Our neighbors are out in full force. For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord " (Deuteronomy 18:10-12 Deuteronomy 18:10-12 [10] There shall not be found among you any one that makes his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that uses divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch. Why do you think that is? Yes, I agree with those who have said we need to redeem calendar events. I've heard something before that was negative, but this shares a bit more. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceives the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. The origins of Halloween and its symbols are fairly well known. The Celtic priests, called Druids, made large bonfires on hilltops around which the people gathered and offered sacrifices of crops and animals to the Celtic gods, as a thanksgiving offering for that years’ crops and as an appeal for favor in the new coming year. Then when the child starts to rebel against your authority you want to handle the situation in the physical through punishments and so on but you opened that door. Concerning Halloween The Encyclopedia of Religion continues: "On this occasion, it was believed that a gathering of supernatural forces occurred as during no other period of the year. We could not make ourselves righteous; it is only by the blood of Christ are we seen as blameless in the sight of God (Romans 3:24). Although some may dismiss the demonic symbolism and divination associated with Halloween as harmless fun, the Bible reveals the existence of evil spirits, led by Satan the devil, whom God holds responsible for great suffering and sorrow inflicted on the human race. If someone out there killing cat calling on Satan then I believe that's of the devil. They enjoy giving out candy to children and having 'fun' at parties. If we can look at Halloween not as a ‘us versus them’, but that we are all sinful in need of grace, maybe we can look at this holiday with more compassion and grace, rather than judgment. © 1995–2020 All correspondence and questions should be sent to info@ucg.org. Christians can celebrate Halloween to the extent that they feel the freedom to do so and to the degree that the particular practices do not celebrate the occult. Anyway, I have said enough. In light of Scriptures, consider carefully the appropriateness of judging another Christian for observing Halloween. Halloween is, for some, a non-religious festival altogether so they don’t mind assimilating and being no different. share the Gospel as He did Everyday or Be a participant? Until recently, most Christians have not questioned this traditional celebration, but rather have gone along with it by even bringing Halloween parties into the church. Christians can practice hospitality – have the best candy so that your house will be the house people come to, and linger! . How and When Did the Holiday Originate? It was a day to celebrate all the saints. To ward off evil spirits from their households, the Celts were known to set carved pumpkins (or turnips) in front of their doors. In 609 A.D. Pope Bonafice IV established the Catholic feast of All Martyrs’ Day in honor of the early Roman martyrs, and this feast was later expanded by Pope Gregory III to include all saints and is still practiced today on November 1st as All Saints’ Day (known also as Hallowtide or All Hallows). How can I experience true freedom in Christ. And giving to my neighbors and loving them is biblical. Anything? Satan or evil does not get its own day. Privacy Policy  Terms of Use. Spiritually some things we do or allow, that we might think is little or insignificant, can also be disastrous for us. Christmas, Easter). For all its trappings and 'fun,' the Bible condemns the holiday and it should be avoided. Halloween means the evening before All Hallows Day or All Saint’s Day, celebrated on November 1. If Christians are going to take part in Halloween, their attitude, dress, and most importantly, their behavior should still reflect a redeemed life ( Philippians 1:27 ). If your conscience leads you to abstain from participating or focus on the harvest festival parts associated with Halloween, wonderful. You are free to do whatever you want & you should never make your decision based upon what another person is doing. 9 When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom, If they went out at night they wore costumes so that if they encountered an evil spirit they would be mistaken for an evil spirit themselves and thus be protected from evil and trouble. You only made perfect through Christ nothing you or don't makes you perfect. Children are taught to go door to door chanting “trick or treat.” It is unchristian to demand a gift under threat of playing some trick. But we don’t celebrate those any more, you say. Not a chance to open a door to evil. We must look to Christ and His Word to see if the traditions of this world are good or evil. The Encyclopedia of Religion says, "Halloween, or Allhallows Eve, is a festival celebrated on 31 October, the evening prior to the Christian Feast of All Saints (All Saints' Day). Christians must not participate in halloween 2 Corinthians 6:14. 4, p. 862, "Halloween"). "Mommy why we don't celebrate Halloween" by Linda Winwood. . Pope Gregory IV broadened the feast to include the entire church. [38] This is the first and great commandment. Some Christians reject Halloween altogether. Christian perspectives on Halloween are sharply divided. Halloween actually means “holy or hallowed evening.”