How Should Christians Engage the Spiritual Aspects of Halloween?
Short Answer: Does removing the religious aspects of Halloween traditions also remove the spiritual effects of those traditions? No. Participating in paganism, witchcraft, satanism, new age, or occult practices risks opening oneself up to demonic influence.
To Halloween or Not to Halloween?
We learn from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that what is true brings goodness, benefit, love, and closeness to Elohim while false brings separation, cursing, darkness, and destruction. Understanding how the spiritual impacts the physical is one of the most profound and far reaching concepts within the Kingdom of Heaven allowing for genuine blessing as well as miracles; therefore, false concepts of spirituality and the absolute denial of it's existence are major battle tactics of the enemy.
Many believers ignore the spiritual activity that is around themselves. Yet the Bible acknowledges both angels and demons, blessings and cursings, as well as miracles and magic. Far too many dismiss the fruits and gifts of the Special Spirit and completely ignore the attacks and influences of the demonic realm. This is a dangerous situation that causes much avoidable suffering.
It is necessary for believers to recognize the spiritual before any meaningful conversation about Halloween can occur. The fact is, each year, Christians debate and argue whether they should participate in Halloween, make a 'harvest' or 'reform' alternative to Halloween, or avoid Halloween altogether. All seem to agree that at least some (if not many) Halloween traditions originate from pagan forms of worship. Therefore, the real question becomes:
Does removing the religious aspects of Halloween traditions also remove the spiritual effects of those traditions?
If not, then believers are engaging in the works of the Kingdom of Darkness rather than pursuing the Kingdom of Light.
Caught in the Battle of Good and Evil
"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." Ephesians 6:12-13 KJV
War is a terrible thing and not something to honor and seek; however, whether we want it or not, all believers are involved in the battle the Kingdom of Darkness wages against the Kingdom of Light. Believers have a choice to fight or not, but it is literally a battle of life and death where winning the battle means people know the Eternal and have eternal life, encourage righteousness, and sometimes knocking down the strongholds of evil.
The enemy is an unjust lier and a thief who takes what is not his through the methods of deception, destruction, disease, and death as well as making entertainment and pleasure of evil while disregarding any collateral damage. The enemy uses lies, pride, and the lusts of the flesh to cause unrighteousness to flourish and hide what harms life
Meanwhile Heaven uses truth, humbleness, and obedience to encourage life. Only the Kingdom of heaven is capable of producing a Righteous Warrior, a high calling with high standards of justice, fairness mercy, purity, and love whose path is defending selves, families, brethren, and the Kingdom from attacks because salvation of people is more important than personal comfort.
When you mix the concepts of a warrior caste with the religious caste, you end up with a strategy that plans spiritual warfare but deals with tactics that involve physical actions. This is the life of a believer ... desiring to be as close to the Eternal as possible, but having to defend against the attacks of the enemy on all levels in a wicked world that cares not for the truth.
In the battle of good and evil, it is a simple matter to state that what is good are those things that help and benefit life and what is evil are those things that harm and destroy life. This includes the Kingdom of Heaven (good) and the Kingdom of Darkness (evil). In most cases, it is very easy to distinguish between good and evil in a battle. The evil side is the one who has attacked and the good side is the one on the defense. This is because the good side will do things righteously and fairly which should result in no fighting and no forcible taking of things that does not belong to it. The evil side will be unjust and try to take what is not his and thus attacks to steal and snatch away.
Spiritual Aspects of Life
There is a spiritual aspect of life that operates behind the scenes which both effects and is effected by what happens in the physical. Spiritual effects are experienced through peace and suffering, blessing and cursing, and angels and demons and it acts as a measure of righteousness and obedience. Throughout Scripture, there is a duality that follows the events and prophecies of the Almighty's people. On one level, this duality shows the effects in the physical life of the people. On another level, this duality shows the behind-the-scene action taking place in controlling events in our life. This is true both historically and prophetically.
