Why I don't celebrate Halloween...

October 31st, 2016 - Why I don't celebrate Halloween...

As fall is finally here, many things come to mind for the season. The beauty of the falling colorful leaves, changing colors, pumpkins, warm fires, and nice smells. For a lot of people Halloween comes to mind. For my family and me Halloween will pass by today and we will have nothing to do with it. People always ask me, “Why don’t you celebrate Halloween?” You also may be thinking, “what’s the  problem with a little candy and dressing up in costumes?” So many people think this is a harmless holiday on October 31st and some people think, “Oh, I’m not doing anything bad. I’m just dressing up and getting free candy.” But there are also many people who are taking advantage of this "holiday" and dressing in skimpy outfits, having parties that are mostly filled of drinking, scaring each other etc. People also use this time to put out terrible decorations on their porches and scare the people who walk by. Why would YOU want to participate in a "holiday" like this? A "holiday" that isn't life giving and that celebrates death instead of, well, life.

 

My parents decided to stop celebrating Halloween years before I was born. They didn’t want their children participating in a dark Holiday practically celebrating the devil and death. Everywhere you walk at this time of year there are caskets in people’s front yards, large spiders, witches, Frankenstein, mummies etc. My parents started a tradition with my older siblings before I was born and we continue to do it every year. Our family picks out our own candy, spends a night in a hotel, we usually go swimming, play games, and watch a movie. We try to keep our minds focused on Yeshua (Jesus) and happiness instead of dark, death, and the devil. We look forward to our fall family get away.

I have been reading on this topic of not celebrating Halloween and I have found a TON of things that I have never known before. The information that I am about to share is from several sources. Thank you to these wise women who are wiling to speak candidly, by going against the culture…even among Christians. One writer is a stay-at-home mom, Christian blogger and from her blog, ‘Raisingsoldiers4christ.com. She writes in her blog, ‘Why we don’t participate in Halloween’ “Why is it ok one day a year to dip into the dark side? To scare small children? To be in or place a casket in your yard? If these behaviors can’t be done every other day of the year why this one day? I am sure that most people who send their children out Trick or Treating, are not trying to get in touch with their dark side. However, one cannot escape the fact of what Halloween is, it’s roots, and what it stands for. The Bible tells us to stay away from all forms of darkness. It tells us to think on what is good and pure and lovely. We can’t be on both sides of the fence. Halloween does not match up to Philippians 4:8 or 1 Thessalonians 5:22.”

 

Albert Mohler, an American theologican wrote an article last year that really sums up many thoughts that people may have on this subject “ While affirming that make-believe and imagination are part and parcel of God’s gift of imagination. Christians should still be very concerned about the focus of that imagination and creativity… Christian parents should make careful decisions based on biblically informed Christian conscience. Some Halloween practices are clearly out of bounds, others may be strategically transformed, but this takes hard work and may meet with mixed success. The coming of Halloween is a good time for Christians to remember that evil spirits are real and that the devil will size every opportunity to trumpet his own celebrity. Martin Luther commented: “ The best way to drive out the devil, if he will not yield to tests of Scripture, is to jeer and flout him for he cannot bear scorn.” Lets put the dark side on the defensive.”

 

My dad shared with me the other day when I brought this topic up with him that he heard something recently, “ We’re always telling our children not to except candy from strangers and not to walk up to people they don’t know and yet on October 31st we tell our children to go up to complete strangers and except candy from them. What is wrong with this picture?”

My other resource is from heartofwisdom.com from Robin Sampson. “God and His Word  are referred to as light. Halloween is in darkness and mischief, and false parading about under disguise, often evil and scary costumes. Halloween is not just a time for cornstalks, pumpkins, apples and cute and not-so-cute costumes. There is much, much more. Our God is a jealous God demanding exclusive devotion (Exodus 20:5.) Do you think He cares if you encourage your children to partake in a holiday that honors Satan, the god of this world?

Halloween’s History: Halloween’s roots come from the ancient Colts, a tribe living about 2,000 years ago in the areas that are now Ireland, Great Britain, and northern France. Halloween was their main holiday a festival that honored the end of the harvest. The celebration marked the season of cold, decay, and darkness. The custom of wearing costume and masks, was an attempt to copy the spirits or placate them.

