids were small for these very same reasons. And although some of my adult children allow their children to go Trick or Treating, others don't, for the same reasons. The best way to deal with this is not to try and force this outlook on anyone, but let them come to it on their own. Even if it is the right way of looking at it. Because eventually the macabre character of Hallowe'en eventually turns Christians off anyways.
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