"When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you 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? (Deuteronomy 18:9-11).
Yes, you are at a Christian homepage and yes this is a page on Halloween. As my children were growing up I thought it was cute to dress them up and take them out for Trick or Treat. (It was all innocent fun.) I even scheduled 4-H Halloween Parties for the children in my county. (It was all innocent fun.) But God finally got my attention and showed me the true meaning behind Halloween. I would like to share some of that information with you right now. You will find many different ideas about Halloween but the best thing to do is turn it over to the Lord and ask yourself, "What would Jesus do?"
TRICK OR TREAT
Hundreds of years before the birth of Christ, the Celts, inhabitants of Britain and Ireland, observed a festival on October 31. Unlike modern-day Halloween, theirs was no children's holiday.
The Celts and their priests, the Druids, celebrated Samhain, a festival that marked the eve of the Celtic New Year, which began on November 1. The Celts believed that during Samhain the veil separating the living from the dead was at its thinnest. They believed that on the evening of October 31, evil spirits and the souls of the dead passed through the barrier and entered the world of the living. Departed family members would revisit their earthly homes.
The Celts believed these spirits and dead souls could torment the living. Crops might be destroyed, babies stolen, farm animals killed. But this was also an opportunity to commune with the spirits -- and divine the future. The Devil, the lord of darkness, was ordinarily feared, but during Samhain, his power would be called on to foretell the future.
The Druids were charged with appeasing the goblins and preventing harm to the people. Huge Samhain bonfires were lit to guide the way of the spirits. Various sacrifices -- including human -- were performed to assure a good year. Several ancient authors commented on the gory religious rites of the Druids.
It is believed that, like many pagan cultures around the world, the Celts left out food for the spirits, hoping that a "treat" would prevent an evil "trick."
Irish immigrants in the mid-1800s brought to America the Halloween customs we're familiar with -- costumes, trick-or-treat, carved Jack-o-lanterns, etc. Unfortunately, they also brought "tricks" with them -- which often involved breaking windows and over-turning sheds and outhouses.
Even though the practice of actually performing a trick if no treat is given has faded, the custom of children going "trick-or-treating" has become an established American tradition. Only in recent years have parents hesitated to send their children into the streets because of the increased danger of accidents, poisoned food, and menacing strangers.
Nonetheless, despite the dangers associated with trick-or-treating, Halloween is celebrated more than ever. In fact, the night is the second most popular party night of the year.
But while children and adults innocently imitate ancient Celtic customs, darker practices persist. Witches and Satanists still consider Halloween to be one of the strongest times during the year to cast a spell.
This one night of the year, most eyes are not fixed on Jesus but on a darker image. The Christian's "race of faith" leads him to eternal life, to a joy that has no shadow. Should we really be focusing on the devil, witches and other dark beings, even for one night?
God says, "Don't imitate evil!"
If our children dress as witches and sorcerers, if we hang cardboard ghosts in our windows, if we entertain with tales of ghouls and haunted houses -- what are we doing but imitating that which is evil? We need to make it clear as Christians that witches and evil spirits are not funny and are not harmless, even if the people in witch costumes are only play-acting.
Whatever you do on Halloween, use this biblical guidelines as you make your plans: "Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God" (I Corinthians 10:31).
This information was copied from CBN BIBLE RESOURCES Please take the time to go and read the entire article.
SATAN'S BEATITUDES
If Satan were to write beatitudes, they might go something like this: * Blessed are those Christians who are: MAYBE WE NEED TO ADD ONE MORE...
TOO TIRED, TOO BUSY, & TOO DISTRACTED to spend time with their fellow Christians in Church, for they are my best candidates to backslide.
* Blessed are those Christians who:
WAIT TO BE ASKED and EXPECT TO BE THANKED for I can use them to slow things down.
* Blessed are those Christians who:
are TOUCHY. With a bit of luck they may STOP GOING TO CHURCH and get others to quit. They are my missionaries.
* Blessed are those Christians who:
are VERY RELIGIOUS but GET ON EVERYONE'S NERVES for they are my most effective stumbling blocks.
* Blessed are those Christians who:
are TROUBLEMAKERS for they are my best wrecking crew.
* Blessed are those Christians who:
have NO TIME TO PRAY. They are easy prey for me.
* Blessed are those Christians who:
are COMPLAINERS for they are my best discouragers.
* Blessed are YOU when you read this and THINK IT IS ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE and not YOURSELF, for I'VE GOT YOU!
*Blessed are those Christians who:
Celebrate my favorite holiday...HALLOWEEN for they lead the innocent to me by telling them it's just innocent fun.
