Halloween
A paper prepared by Dr David Logan, October, 2003
Halloween is receiving more attention in schools, shops and media every year. This night of “harmless fun” has become a financial bonanza for retailers – yet the adverts are all “scary” type ads; the nastier and scarier the better, so it seems. Why is this interest in the macabre, ghoulish and ghostly increasing in its prevalence – this connection with the spiritual world?
It is important to understand our place in the spiritual realm – we are Kingdom people – we are conquerors in fact, more than conquerors. Nonetheless, it is still wise to be reminded from time to time of the tactics and methods that the enemy employs and to be made aware of his plans to harm us and God’s warnings that will keep us safe.
Deut. 18: 9 When you come to the land that the LORD your God is giving you, never learn the disgusting practices of those nations 10 You must never sacrifice your sons or daughters by burning them alive, practice black magic, be a fortune teller, witch, or sorcerer, 11 cast spells, ask ghosts or spirits for help, or consult the dead. 12 Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and it is because of these detestable practices that the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you. 13 You must be blameless before the LORD your God. 14 For these nations, which you shall dispossess listen to those who practice magic, sorcery and divination. But as for you, the LORD your God does not permit you to do so.
Ephesians 6:12 This is not a battle against a human opponent. We are fighting rulers, authorities, the powers who govern this world of darkness, and spiritual forces that control evil in the heavenly world.
1 Peter 5:8 "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, like a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour."
Halloween is celebrated by millions of people as a fun time for kids, putting on costumes, and going door-to-door to get lollies or some other treat. But it is also known as a time of witches, ghouls, goblins, and ghosts.
On one hand, Halloween is presented as a harmless time of fun but on the other, it presents as a ghastly and demonically inspired night with a very specific history.
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So let’s look at Halloween's Origins
The word Halloween is derived from the term "All Hallows Eve" which occurred on Oct. 31.
Nov. 1st became a day when all the saints of the Catholic church were honoured and it was called "All Saints' Day" to remember the church saints that had died. November 2 was called "All Souls' Day" and it honoured the souls of the dead, especially those who had died the previous year. Another name for All Saints Day was "All Hallows Day" and the night prior then would be "All Hallows Eve" which then became shortened to "Halloween." The Roman Catholic Church took over a pagan (Celtic) known as the festival of Samhain.
Most of the practices of the time, came from the religion of the Celts who lived in Ireland, Britain, Scotland and France (Gaul). Their priestly cast were the Druids. The Celts themselves were the first Aryan people who came from Asia to settle in Europe. They engaged in occult arts, worshiped nature, and gave nature supernatural, animistic qualities. Certain trees or plants, such as oak trees and mistletoe, were given great spiritual significance. (According to Celtic authority Lewis Spence, the original meaning of the term Druid implies a priest of the oak cult).The Celts worshiped the sun god Belenus, especially on Beltane, May 1, and they worshiped another god, apparently the lord of death, or the lord of the dead, on Samhain, October 31. Beltane (“Fire of Bel”) was the time of the summer festival, while Samhain was the time of the winter festival. Human sacrifice was offered during both occasions. According to Julius Caesar in his Commentaries and other sources, the Celts believed they were descended from the god Dis, a tradition handed down from the Druids. Dis was the Roman name for the god of the dead. Of the 400 names of Celtic gods known, Samhain is thought to be the chief Druid deity.
Ireland is the only place in the world where Halloween is actually a national holiday (celebrated with fireworks); children are even released from school for the week.
The practices of Halloween can be traced back to ancient Ireland and Scotland. On Oct. 31st, the Celts celebrated the end of summer conditions. This was important because it was when animal herders would move their animals into barns and pens and prepare to ride out the winter. This was also the time of the crop harvests. This annual change of season and lifestyle was marked by a festival called Samhain, named after the Druids’ god of the dead. It was celebrated on the first day of their new year – our November 1. The most significant part of the celebration occurred on the night before the New Year began – our October 31.
