What About Halloween...?
the matter and the LORD will speak to the heart that is honest. Note the
A Helpful and Concise Answer
By Dr Terry W. Preslar
Copyright (C) 2004. Terry W . Preslar All rights reserved.
Terry W . Preslar – PO Box 388 – Mineral Springs, NC 28108
(704)843-3858 – preslar12@windstream.net
A Christian Position on this Popular Holiday
Five Great Questions That Call for an Answer
1- Is this Holiday a Christian practice...?
2- Should I have part in this popular festival...?
3- Should I allow my fam ily to take part...?
4- Are there answers to the present secular interest in Halloween...? What
agenda is behind it?
5- W ill GOD expect som e special response from the Christian...?
Allowing children to participate in the celebration of Halloween may
appear to be quite harmless on the surface, but the spiritual implications are far
from Christian. In today’s world, fortune-telling, Ouija boards, ESP, telepathy,
horoscopes, voodoo, clairvoyance, yoga, hypnosis, magic, transcendental
meditation, Eastern religions, reincarnation, metaphysics and many other
practices are expressly forbidden in Scripture. They are related to the occult and
Satanic forces. The occult becomes more and more powerful with each coming
year. Therefore believers should have nothing to do with them. The occult has
its heros (Anton LaVey, the High Priest of the church of Satan, Aleister “The
Beast” Crowley, who lived in the early part of this century and a host of
demonized movie and entertainment stars), its music (Heavy Metal Rock), its
philosophy (Humanism, Self-Worship & Nihilistic Self-destruction) and its
“Un-Holy Day” (Oct.31 st - Halloween). Please consider the next few pages on
this current and timely subject. History is openly reviling, the Bible is clear on
following Scriptures:
“Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.” (Ex. 22:18)
“Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be
defiled by them; I am the Lord your God.” (Lev. 19:31)
“So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the Lord, even
against the word of the Lord, which he kept not, and also for asking
counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to inquire of it.” (1 Chron. 10:13)
“There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or daughter
to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times,
or an enchanter, or a witch. Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar
spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer (one who tries to communicate with
the dead). For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord;
and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out
from before thee.” (Deut. 18:10-12, 21:8; Lev. 20:27, 20:6)
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. Halloween is a rite with pagan,
demonic roots.
A Short History Of Halloween
There could be a large document at this
point It seems that anything dark and wicked
will find its way into prominence. The
American celebration rests upon Scottish and
Irish folk-customs which can be traced, in a
direct line, from pre-Christian time. Although
Halloween has become a night of celebration
to many, its beginnings were otherwise. The
earliest Halloween celebrations were held by
the Druids in honor of Saman, lord of the dead, whose festival fell on
November 1.
It was the Druid’s belief that on the eve of this festival, Saman called
together the wicked souls that, within the past 12 months, had been condemned
to inhabit the bodies of animals. They were released in the form of ghosts,
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spirits, witches or elves. The Druids, an order of priests in ancient Gaul and
Britain, also believed that the cat was sacred because cats once had been human
beings but were changed as a punishment for evil deeds. From these Druidic
beliefs come the present-day use of witches, ghosts, and cats in Halloween
activities.
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.A. 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 becoming more important.
Traditional Halloween symbols appeared in the U.S. during the late 1800's.
W itches, 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 following symbols and customs all have
Satanic origins:
A Glossary Of Terms & Symbols
Jack-O’-Lantern – An ancient symbol of a damned soul. “Jack-o’-Lanterns
were named for a man called Jack, who could not enter Heaven or Hell. As
a result, he was doomed to wander in darkness with his lantern until
Judgment Day.”
Cat and Witch – Both symbols obviously relate to witchcraft. Druids believed
the black cats were reincarnated human beings.
Ghost and Skeleton – These relate to the belief that spirits of the dead were
roaming throughout the land. They induce fear in children. Skull and Mask
the Druids wore masks, skulls and costumes, even offered human sacrifices
on October 31st, to ward off evil spirits.
Trick-or-Treat – The Druids went from house to house asking for a
contribution to their demonic worship celebration. If a person didn’t give,
their trick was to kill him. The people feared the phrase “Trick-or -Treat.”
Therefore, it is terribly inappropriate for Christians to celebrate Satan’s
high holy day or to celebrate with those who practice witchcraft and use occult
symbols such as witches, black cats, ghosts, Jack-o’-Lanterns, etc. This time
was intended to be a time of joy for the harvest of the fields and the close of the
summer marked a time when families would be together through the cold
winter months.
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How far different is the message of Halloween: an alliance with the powers
of darkness and fearful bondage. No real Christian would knowingly glorify
Satan, but the devil has used Halloween as a subtle attempt to plant seeds in our
children’s hearts. How kids must get confused when they hear Sunday School
teachers warn of the devil, but are encouraged to dress up as demons, witches
and ghosts.
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. In the face of these “Perilous times” and the false message of secularism, we
see the need of the message of the Gospel. W hat Is “The W ay To Be Born
Again?” This question is on the lips of many in this day, no matter where you
are. Study these verses from God’s W ord on the subject of Salvation: (Rom.
3:23) “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” Everyone is a
sinner -There are no exceptions. (Rom. 6:23) “For the wages of sin is death; but
the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Death means sure
separation forever from GOD. Eternal Life comes by trusting Jesus Christ.
(Rom. 5:8) “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were
yet sinners, Christ died for us.” GOD loved sinners so much that HE gave HIS
son to die for our sins. (Rom. 10:9) “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth
the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from
the dead, thou shalt be saved.” To be born again, you must believe that you are
a sinner and that JESUS died for your sins, then declare that you accept HIM
as the LORD of your life. (Rom. 10:13) “For whosoever shall call upon the
name of the Lord shall be saved.” This is GOD’S promise to you: that HE will
answer your prayer of repentance and confession by saving you.
Dear reader, if this short Bible study has lead you to see yourself a sinner,
lost, and in need of salvation, please repent, calling on the LORD now as you
pray the sinner’s prayer.
This Pam phlet is printed by Gospel Publishing and Colportage, a
m inistry of the First Baptist Church of Mineral Springs, NC, and is
designed for education, evangelism , and edification. If we m ay assist you
in knowing m ore about Christ and the Christian life, please write us
without obligation: First Baptist Church of Mineral Springs PO Box 388,
Mineral Springs, NC 28108 (704)843-3858
Psalms 107:2 S É S Romans 12:1-2