[ hàllə wn ]
October 31: the eve of All Saints' Day, originally celebrated by
Celtic peoples but now popular with children in the United
States , Canada ,
and the United Kingdom
[Halloween or Hallowe'en (/ˌhæləˈwiːn, -oʊˈiːn, ˌhɑːl-/; a contraction of "All Hallows' Evening")[5]
also known as All Hallows' Eve,[6]
is a yearly celebration observed in a number of countries on 31
October, the eve of the Western Christian
feast of All Hallows' Day. It initiates the triduum of Hallowmas,
the time in the liturgical year dedicated to remembering the dead,
including saints
(hallows), martyrs, and all the faithful departed believers.[7]
According to many scholars, All Hallows' Eve is a Christianized
feast initially influenced by Celtic harvest festivals,[8][9] with
possible pagan
roots, particularly the Gaelic Samhain.[6][10][11]
Other academics maintain that it originated independently of Samhain and has
solely Christian roots.[12]
Typical festive Halloween activities include trick-or-treating
(or the related "guising" or "trunk-or-treating"),
attending costume parties,
decorating, carving pumpkins into jack-o'-lanterns,
lighting bonfires,
apple
bobbing, visiting haunted attractions, playing pranks, telling scary
stories, and watching horror films.]1
Halloween (or
Hallowe’en ... but also known as Samhain, Summer’s End, All Hallow’s Eve,
Witches Night, Lamswool, and Snap-Apple), is a holiday that's celebrated
annually on the night of October 31. It originated in Ireland , and is celebrated in quite a few
countries including Ireland
itself, the United States , Canada , the United
Kingdom , Japan ,
New Zealand ,
Australia , Sweden
The Chinese celebrate the
Festival of the Hungry Ghosts, or Yue Lan. Rather than trying to hide from and
disguise themselves in order to ward off evil spirits, the Chinese give them
gifts in order to give them enough comfort to retreat.
Halloween, or
Samhain Night, is popular in Ireland
The Scottish takes pride
in their Halloween festivals, lighting bonfires according to their Samhain
roots. Some may observe divination rituals. A popular ritual is dooking, where
a person must be blindfolded before attempting to eat a piece of pastry hanging
from a string.
Is there a relationship between Halloween and Christianity?
The 1910 edition of The Encyclopedia Britannica states:
"All Souls' Day...the day set apart in the Roman Catholic Church for the
commemoration of the faithful departed. The celebration is based on the
doctrine that the souls of the faithful which at death have not been cleansed
from venial sins, or have not atoned for past transgressions, cannot attain the
Beatific Vision, and that they may be helped to do so by prayer and by the
sacrifice of the mass...Certain popular beliefs connected with All Souls' Day
are of pagan origin and immemorial antiquity. Thus the dead are believed by the
peasantry of many Catholic countries to return to their former homes on All
Souls' night and partake of the food of the living." - Vol. I, p. 709.
The Encyclopedia Americana says: Elements of the customs
connected with Halloween can be traced to a Druid ceremony in pre-Christian
times. The Celts had festivals for two major gods-a sun god and a god of the
dead (called Samhain), whose festival was held on November 1, the beginning of
the Celts New Year. The festival of the dead was gradually incorporated into Christian
ritual." - (1977) Vol. 13, p. 725.
The book The Worship of the Dead points too this origin:
"The mythologies of all the ancient nations are interwoven with the events
of the Deluge...The force of this argument is illustrated by the fact of the observance
of a great festival of the dead in commemoration of the event, not only by
nations more or less in communication with each other, but by others widely
separated, both by the ocean and by centuries of time. This festival is,
moreover, held by all on or about the very day on which, according to the
Mosiac account, the Deluge took place, viz., the seventeenth day of the second
month - the month nearly corresponding with our November." (London, 1904,
Colonel J. Garnier, p. 4) Thus these celebrations actually began with an
honoring of people whom God had destroyed because of their badness in Noah's
day. - Gen. 6:5-7, 7:11.
Source(s): The Bible the Source of Authority
What Does the Bible Say About Halloween?
"Should Christians observe Halloween?" and we know this is a
controversial question.
