ALL HALLOWS EVE

October 31 is All Hallows Eve. Halloween. Will you be out having fun, enjoying the traditional holiday? After all, it's an annual thing, a regular celebration, something everyone does. In fact, next to Christmas, more money is spent on Halloween than any other holiday. Trick or treating candy, goblins, ghosts, jack-o-lanterns, haunted houses...fun, huh? But what are you really celebrating? Oh, nothing special. Just Satan and his demons. Just the power of evil in the world. Our Founding Fathers knew what Halloween is and they forbade the celebration of it.

But somewhere along the line, our country forgot the principles upon which it was founded, and the traditional celebration of Halloween was brought in. So where does this celebration come from? It started with the Druids and their celebration of Samhain, named after Saman, god of the dead, and the festivity Feile na Marbh, the Feast of the Dead. The druids worshiped the sun god, Bel (Ba'al?) or Chrom. They believed that he died on October 31 and went into the kingdom of the dead, Anyway. The purpose of Samhain was to insure his return through the practice of human sacrifice -- human infant sacrifice -- because only innocent human blood could resurrect Bel. On the night of the celebration, the druids believed that the spirits Of the dead rose up and walked the earth. Wiccans (the witches of today -- and yes, there are thousands of them!) believe that this is the best time for necromancy (communication with the dead). Today, covens of Wiccans (witches) cast spells on October 31, giving the spirits access to possess whoever they please. They especially cast spells on the children going about "Trick or Treating". Now, doesn't that sound like something you'd like to subject your children to?

If that's not enough, think about the "haunted houses" that are so Popular this time of year. Have you visited one of them lately? They're a far cry from the "spooky" haunted houses we had years ago. Rather, the things one sees inside are violent, bloody and terrifying. Now, why is it that the same person who gleefully sends a child inside a haunted house with all its horror, blood and gore, will recoil in horror if faced with looking at Jeffrey Daumer's freezer filled with human body parts? As an adult, that parent might be able to distinguish the difference in the two, but what about the child? How is that innocent mind going to process these two conflicting pieces of information?

Many people sugar coat their celebration of Halloween by just having A costume party, or dressing their children as angels and clowns to go Trick or treating, then coming home to apple dunking and all the other paraphernalia attached, including the jack-o-lantern (an ancient symbol of a damned soul) shining on the doorstep. But you can't sugar-coat evil, and participating in any of the "traditional" activities gives a "seal of approval" to the inherent demonic activities attached. Doesn't our participation in any traditional activity on this day in its own way acknowledge the evil that is the cause of the celebration? Are we showing a witness for Christ by taking part in a centuries-old homage to demonic forces? Or are we, instead, helping to honor the god of this world by acknowledging this -- the most hallowed of all of Lucifer's days?

So what is a Christian to do? How about substitution? Yes, that's a Biblical principle... Romans 12:21 says, "Do not be overcome by evil, But overcome evil with good." If you decide not to celebrate Halloween, tell your children why. But then, replace it with something that honors God. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." Get creative! Make whatever you do loads of fun - and centered on Jesus Christ. A harvest party that focuses on God's provision for us. A "video" party, where Christian music videos are played. Play games, have fun, and honor Jesus. Brothers and sisters, I urge you to prayerfully consider what Jesus would have you do on this October 31st.

"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you."
James 4:7-8