 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
| Halloween |
Many parents today, especially those with small children, face the
dilemma every year of what to do about Halloween. However, since it
is such a popular holiday in our culture, there is great pressure to
conform. In order to make a solid decision on Halloween, it is
important to examine its true origins.
Halloween has its ultimate origins in the ancient Celtic (Irish, Scottish,
Welsh) harvest festival, Samhain (pronounced so-when). People
believed the spirits of the dead roamed the earth. The Celts adopted
Druid beliefs and customs, in pre-christian days, to commemorate the
end of summer and the last day of the year. Concerned for their
survival, people employed every possible means to fortify the flames
of the dying sun and chase away or pacify the evil spirits. They lit
bonfires and sometimes offered gruesome sacrifices.
The Celtic New Year, November 1, is also the beginning of the new
year for Wiccan witches. With the belief in the wandering spirits of
the dead came the custom of preparing offerings of special foods and
dressing up as these spirits and wild animals. These customs were
widely practiced in ancient Ireland, which was converted to
Christianity through the efforts of Saint Patrick in AD 300-400.
To a large extent the early church adopted and accommodated the
traditional religious beliefs and practices of those it sought to convert.
The first day of November was declared All Saints Day by Pope Gregory
IV in AD 835 and later November 2nd was proclaimed all Souls Day.
October 31 became known as the Eve of All Saints Day or All Hollows
Eve. It is the glossing of the name Hollow Eve that has given us the
name Halloween. The church also redefined the belief that the spirits
of Samhain were evil. Thus the customs associated with Halloween
now included representation of ghosts, skulls, and human skeletons
(symbols of the dead), the devil and witches.
Halloween has been known in North America since Colonial Days. It
was not until Irish settlers brought their Halloween customs to America
in the 1840's that the festival started growing in popularity. By the
middle of the twentieth century it was mostly a children's holiday. In
the last decade it has exploded in the United States as a national,
highly commercialized holiday. Let's look at the trends and facts.
More then 50 million Americans celebrate Halloween each year.
Halloween is second only to Christmas for holiday decorating.
An estimated 90 % of all families with children ages 12 and younger will
participate in trick-or-treating or costume parties.
Halloween is the third most popular holiday party occasion for adults
(Christmas and New Year's Eve are first and second).
Halloween workplace celebrations are on the rise, allowing employees
to wear costumes for the day.
Out door decorations are a big trend.
An estimated 400 million dollars is spent on Halloween each year.
Halloween is an American tradition that is here to stay. But, is it right
for a Christian to continue practicing Halloween traditions?
Poltergeists, witches on broomsticks, ghosts, jack-o-lantenrs and bats
seem to be everywhere at Halloween. Television shows, movies and
psychic researchers have the potential of leading people to have a
fascination with ghosts. I Timothy 4:1 Paul instructs Timothy, the
Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and
follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. I Cor. 10:20 Paul
warns "I do not want you to be participants with demons." Witchcraft
is one of the most common themes of Halloween. Our society's image
of witchcraft is changing from that of evil to that of something
supernaturally positive. Witchcraft (or Wicca) has been a legally
recognized religion in the US since 1985. It has eight major holidays
that revolve around the changing of the seasons. Magic is a very
important part of witchcraft. Many of the people who study
witchcraft are searching for spiritual truth and the supernatural.
Witchcraft often referred to as the "Old Religion" is experiencing
renewed interest, especially among teenagers. Witchcraft can be
defined as the performance of magic forbidden by G-d for non-biblical
purposes. Both the Old and New Testament state that witchcraft is
condemned by G-d. The Bible forbids all forms of witchcraft, including
sorcery, astrology and magic. G-d wants us to rely on Him for
guidance, power and direction. He is our strength and our life not the
forces of darkness. Satan wants us to trust ourselves, our own strength
and resources and not rely on G-d.
Knowing how to respond to Halloween can be confusing and frustrating
at times. G-d has given us each a free will and freedom to choose. As
Christians we have liberty in all things not specifically mentioned in the
Bible as sinful. However, this freedom must be exercised to build up
our spiritual life and encourage others. It is not hard to determine that
believers should not actually celebrate Halloween, but what about the
option of participating in an alternative. Our guide for allowing our
children to participate in any alternative are these questions; is it
constructive? Is it good? Is it profitable? There is a battle raging today
for the minds and emotions of our children. That battle is just as real
for us. What we put in our minds determines what comes out in our
words and actions. We must fill our minds with thoughts that are true,
good and right. We must carefully examine what we and our children
are putting into our minds through television, books, computer games,
movies and magazines. Evil is pervasive in our society and is more
noticeable during Halloween. G-d is very clear in His Word what His
attitude is toward evil: "Avoid every kind of evil." I Thess. 5:22. For
some people Halloween could become the gateway to the occult their
first step into the world of darkness. When giving thought to
Halloween and participating in an alternative, everything from masks to
games, to decorations must be carefully evaluated. Instead of seeing
something the world might see as "cute" we need to look at it through
the filter of G-d's Word.
Because Halloween falls into a grey area of Christian living that is not
specifically forbidden by the Bible, we must recognize that there will
be differing opinions on how to respond. Ultimately, it all comes down
to being careful not to compromise biblical principles in your own life.
When considering how you will respond to Halloween, keep in mind
this principle: Is this glorifying to G-d? How can I glorify G-d through
this? G-d's Word is always the standard by which we measure all
things, both the mundane and the not so mundane. It is and always will
be our handbook for living.
dilemma every year of what to do about Halloween. However, since it
is such a popular holiday in our culture, there is great pressure to
conform. In order to make a solid decision on Halloween, it is
important to examine its true origins.