At the end of Creation week, it is given that there is a spiritual realm that co-exists and interacts with the physical. The Eternal spoke things into being and blessed them. There is, perhaps, no greater tool to effect the spiritual than the spoken word. Scripture states that life and death are in the tongue and that we will be judged even for idle words. Furthermore, the miracles, signs, and wonders occur after a work spoken by the Eternal or a prophet. Promises, vows, and oaths are very powerful as well as our own speaking of blessings and curses. Much is said in Scripture about controlling the tongue and that a covenant is made with the mouth. Speech sets things in motion bringing the covenant to fruition. In many ways, what happens in a person's life is a form of judgment on their speech and actions. It is more than just justice; when we sin, peace is taken from our lives and when we do well, peace comes in abundance. Please note that the words themselves do not have power … it is the meaning of what is stated that forms a covenant or vow.
This includes the more heavenly oriented groups of cherubim, seraphim, and angels (including fallen angels). Although there are few passages to work from, one does find different kinds or levels within the Heavenly realm. Within the Creation Week, the Almighty declared everything to be good. This would include the Heavenly Creatures. This implies that Lucifer, also known as Satan or the Adversary, had not yet rebelled nor fallen from his position. However, Scripture describes a third of the angels falling with Satan. These are likely the demons that now pester man. Although the fallen angelic creatures known as demons are powerful, through the Messiah believers have been given an authority that is ultimately greater in this battle.
Blessings, speaking well of another, and Cursings, speaking harm or evil of another, are one aspect of the covenant relationship(s) mankind and Israel have with Elohim. It directly relates to obedience and disobedience. History is full of events foretold by the prophecies of blessing and cursing. History shows the duality of the prophecies and events show the physical effects that follow from the behind the scene causes that shape events from the promises and covenants. Keeping in mind that blessing is not to be confused with salvation and that true blessing is not the idea of becoming rich, but in having peace and even honor. Some blessings and cursings become generational and can be passed to our children and grandchildren. Blessing is not for obedience [keeping the commandments], but for what we do and our actions in obedience. Evil for breaking commandments is not crime and punishment, it is the result of lawlessness and following the evil one.
After receiving the promise of eternal life by accepting the Messiah as Savior, one of the greatest things that can happen to a believer is the cleansing and healing of this lifetime. As Heavenly King and Priest, the Messiah can offer healing and restored life even now. Through His authority, the effects of sinful speech and actions that have brought curses, demonic activity, and pain into life can be canceled out and peace can be restored. The Spirit sanctifies His people and acts as witness that their Mighty One is with them. The gifts of the spirit are used to spread the Kingdom of Heaven. Within this, encouraging life is primarily spiritual. Many simple actions, like prayer and fasting, are doing work in the spiritual. [ex. gifts]
The Heavenly host existed by the end of creation week and Lucifer's rebellion came soon after. The Adversary's lies caused man to bring death and destruction through curses. Satan, also known as the serpent, dragon, and prince of this world, and devouring lion, is powerful and will do what he can to sow evil seed among people in an attempt to get people to be disobedient, disbelieve Elohim, or to worship himself.
Although physical in nature, possessions can effect us spiritually. Curses and demonic activity and harm can come from having things we should not have; often these are related to idolatry. By cleansing our environment of evil things, blessing and peace can be restored.
The topics of the Spiritual gifts, of giftings, or of modern day miracles and healings can be confusing. There are many questions and skepticism because we have all seen the fakes and the abuses caused by schemers. Yet, what about those healings (physical) and deliverances (demonic) that actually do occur and are real and miraculous and without question are true documented occurrences of modern day healing? What can we say about these? And why is it that here in America so little of this is happening while in other parts of the world like Africa and China, where they are hearing the gospel for the first time, so much is happening ... including healing, deliverance, and even the raising from the dead. When we clear ourselves of the fakes and the imitators, we are left with the true miraculous power that Yahshuah has sent into this world through His body (believers) by means of the Spirit.
Sugar Coated Evil
Satan leads an ongoing rebellion against righteousness in the spiritual and disobedience to the covenant in the physical which brings curses and death to mankind. For the purposes of his own self-indulgent schemes, Satan has worked to deceive mankind into following him rather than Elohim and exalt himself as a god and make us children of disobedience.