Romans 14 talks about “disputable matter” liberty in Christ, faith, freedom
and loving our neighbor. At a glance may be we think that regarding celebration
of Halloween there are matters that lack clear and specific direction from the
Bible.
Little knowledge of history will help us gain further understanding. During
the 8th century in the diocese of Rome
7 “Be not ye therefore partakers with them. 8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord:
walk as children of light: 9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness
and truth;) 10 Proving
what is acceptable unto the Lord. 11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but
rather reprove them. 12 For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of
them in secret”. Eph 5:7-12.
Food for thought!
Many Christians believe that participating in Halloween is a form of
involvement in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness. However, many consider
the modern-day Halloween activities of most to be harmless fun. Are some
Christians trying to remove themselves from the world? Some think that ignoring
Halloween or celebrating it with believers only is not exactly an evangelical
approach. Aren't we supposed to "become
all things to all men so that by all possible means" we might save some?
1 Cori 9:22.
10 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or
his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer
of times, or an enchanter, or a witch. 11 Or a charmer, or a consulter
with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. 12 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. Deut 18:10-1 2; KJV.
The above verse does not say that "trick or treating" disgusts the Lord. But the verses are very clear what a Christian should and should not do. Is it possible as Christians some of us, knowingly or unknowingly are sacrificing our sons and daughters to a different doctrine? How many of us are calling forth the spirits of the dead on the guise of fun and adapting to their messages?
Let us think of a scenario: Say, some of us have come
to the Christian faith from a background in the occult? What if, before we
became a Christian, we did practice some of these deeds associated with
witchcraft and sorcery? Perhaps refraining from Halloween and its activities is
the safest and most appropriate response for you as an individual.
Rethinking the Issue
As Christians, why are we here in this world? Are we here to live in a safe
and protected environment, guarded against the evils in the world, or are we
called to reach out into a world filled with dangers and be the light of
Christ? Halloween brings people of the world to our door step. Halloween brings
our neighbors out into the streets. I can think of various creative ways to
seize this opportunity for developing new relationships and sharing my faith.
Is it possible that our negativity toward Halloween only alienates the people
we seek to reach? Can we be in the world, but not of
the world?
by rodi in Albert Mohler Tags:
Halloween, Holiday
[What to do about Halloween and your kids? Dr.
Mohler writes about its roots and also notes the fact that there is a
difference between celebrating a holiday like Halloween vs. the Christmas
holiday:
While affirming that
make-believe and imagination are part and parcel of God’s gift of imagination,
Christians should still be very concerned about the focus of that imagination
and creativity. Arguing against Halloween is not equivalent to arguing against
Christmas. The old church festival of “All Hallow’s Eve” is by no means as
universally understood among Christians as the celebration of the incarnation
at Christmas.
And he
calls on parents to make careful decisions on what their children celebrate:
Christian parents should make
careful decisions based on a biblically-informed Christian conscience. Some
Halloween practices are clearly out of bounds, others may be strategically
transformed, but this takes hard work and may meet with mixed success.
The coming of Halloween is a
good time for Christians to remember that evil spirits are real and that the
Devil will seize every opportunity to trumpet his own celebrity.]3
Read the
full article here - http://www.albertmohler.com/2012/10/29/christianity-and-the-dark-side-what-about-halloween-4/
My thoughts!
I believe
Halloween is a Pagan festival and below are some Scripture verses to support my
statement and references for better understanding: Deut 6, 7, 8, 28-30.
6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress
them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk
along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind
them on your foreheads. 9 Write
them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates.
10 When the Lord your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, 11 houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied, 12 be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
13 Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. 14 Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; 15 for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land. 16 Do not put the Lord your God to the test as you did at Massah. 17 Be sure to keep the commands of the Lord your God and the stipulations and decrees he has given you. 18 Do what is right and good in the Lord’s sight, so that it may go well with you and you may go in and take over the good land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors, 19 thrusting out all your enemies before you, as the Lord said. (NIV).
10 When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. 11 Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day; 12 Deut 8:10-12.
