Halloween is one of the most popular times of the year for many people. They dress up in all manner of costumes and go around and hit people up for free candy. Some use it as an occasion to get into mischief such as egging cars or toilet papering houses. Is this all just a bunch of harmless fun, or is there something more sinister and evil behind it? To properly answer this, let's first take a look at the factual, historical origin(s) of Halloween. What follows is a piece called “Halloween Questions and Answers” by Kerby Anderson Anderson
Most people see Halloween as nothing more than a harmless festival that allows kids to collect candy. Yet Halloween is much more than a harmless harvest festival. Its origins are deeply rooted in the occult, and various practitioners of the black arts identify Halloween as a significant event in the pagan calendar. In our increasingly pagan society, Halloween has become a lure, a tool for conditioning American children into unwittingly accepting the basic elements of Satanic worship. Once stripped of the inhibitions of basic evil, many go much farther. Yet the first naive steps are taken in childhood innocence. Parents need to know the risks, and the potential results of such lures as Halloween. The following questions and answers should help you be more aware of the occultic nature of this dark holiday.
What is Halloween?
The date, Oct.31, has long been known as "The Festival of the Dead". The Celtic tribes and their priests, the Druids, celebrated this day as a marker for the change from life to death. Today, the modern celebration of Halloween is performed usually by adherents of witchcraft who use the day (and especially the night) for their rituals.
Witches celebrate Halloween as "The Feast of Samhain" , the first feast of the witchcraft year. Being a festival of the dead, Halloween is a time when witches attempt to communicate with the dead through various forms of divination (note God's command against divination in Deuteronomy 18).
Witches believe that this day marks the time when the Mother Goddess (also known as Mother Nature, Goddess of the Earth) returns to the underworld to sleep under a blanket of snow. In her place comes another god, the Horned God, to begin his reign of death. Witches believe this is a time when the life of Summer is replaced by the death of Winter. Halloween is a high feast day to celebrate the end of Summer and the coming of Winter.
In later centuries, the Catholic church attempted to redeem this pagan holiday and designated it as "All Hallows (Saints) Eve". Protestant churches during the Reformation chose not to celebrate this day seeing it as an attempt to Christianize a pagan holiday. Today, many are unaware of the occultic origins of this holiday or the Satanic consequences to which it can lead. they believe it is merely another harmless event on the school calendar.
Why do kids dress up on Halloween?
During most of the 20th century, children in America
Occultists who revered Halloween as a pagan holy day saw this as a time of transition between life and death. They beleived that during this transition, the two worlds were momentarily in contact with one another. The veil between these two worlds (the world of the living and the world of the dead) was very thin, and so many believed they would come in contact with the spirit world.
Some occult practitioners practiced divination and believed you could learn the secrets of life and wisdom from lying on a grave and listening to the messages from the long-departed. Others taught that spirits and ghosts would leave the grave on this night and seek out warmth in their previous homes. Villagers fearful of the possibility of being visited by the ghosts of past occupants would dress up in costumes to scare the spirits away. the would also leave food and other treats at their door to appease the spirits so they would not destroy their homes or crops but instead move on down the road.
Another technique used to scare away the spirits was to carve a scary face into a pumpkin (often known as a Wil-O-Wisp). This horrible visage would hopefully move the spirit on to another home or village and spare that home from any destruction.
Sometimes the villagers would light a candle and place it within the pumpkin and use it as a lantern (hence the name Jack-O-Lantern). They would walk from the local grave yard to their homes in an effort to scare off the evil spirits that might be walking down the road after leaving the grave. Many homeowners would leave the Jack-O-Lanterns outside their homes in order to ward off any spirits that might come to their homes.
How does Halloween fit in with other witchcraft festivals?
Within witchcraft there are four pagan festivals celebrated throughout the year. The first festival on the witchcraft calendar is Halloween (October 31). This is the celebration of life and death. It is also known as Hallowmas. Many rituals, some of which include animal and even human sacrifices, take place at this time.
Second is Candlemas (February 2) which honors the "God of Death". This festival is designated to give him thanks for keeping them from sickness, and wishes him well as he journeys back to the underworld. The third festival is Beltane on May Eve (April 30). This celebration welcomes new life and involves fertility rituals. A final festival is Lammas (August 1) which is a festival of the harvest. Witches give thanks to the "Goddess of the Earth" for making their crops grow.