The night of Samhain was believed to be a night that was in neither the year past or the year to come. Since it was in between, chaos ruled on that day. On that evening, Samhain, the lord of the dead, called forth hosts of evil spirits.
In the Celtic belief system, turning points, such as the time between one day and the next, the meeting of sea and shore, or the turning of one year into the next were seen as magical times. The turning of the year was the most potent of these times. This was the time when the "veil between the worlds" was at its thinnest, and the living could communicate with the dead. Many of their rituals had to do with dealing with these dead souls and taking advantage of the opening in the veil between the living and the dead, and many of the practices today are related to those rituals.
Thus the spirits of those who had died the previous year were able to come back and walk among the living on this night.
There was much superstition associated with this time of change including the belief that fairies, the spirits of the dead, wandered around looking for bodies to inhabit.
Since the living did not want to be possessed by spirits, they dressed up in costumes and paraded around the streets making loud noises to confuse and frighten the spirits away.
The Celts believed that when good people died, they went to a land of eternal youth and happiness called Tir nan Og. They did not have the concept of heaven and hell that the Christian church later brought into the land. Those who were evil, were believed to become Fairy Folk, who lived in the numerous mounds or sidhe that dotted the Irish and Scottish countryside. The Celts did not have demons and devils in their belief system. The fairies, however, were often considered hostile and dangerous to humans because they were seen as being resentful of men taking over their lands. On this night, they would sometimes trick humans into becoming lost in the fairy mounds, where they would be trapped forever.
After the coming of the Christians to the Celtic lands, the dead were seen to go to heaven, hell, purgatory or limbo rather than become disembodied spirits, so the folk lore was changed to see the fairies as those angels who had sided neither with God or with Lucifer in their dispute, and thus, were condemned to walk the earth until judgment day. Fairies were NOT good spirits!
When the former owners of lands and houses were set free to roam among the living on this night, people dressed in costume to fool any spirits that might have been looking for them. Generally, it was considered that the more hideous the costume the better chance of not being recognized by a spirit. Bonfires were built to keep both these spirits and witches (from 'wicca' meaning "wise ones") from coming near.
Sometimes food was left out to appease these dead spirits and witches.
The most horrible practice of the Druids, was that of sacrifice. The sacrifices were both for divination purposes and to ward off disease, defeats in battle, etc. These sacrifices were both animal and human. The human killed would sometimes be a criminal or captured enemy, however on this hallowed evening, it was necessary to find the first-born virgin of the household and offer her as the sacrifice. The Druids demanded the sacrifice of 2/3 of the corn, milk, and first born children of the Fir Bolg, or human inhabitants of Ireland. Caesar wrote, "They believe that human life must be rendered for human life if the divinity of the immortal gods is to be appeased." Cannibalism was also practiced.
The Druid priests would come to a house or castle and demand their “treat” or sacrifice. If the householder refused to provide as requested, they would place a “trick” or evil curse over the household, which would bring about the death of family members and the failure of the crops for the coming year.
The Jack-0-Lantern apparently comes from Irish folklore about a man named Jack. Jack was a medium who would pass through fire by jumping over a lit candle (a practice of mediums of ancient times, symbolising their passage to the “other side” to find information about the future ..... that’s the origin of the nursery rhyme “Jack be nimble...”) in order to tell a fortune. Once, whilst Jack was on the other side, the devil began to chase him. Jack then tricked the devil into climbing a tree and, once the devil was in the tree, Jack carved a cross on the trunk, preventing the devil from coming down. The devil then made a deal with Jack to not allow Jack into hell after he died if only Jack would remove the cross from the tree. After Jack died, he couldn't go to hell, and he couldn't go to heaven. The devil threw Jack a hot coal and told him to put it inside the turnip he was eating. "This is your lantern," said the devil. He was forced to wander around the earth with a single candle to light his way. The legend is that Jack is still walking with his lantern, looking for a place to stay. When the Irish came to America in the 1800's, they adopted the pumpkin instead of the turnip.
