That Time of Year

Yes... it's that time of year when people are getting ready for the Holidays... enjoying the cool Autumn weather... gazing at the beautiful colors of Fall... and being met with evil at every corner. That's right; it's Halloween time.

The following is an e-mail I sent to the host of a Christian talk show who has stated that it's "harmless" to let your children participate in Halloween activities. In the e-mail I state just a few of the reasons why I disagree. Also at the end of this post I have included some resources which tell of the pagan origins of Halloween (known to Wiccans as "Samhain" pronounced "Sow-en") and how they, and their present-day followers, celebrated it.
_______________________________________________________

Todd,

I heard you a couple of months ago talking about the issue of Halloween, and although I disagree with you, I want you to take the following as a compelling statement coming from someone on the other side of the fence, not as from an argumentative spirit. I know you are very busy, but I ask that you would read this e-mail in its entirety so as not to be left with an incomplete or misunderstood view of what I am trying to say and what my Biblical basis are; thank you. Any questions I have included are more of a Socratic or rhetorical nature, I do not require an answer.

The difference between the pagan origins of Christmas, Easter and Halloween, is that Christmas and Easter have been "redeemed" so-to-speak, by what they now celebrate and are associated with. What is there about Halloween that has any redeeming quality? What has Halloween claimed as a Christian celebration? It is still a night of greed, selfishness, and rejoicing in darkness. Its origins are of the highest blasphemy against our Lord, not only in that it was a pagan festival to honor their demon-gods, but that it was put in to practice specifically to dishonor what they perceived to be a day honoring the true God. Christmas and Easter never had such an offensive strike against Christianity.

The article below was written several years ago by a fifteen year old Christian. This teenager had been brought up their entire life without having ever participated in any Halloween or Harvest event on October the 31st, and does not regret it. They never felt left out, they never felt as though they were missing out on something wonderful or essential to a normal childhood.

As the author of this article states, what is the fruit of Halloween? What traits does it bring out in our children? Why must Christians always try to sanitize the world for their children, instead of keeping them out of it so that they can be a light in the darkness? Is there anything wrong, in and of itself, with dressing up in silly costumes and eating candy? No. But when it is associated with everything that goes against a pure and clean spirit (such as every Christian is supposed to have) there IS something wrong with it.

The Bible says, "You shall know them by their fruits... a tree does not bear both good fruit and bad... a spring does not yield both sweet and bitter water."

This is just my opinion about Halloween, although I do feel that I have Biblical grounds for it. Frankly, it scares me to think that millions of Christians are participating in something that displeases God. There is a big difference between what God allows and what He likes. Remember "all things permissible, not all things profitable"?

Just as the writer of this article, I too was brought up never having celebrated Halloween it in any way, shape or form, along with two siblings. Yet, we are not so weak minded as to feel we have missed out on something at all. And I would hope that no other Christian children are.

-Kristina
_______________________________________

"Abstain from all appearance* of evil." 1 Thessalonians 5:22

The Truth About Halloween

Witches, devils, goblins, ghosts. Are we really abstaining from ALL appearance of evil when we condone the use of these evil symbols to represent our families on the night of Halloween?

What about the "innocent" princesses and super-heroes? What are they participating in? Anyway you look at it they are using this night for greed. On what other night do children threaten their neighbors for candy? It has to be the one night that is admittedly evil.

Did you know that most, if not all, Satanic cults practice crude and disgusting rituals on this night, and consider it a "high holy" day? Did you ever realize that when we participate in any kind of events on this night we are heeding their night to be celebrated, even though it represents everything we are to abhor?

What about this: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-control? How many of these fruits of the Spirit of God are shown from anyone you know on Halloween? More important, how many do YOU show?

Think twice before allowing your children, or you yourself to participate in any of the events on this evil night. Because even though you may not be THINKING bad things, or DOING bad things, simply by participating in any way, you are by your actions giving glory the enemy of your God and Savior. One of Satan's biggest lies is, "It's fun! It FEELS good! How could it be sin?"

One more thing to consider is that even the pagans and Satan worshippers don't participate in our Holidays. On Christmas and Easter they disgrace themselves and others by profanity, and drunkenness, and many other things I cannot even mention. So, when even the followers of the enemy are disgusted at our beliefs and the special days that represent them, why are we celebrating along with them on their "holy" days? What does that say about the Christian faith?

Are we supposed to have mushy feelings towards the people who do abominations to God? Aren't things like Harry Potter, and Lord of the Rings only going against what God has told us to do? The root of these kinds of entertainment is to cheer on the appointed "hero", who is usually heavily involved in magic, fortune telling (soothsaying), spirit conjuring, etc.

I could go into next week telling about the origins of Halloween. About how it was originated to mock what people thought to be a holy day on honor of the Saints. But I know that if you are truly following God, the Holy Spirit will tell you what is wrong with what so many "Christians" have been doing for so many years.

I believe that unless it is for purely evangelistic purposes, no true Christian should participate in ANY events on Halloween night. Having a harvest party on Halloween night is very transparent, because harvest isn't anywhere near the 31st of October. Why should the children of God want to get mixed up with the lost souls who find October 31st the most "fun" night of the year? Shouldn't Christians be PREVENTING trouble, not PARTICIPATING in it?

Please, think about this scripture, and look even further into the bible about how God forbids things like fortune telling, channeling spirits, and looking for dead spirits.

"Abstain from all appearance of evil." 1 Thessalonians 5:22

Here are some more bible verses showing repeatedly that God does not approve of magic and the like:

(Leviticus 19:26) Nor shall you practice divination or soothsaying.

