Halloween

And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret." (Ephesians 5:11-12)
When little children gather together in their costumes, glowing with excitement, they are not anticipating devil worship. In most cases, Halloween will come and go in our lives' with little thought and will be relatively uneventful in a negative way. But, as christians, we might want to think about it. We are told by Paul in I Corth.8 that the more enlightened "christian" may not see eating meats sacrificed to idol, as sin. But, because there are believers who do think it is sin, we must consider their hearts and not cause them bitterness or a stumbling block. So,with that thought in mind, let's take a look at Halloween.

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ALL HALLOWS EVE
In 834 A.D. Gregory IV extended the feast for all the church and it became known as All Saint's Day, still remembering the dead. Samhain, a Druid god of the dead was honored at Halloween in Britain, France, Germany and the Celtic countries. Samhain called together all wicked souls who died within the past year and that were destined to inhabit animals. This celebration of the dead honored the god of the dead on this particular night.

Druids believed that souls of the dead returned to their former homes to be entertained by the living. Bonfires were built atop hills so they might find their way. Suitable food and shelter was provided for these spirits or else they would cast spells, cause havoc, steal infants, destroy crops, kill farm animals and create terror as they haunted the living. The spirits demanded placating by giving them a type of worship and offering.
This is the action that "Trick-or-Treat" emulates today. The Samhain celebration used nuts, apples, skeletons, witches and black cats. Divination and auguries were practiced as well as magic to seek answers for the future. Black cats were considered to be reincarnated beings with the ability to divine the future. During this festival supernatural beings terrified the populace. Even today witchcraft practitioners declare October 31st as the most conducive time to practice their arts.

The Christian church has tried to eliminate the Druid celebration by offering All Saint's Day as a substitute. As Christianity spread over Europe and the British Isles, it attempted to replace the pre-existing pagan cult worship of Apollo, Diana or Ymir, but to no avail. Although the outward forms of such worship disappeared, the belief in these deities did not. They found an outlet during the Middle Ages in the open practice of witchcraft which is presently enjoying a revival in many countries, including the United States.

NOTE; Our family simply does not observe this day. We live in a community that has groups that openly worship Satan. We have a group of people, who I will not name, that torture farm animals, especially horse, as a part of their ritual. This only happens on or near Halloween. For this reason, we simply do not observe the day..

What are the alternatives?

All Saints Day
For those of the Catholic faith.
Celebrate The Reformation!
Reformation Day
In the wake of the Renaissance,the Reformation resulted primarily from attempts to restore the bible to it's proper place of authority. God uses several men during this time, whom we know as the pre-reformers. Such men as Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, John Calvin, John Knox, John Wycliffe, and even King Henry VIII.
Wycliffe denounced the Roman church for it's corruption and depriving the people of the bible.{ No, offense the pre-mentioned option.}Wycliffe's view of the bible as the ultimate authority over any "religion" encouraged the reformation. So,on Oct.31rst, let's celebrate the Reformation!

Harvest Celebration!
Some people take this day to celebrate the harvest which would continue and end with the day of thanks on Thanksgiving day.
Be Sure to see our card shop for halloween alternative cards!