So, it appears that the origins of Halloween are primarily old Celtic pagan rituals superstition mixed with a few early Catholic traditions.
According to Rowan Moonstone (a pseudonym), a self described witch who gives tips via a website to Witches who home school their children, "Halloween is the October Festival of the Dead" and for Druids and Wiccans the day still holds religious significance. It is a festival during which "various forms of divination" are practiced. “Halloween” she says, “is the original new year, when the Wheel of the Year finishes: scores are settled, funeral rites observed and the dead put to rest before the coming winter. On this night, the veil between our world and the spirit world is negligible, and the dead may return to walk amongst us. Halloween is the night to ensure that they have been honoured, fed and satisfied – and is the best time of the year for gaining otherworldly insight through divination and psychic forecasting. Recognition of the unseen world and the ordinary person's access to it, as well as the acceptance of death as a natural and illusory part of life is central to the sacred nature of this holiday.” She goes on to explain how to gain this “other-worldly insight” as using methods of inner communication with divination tools: tarot, palmistry, astrology, dream journaling” She encourages home schooling parents to “...teach about archetypes, fairy tales, storytelling, the Dark Ages, the medieval era, issues about superstition and eternal truths, skeletons, the skeletal system, organs, anatomy ·...issues about death, persecution (using the Burning Times as a beginning point for older children), mysteries, the spirit world night...”
Anton LaVey, founder of the Church of Satan, is quoted as saying "I'm glad that Christian parents let their children worship the devil at least one night out of the year." He was, of course, referring to Halloween, the second most important date on the Satanic calendar.
Obviously, there is a lot more to Halloween than some costumed kids gathering a stomach ache or two worth of treats. It is clearly a festival of the Kingdom of Darkness. The traditions of Halloween are clearly based on the worship of false gods, contact with the dead, foretelling the future, and communing with evil spirits.
In South-East England for example the police still find "strange" arrangements of animal bones and fire ashes in the woods and some churchyards every 1 November morning.
BIBLICAL PRINCIPLES
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Obviously the Bible doesn’t mention Halloween specifically since it came into being after the Scriptures were written. However, the Bible has much to say about the nature of this festival and its occultist practices, spirits and witches and condemns not only the practice but also the people who are involved in it. As Christians, we are to have nothing to do with the occult. Tarot Cards, contacting the dead, séances, lucky charms, etc., are all forbidden and can harm a Christian's fellowship with God and open the Christian to demonic oppression.
Why does Scripture say such a strong warning about occultist practices? Two reasons.
First, it was the practice of the things that was the reason the nations were going to be destroyed and driven out by Israel. Second, these things are real – divination, witchcraft, omen interpretation, sorcery, casting spells, being a medium or spiritist – and God wants to protect His people from it.
I know these things are often depicted as fun and games, but they are not. Ouija, Dungeons & Dragons, many of the fantasy video games, seances and many more all invoke demonic activity. What is scary is that all these things are practiced as part of Halloween celebrations.
The first principle then is that God warns against any thing associated with the occult because it is dangerous. In the New Testament the warning is repeated in Galatians 5:19,20 where sorcery is listed among the deeds of the flesh.
The second principle we need to recognize is that true Christianity involves a change of character in the individual. Peer pressure exists, but the true Christian resists it because they have a different purpose of life than pagan friends.
In several places in the New Testament we find that turning away from occult practices was evidence of the change of heart and character that had occurred in people that were saved.
Acts 26:17,18 records the Apostle Paul's commission to go to the Gentiles "to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, in order that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me." That is exactly what happened. In Acts 19:18,19 we find that when salvation came to the Ephesians, they responded by "coming, confessing and disclosing their practices. And many of those who practiced magic brought their books together and began burning them in the sight of all; and they counted up the price of them and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver." Those books were worth a lot of money, but when salvation came, there was a change of character and what had been the centre of their lives was now seen as dangerous to all and so the books were burned. Similar language is used of both the Corinthian and the Galatians believers who turned from their bondage to the occult and the demonic to the Lord God.
