Halloween What It Is From A Christian Perspective

Many Christians will allow and even encourage their children to pay respect
to the devil on October 31 without knowing they do so.

Churches will fully sanction the event with parties that will be decorated
with witches, cats, brooms, jack-o-lanterns and bobbing apples. What is the
harm? How did this originate?

The custom of Halloween is traced to the Druid festival of the dead. At
that time the Roman Pantheon was built by Emperor Hadrian in 100 A.D. as a
temple to the goddess Cybele and other Roman deities. It became the principle
place of worship. Roman pagans prayed for the dead. Rome was captured and the
Pantheon fell into disrepair. Emporer Phocas captured Rome and gave the
Pantheon to Pope Boniface IV in 609. He reconsecrated it to the Virgin Mary
and resumed using the temple to pray for the dead, only now it was
"Christianized", as men added the unscriptural teaching of purgatory.

In 834 A.D. Gregory IV extended the feast for all the church and it became
known as All Saint's Day, still remembering the dead.

Samhain, a Druid god of the dead was honored at Halloween in Britain,
France, Germany and the Celtic countries. Samhain called together all wicked
souls who died within the past year and that were destined to inhabit animals.

This celebration of the dead honored the god of the dead on this particular
night. Druids believed that souls of the dead returned to their former homes
to be entertained by the living. Bonfires were built atop hills so they might
find their way. Suitable food and shelter was provided for these spirits or
else they would cast spells, cause havoc, steal infants, destroy crops, kill
farm animals and create terror as they haunted the living. The spirits
demanded placating by giving them a type of worship and offering. This is the
action that "Trick-or-Treat" emulates today.

The Samhain celebration used nuts, apples, skeletons, witches and black
cats. Divination and auguries were practiced as well as magic to seek answers
for the future. Black cats were considered to be reincarnated beings with the
ability to divine the future. During this festival supernatural beings
terrified the populace. Even today witchcraft practitioners declare October
31st as the most conducive time to practice their arts.

The Christian church tried to eliminate the Druid celebration by offering
All Saint's Day as a substitute. As Christianity spread over Europe and the
British Isles, it attempted to replace the pre-existing pagan cult worship of
Apollo, Diana or Ymir, but to no avail.

Although the outward forms of such worship disappeared, the belief in these
deities did not. They found an outlet during the Middle Ages in the open
practice of witchcraft which is presently enjoying a revival in many countries,
including the U.S. In Germany the occult is considered more prevalent than in
the Middle Ages. The deistic cults held periodic meetings known as witches
sabbaths, and it is the same today with October 31st being of more importance.

Pranks and mischief began to be played out to represent the mischievious
behavior attributed to witches and the fairies. Trick-or-Treat came from and
ancient Druid practice. One of the basic tenets in witchcraft is to control
the will of another by use of fear. Even in jest, when one threatens to punish
if a treat or offering is not given, they are imitating an occult practice of
controlling the will of another by use of fear.

Prosperity was promised to all who were generous donors, and tricks to all
who refused during the Irish Druid event of trick-or-treat. The contributions
demanded were in the name of Muck Olla, and early Druid deity.

Traditional Halloween symbols appeared in the U.S. during the late 1800's.
Witches, black cats, death's head cut from a pumpkin, candles, masks, parties
and pranks were used.

In rural areas, aggravating and destructive acts were done, such as
removing gates and placing them atop barns. The same was done with outhouses
and wagons.

The uninformed Christian has no idea that there truly are demonic spirits
which are contacted and activated as people call out to them in jest or in
seriousness. Every act around Halloween is in honor of false gods, which are
spirits in the realm of the Satanic. Those who have been deeply involved in
witchcraft and who are now free, declare that even those who say they worship
spirits of nature are in actuality contacting the Satanic realm without knowing
it.

To pray for the dead is against scripture. If one knows Jesus before
death, their spirit is already with the Lord. Paul says to be absent from the
body is to be at home with the Lord, II Corinthians 5:6. If one is an
unbeliever at death, the scripture says there is no second chance as it is
appointed unto man once to die and after that the judgment. Therefore, prayer
for the dead is in opposition to God's Word and a pagan practice that became
"Christianized". While living, one must make a choice "for" or "against" Jesus
and that determines the destination at death of the spirit. No amount of
prayer can reverse the decision made on earth by the person concerned while
they were alive.

The Bible instructs us to have nothing to do with the deeds of darkness.
Both Christian and Jew are forbidden to participate in the occult practices
listed in Deuteronomy 18:10. Necromancing is the delving into contacting the
dead. God said all such practice was an abomination to Him.

Some may reply, "But we only do this in fun...we don't practice
witchcraft." That which represents Satan and his domain cannot be handled or
emulated "for fun". Such participation places you in enemy and forbidden
territory and that is dangerous ground.

Through the ages, Halloween has gone by various names but all have been
tributes to the same dark force, Satan. There is no place in the life of the
Church or the Christian for such participation.

Mrs. Gloria Phillips
Bay View Church
P.O. Box 9277
Mobile, AL 36691

(used with permission)