Halloween has its ultimate origins in the ancient Celtic (Irish, Scottish,
Welsh) harvest festival, Samhain (pronounced so-when). People
believed the spirits of the dead roamed the earth. The Celts adopted
Druid beliefs and customs, in pre-christian days, to commemorate the
end of summer and the last day of the year. Concerned for their
survival, people employed every possible means to fortify the flames
of the dying sun and chase away or pacify the evil spirits. They lit
bonfires and sometimes offered gruesome sacrifices.
The Celtic New Year, November 1, is also the beginning of the new
year for Wiccan witches. With the belief in the wandering spirits of
the dead came the custom of preparing offerings of special foods and
dressing up as these spirits and wild animals. These customs were
widely practiced in ancient Ireland, which was converted to
Christianity through the efforts of Saint Patrick in AD 300-400.
To a large extent the early church adopted and accommodated the
traditional religious beliefs and practices of those it sought to convert.
The first day of November was declared All Saints Day by Pope Gregory
IV in AD 835 and later November 2nd was proclaimed all Souls Day.
October 31 became known as the Eve of All Saints Day or All Hollows
Eve. It is the glossing of the name Hollow Eve that has given us the
name Halloween. The church also redefined the belief that the spirits
of Samhain were evil. Thus the customs associated with Halloween
now included representation of ghosts, skulls, and human skeletons
(symbols of the dead), the devil and witches.
Halloween has been known in North America since Colonial Days. It
was not until Irish settlers brought their Halloween customs to America
in the 1840's that the festival started growing in popularity. By the
middle of the twentieth century it was mostly a children's holiday. In
the last decade it has exploded in the United States as a national,
highly commercialized holiday. Let's look at the trends and facts.
More then 50 million Americans celebrate Halloween each year.
Halloween is second only to Christmas for holiday decorating.
An estimated 90 % of all families with children ages 12 and younger will
participate in trick-or-treating or costume parties.
Halloween is the third most popular holiday party occasion for adults
(Christmas and New Year's Eve are first and second).
Halloween workplace celebrations are on the rise, allowing employees
to wear costumes for the day.
Out door decorations are a big trend.
An estimated 400 million dollars is spent on Halloween each year.
Halloween is an American tradition that is here to stay. But, is it right
for a Christian to continue practicing Halloween traditions?
Poltergeists, witches on broomsticks, ghosts, jack-o-lantenrs and bats
seem to be everywhere at Halloween. Television shows, movies and
psychic researchers have the potential of leading people to have a
fascination with ghosts. I Timothy 4:1 Paul instructs Timothy, the
Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and
follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. I Cor. 10:20 Paul
warns "I do not want you to be participants with demons." Witchcraft
is one of the most common themes of Halloween. Our society's image
of witchcraft is changing from that of evil to that of something
supernaturally positive. Witchcraft (or Wicca) has been a legally
recognized religion in the US since 1985. It has eight major holidays
that revolve around the changing of the seasons. Magic is a very
important part of witchcraft. Many of the people who study
witchcraft are searching for spiritual truth and the supernatural.
Witchcraft often referred to as the "Old Religion" is experiencing
renewed interest, especially among teenagers. Witchcraft can be
defined as the performance of magic forbidden by G-d for non-biblical
purposes. Both the Old and New Testament state that witchcraft is
condemned by G-d. The Bible forbids all forms of witchcraft, including
sorcery, astrology and magic. G-d wants us to rely on Him for
guidance, power and direction. He is our strength and our life not the
forces of darkness. Satan wants us to trust ourselves, our own strength
and resources and not rely on G-d.
Knowing how to respond to Halloween can be confusing and frustrating
at times. G-d has given us each a free will and freedom to choose. As
Christians we have liberty in all things not specifically mentioned in the
Bible as sinful. However, this freedom must be exercised to build up
our spiritual life and encourage others. It is not hard to determine that
believers should not actually celebrate Halloween, but what about the
option of participating in an alternative. Our guide for allowing our
children to participate in any alternative are these questions; is it
constructive? Is it good? Is it profitable? There is a battle raging today
for the minds and emotions of our children. That battle is just as real
for us. What we put in our minds determines what comes out in our
words and actions. We must fill our minds with thoughts that are true,
good and right. We must carefully examine what we and our children
are putting into our minds through television, books, computer games,
movies and magazines. Evil is pervasive in our society and is more
noticeable during Halloween. G-d is very clear in His Word what His
attitude is toward evil: "Avoid every kind of evil." I Thess. 5:22. For
some people Halloween could become the gateway to the occult their
first step into the world of darkness. When giving thought to
Halloween and participating in an alternative, everything from masks to
games, to decorations must be carefully evaluated. Instead of seeing
something the world might see as "cute" we need to look at it through
the filter of G-d's Word.
Because Halloween falls into a grey area of Christian living that is not
specifically forbidden by the Bible, we must recognize that there will
be differing opinions on how to respond. Ultimately, it all comes down
to being careful not to compromise biblical principles in your own life.
When considering how you will respond to Halloween, keep in mind
this principle: Is this glorifying to G-d? How can I glorify G-d through
this? G-d's Word is always the standard by which we measure all
things, both the mundane and the not so mundane. It is and always will
be our handbook for living.
| Ministry of Gates of Praise Ministries, Inc. © Copyright Gates of Praise Ministries 2007 |