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Phil. 4:8 lists the type of things we should think about. Those things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, virtuous, of good report, praise-worthy. Those are the things we are to let our minds dwell on.
Can anything in Halloween fit with that? Do ghoulish and macabre movies with various hideous monsters fit? Do those that present occult power as a positive force? What about dressing up as one of these monsters or occult characters? What about the occult games played at Halloween or the attempts at divination? Clearly, the answer is NO!
We read earlier in Deut 18 the most inclusive list of the activities upon which Halloween was established that can be found anywhere in the bible, and the practitioners thereof are labelled as "detestable". Those habits are, in fact, the very reason the Pagan nations were driven out of the Promised Land.
In Amos 5:14 The Lord tells Israel, "Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the LORD God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is.” He goes on in the next verse to say, "Hate evil, love good".
At this point some may say, "But all of that was ages ago. None of that significance remains. It is now a harmless kids holiday, isn’t it?"
2 Corinthians 11:14 And no wonder, even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.15 So it's not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness~
But you cannot divorce a practice from its origins. Parker Bros distributed a “game” based on an Ouija board – was that harmless fun or the thin edge of the occult wedge?
Fascination in the occult has led to a dramatic rise in the involvement of both children and adults in occult practices. Even in schools, séances have been held as part of a “Halloween theme”. Parents – even Christian parents – allow their kids to influenced by television shows that feature witchcraft and occult practices.
We must understand, that today children learn their values and world view from a variety of sources. The entertainment industry and books are the most persuasive agents of cultural awareness, and today they are often teach global and occult values, since that’s what their global market buys. In fact, children have become so familiar with profanity, occultism, and explicit sex, that they barely notice it any more.
1 Thes. 5:21 "Test everything and hold on to that which is good"..........
It is wise for Christian parents to take hold of the things that shape the destiny of their children – that which fills their minds. Make sure that you know what they’re reading and doing at school, especially in the lead up to Halloween.
Now, on Halloween itself, should Christians simply respond negatively and close the door on “trick or treaters”? After all, Halloween is being celebrated more and more in Australia and kids are doing the door knock trick or treat thing.
There's nothing inherently evil about knocking on doors and asking people for some sweets (although it may be a bit dangerous for the kids if they’re unsupervised!). In fact, all of that can provide a unique gospel opportunity with neighbours.
Christians are meant to be a generous bunch of people, so perhaps it is simply an opportunity to prepare a few packets of sweets to give to any kids that come door knocking and with each packet you could include some small note that says something like this “I can give you some sweets as a treat, but they don’t last for very long. Did you know that God has a special treat that lasts forever – He gave His Son and offers His life to you as a free gift – and if you accept this gift, the life that He gives never ends. Feel free to come back (with your parent’s permission, of course) so I can tell you about this never ending gift that God wants you to have.”
Who knows, you may be able to share Jesus with some of the children (and maybe even their parents) in your neighbourhood!
Ultimately, Christian participation in Halloween is a matter of conscience before God. Whatever level of Halloween participation you choose, you should simply ensure that whatever you do, you do it to honour God.
On Halloween night, everyone must be wary,
Of goblins and tombstones and other things scary,
Black cats and cobwebs, pumpkins with faces,
Witches on broomsticks and ghosts in dark places.
The stories recalled on this one night each year,
Give goose bumps and horror and fill you with fear.
Like lollies you get when you go trick or treating,
Halloween’s over in a moment so fleeting.
But God’s gift is different, when Jesus comes in,
He fills us with good things and takes all our sin.
His love, peace and joy, can’t be taken away,
And He’ll take us to heaven forever to stay,