Saturday, October 20, 2007

Halloween

Halloween : What’s it all about?


"The hypocrisy of celebrating Halloween is stupid," says Egan, satanic high priest at the Church of Satan in Salem, Mass. "I often chastise Christians: If you believe in the two opposing forces, good and evil, you can't fight the Devil every day of the year, then join his side for one day."

Doreen Irvine, once the head witch of Wicca (name for the religion of witchcraft), said, “If Christian parents knew what Halloween really was about, they wouldn’t even say the word around their children.”



You may be thinking, ‘if Halloween is really that bad, why is it so popular and so many people celebrate it and say it is fine?’ If you use that excuse to justify it, Luke 16:15 says, “What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight.” According to Webster’s dictionary, detestable means, “arousing or meriting intense dislike.” Let’s see if the things associated with Halloween are hated by God.



As of 1998, there were estimated to be between over 160,000 witches in America alone. Witchcraft has grown and become more and more acceptable in America. Some of the most popular recent movies are “The Craft”, “The Blair witch project”, “Practical Magic”, even old Disney movies such as “Bed knobs and broomsticks” and “Fantasia” in which Mickey Mouse is dressed up as a sorcerer, or a male witch! Americans, who once thought of witchcraft to be strictly forbidden and evil, now have been so desensitized by the media’s continuous pouring on of witchcraft that they celebrate Halloween, even while at the same time, claiming to be against evil and wicked practices. Mickey Mouse puts on a sorcerer’s hat and viewers let their guard down because it looks so cute. The truth however, is that Halloween has a very real and evil basis behind all the candy and pumpkins. One smart man once said, “for Christians or anybody that claims to against evil and wrong doing to celebrate Halloween would be like the Jewish Holocaust survivors to celebrate Adolph Hitler’s birthday or the anniversary of the Nazi holocaust.”



Satan is very real and so real that God said in 1 Peter 5:8 to “Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour.” Ephesians 6:12 tells us that “For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.”



Halloween is actually a celebration held in honor of the demon prince of death, Samhein! The ancient druids recognized it as a time when the spirits of hell were at their most powerful state and went around the neighborhoods, demanding food from the citizens. If not they would call on the demon spirits to bring curses on their households. That is where we get the term “trick or treat.”

The question is: Does anyone today celebrate Samhain as a religious observance? According to self-professing witch, Rowan Moonstone,

“Yes. many followers of various pagan religions, such as Druids and Wiccans observe this day as a religious festival. They view it as a memorial day for their dead friends, similar to the national holiday of Memorial Day in May. It is still a night to practice various forms of divination concerning future events.” -"The Origins of Halloween" by Rowan Moonstone

Jack ‘O Lanterns also posses an awful background and meaning. The legend of them is that of a drunken man who make a pact with Satan to sell his soul for a single alcoholic drink. So the devil changed himself into money to pay for the man’s drink but then the man tricked Satan and put the change in his pocket where he had a cross also so the devil could not take his soul. Then once the change eventually came out of his pocket, he once again tricked the devil into retrieving an apple for him from a tree. Then once in the tree, the devil couldn’t get down so the man made Satan promise not to take his soul, so he did. Now this man was also rejected from entering into heaven also because of the drunken and selfish life he lead and consequently was not allowed to enter into heaven or hell until judgment day at the end of the world and is stuck inside the turnip or pumpkin until that time. So the jack o’ lantern represents a damned soul!

Should we participate with these customs that have to do with blatant evil and Satanism? According to God’s word, the answer is an overwhelming no! God’s word, in contrast says to “Come out from their midst and be separate. Do not touch what is unclean and I will welcome you.” –2 Corinthians 6:17 God’s word also commands “Abstain from every form of evil.” -1 Thessalonians 5:22

God also warns us in depth concerning all the things associated with Halloween:

“Be very careful not to imitate the detestable customs of the nations living there. For example, never sacrifice your son or daughter as a burnt offering (sacrifice). And do not let your people practice fortune-telling or sorcery, or allow them to interpret omens, or engage in witchcraft, or cast spells, or function as mediums or psychics, or call forth the spirits of the dead. Anyone who does these things is an object of horror and disgust to the Lord. (verse 14) The Lord your God forbids you to do such things.” –Deuteronomy 18:9-14 (NLT) If you are not doing these things, but approve of them, God’s word says that you are just as guilty as doing them. Romans 1:32 says, “…those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.” Proverbs 17:15 says, “He who justifies the wicked (is) an abomination to the Lord.”

God’s word also strongly warns that, “Those who practice witchcraft… their doom is in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur.” -Revelation 21:8 (NLT)

If you are into these practices or simply just are not following the Lord Jesus at all, Jesus says to you “He who is not with me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters.” –Matthew 12:30

God’s word says that life is short and you never know when your last day on earth may be! James 4:14 reveals, “Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just like a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.” Romans 13:11 warns, “…Time is running out. Wake up, for the coming of our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.” 2 Corinthians 6:2 declares that “behold, now is the acceptable time, behold today is the day of salvation.”

Jesus said, “Behold I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and will dine with him, and he with me.” (Revelation 3:20) John 3:16 says, “Whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life.” Hebrews 3:7,8 begs, “Today if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts…” John 3:36 promises “He who believes in the Son (Jesus) has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

Trust Jesus to save your soul and turn from all the wicked things in this world and receive the forgiveness of your sins that God is offering to you today!

copied from:
"Halloween Exposed, a celebration of evil"