What is the significance of bobbing for apples?
During some witchcraft feasts (Hallowmas, Beltane, and Lammas), fertility rituals are practiced. In some witch covens (with both male and female members), this may involve the sexual act as a rite of fertility. In most other covens though, the closing ritual includes eating an apple.
Notice the contrast. Eating the forbidden fruit (the apple) in Genesis 3 brought sin and death into the world. In witchcraft though, eating an apple is symbolic of bringing life. In essence, bobbing for apples brings together two pagan traditions; divination and the fertility ritual.
It is crucial tio realize that in self-styled Satanic cults, similar rituals are incorproated into routine ceremonies, building a bridge between the innocent and profane.
The pagan origins of Halloween should be sufficient to cause Christian parents to question the wisdom of allowing their children to participate in a witchcraft festival. Given this information, parents really only have one choice: fight the celebration of Halloween, and provide alternatives.
At a time when schools are removing all religious significance from Christmas (now often called Winter Break) and Easter (called Spring Break), it is ironic that most public schools still celebrate Halloween. Responsible parents should ask school administrators to restrict Halloween celebrations. Pictures of witches, haunted houses, and other occultic images are a promotion of pagan religious practices.
Many churches have begun creative alternatives. Church youth groups hold bowling or skating parties. Some groups spend the night going out and witnessing to those in the streets. Still other churches hold Fall Fun Festivals and have children come to the church dressed in biblical costumes. Such programs keep children safe and focus their attention on the Bible rather than on a pagan, occultic ritual.
The topic of Halloween sparks a lively debate/discussion around this time each year. So much is said by so many from so many different perspectives, that I thought some clarity was needed on the subject. Let me just say that I am not one of those who think that Christians should spend Halloween with the shades drawn while cowering in a corner somewhere. But we should not observe it in the way that most people do since it is after all a pagan, satanic holiday. Despite popular belief, it is not a cute, fun, harmless game for kids to participate in.
Alternative events for Halloween are a good idea as far as I can see. I think that if you are going to tell kids that they shouldn't participate in Halloween in the traditional ways, then you should provide them with something else to do. Church sponsored fall festivals, concerts, and "Hell House" type things are great Halloween alternatives. Churches have no business having haunted houses, ghosts, witches, jack-o-lanterns, and other traditional trappings. Light has no fellowship with darkness, and churches should have no fellowship with the traditions of a satanic holiday.
Like it or not, believe it or not, there are occultic and satanic practices at the very origin and heart of Halloween. Ancient societies began disguising themselves (dressing up) in hopes that they might ward off evil spirits. Others would offer gifts (treats) to the spirits to try to appease them. Others carved jack-o-lanterns hoping to frighten the spirits away. Today, as in years past, Oct. 31 is known to Satanists as Hallowmas, the most important unholy day on the satanic calendar. Also called Samhain, Halloween, and All Hallows Eve, it is the time when the powers of the Underworld (Hell) are felt to be growing, it's gates are open and all the evil forces are let loose. Traditionally, it is The Feast of the Dead, where one communes and rejoices with the souls of the departed who have not yet reincarnated.
I do not believe for one second that every person who celebrates Halloween is a Satanist, or intends on doing anything satanic. Nor do I believe that every drunk driver intends to have an accident and hurt or kill innocent people. Nor do I believe that every child who picks up and plays with a loaded gun intends to hurt or kill anyone, but the potential is there none the less. There is also a potential for harm in the practice of Halloween traditions. There are demonic forces at work in the world at all times. Their presence is much stronger on Halloween. Christians should not do anything that brings them into close contact with the forces of darkness. Non-Christians should really steer clear of all Halloween observances, since they can be actually possessed by demon spirits. I would advise everyone to stay away from traditional Halloween observances.
In closing, I would like to challenge everyone to steer clear of all of the traditions of Halloween. If you have to do something on Oct. 31, then find a church sponsored alternative event and go to it. Why would anyone who claims to be a Christian want to participate in an event such as Halloween, that clearly has it's origin in the occult? You cannot serve two masters. You cannot have one foot in God's kingdom, and the other in Satan's. You have to choose one or the other. The question is which one will you choose?
Jim Chitty
Writer/Columnist/Blogger
http://centstwo.blogspot.com
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