There are Christians who would agree with that statement but they still celebrate Halloween. If they knew the actual history of Samhain, they wouldn’t have any trouble giving it up. If they knew what the Bible actually said about the occult, they would realize they are being set free from the darkest day of the year.
The goal of this article is to show the folly of calling evil good. A Christian can walk down the sidewalk, filling their kids’ jack-o-lantern buckets with candy. They might have a smile on their face for a while, but if they knew the truth, I guarantee you they will have a sickening taste in their mouth. I know because I used to celebrate Halloween, but then someone told me the truth and just like that, I was set free.
When my wife was growing up in Southeastern Europe there was a village where everyone knew where the witch lived. She didn’t go by that term, but everyone understood she was the one you went to if you needed to curse someone or try to gain power in an unnatural way. People in the Balkans don’t waste money on ugly Halloween decorations or “harmless” ouija boards. They believe they might actually invite the attention of the shadow world to them.
Instead of celebrating the spirits, most people in the world are trying to guard against them. That is why you see spirit houses in Thailand and evil eye medallions in Turkey. The reason they use spirit houses is to show they respect the spirits. The reason they use the evil eye is to distract them because there is a real fear of the power they represent. Our society may mock their superstitions as outdated relics from the past, but they wouldn’t mock Halloween. They think it is foolish to celebrate witches and the occult. Anyone who has actually experienced the demonic realm would know Halloween has a sinister nature hiding beneath that sugary sweet “trick or treat” veil.
The way my mind was changed about Halloween was by reading the Bible. You don’t have to read very far into the first book to discover the creature who invented the philosophy behind trick or treating. “Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” Satan’s goal was to make evil seem good. He started by placing doubt into her mind. He convinced her that the forbidden fruit wasn’t really forbidden. Then he tried to convince her that eating the fruit would be good. He lied to her, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” She took the treat. She ate some fruit. She didn’t realize she had been tricked until it was too late.
At the root, those connected with the occult world desire to have power and control like God. They are willing to dabble in forms of witchcraft because they like the feeling of power and independence it provides.
Halloween is undeniably connected with the occult. October 31st was chosen because of the ancient Celtic ritual of Samhain. It was the day that celebrated the end of fall and the beginning of winter. The orange and black of Halloween comes from the orange of autumn and the black of winter. Samhain was known as the day when the veil between the demonic world and the natural world was at its thinnest.
All Hallows Eve was established on Oct. 31st to distract from Samhain. It was supposed to prepare people for All Saints Day, which falls on November 1st. Instead of distracting from it, the name was shortened to Halloween, from All Hallows Eve, and the traditions became even stronger.
Bonefires, soul bread, and wearing costumes to fool the spirits were all accepted traditions that were brought to America during the nineteenth century. Halloween became known as a night of mischief, when youth would roam rural communities stealing gates from homes and farms. When Halloween came to the cities it got out of control. Some American cities considered banning Halloween, but they were afraid of the backlash so they tried to organize it and make it “family-friendly.” After world war II, the candy and costume industry took hold of the holiday and began commercializing it. They did such a good job that today, seventy five years later, most people think of candy and costumes before they think about the sinister history of Halloween.
Isn’t it interesting that our culture has fallen for the oldest trick in the book? It is no surprise because our society wants to make evil good and good evil. Actually, our society would like to stop using such outdated terms. Our society wants to dismiss Christians by saying, “That’s your opinion” as if it doesn’t matter at all. If we wait long enough our society will give gifts to celebrate good people dying (Revelation 11:10). Just wait and see.
Many Christians will read this and think, “Why did he have to ruin our fun?” “It’s just kids having a good time.” If you take a short step back you realize that’s not true. What is fun about witches? What is fun about axe-murderer costumes and kids dressing up as vampires and zombies? “What partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? (2 Corinthians 6:14).
We can have real fun if our conscience does not condemn us. This year I hope you will try it. You might be surprised how fun it is to be set free from Halloween.