. Many choose to boycott or ignore it, while a number of believers celebrate it through positive and imaginative observances or Christian alternatives to Halloween. But what does that mean? As with Christmas and Easter, we can trace the roots of Halloween far back into the pagan past. Acts 8:9-24, the story of Simon, shows that occultism and Christianity don’t mix. When he (God) destroys the nations in the land where you will live, don't follow their example in worshiping their gods. From the gospel according to John, Jesus thought His time hadn't come. It was believed that at this time of year the invisible "gates" between the natural world and the spirit world would open, allowing free movement between the two worlds. How prepared are we really and how much are we prepared to give up for JESUS? Halloween’s origin can be found in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced saw-en, meaning ‘end of summer’). Christian Truth. Many Christians believe that participating in Halloween is a form of involvement in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness, which is forbidden in Scripture: On the other hand, many believers consider the modern-day Halloween activities of most to be harmless fun. 7 Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. A few of today's popular celebrations associated with Halloween have pagan roots stemming from the ancient Celtic festival, Samhain. Instead of superstitions and myths, God tells us to look to Him for our blessings, direction and future. . Remember how the Celts put carved turnips in front of their doors so that the evil spirits would pass them by? Halloween brings our neighbors out into the streets. They also set treats outside their house for the wandering spirits. I find it a shame thinking getting candy is a sin. The jack-o-lantern ... represent[ed] a watchman on Halloween night or a man caught between earth and the supernatural world" (Jack Santino, All Around the Year: Holidays & Celebrations in American Life, 1994, p. 26). Did anyone proclaim salvation without being Called? The Christmas most know is centered around pagan holiday celebrating trees and to think Christians gladly adorn their homes with trees, give gifts, etc. United Church of God is a 501(c)3 organization. No wonder the bible says, my people are destroyed for lack of understanding. Go to your neighbors’ houses and get to know them. Ephesians 5:6-12, Copyright (c) 2013 – Christ Unlimited Ministries – https://BibleResources.org, If this message has been a blessing to you and you would like to see more like them posted on this site, you can help make this possible by your gifts to Christ Unlimited Ministries. If you feel convicted by it then don't participate. The souls of the dead were supposed to revisit their homes on this day, and the autumnal festival acquired sinister significance, with ghosts, witches, hobgoblins, black cats, fairies, and demons of all kinds said to be roaming about. During the next 400 years Samhain was merged with two Roman holidays:  Feralia, a day when Romans commemorated their dead, typically at the end of October, and secondly Pomona, a day of honoring the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. First miracle prophesied the marriage of the lamb to His church upon His pending return therefore performed at a wedding. Is there a biblical way to observe this secular holiday? I've gotten to the point where I call it Candy Day..... Our church offers a "meet and greet" night- do we celebrate Halloween? As a loving Father, God commands us to avoid things that can harm us. And they bare it. Related Topics:  What the Bible Says about Witchcraft; Demons; Fear; Pokémon; Satan; Forgiveness; Repentance; Scriptural Prayer for Protection, Click here for a listing of all Topics covered in our Bible Answer Page. This is one of the best nights to let your light so shine!! Does that mean that evil is out there and as long as we close our doors and turn the lights out, evil will stay away? What if you came to the Christian faith from a background in the occult? What must an unfamiliar observer think of Halloween? This “little fox” is not only spreading evil to children but has been a curse for the church and our nation as well. The holiday we are familiar with today originated out of the Roman Catholic Church as a solution to fix its problem of running out of days to celebrate saints. Betty Miller has written several books on other topics as well. According to the best available evidence, Halloween originated in the early Middle … It was the time to placate the supernatural powers controlling the processes of nature. Could it be that the daily killings in the land of America is related to spiritual open doors we as believer have allow because we compromised. 6 And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece. . With the Protestant Reformation in the 16th and 17th century,  Protestant Christians reacted to Catholic Holy Days like All Saints’ Day, primarily over Catholic beliefs considered errors, such as Purgatory. Scripture Readings for Ash Wednesday Through the First Week of Lent, Scripture Readings for the Second Week of Advent. No true believer in the Eternal should be involved in the holiday with its celebration of pain, suffering, and death. [11] Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. Whatever you do, whether you eat or drink...do all to the glory of God. So where do we draw the line? The opposite is true, however, as more damage and harm are done on this day each year than any other holiday. Mary Fairchild is a full-time Christian minister, writer, and editor of two Christian anthologies, including "Stories of Cavalry. Some choose to celebrate Reformation Day instead, but Halloween overall is something that must be rejected as a pagan holiday. Song of Solomon 2:15 says, “Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.” Foxes sometime in search of food would enter into the grape orchards and devour the grapes and spoil the crop. American King James Version×). Is any holiday that glorifies death and darkness (even in fun) a proper thing for a Christian to do since we have been called out of darkness into His marvelous light?