A
pig may wear lipstick, but it’s still a dirty farm animal. The
pig will return to its ways of rolling in the mud and eventually smear
the Mary Kay paint. Like this proverbial pig, we can reason excuses
for Bible believers to celebrate Halloween but the argument does no
good. Does it matter that this holiday is evil? Should it concern us
that the customs involved in Halloween were once used to worship demons?
“Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil,”
1 Thesalonians 5:21-22. Halloween practices, from dressing in costumes
to bobbing for apples, were once part of pagan worship. These actions
are repeated today by people who are unaware or simply don’t care
about their true meaning. Time may have passed but their origins and
true purpose remains the same.
The
history of Halloween as an evil day of Satanic worship can’t be
denied. It is a historical fact. "The observances connected with
Halloween are believed to have originated among the ancient Druids,
who believed that on the evening, Saman, the lord of the dead, called
forth hosts of evil spirits, New Encyclopedia, Vol. 12, p. 152.
“The
Druids, an order of priests in ancient Britain, believed that on Halloween,
ghosts, spirits, fairies, witches, and elves came out to harm people.
They thought the cat was sacred and believed that cats had once been
human beings but were changed as a punishment for evil deeds. From these
Druidic beliefs comes the present-day use of witches, ghosts, and cats
in Halloween festivities. The Druids had an autumn festival called Samhain,
or summer's end. It was an occasion for feasting on all the kinds of
food which had been grown during the summer,” The World Book Encyclopedia,
volume 9, page 25.
Is Halloween really an evil celebration? "During this time interval
on October 31 the normal order of the universe is suspended, the barriers
between the natural and the supernatural are temporarily removed, the
sidh lies open and all divine beings and the spirits of the dead move
freely among men and interfere sometimes violently, in their affairs,"
Celtic Mythology, p. 127. Clearly, Halloween is an ancient religious
holiday that over time has evolved into a secular celebration.
Today ancient customs that were once used to conjure up spirits have
been adopted by the modern world of entertainment and profit. Some cultures
call it the “Day of the Dead” or “All Saint’s
Day” but the holiday is still the same.
Dressing
up children for trick-or-treating or walking through a haunted house
may be fun, but such actions are inherently immoral. The Scriptures
tells us to "Abstain from all appearance of evil,” 1Thessalonians
5:22.
How
did Halloween become part of the current society? What does church history
teach? "The celebration of All Saints' Day is attributed to Pope
Boniface IV, who dedicated the Roman temple, the Pantheon, to St. Mary
and the Martyrs on the thirteenth of May, 610. Boniface set the day
aside as a memorial to early Christians who died for their beliefs without
official recognition of their sanctity, so that 'the memory of all the
saints might in future be honored in the place which had formerly been
devoted to the worship, not of gods but of demons'. The clergy encouraged
their flock to remember the dead with prayers instead of sacrifices.
People were taught to bake 'soul cakes' - little pastries and breads
- to offer in exchange for blessings rather than trying to appease the
spirits with food and wine. Villagers were also encouraged to masquerade
on this day, not to frighten unwelcome spirits, but to honor Christian
saints. On All Saints' Day, churches throughout Europe and the British
Isles displayed relics of their patron saints. Poor churches could not
afford genuine relics and instead had processions in which parishioners
dressed as saints, angels and devils. This religious masquerade resembled
the pagan custom of parading ghosts to the town limits. It served the
new church by giving an acceptable Christian basis to the custom of
dressing up on Halloween. In addition, the Church tried to convince
the people that the great bonfires they lit in homage to the sun would
instead keep the devil away - God's mortal enemy in the new Christian
religion, Halloween, An American Holiday, An American History, by Lesley
Pratt Bannatyne. Thanks to Pope Bonifice, new Christian meanings were
given to ancient pagan practices. Is this acceptable to the Almighty?
The
only thing worse than blatant outright Satanic worship is secret homage
to demons that is disguised behind seemingly normal practices of society.
Bible
believers have been called to be “in the world but not of the
world.” Halloween is an excellent opportunity to take a stand
for righteousness and be a light to society. "Do not conform any
longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing
of your mind,” Romans 12:2.
In
Matthew 10:5 the Savior said, “do not go in the way of the pagans.”
Paganism is practices and principles that are not Christian or Biblical
in origin. Many Pagan practices, like Halloween and other holidays,
have been borrowed by the contemporary Church and thus polluted much
of the faith. Christians should sway from such practices and prove create
a distinction in the world.
Some
churches compromise with Halloween alternatives like harvest festivals
or Biblical costume parties. Again, such compromise is not allowed by
the Scriptures. Pagan practices can not be transformed into holy deeds.
Paganism can not be redeemed. Paganism can only be avoided.
The
truth about Halloween can be found in encyclopedias, Internet searches,
and even the on History Channel television network. This holiday is
evil and should be avoided by those who claim to worship the Almighty
of the Bible. Lipstick on a pig doesn’t change the pig and nothing
can change Halloween. To find more of the truth, from a Scriptural perspective
please visit www.findemet.com
or www.emetministries.com.