Christian Halloween? - Eph 6:12

Christian Halloween?

October 30, 2011

Eph 6:12

Introduction

• Tomorrow evening, kids and adults all over Susanville will be celebrating Halloween
• We see it as a lot of fun, kids enjoy dressing up, it’s a family thing
• It seems like something wholesome, part of the American way of life
• As a matter of fact, it has become a multi billion dollar industry, second only to Christmas
• Sales of costumes, candy, party supplies, greeting cards, tours of haunted houses, movies
• It is huge
• But do we know how Halloween started, and more to the point, is it something we as Christians should be involved in?
• Is it some kind of demon worship?
• Or is it a harmless offshoot of some pagan ritual?
• Today, we will look at the subject of Halloween, and look at what the Bible has to say about the subject, stripping away all our warm fuzzy thoughts about family and innocent fun

Historical viewpoint

• Over 2000 years ago, the Celts lived in England
• Their religious leaders were known as the Druids, who had an elaborate religious system, complete with special days of worship and rituals
• The most important festival was the Fire Festival known as Samhain
• It was observed at harvest time to mark the Celtic New Year
• The Celts believed that on this night the barrier between the natural world and the supernatural was removed, and the spirits of the dead were able to move freely among human beings
• The observances connected with Halloween are believed to have originated among the ancient Druids, who believed that on the evening, Saman, the lord of the dead, called forth hosts of evil spirits" (Funk & Wagnalls New Encyclopedia, 1979, Vol. 12, p. 152
• In a section entitled Human Sacrifice, Lewis Spencer writes, "We are informed by Keating that the Irish Druids on the eve of Samhain burned their victims in the holy fire" (The History and Origins of Druidism, p. 105). Spencer further suggests, "human sacrifice was a frequent and common element in their religious procedure. No sacrifice might be carried out except in the presence of a Druid
• Wiccans themselves say this about Samhain
• “At sunset on October 31, clans or local villages begin the formal ceremonies of Samhain by lighting a giant bonfire. The people would gather around the fire to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities. It was a method of giving the Gods and Goddesses their share of the previous years herd or crops. In addition these sacred fires were a big part of the cleansing of the old year and a method to prepare for the coming new year.
• “During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, and danced around the bonfire. Many of these dances told stories or played out the cycles of life and death or commemorated the cycle of Wheel of Life. These costumes were adorned for three primary reasons.
• “The first was to honor the dead who were allowed to rise from the Otherworld. The Celts believed that souls were set free from the land of the dead during the eve of Samhain. Those that had been trapped in the bodies of animals were released by the Lord of the Dead and sent to their new incarnations. The wearing of these costumes signified the release of these souls into the physical world. 
• The Catholic church brought Christianity to the Celts.
• Pope Gregory IV Moved the Feast of All Saints to November 1 to replace the observance of Samhain. All Saints Day honored believers who had died
• The night before people would meet for a sacred vigil in church, known as All Hallows Eve, or Halloween
• But the old druid practices stayed around , and the Church denounced them, as witchcraft
• Part of the original customs was acts of vandalism, and this was toned down by the practice of trick or treating
• People started doing things to make Halloween safe and fun
• So as time progressed, Halloween became a mixture of pagan, Christian and society customs.
• These days, there is an increase in interest in the old pagan beliefs
• “Buffy the vampire slayer”, “Sabrina the teenage witch” and other TV programs make the occult and witchcraft seem innocent and fun
• But the devil is real!

The Biblical viewpoint

• Eph 6:12 "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms"
• Halloween honors Satan and demons
• They are our enemies
• 1 Peter 5:8 "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him ..."
• 1 Cor 10:19-21 "Do I mean then that a sacrifice offered to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord's table and the table of demons. Are we trying to arouse the Lord's jealousy? Are we stronger than he?"
• In other words, you can’t take part in Satan’s things and also God’s
• We may think this is radical. After all, we feel it is harmless
• Proverbs 14:12 "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death"
• Satan tries to deceive us, he does not come in a head-on confrontation
• 2 Cor 11:14 "... Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light"
• 2 Cor 10:5 "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God and we take every though captive to make it obedient to Christ"

Conclusion

• We will be having a family movie night Monday evening at 5pm, to provide a fun alternative to the witches and goblins of Halloween
• Where do you draw the line? I am leaving that up to you.
• Candy is not sinful, nor is putting on a costume
• But know that Halloween honors the devil, and not God