HALLOWEEN

We fundamental, independent Baptists are a very diverse lot. Among the rank and file of my friends and acquaintances in independent, unaffiliated, Baptist churches, there are a great deal of speculations, opinions and convictions about the observance of "special days."

Take Christmas, for instance. There is a very dear brother (whom I have a great deal of respect and admiration for) who has written a multi-paged thesis refuting Christian participation in the Christmas season. On the other hand, there is another well known independent Baptist preacher who has written a paper on why we should observe and take part in the traditional Christmas festivities.

Easter is another such controversial subject. One of my very dearest friends in the ministry refuses to even use the word "Easter," but refers to that particular Sunday as "Resurrection Day" and even insists on calling Easter lilies, "Resurrection flowers."

And still another brother pastors an independent Baptist church which sponsors an annual Easter Egg Hunt and uses the occasion as a major evangelistic tool. As I stated at the beginning of this article, we fundamental, independent Baptists are a very diverse lot.

Be this as it may, controversy is almost totally absent from the ranks of independent Baptist preachers, theologians and scholars when it comes to the matter of Halloween. With virtually one voice, among those with whom I am acquainted, comes unreserved and unapologetic condemnation for Christian participation in this eerie tradition.

While observance and participation in Christmas and Easter may be optional among our circle of Baptists, this does not hold true for Halloween. Most would agree that with Christmas and Easter there is some semblance of a religious (some would say Christian) theme. Christmas being the birth of Christ and Easter being His resurrection from the dead.

Even Thanksgiving, and to some degree the Fourth of July, have a certain respectability and even somewhat Christian tradition. But Halloween is both universally and unanimously seen as both heathen in origin and Satanic in theme.

While some independent Baptist churches host Christmas parties, Thanksgiving feasts, Fourth of July picnics and sunrise services on Easter Sunday morning, I do not know of one single independent Baptist church that sponsors a haunted house or encourages their children to go "trick-or-treat."

I sincerely believe that if more parents who claim to be Christians fully understood the history, symbolism and intent of this particular day, there would be fewer children who would participate.

There is, however, a certain willful ignorance on the part of some as to the true meaning of Halloween. Even here in our little town there was such a public outcry when an elementary school principal banned Halloween from his school.

This man, a born-again Christian, was censured by well-meaning, but oh-so-ignorant parents who desired that their children should have the opportunity to I’ve honor to the devil by celebrating what has been noted throughout history as his day.

Recently, I heard that this day is only surpassed by Christmas as in money spent for decorations. Dear reader, this should not be. It is my conviction that genuine born-again Christians should not participate in any Halloween festivities, nor should they allow their children to dress up in costume and go trick-or-treating for four reasons:

I.

BECAUSE OF ITS SOURCE

The earliest recorded Halloween celebrations were those of the ancient, pagan Druids in honor of Samhain, their god of the dead. The Druids were some of the most fierce of the Celtic peoples and observed November 1 as the beginning of winter and their New Year.

It was on the evening before the Druidic New Year (October 31) that some of the most vile and wicked occultic practices were perpetrated. It was on this night that the Druids believed that Samhain gathered all the souls of those who had died in the past year to release them from the bodies of lower animals (usually cats, bats, frogs, goats and other animals commonly associated with the occult) to which they had been confined to atone for their sins.

At this celebration human sacrifices and drinking the blood of one’s enemies were not uncommon. This practice continued until almost the end of the sixth century and as late as 1400 A.D. in Britain, horses and cats were still being sacrificed at the feast of Samhain.

Secular anthropologist, Dr. Ralph Linton, points out that "... even after the pagan temples and consecrated them to the worship of the Christian God (in Britain), oxen continued to be sacrificed on Hallowmass (October 31) sometimes being led down the church aisle to the altar."

Even the Encyclopedia Americana, 1944 edition, states "If (Halloween) is associated ... with the prevalence of supernatural influences, and is clearly a relic of pagan times." It further states that "Popular belief ascribed to children born on Halloween the faculty of perceiving and holding converse with supernatural beings (ghosts)."

Everything about this night of spooks, ghosts, hobgoblins and witches had its roots in paganism, heathen customs and the worship of the devil. Everything from the "jack-o-lantern" to dressing in costumes on this night had a purpose in this wicked worship.

