Halloween What It Is From A Christian Perspective by Mrs. Gloria Phillips
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 the originate?
The custom of Halloween is traced to the Druid festival of the dead.
Then 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 by played out to represent the
mischievous 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. Necromancy 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 (used with permission)
Bibliography: Encyclopedia Americana Encyclopedia Britannica
Christian Life, October 1980 World Book Encyclopedia The Standard
Dictionary of Folklore Babylon Mystery Religion The Satan Seller, Mike
Warnke Freed From Witchcraft, Dareen Irvine Time Magazine, June 19,
1972 The Supernatural, Grolier Enter., Inc. Christianity Today, Oct.
21, 1977
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