Say "NO" to Halloween

Today is the worst day of the year for me. I hate Halloween with all that I am. I know that there are some Christians out there who don't mind it. Some even participate in the rituals and "celebrations", claiming that it's just a "bit of fun" nowadays. It makes me feel physically ill. I actually detest it and here's why.

The official line is “it glorifies all that is evil” – I do accept this, but there’s other reasons too… Here's why I'm totally against Trick-or-Treating specifically:

• There’s the begging thing. It’s the same with the “Penny for the Guy” craze (which used to only happen during the first 5 days in November when I was a child, now I see them outside supermarkets from mid-October!) At the end of the day, I won’t encourage my children to go out begging strangers for money or sweets. I will buy them candy, chocolate and give them pocket money, they don’t need to act like paupers and terrifying people, especially the elderly in the dark evenings.
• We teach children not to talk to or accept sweets from strangers and then one night a year, we encourage them to dress up and go knocking on the doors of strangers (who could be convicted paedophiles) and ask them for sweets or money. Some children aren’t even accompanied by an adult – I just don’t think it’s worth the risk. Plus, it’s giving them mixed messages, and how do you know that those homemade cupcakes (or even those packaged sweets) aren’t laced with drugs?!
• Why anyone would want to dress their child like a demon, a zombie, or a witch is beyond me – surely children should still be innocent and not even know about these things yet?! When I was a child I would dress as a princess or a ballerina – not on Halloween, just in general. I didn’t even know that there were such things as zombies! This age of innocence is so precious, why let it escape too soon?
• I believe in these things. I believe that demons and witches exist and they’re dangerous. It’s not just a bit of harmless fun and I don’t want to promote it. To me, it’s just like telling someone how to make a Ouija Board – they’ll become interested and then a huge can of worms has been opened. Before you know it, they’re in too deep, have been possessed or may even be dead.
• It scares the heck out of me! I know that it’s real and it terrifies me!

The notice I put up outside my house

A friend commented that he didn’t accept that witches exist. Well I believe that they do. They might not necessarily have pointy hats and broomsticks but there are very real witches, wiccans, witchdoctors and shamans who cast spells, make potions and commune with spirits… In this country there are hundreds, if not thousands, of mediums and spiritualists who also claim to commune with the dead and that terrifies me too! It's a shame that people don't realise how dangerous it is until it's too late…

Here's a link to a website discussing Halloween, from the point of view of an ex-wiccan, ex-psychic, ex-witch who is now a Christian. It's a great read.

In the Bible, it says that:

• Men and women among you who act as mediums or psychics must be put to death by stoning. They are guilty of a capital offense. (Leviticus 20:27)
• Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God. (Leviticus 19:31)
• Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you. You must be blameless before the LORD your God (Deuteronomy 18:10-13)
• When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? (Isaiah 8:19)
• For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and people. He is the man Christ Jesus. (1 Timothy 2:5)

There are many more scriptures but these few are reason enough for me to feel uncomfortable, and I shouldn’t have to explain myself to friends, family, especially not my employers (but that’s another story). Why is it so difficult for some people to accept that I simply do not want anything to do with Halloween, and that I feel physically sick and uncomfortable discussing their “ways around” it. For example, witches are not folklore – they’re real and dangerous. Regardless of whether it is Halloween or not, I refuse to participate in any witch related activities (decorating witch hats with the children at nursery – apparently witches are folklore so it shouldn’t be taboo for my beliefs! I’m sorry, who made you the keeper of what I believe in?!)

If you have to find ways to rationalise what you're doing, should you really be doing it?

I'll be totally honest with you now. I'm quite impressionable. As a child and young teenager I watched shows like Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charmed, moving on to movies like The Craft and Satan's School for Girls. I loved these shows and I was drawn in to them. I know they're fiction and they're created for enjoyment but I was fascinated with magic and witchcraft - and I'd been in the church from the age of two!