The holidays honoring "spirits of the dead"
as if they were alive in another realm are contrary to the Bible's description
of death as a state of complete unconsciousness. - Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10 and
Psalms 146:4. So as to dress up in costume as a witch, ghost, the devil
etc....is an act of worship to Satan and not taught from the Bible for true
Christians. Source(s): The Bible the
Source of Authority
What
do we understand by the following Word of God?
6 The Lord
your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so
that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live;
Deut:30:6.
End Notes:
Halloween or Hallowe'en
(a contraction of "All Hallows' Evening"), also known as All Hallows'
Eve, is a yearly celebration observed in a number of ...
All about Halloween (or Hallowe’en), celebrated every year
on the night of October 31
3. agnus dei –
english + romanian blog
That I
may know Christ and the power of His resurrection. Philippians3:10
Website References:
1. Definition of Halloween (n)
Bing Dictionary
Hal·low·een
[ hàllə wn ]
October 31: the
eve of All Saints' Day, originally celebrated by Celtic peoples but now popular
with children in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
The history of Halloween and its customs starting with
Celtic Ireland
2009-10-29 · Best Answer: Where did Halloween come from?
http://www.carm.org/questions/other-ques… ... Very little. It's not a Christian
church festival of any kind ...
How should Christians approach Halloween
and is there a ... It was also believed that at this time of year the invisible
"gates" between the natural world ...
2012-10-29 · What to do about Halloween and your kids? Dr. Mohler
writes about its roots and also notes the fact that there is a difference
between celebrating a ...
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CANAAN Hebrews there minds solemnly to Israel Joshua Deuteronomy by Israelites
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"Give these instructions to the Israelites:
... "Give the Israelites these instructions.
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go on ...
After forty years the Israelites were about to enter
Canaan . But before they
... Moses explains the principles and instructions for ... The
book of Deuteronomy was ...
Moses reviews the history of the Israelites after they
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after the Israelites move into Canaan .
Deuteronomy ...
The Book of Deuteronomy. Background....The Israelites
left Egypt Canaan ,
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people
12. Deuteronomy
www.believersbaptist.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/deuteronomy.pdf · PDF file
the Israelites. Deuteronomy is ...
Moses’s sermons given to Israel
in the final 40 days before they entered Canaan
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...
gobeyondblog.com/2009/05/08/deuteronomy-7
• Instructions Concerning Paganism ... threat to the Israelites,
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Deuteronomy 7. The
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drove out the people of Canaan when the ... they
give your instructions to Israel
I tend to agree with this article. I love to see the children dress-up and have fun. Just wish that it was just a 'dress-up day', without the roots and meaning of celebrating halloween... While Christmas has lost its real meaning (for the majority), santa claus and halloween have gathered popularity around the world. Not happy. My father was totally against having us kids celebrate halloween. as I got older, I understood why.
ReplyDeleteDear Dr. Liz,
ReplyDeleteYour article on Halloween is a timely read. As Christians we should not attempted to engage in such celebrations which are meant to honour Satan. Indeed, what does righteousness have to do with unrighteousness?
7 “Be not ye therefore partakers with them. 8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: 9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) 10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. 11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. 12 For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret”. Eph 5:7-12.
We. Christians, must be on guard, like the Bereans who ALWAYS checked the Scriptures to make sure what the Apostle Paul taught was Biblical! Let's not give in to the world's evil enticements disguised as "fun" to satisfy the sinful man which still lurks in us, hoping to derail us from the truths and commands of Almighty God. As Christians we are in the world but NOT of the world!
As for All SAINT'S DAY...who invented it? It certainly is not a Biblical celebration. It was something invented by man, in particular the Catholic Church. We know that many pagan celebrations were incorporated by this organization into Christianity...Christmas being another invention based on pagan roots! Christ Jesus was NOT born on December 25...the pagan god's son was! We must fight for this truth, not embrace another cultures truth as ours!
Just as how the pagan world is able to cleverly draw us away from the truth of God's Word, we Christians should be able to use God's truth effectively to affect the pagan world and cause them to repent of their evil ways and be followers of Christ Jesus who claims to be "THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE! No one comes to the Father but by Me..."
Let the God of ALL Creation, Eloheim, be the God we worship! Ask Him for wisdom and He will grant it! Hallelujah!
Lena J
Follower of Christ and Christ alone!