Our Adversary desires that we deny the Word of Elohim and even our Creator's very existence, ignore the spiritual aspects of life, and to follow the lusts of the flesh including pride, power, and money. He is a thief, who will try to steal life both now and eternally, who must be chased off and filling the environments with uncleanness and abominations which must be cleansed.
One of the biggest questions we should ask is how does our enemy spread his message so well? The answer is surprising because it is all around us in our entertainment. We are trained to be desensitized to evil from the time we are born, through childhood, our teenage years, and beyond. It comes primarily through fiction. Following are some of the major methods through which this is achieved.
The first is myths and legends. It is incredible how much people like myths and legends. This includes the Greek and Roman gods of old, and their ancient texts such as the Odyssey, Illiad, and Beowulf. It includes more modern classics like Moby Dick and Robinson Crusoe. It also includes the modern day superhero and supervillians including both the Marvel and DC universe.
The second is monsters and aliens. This can include talking or humanized animals, space aliens, and imaginary creatures. We have talking vegetables, mutant turtles, and cute fuzzy bears. Within these stories, the monsters can act as good guys or bad guys. We get desensitized to the many strange and imaginary creatures that have been witnessed in cartoons such as Smurfs, King-Fu Panda, and Ghostbusters. Seldom do we think that if we saw these things in real life, we would have to think they were demonic.
The third topic is Mating in all kinds of unrealistic and unnatural ways. I will ask: How many romantic comedies have you seen? Have these ever happened in real life? Do people go off in search of treasure only to be attacked by villains and find the love of their life along the way? -No!- Portrayals of courtship and dating are strange in Hollywood. Relationships are unrealistic whether in dating or in friendship. And the ill effects of these poor relationship skills are hidden away or made into comedy where people don't really get hurt as in real life. Family sitcoms are exaggerated for comedy. This is not how people truly react. but our enemy wants us to treat life as though this is real.
The fourth category is machines and technology. Wow ... this is a huge category. How many stories and movies rely on science fiction? We know the patterns by heart ... when the computer says there is only a short time until the explosion, we know one of the good guys will solve the problem ... at the last possible moment. All the while we are held in suspense and tension. -Um-, excuse me, but the whole thing is made up. In these stories, the good guys rely on technology, often advanced technology, to beat the bad guys. Now, I must admit that through history, if you have swords, shields, guns, or other weapons that are superior to your opponents - you will probably win the battle. But in fantasy life, anything is possible with technology - there are no limits for what can be done or what technology can solve. And the robotic machines that contain fast processing and great amounts of information become almost the ultimate in heroes or villains.
The fifth category is magic. Now, when I talk about magic in this seminar, I am not typically talking about stage tricks. Instead, I am talking about magicians, conjurers, sorcerers, wizards and witches. It is the interaction with the forces of evil and of the occult. Portrayals of magic come in all forms and sizes from cute little gummi bears to the worst of the Disney villains. In fact it is Disney has introduced many people to magic as entertainment in so many ways. Star Trek, Star Wars, and other such shows give magic in a different form (hidden in science), but the unreality of the 'science' that enables space travel, superpowers (spiderman), mutants (X-men, turtles, etc) is nothing short of magical.
Sixth would be mayhem and mischief. Much can be said here about superheroes and villains such as Justice League or Teen Titans, Star wars and the force, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica and other science fiction shows. It can even include movies of war as most leave reality behind to unrealistically involve violence. Most of the Hollywood fight scenes go on and on with incredible and unbelievable acts of violence made to shock. If you go through history, there are plenty of real people who made a difference for societies or during wars. The struggles of the American Pioneers captured by Laura Ingalls Wilder. The 'I have a Dream' speech by Martin Luther King (Jr). The generals who actually fought in the civil war, WWI, and WWII, etc. The genuine effects on life with combat are that you simply cannot walk off of the screen, come back onscreen, and be fine again. Because of these things we do not understand the true horror of war - physically or spiritually.
Finally, the masters of these falsehoods incorporate many or all of these things together at once. Myth is combined with monsters, magic, mayhem, and mating to produce a compelling and intriguing story where anything can happen. Star Wars & Star Trek, Superheroes like the Justice League & the Avengers, magic series like Harry Potter, anime series like DragonBall and Avatar the Last Airbender, and many more - put it all together with suspense and drama and many characters.