Yearbook of English Festival by Dorothy Gladys Spicer says:
“ All Halloween, with its tradition of witches, ghosts, hobgoblins and spirits, its games and incantation, still is a gay time for pranks and parties in many North country homes. Fun-loving Americans have borrowed from their British ancestors many Halloween games such as apple-bobbing, nut roasting and tossing of apple parings. Transplanted to the New World soil, the old practices have become revitalized, and currently are observed with more enthusiasm than in the country of their birth…

Halloween in the United States: Because of Christianity among so many of the Puritan settlers, Halloween celebrations were not celebrated until the 1800’s when several immigrants from Ireland and Scotland introduced their Halloween customs. They brought various beliefs about ghosts and witches with them. Other groups added their own cultural influences to Halloween customs. German immigrants brought a vivid witchcraft lore, and Haitian and African peoples brought their native voodoo beliefs about black cats, fire, and witchcraft. All Saints Day, a day the seventh century church set aside for remembering early Christians who died for their beliefs, was first celebrated in the month of May. By the year 900 the date was combined with the pagan rituals to be celebrated November 1. Another name for All Saints Day was All Hallows. October 31 was known as All Hallows Eve which was shortened to Halloween. The church made a grave mistake trying to combine pagan worship with Christianity. This is not scriptural! Because of that unwise decision, Halloween remains a holiday in America today. Scriptures warn us that the sins of the fathers are visited upon the third and fourth generations. This pagan belief, even celebrated by Christian churches, celebrates the union of gods and a goddess in the universe that supposedly control the seasons, bring fertility to crops and animals, and bestow magical powers on their followers.

What does the Bible say about celebrating Halloween: Although the Bible doesn’t specifically mention Halloween by name, it makes it very clear that the origins and practices of Halloween (adapting pagan customs or borrowing the ways of those who worship a false god and using them to worship the true God) are detestable to God. Deuteronomy 12:29-32. The Bible clearly teaches us to say “no” to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age. Ephesians 5:1 tells us to be imitators of God. Our Lord Jesus would not go to a party to honor the feast of the Samhain. Moses did not come down from Mount Sinai and combine the Israelites Passover holiday with the idol worship that was going on. Allowing children to dress as witches and sorcerers or hanging evil decorations in our windows is imitating that which is evil.

Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people. Therefore Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.

 

The verse says, “come out from among them, says the Lord.” Does that mean come out from among them–but don’t deprive your children from all that fun and candy — celebrate the same pagan ritual in your church building? The Bible is very clear about Christians being involved in such celebrations.

Halloween is more than childish fun. Witches have eight special holidays during the year. Halloween is their day above all days. Witchcraft is not child’s play. It is an abomination to the Lord. Johanna Michaleson, former occultist and author of The Beautiful Side of Evil said, “For a true Christian to participate in the ancient trappings of Halloween is as incongruous as for a committed Satanist coming from blood sacrifices on Christmas Eve to set up a nativity scene in his living room singing Silent Night, Holy Night with sincere devotion to baby Jesus!” One thing Halloween should not be for the Christian is a time of fear. It should be a time to rejoice in the fact that The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil. (1 John 3:8). This is a time of spiritual warfare. October 31 should be spent in prayer for the community and children; a time of worship by singing praise to the Lord. This can be a good time to teach our children to sacrifice by not sharing in the rituals because you love the Lord. Whatever your family decides to do on this day, ask yourself, “Does it glorify the Lord?”

…they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons. Leviticus 17:7.

I know this is a lot of information about this ungodly holiday on October 31st, but I hope that it will open your eyes and give you a new perspective on the subject. My biggest concern is that Christians have accepted this holiday without questioning it, and asking whether they should take part, even with less scary activities (like participating in "Trunk of Treat" in your church parking lot).  Thank you for stopping by and reading my thoughts and many other people thoughts on this. Feel free to comment down below on what you think about Halloween. Please keep in mind that these are my thoughts, if you disagree with them that is totally fine. I hope you have a blessed day.

With Love, 

Kaila