Halloween/Samhain: So what’s the big deal? Its Harmless, Right?...

There has been much controversy about whether or not Christians should celebrate Halloween. To be better informed, I took the initiative to do my own research because I wanted to better educate myself. Here are my findings. Halloween, where did it come from?

What is Halloween?

Halloween originated in Pagan Celtic tradition of the Druids in what is now Great Britain and Northern France. These celebrations were held beginning at sundown on October 31st and lasted into November 2nd. These celebrations were known as Samhain (pronounced sal-wain). This was the time that the Druids believed that the veil between the worlds was at its thinnest and that the souls of their ancestors could return to Earth. Not only could souls return but so could evil spirits. So this in itself indicates that it does not have origins in Christianity. It actually predates Christianity in the regions where it was practiced and worships a pagan goddess as well as the dead. Samhain is the Druid new year. Other religions that observe Halloween are Wiccans and Satanists. According to the website, Wiccan holidays for witches and warlocks, New Year’s Day is October 31st at sundown. It further states that “It is an evil and wicked night, a perfect night for a witch to celebrate New Year.” According to thesatanictemple.com, Halloween is listed as a Blessed Satanic Holiday and is described as “a holiday to celebrate indulgence and embrace the darkness and its aesthetic” and that “Halloween is consistently described as evil, demonic, and satanic…costumes, candy, and facing fears are to be embraced.” Theconversation.com published an article that sheds light on Samhain. In the article it is stated that Samhain rituals focus on death and includes remembrance and mourning. In an article from CBN news, John Ramirez, a former satanic priest warns Christians about celebrating Halloween. Ramirez, in an interview referred to himself as once “being a general to the kingdom of darkness in witchcraft” and that he used to be known as “Lucifer’s Son” and in another interview he spoke about sacrificial rituals that were performed on Halloween. Anton LaVey, the founder of the Church of Satan has been quoted as saying, “I am glad that Christian parents let their children worship the devil at least one night out of the year. Welcome to Halloween,” and also “…by dressing up, either by wearing a costume or coloring oneself for Halloween, is tantamount to worshipping the devil.”

So What about Costumes and Trick-or-Treating?

According to newgrange.com, “Samhain being the feast of the dead …they needed some sort of appeasement in the form of ritual offerings on this night. So long as the offering was forthcoming the ghosts were happy and benevolent, but if the offering was withheld another side of the ghosts features were presented. Bad luck would descend on the household and all would not be well the coming year. Some vestiges of this tradition survived in the modern Halloween custom of "trick or treat". Children, dressed as ghosts and witches, invite the household to make a donation or face the consequences. The 'treat' may represent the ritual offering while the 'trick', nowadays a harmless prank, may have in antiquity, represented the malevolent consequences of inadequately appeasing the ancestral ghosts on this night.” According to the history channel, during Samhain, villagers would disguise themselves in costumes made of animal skins to drive away phantom visitors. These costumes were also meant to be for protection from the spirits so that they would not recognize you as human and try to take your soul.

Not to mention, sending your children door to door is not only unsafe, you most likely do not know the people that live in the homes (at least 95-99% of the time). So you don’t know their character nor their beliefs. Anyone that comes in contact with the candy has opportunity to pray over or curse it. What if one of the homes belongs to a Satanist or witch/warlock? It isn’t only physical poison that you have to worry about; you also have to worry about spiritual poison that you are allowing into your home and into your child’s life.

Jack-O-Lanterns:

If you are interested in the story of the origins of the jack-o-lantern, read the legend here: https://www.history.com/news/h... To sum up the end of the story, In Ireland and Scotland, people began to make their own versions of Jack’s lanterns by carving scary faces into turnips or potatoes and placing them into windows or near doors to frighten away Stingy Jack and other wandering evil spirits. In England, large beets are used.

What does the Bible Say: (All Scriptures are taken from the TLV)

• 1 Corinthians 10:19-21: What am I saying then—that an idol sacrifice is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, I’m saying that what the pagans sacrifice is to demons and not to God, and I don’t want you to become partners with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.
• Ephesians 5:6-11: Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s judgment comes on the children of disobedience. Therefore do not be partners with them. For once you were darkness, but now in union with the Lord you are light. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is in all goodness and righteousness and truth), trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them—
• 1 Peter 5:6-11: Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that He may lift you up at the appropriate time. Cast all your worries on Him, for He cares for you. Stay alert! Watch out! Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, searching for someone to devour. Stand up against him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being laid upon your brothers and sisters throughout the world. After you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace—who has called you into His eternal glory in Messiah—will Himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you. All power to Him forever! Amen.
• 1 Thessalonians 5:14-22: We urge you, brothers and sisters, correct the unruly, comfort the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. See that no one repays evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good for one another and for all. Rejoice always, pray constantly, in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Messiah Yeshua. Do not quench the Spirit, do not despise prophetic messages, but test all things, hold fast to what is good, keep away from every kind of evil.
• Isaiah 5:20: Oy to those who call evil good and good evil, who present darkness as light and light as darkness, who present bitter as sweet, and sweet as bitter!
• Romans 13:11-14: Besides this, you know the time—that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first came to trust. The night is almost gone and the day is near, so let us put off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the day—not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and envy. Instead, put on the Lord Messiah Yeshua, and stop making provision for the flesh—for its cravings.
• James 4: 7-10: Therefore submit to God. But resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded! Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of Adonai, and He shall lift you up.
• Ephesians 5:13-17: Yet everything exposed by the light is being made visible, for everything made visible is light. This is why it says, “Wake up, O sleeper! Rise from the dead, and Messiah will shine on you.” So pay close attention to how you walk—not as unwise people but as wise. Make the most of your time because the days are evil. For this reason do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.
• Titus 1:13-16: This testimony is true. For this reason, rebuke them sharply, so they might be sound in the faith, not paying attention to Judaic myths and commands of men who turn away from the truth. To the pure all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure. Both their mind and conscience are defiled. They claim to know God but their deeds deny Him. They are despicable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed.
• John 3:19-21: “Now this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world and men loved the darkness instead of the light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone who does evil hates the light and does not come to the light, so that their deeds will not be exposed. But whoever practices the truth comes to the light, so that it may be made known that his deeds have been accomplished in God.”

My Conclusions

After researching, I found that there is nothing related to Halloween/Samhain that glorifies God and that all of the origins are pagan. There was a time where the Catholic Church attempted to redeem this pagan holiday by creating their own holiday at the same time in an attempt to convert the pagans to Christianity but that all of the practices for those holidays remained pagan in nature. I heard an analogy to better explain this, bringing this pagan holiday under the Christian faith can be likened to putting poison into your tea, the tea is good but it does not make the poison any less dangerous. John Ramirez made the comment that for a Christian to celebrate Halloween is like the equivalent of a Satanist celebrating Good Friday. He said that you would never see a Satanist celebrate Good Friday so likewise Christians should not celebrate Halloween.

James (Jacob) 4:14: Therefore whoever knows the right thing to do and does not do it—for him it is sin.

Joshua 24:14-15: Now therefore, fear Adonai and worship Him in sincerity and in truth. Get rid of the gods that your fathers had worshipped beyond the River and in Egypt, and worship Adonai. If it seems bad to you to worship Adonai, and then choose for yourselves today whom you will serve—whether the gods that your fathers worshipped that were beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will worship Adonai!”