All of these things misrepresent life. Even worse, they all make us have a false view of the spiritual aspects of life. They lull us into not thinking of the genuine battle of good and evil because evil methods and creatures are represented as good, bad, or both. Do not be fooled and overcome by this propaganda by the enemy. It is best to remove it from your life altogether and seek truth, righteousness, innocence, and purity.
Real Witchcraft Is Effective
It is difficult for believers. On the one hand, I would not recommend anyone looking at even the basics of witchcraft because they may be tempted and it is a loss of innocence to know what the enemy offers. On the other hand, if one does not know what witchcraft looks like one will be unaware of how prevalent it is around them (both in society and in church) and that they might even be doing it themselves. It boils down to this: if the Bible is true, then witchcraft is idolatrous and an opening to the whole demonic realm and it must be avoided by believers.
The occult realm ( the hidden darkness) is filled with people who, knowingly or unknowingly, work with the evil side of the spiritual. Most of these people are just pursuing their own selfish will and use magic to achieve this goal and may be ignorant that it is demonically powered. Worse are the ones who actively engage in cursing others, like voodoo. Seemingly more rare are the people who truly worship evil and promote it's causes. Many of the world's religions, like Buddhism, also fall into this mixture of ignorance and awareness.
The occult realm wants to remain hidden. It's practices are so repugnant and perverse that most people could not handle it's true depths. It hides in the shadows. It is sometimes called gnostic. It is the dark arts. It forms covens, guilds, and secret societies all in which allegiance to the group and secrecy is paramount. The rituals, even in more public religious forms (like Mormonism), are kept or deemed too sacred to share. Such people can be around you, and you can be unaware. Glamour magic is used to change one's appearance or at least effect how one is perceived and often used to hide the darkness within.
There are many types of occult users. Many of them do not realize they have been tricked into using the dark arts and only go to a superficial level such as yoga for exercise and martial arts for defense. Slightly more aware might be the 'new-age' groups who use nature elements to change something. Actual practicing witches can even be deceived thinking they are working with gods, spirits, fae, etc. But as they progress into the depths, you can see the darkness increase. Although the 'goth' look is an overused stereotype, there is some truth to it and people effected by demons can act impulsively or be obsessed with various lusts of the flesh.
Although some 'denominations' exist within the occult, witchcraft itself tends to be about finding your own path ... finding what works for you individually whether it be herbalism, spellcraft, or making a personal collection of spirits to work with. Hence, most practicing witches will keep a 'book of shadows' which chronicles and records what has and has not worked for them individually. Those of a like-minded path will often join a coven to fellowship and learn together. On rare occasions, large conferences are held for these groups.
The paranormal events that occur in the occult and witchcraft are a result of demonic activity. It is demon level access to the spiritual realm which can be moderately effective. It makes sense for a selfish person with no concept of righteousness to pursue this. However, the vast majority (probably) do not realize the temporal and eternal consequences of this idolatry. Much time and effort must be spent attracting / soliciting such paranormal activity and could eventually lead to full possession.
Practicing pagans and witches act like priests and priestesses. They have an altar which must be ritually attended with offerings to satisfy the demons. They use tools, like ouji, to communicate with spirits. They try to prophesy with things like tarot cards. They keep an occult festival calendar celebrating the cycles of nature and death. They place blessings and cursings on items like charms and amulets. They will perform many strange and perverse rituals, including sexual abominations, to have attunement with nature. All in an effort to get supernatural help for their personal desires and intent.
Ultimately, occult groups honor and worship evil and Satan. They share and teach this where they can. People like Alistir Crowly and Anton LaVey are masters of influencing society toward worshiping evil while hiding in plain sight. Most are hidden behind the scenes producing literature and entertainment that spread these evil concept far and wide. The occult symbolism and wording is there ... if you know to look for it. In the worst cases, Satan is depicted as the savior bringing enlightenment to the world whereas in truth he is the bringer of death.