I'm not saying that these shows and movies are bad but I was becoming hooked and didn't know when to leave it alone. I was looking online for spells; buying books and magazines; searching for witch schools and my friends and I were in the process of looking for "a fourth" to create our coven of witches (we were around 13-14 years old and didn't really grasp the danger). I'm so grateful that we gave up and grew up. It's so easy to be drawn in, especially when you're searching for answers.

Here's something I've just seen on Facebook. I don't know the gentleman who posted it as it was shared by a mutual friend but I have a few issues with his reasoning.

He states that it's ok to join in with the celebrations because, basically, they don't mean anything unless you want them to.

I disagree.

Regardless of what you think; the frame of mind you're in; the rationale you use so that you can sleep at night, it's still rooted in Paganistic and Satanistic rituals and symbolism.

A colleague made a similar argument to me yesterday at work and I responded with this: If you play with a Ouija board but don't believe in it; just think it's a bit of fun, does that mean that nothing will happen? No! Of course not! Satan doesn't care what you believe. You've opened a doorway whether you know it or not!

 
Anyway, I just thought I’d share. Obviously my opinions and beliefs won’t be for everyone and I’m not suggesting that all Christians feel the same way. I’m just sharing what I feel!

If you are going out Trick or Treating for Halloween, please be careful and vigilant. It’s not just a bit of fun!

- Lisa

P.S. If you’re interested, here’s a message I received on 25 October 2008 about the history of Halloween. I think the most important part of the whole thing is the last part: “A final note, is the fact that Halloween is the high holy day of the satanic church. So it still bears a very dark side indeed, even today!”

As our children get ready to go “Trick-or-Treating” let us learn a little about the day “Halloween.”
Therefore we will look at a ancient pagan ritual, that is still practiced today. It’s original name was “Samhain,” however we know it as “Halloween.”
“Samhain” began at sundown on October 31st and extended into the following day. According to the Celtic pagan religion, known as Druidism, the spirits of those who had died roamed the earth on “Samhain” evening. This night was much feared by the Celtic people, and they sought to ward off the spirits with offerings of food and drink.
The dark side of this event was the fact that the Celts built bonfires, at so called sacred sights, and sometimes preformed rituals involving HUMAN and/or Animal Sacrifices, to honor Druid gods. “Samhain” was abandoned only when the people converted to Christianity during the very early middle ages. Now during that period of time the Church often incorporated modified versions of ancient pagan rituals in order to win over converts.
For example, Pope Gregory IV successfully replaced “Samhain” with All Saints Day, which fell on November 1, thus the evening of October 31 became known as All Hallows’ Even, which was later shortened to Halloween.
All Souls Day, as it is known as today, is a Holy Day in the Roman Catholic, and Anglican Churches, honoring those who have passed away.
Some aspects of this ancient pagan tradition thought to be incompatible with Christianity, were linked with folk beliefs about evil spirits.
In British folklore, small magical fairies became associated with Halloween mischief. The jack-o-lantern, originally carved from a turnip, originated in medieval Scotland. A small candle would be put into the turnip, that had a scary face carved on it. This was to be lit at night and displayed to scare off evil spirits which they feared roamed about that night.
Between the 15th & 17th Centuries, Europe was seized by a hysterical fear of witches, who were thought to ride flying brooms and to assume the form of black cats. Thus the images of witches and black cats soon joined other European superstitions as symbols of Halloween.
In the 19th & early 20th Centuries, young people often observed Halloween by perpetrating minor acts of vandalism, such as overturning sheds or breaking windows. Beginning inthe 1930′s, Halloween mischief gradually transformed into the modern ritual of trick-or-treating, though some still choose to perform acts of vandalism on Halloween still today. A final note, is the fact that Halloween is the high holy day of the satanic church. So it still bears a very dark side indeed, even today!
References: ( Encarta Reference Library 2008, and theEncyclopedia Britannica 2006. )