(2 Kings 17:17) And they caused their sons and daughters to pass through the fire, practiced witchcraft and soothsaying, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger.

(2 Kings 21:6) Also he made his son pass through the fire, practiced soothsaying, used witchcraft, and consulted spiritists and mediums. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger.

(2 Chronicles 33:6) Also he caused his sons to pass through the fire in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom; he practiced soothsaying, used witchcraft and sorcery, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger.

(Deuteronomy 18:10) "There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the LORD, and because of these abominations the LORD your God drives them out from before you."

(Joshua 13:22) "The children of Israel also killed with the sword Balaam the son of Beor, the soothsayer, among those who were killed by them."

"Definition: DIVINATION AND MAGIC: An attempt to contact supernatural powers to determine answers to questions hidden to humans and usually involving the future."
~"I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; It shall not cling to me. A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will not know wickedness."~
~*Psalm 101:3-4*~

~"And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward."~
~*Matthew 10:42*~

~"Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near."~
~*Revelation 1:3*~

*The word translated "appearance" here (sometimes translated "forms") is the Greek word eidos (i'-dos) which means "a view, that is, form (literally or figuratively):—appearance, fashion, shape, sight"

September 2004 (originally appeared on the BFN Newsletter website October 2004)
__________________________________________________

Want to learn about (the real) Halloween from those who practice it in all its glory? Go to: http://www.witchvox.com/

It's pretty sad... I mean it's sad that Christians would want to have any part in this evil, abominable, blasphemous, abhorrant, totally anti-God celebration. The god of this world must be loving us this time of year.

-Kristina

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

INDEX: Samhain (Halloween)
Posted by: Witchvox Central
(October 31st -Nov 1st) also known as: Halloween, ShadowFest, Martinmas, Old Hallowmas

The Last Harvest. The Earth nods a sad farewell to the God. We know that He will once again be reborn of the Goddess and the cycle will continue. This is the time of reflection, the time to honor the Ancients who have gone on before us and the time of 'Seeing" (divination). As we contemplate the Wheel of the Year, we come to recognize our own part in the eternal cycle of Life.

(Source: http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usxx&c=holidays&sc=samhain&id=1984)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Samhain is the winter season of the ancient Celts. The Celts divided the year into four quarters: Samhain (winter), Imbolc (spring), Beltane (summer), and Lughnasadh (autumn). The Celtic year began in November, with Samhain. The Celts were influenced principally by the lunar and stellar cycles which governed the agricultural year - beginning and ending in autumn when the crops have been harvested and the soil is prepared for the winter. Pronunciation differs radically between different groups of Celtic language speakers.

Samhain Eve, in Erse, Oidhche Shamhna, is one of the principal festivals of the Celtic calendar, and is thought to fall on or around the 31st of October. It represents the final harvest. In modern Ireland, the name by which Halloween is known in the Irish language is still "Oíche Shamhna".

Bonfires played a large part in the festivities. Villagers cast the bones of the slaughtered cattle upon the flames. (the word bonfire is thought to derive from these "bone fires.") With the bonfire ablaze, the villagers extinguished all other fires. Each family then solemnly lit their hearth from the common flame, thus bonding the families of the village together.

Like most Celtic festivals, it was celebrated on a number of levels. Materially speaking it was the time of gathering food for the long winter months ahead, bringing people and their livestock in to their winter quarters. To be alone and missing at this dangerous time was to expose yourself and your spirit to the perils of imminent winter. In present times the importance of this part of the festival has diminished for most people. From the point of view of a tribal people for whom a bad season meant facing a long winter of famine in which many would not survive to the spring, it was paramount.

Samhain was also a time for contemplation. Death was never very far away, yet to die was not the tragedy it is in modern times. Of signal importance to the Celts people was to die with honour and to live in the memory of the tribe and be honoured at the great feast (in Ireland this would have been the Fleadh nan Mairbh (Feast of the Dead)) which took place on Samhain Eve.

This was the most magical time of the year; Samhain was the day which did not exist. During the night the great shield of Skathach was lowered, allowing the barriers between the worlds to fade and the forces of chaos to invade the realms of order, the material world conjoining with the world of the dead. At this time the spirits of the dead and those yet to be born walked amongst the living. The dead could return to the places where they had lived and food and entertainment were provided in their honour. In this way the tribes were at one with its past, present and future. This aspect of the festival was never totally subdued by Christianity.

On the level of cosmic event, the rising of Pleiades, the winter stars, heralds the supremacy of night over day, the dark half ruled by the realms of the moon.

In the three days preceding the Samhain month the Sun God, Lugh, maimed at Lughnassadh, dies by the hand of his Tanist (his other self), the Lord of Misrule. Lugh traverses the boundaries of the worlds on the first day of Samhain. His Tanist is a miser and though he shines brightly in the winter skies he gives no warmth. and does not temper the breath of the Crone, Cailleach Bheare, the north wind. In this may be discerned the ageless battle between the light and dark and the cyclic nature of life and the seasons.

In parts of western Brittany Samhain is still heralded by the baking of kornigou. Kornigou are cakes baked in the shape of antlers to commemorate the god of winter shedding his "cuckold" horns as he returns to his kingdom in the Otherworld.

When the Romans made contact with the Celts, they added their feast of the dead to Samhain. The Christians subverted the recognition of Samhain to honor the saints, as All Saint's Day on November 1st and named October 31 as All Hallow's Eve. This latter became a secular holiday by the name of Hallowe'en. Although using different nomenclatures, all of these festivals and feasts are celebrating the accessibility, veneration, awe, and respect of the dead.

(Source: http://www.wikipedia.com/ via http://www.samhain.com/)