Generally speaking, witchcraft and the occult are not directly political. However, in this modern age of liberalism, wokeness, and anything goes for the minorities mentality ... the occult certainly does not seem to mind trying to legalize whatever practices they can and to 'normalize' their otherwise deviant behaviors. In a philosophical and post-truth society, this can be very successful and witchcraft can now be found in the open market, at shows, and in stores. If the buyer does not know what they are getting, they could accidentally involve themselves with it. It certainly adds confusion when entertainment, including literature and movies, misrepresents magic as good or as being used by both the good and evil characters.
Occult Actions in the Church
"Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou inquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise. {31} Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods." Deuteronomy 12:30-31 KJV
As one goes around the world and examines the religious beliefs of the many nations and cultures, some surprising patterns emerge.
Statistically, about 90% of the world is religious or accepts some form of spiritual realm. This leaves roughly 10% that are genuinely atheist or those who are agnostic.
A little over 20% of the population is Christian. That means 80% of the world is against the Bible and believers in the Savior. This includes roughly 20% who are Muslim, roughly 20% who are Hindu and Buddhist, and roughly 20% who are of various polytheistic and pantheistic pagan religions (often generically referred to as witchcraft).
What is, perhaps, most surprising is that the rituals and methods of worship by the mystics of each of those religions is the same. Witches, Kabbalists, Sufis, Gurus, Shadus, and many others all practice similar techniques to manipulate the spiritual. This makes sense since they are all working with the demonic side of the spiritual.
Believers are told not to worship as the other religions worship. However, witchcraft has infiltrated the lives of believers in many ways. I would expect fire-dancing at a drum circle celebrating the full moon - but not in the worship of the One True God. Yet I see it happening. Christianity, both Catholic and Protestant, have practices brought in by the Jesuits (and other orders) such as the use of spirit guides. Many pagan traditions have been absorbed and given a veneer of christ-like meaning through triumphalism such as turning transcendental meditation into christian meditation. Messianic Judaism has it's own kabbalah and the zohar behind many rabbinic teachings and practices. The New Apostolic Reformation has a severe lack of Scripture and of repentance while also having a tremendous amount of 'believe and receive' - the witchcraft equivalent of the heretical prosperity gospel. Some of the more extreme groups use all sorts of demonic practices like grave soaking. They are wolves in sheep's clothing and the blind leading the blind.
Our Creator has told us how to have a relationship with Him. There is no secret. There is no mysticism or secret knowledge that is required. Read the Bible. Build a relationship through prayer. These are two of the most basic and most effective things we can do. We do not have to learn what the pagans do to have a close relationship with the One True Living God.
Origins of Halloween Traditions
Celtic Origins: the Festival of Samhain
The beginning of the modern Halloween holiday began with the Celtic Festival of Samhain in ancient Britain and Ireland. Samhain, or samhuinn in Gaelic spelling, has the meaning of "summer's end" and this festival marked the end of the Celtic calendar year. This typically fell in the October or November lunar cycle and was the time that herdsmen returned from pasture land. It was believed that the last day of the year was a time when the boundary between the physical and spiritual realms would loosen and intermingle.
In recent centuries, a popular myth has grown suggesting that Samhain was the name of a Celtic god. More specifically, that it was the God of the Dead. This appears to have been started by a writer in the 18th century AD. This myth was quickly spread by both secular sources and Christian groups without checking the validity of the statement.
It was believed that all the souls who had died would return to visit their homes. The people did not want to be bothered by these wandering spirits and various methods were used to avoid them or make them go away. One method used by the Celtic people would be to wear animal skins and heads so they would not be recognized as humans by the ghosts of the dead that wandered around.
It was also believed that the Gods could come and play tricks on the people. Therefore, the Celtic priests, called Druids, would make sacrifices of plants, animals, and also people. The bones from these sacrifices were burned in bone fires, later known as bonfires, to appease the various deities. Throughout the land, people would extinguish their flames and fires and re-light them using the fire from the bone fires. Human sacrifice was officially stopped around 1600 AD although sometimes an effigy would still be used.
As this was considered a time of interacting with the spiritual realm, many different methods for divining future events, especially of the coming year, appeared. Expectations for the coming crop season, who would get married, health, and deaths are examples.
Roman Origins: the Festivals of Feralia and Pomona
The Roman Empire conquered the Celtic region in the first century AD and ruled until 410 AD. Consequently, the traditions of the Roman festivals mixed with those of the Festival of Samhain.
