Halloween

Saturday, October 31, 2009

I did not write the text below; it was written by another, but it is in times like these when the church has become more entwined with things of the world and its dark traditions that we as individuals must maintain vigilance against the schemes of "your adversary, the devil" who "prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." (1 Peter 5:8)

Halloween: trick or treat? The very first observance of October thirty-first as a holiday began well before the Christian era, in that this day marked the end of the Celtic (Irish, Scottish and English) calendar year. It was the eve of Saman, an observance of the dead, commemorated by the ancient Celtic pagan cult called the Druids. On this eve, the following activities were said to have occurred: Saman, the lord of the dead, called forth hosts of evil spirits; the dead rose and wandered; divination and soothsaying were practiced; fairies, witches and goblins harassed the people of the countryside; and Druids demanded contributions of food to support their special diet.

The observances of Saman continued and in 834 A.D. Pope Gregory IV instituted All Saints Day or All Hallows Day on November 1st, preceded on October 31st by All Hallows Eve (Evening) or Hallow e'en, as Christian holidays that the church hoped would eliminate or replace Saman. All Hallows did not replace Saman and during the reformation All Hallows was revoked by Protestantism. In spite of continual attempts by the church to destroy these pagan religions and practices, they have survived.

During the Middle Ages, such practices found an outlet in a tremendous surge in the practice of witchcraft, which was devoted to the worship of Satan himself. One of the special "sabbaths" for this worship was October thirty-first and witches were said to travel to these services on broomsticks, accompanied by black cats.

In the light of this historical review, let's examine some of the current practices and activities associated with Halloween: (1) the date, October 31st, was obviously associated with a pagan holiday during which divination and soothsaying were practiced, (2) the masks and costumes were used to conceal the true identity of children, who were then urged to go out and mimic the acts of trickery and harassment, previously attributed to fairies, witches and goblins, (3) the simple "trick or treat" is a demand for food contributions, which is clearly connected with the Druids demands for food for their diet and a implied threat if the demand is not met, (4) the posters purchased or drawn by children depicting witches on broomsticks across the moon are showing witches on their way to a special "sabbath" service for the worship of Satan, (5) pumpkins carved to show a face are related to the turnips carved into death masks, which were carried by Druids during the Saman to ward off evil spirits, and (6) the whole concept pertaining to Halloween involved death, darkness, deception, fear, pagan rituals and Satan.

Today's modern churches, many of which are full of apostasy, have not understood the danger of the demonic influences exerted on children and adults alike who participate in these dark traditions.

I pray that you will ask the Father for His guidance before you allow your family to take part.