From the book, “What People Ask About The Church,” by Dale A. Robbins — 68 — Churches frequently disapprove of Halloween because it is really a
modern version of ancient, satanic traditions which were originated by the pagan Celtic
religion, and their druid priests, long before Christianity. It is assumed that the
traditions of Halloween were carried to America by the early European settlers, some who
viewed the traditions as mere "folklore," and others who held these rituals as
sacred to their cultic beliefs. Halloween was eventually trivialized as intriguing
folklore for the amusement of children and young adults. Today, it is highly
commercialized, bringing great profits from the sale of candy, pumpkins, costumes, and
other "ghoulish" items. The World Book Encyclopedia says, "Halloween is a festival that
takes place on October 31st. In the United States, children wear costumes on Halloween and
go trick-or-treating. Many carry jack-o-lanterns carved out of pumpkins. At Halloween
parties, people enjoy such activities as fortune-telling, hearing stories about ghosts and
witches, and bobbing for apples."¹ However, the Dictionary of the Occult and Paranormal,² states
"Halloween was originally a pagan festival of darkness, fire, and death. All Hallows
Eve was celebrated by the Celts of northern Europe... Halloween was also an important date
for the witches' calendar." According to witchcraft organizations, witches have eight major
festivals throughout the year. Four are the solar festivals: one at both equinoxes, and
one at both solstices. The other four occur almost midpoint between the Solar festivals;
the most famous of these are Samhain (Halloween to non-witches) and Beltane (May day).
Samhain, or Halloween, is the beginning of their new year, and is the time when they claim
that they can most effectively communicate with the dead. Author, Richard Cavendish, in the encyclopedia Man, Myth, and
Magic,³ states "All Hallows Eve, or Halloween, was originally a festival of fire,
the dead, and the powers of darkness. It's the evening of 31 October, the night before the
Christian festival of All Hallows Day. All Hallows Day commemorates the saints and
martyrs, and was first introduced in the seventh century. Its date was changed from 13 May
to 1 November in the following century, probably to make it coincide with and Christianize
a pagan festival of the dead. All Souls Day in the Roman Catholic calendar is 2 November.
It is marked by prayers for the souls of the dead. It is only in recent times that
Halloween was reduced to a minor jollification for the children." Cavendish continues, "The Druids were pagan priests of an early
Celtic religion. Druids are mentioned by name in thirty references in Greek and Roman
writers between the second century B.C. and the fourth century A.D. They were a barbaric
order, dreaded for their power and blood-thirstiness. They certainly appear as lawgivers,
and as being directly concerned with animal and human sacrifices..." "They were, of course, the sole interpreters of religion. They
determined all disputes by a final and unalterable decision, and had the power of
inflicting the punishment of death. And, indeed, their altars streamed with the blood of
human victims. Men, women, and children were often given as human sacrifices." Irene Park, a former witch and authority on the history of Halloween
says, "The Druids in Ireland would go through the neighborhoods and countryside on
the eve of October 31 to collect offerings for Satan. They would carry lanterns, bags for
money, and canes with very sharp points on their ends (known as leprechaun staffs, good
luck horns, or fairies' wands). At each house they would demand a specified amount. If the
household would not, or could not, give the offering (Penance or treat), the Druid would
use his cane to castrate the male human or one of their prize animals."³ Park says, "The guisers went from house to house, singing and
dancing. Their blood-curdling masks and grotesque costumes may have been meant to keep
evil at bay, or more likely, were a visible representation of the ghosts and goblins that
lurked in the night. These masks have now been transferred to the children, who in the
United States, visit neighbors for the food offering which once belonged to the dead - or
play tricks akin to the legendary destructiveness of witches and imps abroad on the
night." Most of the original folklore of Halloween has been preserved in the
modern traditions: the goblins, jack-o-lanterns, Halloween parties, begging for gifts,
etc., which all had their origin in the ancient celebration of All Hallows Eve. Most people and children who participate with modern Halloween
festivities, usually do so innocently, without any intention of associating themselves
with the occult or other satanic traditions. However, the great tragedy is that it
domesticates the occult and the powers of darkness. It creates a
"tongue-in-cheek" attitude that the forces of evil are not to be taken seriously
— that devils, witches, and goblins are considered merely make-believe, plastic
masks, with child-like impotence. It also tends to promote an acceptance and friendliness
toward dark traditions and occult beliefs; that Satan is not really so bad, witches are
really not evil, demons are not really dangerous. Members of the occult and devotees to the true satanic traditions of
Halloween are ecstatic by the widespread acceptance and participation in their sacred
festival. They view society's celebration of Halloween as an enormous public relations
victory, and believe it's a time when their dark powers are greatly intensified, due to
the unity of the masses which magnify and exalt the forces of evil. With thousands
focusing their energies upon traditions of Satan, they feel this strengthens his influence
in the affairs of the world. For these reasons, many churches oppose any participation with
Halloween on the basis that its relationship to evil is contrary to our relationship with
Christ. The scriptures mention nothing about Halloween, but they do warn that a believer
cannot mingle a relationship with God and the Devil (1 Cor. 10:21), and that we should
even "Abstain from every form [appearance] of evil" (1 Thes. 5:22). ¹ The World Book Encyclopedia This article is copyrighted © by Dale A. Robbins, 1995, and is a publication of Victorious Publications, Grass Valley, CA 95949. Unless otherwise stated, all scripture references were taken from The New King James Bible, © Thomas Nelson Inc., 1982.You may download for personal use as long as you retain credit to the author. Obtain permission before reproducing copies for any reason, by filling out our simple permission form. For media reproduction rights, or to obtain published quantities of this title, email us. |
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