The Roman Festival of Feralia, for the departing of the dead, was originally part of a larger festival called Parentalia. Parentalia was a private ceremony which honored deceased family members. Over time, it grew to include the dead in general. Feralia was a public ceremony held on the last day of Parentalia during which gifts were placed on graves.
The Roman Festival of Pomona, the goddess of the harvest, were observed in the autumn at a similar time to that of Samhain. In particular, was the use of the apple which was the symbol of Pomona. The apple later came to be used in methods of divination including learning the initials of a future spouse or if marriage would occur in the next year.
Catholic Origins: All Hallows Eve
In Catholicism, this process began on All Hallows Eve (October 31), continued on All Hallows Day (November 1), and finished on All Souls Day (November 2).
As Christianity spread across the continent and around the world throughout the centuries AD, events of worship considered pagan were either forgotten or absorbed and given a 'Christian' meaning. This is true of many holidays including Halloween. It seems no coincidence that the Catholic version of remembering the dead and helping them move on into eternity comes at the time of celebrating the Festival of Samhain and the Festival of Feralia.
The Catholic remembrance for the dead formally began in 609 AD when Pope Boniface IV dedicated the Pantheon in Rome as a church in honor of the Blessed Virgin and all martyrs by renaming it 'Church of St. Mary and the Martyrs'. This remembrance was originally on May 13. Pope Gregory III (731-741 AD) broadened this when he dedicated a chapel in the Basilica of St. Peter in honor of both martyrs and all the saints. It was around this same time that the date of November 1 was put into use. Following this, Pope Gregory IV ordered its observance by all in 837 AD.
The date of November 1 was generally known as All Saints Day. However, in Medieval England, this time became known as All Hallows Day with October 31 becoming known as All Hallows Even. This eventually became shortened in form to the word 'Halloween' that is more familiar and which is still used in some parts of England today.
By the end of the Middle Ages, the Celtic and Roman festivals had blended with the Catholic All Hollows Eve that resulted in the traditions and symbols spreading together wherever Catholicism traveled.
Protestant Reformation and Halloween
Martin Luther chose All Hallows Day (November 1) in 1517 to publicly charge the church with abandoning Scriptural faith. A large part of this was a reaction to the selling of indulgences which were claimed to decrease the suffering that would be experienced in purgatory. Purgatory was considered a temporary place one would go after death to cancel the accumulated debt of one's sin.
After the Protestant Reformation, Halloween was largely abandoned as any type of religious holiday for Protestants. They did not believe in the Catholic practice of recognizing saints and, therefore, had no reason to celebrate All Saints Day.
The early colonists in the New England states were generally very strict Protestants who considered Halloween to be forbidden. Further south, the colonies had a wider range of European groups and Halloween observances were more common. These traditions merged somewhat with traditions from the American Indians and by the 1800's Autumn or Harvest festivals were becoming common. These festivals showed a strong influence from Halloween traditions.
Irish Origins: Legend of Jack
One of the most familiar sights in the North American celebration of Halloween is the pumpkin carved with a scary face and a candle inside known as the Jack-O'-Lantern. This Halloween item comes from an Irish folk legend about a man named Jack who was known as a trickster. Legend states he managed to trick the devil so that he could not take his soul. Later, when he died, he was also denied access to Heaven and was stuck wandering the Earth. He carved out a turnip and stuck a burning ember inside to ward off evil spirits. This became known as Jack's Lantern.
When the Irish immigrants came to America in the mid-1800's, turnips were not commonly available and they turned, instead, to the use of the carved pumpkin.
Secular History: a Holiday for Children
Secularism is the rejection or exclusion of religious considerations. During the Middle Ages there was a strong tendency to ignore or even despise worldly happenings and to focus on the afterlife. After the Renaissance, secularism became a social movement which focused on human achievements and has been strongly anti-religious. This movement has had the effect of continuing the traditions associated with Halloween while removing any religious meaning that they contained. Activities like Trick or Treat became more popular while other things, like reverence for the martyrs, were forgotten.
