Is Halloween Harmless?

The following is one of the devotions that my friend Charlotte from Mtn. View, AR sends out by e-mail. I don't normally post things like this, but the scriptures in this devotion really stood out to me and confirmed the way that I have always felt about Halloween. Even if you think you've heard it all before, even if right now you are rolling your eyes at yet ANOTHER attempt to show that Halloween is wrong, PLEASE read it anyway, and ask the Lord what He would have you to do. The comments in italics are from Charlotte.



The following came largely from a message preached this Sunday by our pastor, Brother Randy Farthing. It really caused me to think and I hope it will be a blessing to you as you read it. Charlotte



Is Halloween Harmless?



When the Irish came over to America in the 1800s during the potato famine, they brought their custom of celebrating Halloween with them. It is a celebration of the “Day of the Dead.” As far back as two thousand years ago, Celtics would kill animals and dress up wearing the heads of the dead animals. Other things made popular by the Irish during Halloween was the carving of turnips (pumpkins in America because they were more readily available) in which candles were lit as a symbol of roaming “spirits” or to ward off evil spirits.



Satan loves Halloween because Halloween glamorizes darkness. Deuteronomy 18:9-12, “When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire (some burned their children as sacrifice to pagan gods), or that useth divination (using satanic means to attempt to tell the future), or an observer of times (astrology, horoscopes), or an enchanter (one who is believed to heal through magic powers), or a witch (a woman who practices witchcraft), Or a charmer (someone who uses chants/spells), or a consulter with familiar spirits (someone who communicates with spirits), or a wizard (a man who practices witchcraft or magic), or a necromancer (one who calls up the dead). For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.”



God told them not to be entangled with the ways of the nations which they would inhabit.



Witches don’t ride brooms. They do cast spells and work evil (even though many call it “good” magic). This is an abomination of God. The devil glamorizes this evil through many means...one way he does this is through Halloween.



1 Corinthians 10:21, “Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils.”



Acts 16:16-18, “And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination (ability through satanic means to attempt to tell the future…notice it is the spirit of divination…an evil spirit) met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying (like fortune telling): The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which show unto us the way of salvation. And this did she many days. But Paul being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.” (This spirit of divination was trying to HIDE itself in religious ways, trying to appear good, but it was still evil! The devil tries to make evil look good…he wants to glamorize it. Halloween IS practiced as a religious day, but it is NOT of Christian religious origins).



1 Corinthians 10:20, “But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.”



Note…Brother Farthing brought out some things I had never thought about through these Scriptures…especially the ones in the Book of Acts on how evil will try to attach itself to good in an attempt to fool people into thinking it really IS good. As I was getting this devotion ready to send out, I was reminded of a “game” that has been around for years…and some continue to be innocently caught up in…some of our local school teachers have even used this “game” as a “science experiment” but it isn’t an experiment, nor is it a game. It is called “Light as Feather” and entails two to four people using two fingers each to “lift” a person that is lying flat on a table after saying a series of words over and over (chanting…). People who have come out of the practice of Wicca (witchcraft) will tell you that this is a chant that results in levitation and is evil trying to appear “good” and “fun.” Most of us would not think of using or allowing our kids to use a Ouija Board to call up an evil spirit…we must equally recognize that there are other more subtle evils lurching around every corner waiting to entrap us…and our children…Ephesians 5:11, “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.” In other words, don’t participate, but WARN others about them instead.