Even with the arrival of Roman Catholicism in the British isles, Catholic priests, anxious to make converts, assimilated many of the occultic practices of the Druids into the celebration of "Allhallow’s Eve." It is obvious from its origin that true believers in Jesus Christ should have nothing whatsoever to do with this night dedicated to the occult and pagan practices of an ancient heathen society.

II.

BECAUSE OF ITS

ASSOCIATION WITH SATAN AND SATANIC PRACTICES

Christians should not participate in the activities of this pagan practice because of its association with SATAN and SATANIC practices.

The first Christians in America did not observe Halloween because of its association with the dead, the devil and demons. In fact, the Puritans banned the observance of this activity because of this association.

Consider the main theme of Halloween and you will find that almost every phase of this occasion is somehow connected with Lucifer and Satanism. What about the jack-o-lantern? "The apparently harmless lighted pumpkin face or jack-o-lantern is an ancient symbol of a damned soul. Named for a man who could not enter heaven or hell but wandered about with his lantern, these hollowed-out pumpkins with scary faces and a candle inside ere thought to frighten the evil spirit of "Jack" and thus protect the household from his evil pranks.

Consider this also. The "harmless" act of dressing in costume as first done by the Druids in hopes of disguising themselves from the devil so that he could not do them any harm. It was thought that by dressing as a witch, ghost, skeleton or such the like, the devil would be tricked into thinking they were soldiers in his army and thus leave them alone.

And consider this, that "trick-or-treating" was first done by children going from house to house begging for food for the festivities of the pagan holiday. Even the colors associates with Halloween, black and orange, had their origin in paganism.

It was thought that Satan feared the orange glow of a full, harvest moon. Thus, those who wandered out of this "magic evening" were only brave if accompanied by the orange glow of the jack-o-lantern which frightened the devil away.

Black, on the other hand, was thought to keep the devil from seeing the participant in his occasion. It was thought that if he could not see a person, he would leave them along. It is clear to the person who is knowledgeable that Halloween is a night totally engulfed in Satanism, Satanic rituals and pagan, heathen practices.

And if this is not enough, Anton LaVey, the leader of the world’s Satanists, is quoted as saying, "I am indebted to the stupid fools (Christian parents) for allowing their children to join in the festive occasion of this unholy day of worship to our god."

That alone ought to raise the hair on every Christian parent’s arm. Around the world the followers of the devil consider Halloween to be their day of worship to their god. If for no other reason any parent who loves their children, as well as the God of heaven, should have nothing at all to do with the activities of this evil ritual.

Regardless of what momma and daddy did when you were growing up, the Scriptures are to take precedent in the lives of true Bible believers. And the Scriptures prohibit the participation of God’s people in anything that even hints of being occultic or pagan.

Read Deuteronomy 18:9-13, "When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his 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. 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. Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God."

This explicitly forbids Christians to have anything to do with witchcraft, spiritism or the demonic.

Read Leviticus 19:31, "Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek afer wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God." God even calls for the destruction of witches (Exodus 22:18) and condemned King Saul for having anything to do with the occult (I Samuel 28:7-20).

Any Christian parent who allows or encourages (God forbid) their children to participate in the festivities of Halloween is disobeying God’s Word and is as sure to bring the chastisement of God upon themselves as did this rebellious (I Samuel 15:23) King Saul.

Robert McCurry said, "It is at this point that many will say, ‘But we don’t worship demons on Halloween. It doesn’t mean the same thing today as it did in the past. It’s now just a harmless, innocent time of fun for the children and the young people.’

Yet, history clearly shows that Halloween is unmistakably a ‘religious’ (pagan and Roman) holiday. Religion is the adoration, obedience, and service rendered to the object of one’s worship. It is indisputably clear that Halloween is not commanded or sanctioned by Jehovah God...". Read I Thessalonians 5:22; Acts 19:18-19; I Corinthians 10:31.

IV.

BECAUSE OF SAFETY

In these wicked days there has arisen a grave danger for those innocent children who are allowed to go "trick-or-treating." There are many reports each year of candles, marshmallows, apples, etc., having razor blades, needles or dope embedded in them. Unsuspecting children have been lured into the dens of dope pushers and child molesters and murderers on Halloween under the pretense of haunted houses and various activities.

And some terribly naive parents are even allowing their children to unknowingly be a part of a communist and satanic organization. Many parents, thinking to help underprivileged children in third-world counties allow their children to solicit money for UNICEF. The United Nations has long been a seedbed for communist activity and is helping prepare this world for the one-world government of the anti-Christ.