This set the stage for the eventual transition into Halloween becoming a day primarily for children. Many of the traditions associated with Halloween are descended from the Celtic, Roman, and Catholic rituals of worship. Most often, the children playing have no understanding of their significance physically and spiritually. Wearing masks, trick-or-treat, bobbing for apples, bonfires, and scary animals associated with the night are all reminiscent of these occult practices.
Halloween is now the second largest holiday in the world, second only to Christmas. In America, 21 million dollars is spent on candy and 25 million greeting cards are purchased annually for Halloween. Around the world, many variations of the Halloween traditions have appeared with some more religious and some more secular.
Occult Worship: Witchcraft Today
The word 'occult' has varying meanings around the world. Most often it is regarded as involving the action or influence of supernatural power or secret knowledge of them. Occult practices assume the ability of someone to manipulate natural laws or spiritual forces. In many places of the world this would involve magic or divination and is considered acceptable behavior unless it breaks a moral law. In the West, occult practices have a negative connotation and are viewed as inherently evil whether or not they break a moral law.
There are many modern day practitioners of the occult. This would include Wicca (Witchcraft), Pagan, and Neo-Pagan groups. These groups continue to perform these ancient rituals with their full occult knowledge and purposes including divination, spell casting, and even blood sacrifices. Halloween is considered the end of the year and a festival of the dead. It is also regarded as the best time for contacting the dead.
Halloween often serves as an open door to exploring the occult by those who would otherwise ignore or oppose it. Halloween has become the highest recruitment night of the year for religions that observe such rituals.
Modern Halloween Traditions
Bobbing for apples or snap-apple activities are a mixture of the Festivals for Samhain and Pomona. The apple was the symbol of the Greek goddess Pomona and therefore became commonplace during this time. The apple then came into common use in the Celtic traditions of divination, especially regarding upcoming marriages by unmarried people. It was often thought that the next person to be able to bite into an apple would be the next one to get married.
As mentioned above in the Celtic section, bonfires were originally called bone fires and contained the bones of the sacrifices performed by the Druid priests.
Originally, the masks and costumes were used to disguise oneself so as not to be recognized as human. This was an attempt to keep the ghosts and spirits from bothering the person. Over time, especially after the secular movement, the costumes have become designed to intentionally imitate the supernatural or things that are scary.
Trick or Treat seems to have many possible origins or a mix of origins. There are reports that Celtic people would leave food out on the porch to appease wandering spirits so they would be left alone. Catholicism also had a practice called 'souling' where beggars would go around asking for soul cakes on All Saints Day with the promise of praying for the donors deceased loved ones the next day for All Souls Day.
Bats, owls, and other nocturnal animals were originally feared because people believed that these creatures could communicate with the spirits of the dead. In the middle ages, it was believed witches could turn themselves into black cats or alternately that black cats were reincarnated beings who could divine the future.
Quotes from Mystics
== Quotes from (Ex)-Practicing Witches It is worth briefly mention a couple of quotes about Halloween by those who have been involved in genuine occult activity.
Halloween is a major holiday in the United States with almost 80% of the over 300 million people population celebrating Halloween each year. With nearly a quarter of that population also practicing some type of witchcraft, mystical, or esoteric art there are bound to be those who were witches ... and then turned Christian.
In fact, there is an abundance of videos on YouTube by these ex-practitioners warning of the many dangers of new-age practices and of participating in Halloween. They warn how Halloween opens demonic doors and how the season promotes divination.
One in particular, is John Ramirez who was deeply into the Satanic rites and rituals. He comments that "We see Christians celebrating Halloween, but we don't see satanists celebrating Good Friday with us".
Perhaps one of the most in your face statements is made by Anton LaVey. He is the founder of the Church of Satan and he states "I'm glad Christians let their kids worship the Devil at least one night out of the year."
These, and many other similar statements, should raise red flags in our thinking about Halloween as being benign and harmless.
Repent ... For the Kingdom of Heaven is Near
It is startling how little man makes sin out to be. Although Scripture clearly states the dire consequences of sinful action, both man, in general, and Believers live and act with little regard to the consequences of their actions or their thoughts either physically or spiritually. Many disregard sin as just being a weakness of the flesh, as being indiscreet, the absence of goodness, as selfishness, ignorance, or as a sickness that is to be treated by science.
