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About this time last year I wrote an article concerning Halloween.
This year I would like to again write on this subject emphasizing
the historical aspect of Halloween. Now it is true that many things
in our society have been taken from extinct pagan religious practices,
but Halloween is different.
For example, our word "Saturday" originated from the Roman god
"Saturn." Now if there were people in our community worshiping "Saturn,"
I would be concerned about giving credence to pagan worship. I would
probably avoid the word "Saturday" which was intended to glorify
a false god, or I would have to restrictively use the word in a
form neutral to Roman idolatry. The point with Halloween is that
there are people in our country practicing witchcraft derived from
idolatrous pagan practices lying at the foundation of Halloween;
therefore, I must be very careful as to my participation in associated
festivities.
Get an encyclopedia and look up Halloween. Some encyclopedias will
not inform you of the pagan practices (especially those intended
for children), so you may need to check a couple of sources. Originally
this night, October 31st, was purely a time for witchcraft and evil
spirits beginning with the Festival of Samhain. The Celtics and
their Druid priests believed that Samhain, who was Lord of the Dead,
would assemble the souls of the dead for sentencing. The following
day, November 1st, was also a festival day in which the Celtics
would worship the idolatrous god Baal. After many years and cultural
changes in the festivals observed on October 31st, the Catholic
Church moved All Saints' Day from September 13th to November 1st
in attempting to distract parishioners from old idolatrous practices.
All Saints' Day later became known as All Hallows. The day preceding
All Hallows became know as All Hallows Eve and later was shortened
to Hallowe'en from which we now call the evening of October 31st.
Let me encourage spiritually minded people to be careful in the
observance of Halloween traditions so that the practices of witchcraft
are neither encouraged nor glorified. May I suggest that we do not
dress our children in costumes of witches, ghosts, spirits or anything
else resembling evil. And may I suggest that we replace the ancient
practices of these evil festivals with good, pure and wholesome
practices - even to replace "trick-or-treat" with "may I please
have a treat".
Let us take the practice of witches and their associated emblems
of evil out of Halloween and no longer carry forth a torch for evil,
but replace evil with good. Remember Paul says: "And have no fellowship
with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For
it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them
in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by
the light, for whatever makes manifest is light" (Eph. 5:11-13).
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