Sin is far more than any of these things speak. And of course man would want it to be only such as these because then one could explain it away, treat it with something, or not be concerned with it any further. Man must recognize the fact that sin carries a heavy price and affects both our physical and spiritual lives here in the present and also for eternity. To deny this, is to risk everything.
It is equally startling to see how much the Creator makes of sin. Sinfulness and unrighteousness is an abomination. To Him it is enough to separate us from Him temporarily, long term, and even for eternity. The fact that the One Most High has created a means by which a sinful person can transfer their sin onto another (through substitution and sacrifice) and then live in righteousness is an incredible act of Mercy. It shows His desire for life, and especially His relationship with man, to continue.
The main message of both John the Baptist and the Messiah was the same, "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand". What does this really mean for us and our lives? If we substitute the phrase 'Kingdom of Heaven' for the qualities we find in the Kingdom of Heaven, then we can get a clearer picture of the meaning.
- Repent for the - Judgment of Righteousness - is at hand. *Repent for the - Substitute in our punishment - is at hand. *Repent for the - Forgiveness of Sins - is at hand. *Repent for - Eternal Life - is at hand.
These are things that are to be desired in our relationship with the Almighty. Yet to receive these things, one must first make the decision to repent.
In the Greek perspective, repentance is a decision or a changing of one's mind. In the Hebraic perspective, repentance is an action of turning back or returning. To some degree, both of these perspectives are true. Think about a child that has been disobedient and is being corrected by a parent. First that child must make the decision to change and then the child must follow through and change the action. If he does not change the action, the decision did not truly mean anything. It is the same for each person in their walk with the Almighty. If one repents of a sinful action, then a change in lifestyle must follow to match or that decision means little.
Recognizing the Kingdom of Darkness for what it is and that it is in opposition to the true Kingdom of Light is a major step towards getting out. Renouncing the practices, casting-off the demons, not believing the lies, and destroying all the 'tool's of the craft are all major steps that need to be taken. It is a war and the enemy does not want you to leave and may try to attack you as well. Get help in this from mature and experienced believers if you feel unprepared.
When it comes to Halloween, the battle is fierce. It requires clear discernment to distinguish the lies from the truth. We must regard the spiritual aspects at least as much as the physical. It should be obvious by the violence, horror, monsters, and general celebration of the dead and the undead that Halloween is wrong. But evil likes to hide. It tries to say that removing a religious meaning to an action also removes the spiritual effects. This is wrong!
I ask: would you use a Ouija board ( a device designed to summon demons ) as a piece of exercise equipment? Even if it had the weight for muscle building or the flexibility for stretching ... is it worth the risk? You may not be calling a demon to answer a question, but you have a cursed object in your house ... something known to attract demons in your very hands. Why would a believer in the Messiah as Savior do this? Yet this is what is done when believers participate in the practices and traditions of Halloween.
As believers, we may not be able to attain perfection in this lifetime, but we can at least pursue truth, righteousness, innocence, and purity as far as we can. And that path will take us as far away from Halloween as we can get.
PostScript: A Frequently Asked Question
People often ask what to do about Halloween if they believe it is wrong, but the community around them is celebrating it. It is a tough question with varied answers. But this is my recommendation.
As I grew up, there was usually an official night for Halloween Trick-or-Treating. People were asked to have their porch lights on to show they were participating and children would know where to go.
My advice in such a situation is not to participate. Keep the light off. Do not directly support Halloween.
However, it is likely that some children could still show up (especially since enough modern places do not even have a porch light). Have some candy on hand (good stuff, not cheap stuff). Also have a pamphlet to hand out with it (not necessarily directly attacking Halloween, but something that encourages life rather than death ... and maybe even invites people to a local church).
The idea is that if you are kind, you might make a good impression and start a relationship or a curiosity that can lead them to something better long term.
They, most likely, will realize you are not in favor of Halloween. Yet your kindness can break through many types of barriers.
This page is under construction. My apologies for any misspellings, repeated text, missing references, etc. Please visit again later for a more complete treatment of this topic.