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Friday, October 29, 2010

11

Halloween and its Origins?

Two weeks ago, we posted a poll to find out what convictions people held towards halloween. We thank and appreciate all who have taken the time to vote. The majority of the voters (81%, 45 of 55) hold the conviction of not celebrating it because they believe it is wrong. However, there were a few votes in each of the other categories which you can see on the right.

We as a family believe that halloween is considered unholy according to scripture, and therefore we do not observe it in any way, nor do we observe an alternative. As Zachary, Leah and I started to prepare for this post during bible study time, we decided to look at history to share “why” this day is unbiblical. We didn’t have to read far for our belief to be re-confirmed.

Scripture tells us that if we know the truth we will be able to discern between right and wrong. We do cover some history but did not feel the need to rehash what has already been written nor go into depth on the origins of the holiday. If you are interested in reading more, please see some links below.

Halloween is observed by many in today’s culture. Numerous forms of how it is observed can be found across North America and parts of Europe. I recently read a short article on the history and origin of halloween. The article started by stating “Halloween is one of many modern observances that we have inherited from our fathers, yet is not rooted in scripture. For me, the fact that it is not rooted in scripture is all the evidence I need to not observe it. But I do recognize the value in looking at the history of the 'unholi-day' and seeing if it is rooted in idolatry.” I agree with the author.


Origins
History shows that Halloween has its roots to the ancient religion of the Celtics in Ireland.

From Encyclopedia.com:
Halloween , Oct. 31, the eve of All Saints’Day, observed with traditional games and customs. The word comes from medieval England’s All Hallows' eve (Old Eng. hallow = "saint"). However, many of these customs predate Christianity back to Celtic practices associated with Nov. 1, which was Samhain , the beginning of winter and the Celtic new year. Witches and other evil spirits were believed to roam the earth on this evening, playing tricks on human beings to mark the season of diminishing sunlight. Bonfires were lit, offerings were made of dainty foods and sweets, and people would disguise themselves as one of the roaming spirits, to avoid demonic persecution. Survivals of these early practices can be found in countries of Celtic influence today, such as the United States, children go from door to door in costumes demanding "trick or treat."

Celtic priests, also known as druids who were members of the pagan orders in Britian, Ireland and Gual, would perform their rituals of sacrifices to scare away the evil spirits and to also calm the gods so the sun would return after the winter.

Druid raiding parties went from home to home and chose certain children to be burned alive on “bone-fires”, as offerings to the sun. Parents tied yellow ribbons around oak trees as prayers to the sun to have their children spared. The fat left over from the child was fashioned into a candle and placed into a hollowed out pumpkin or vegetable with a round sun-shape design. These were lit and placed at the door to signify to other parties to leave the family alone. The victim was called “Jack of the Lantern”. There are several versions of how people think jack-o-lanterns came about, but they all come back to the sacrificing of children.

As a result of the spread of Christianity throughout parts of Europe, including the Celtic territory, Roman and Celtic holidays became intertwined.  This is how we see All Saints’s Day, a time to honor saints and martyrs replacing the pagan festival of the dead, introduced by Pope Boniface IV in the 7th century. It was later changed from May 13 to November 1 making it a day for Christians to remember all the saints who had died in the community. And that is how All Hallows’ Eve (hallow = saint) came about now being observed on October 31. When the English Puritans settled in America, they rejected halloween as a catholic and pagan holiday. Halloween was reintroduced in the United States in the 1840’s when the Irish Settlers immigrated due to the potato famine in their country and brought the halloween custom with them; it was regarded as a night of fear. Only in modern times has halloween been turned into a festive time.

How is halloween being Observed Today?

Today, halloween has become a multi-billion dollar shopping holiday and almost 30 million cards for the holiday are sent out. People generally think of halloween as a happy, spooky night where kids dress up in funny costumes and ask for candy. It has come a long way from its origins, so is it ok to celebrate it? What does the Bible say about witches? “Do not allow a practicer of witchcraft to live” Exodus 22:18. Deuteronomy 18:10 says, “Let no one be found among you who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practises divination, or a user of magic, or one who interprets omens or a sorcerer…”

Many traditions and objects associated with halloween are still very closely related to what the customs that were practiced many years ago. Jack-O-Lanterns are still used, the carving of pumpkins is still being done, children are still going door to door “trick or treating”. These pagan evil practices are still being rehearsed and passed down from one generation to the next. Would Yeshua go around knocking on doors dressed up in some silly or evil costume demanding candy at night on a day that was set apart to appease the sun by sacrificing children and using the fat of them to make candles to put in a pumpkin called a jack-of-the-lantern? Halloween is a holiday which glorifies the dark things of the world. It's a day for the dead, death, and darkness. Would Yeshua imitate those doing so, or even approve of the “trick or treaters” by handing out candy? Yeshua tells us in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” Why would someone, as a believer in Messiah and spreader of the Light of the world, even want to associate with these pagan origins?  “For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness.” 1 Thessalonians 5:5

Is YHWH Ok with a Christian Alternative?
Many people today have realized that halloween is not acceptable, parents often feel the need to have the family participate in an alternative because they don’t want their children to feel they are missing out. These alternatives come in the form of harvest parties, a fall fun fest, trunk-or-treat or possibly a reformation day event. Thus, because halloween represents worthless and evil things, does our Creator approve of any other form of celebration on that day? Can we make evil good? Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!  “Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!” Isaiah 5:20-21 – “How does Yeshua feel when we mix traditions of a pagan with an alternative?” Let us not be like those in Isaiah 1:22, “Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with water:” Since belief in YHVH and Yeshua is a holy thing, let us not mix it with unholy things. Psalm 106:35 “But were mingled among the heathen, and learned their works.” Don’t give the devil a foothold in your life to sin against our Creator. Scripture tells us not to mix Yeshua with darkness. 2 Corinthians 6:15 says, “And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?” The word Belial in the concordance is defined as: “worthlessness; Belial, as an epithet of Satan: - Belial.”

How are to be set apart for YHWH?

Paul says in Romans 12:1-2, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

Let us come together and pray for more understanding for what we ought to do to become more set apart to be pleasing to our Creator. Let us pray for one another in all things even on this night for bonds to be loosened and broken which the enemy may have taken hold of.  Let us ask for forgiveness for allowing the enemy to come into our lives and ask YHWH to take back the ground that belongs to Him. “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." (Ephesians 6:12)

May we all worship in spirit and in truth for the Father seeks such to worship him.

If you would like to learn of the biblical Holy Days,our Creator's set apart days feel free to contact us here

This post was written and edited by John, Carmen, Zachary and Leah Bruno

Sources: 
Occult Occult Holidays Or God's Holy Days Which? by Fred Coulter
Fossilized Customes by Lew White
http://www.jeremiahproject.com/culture/halloween.html
http://www.eliyah.com/hallween.html

Audios available for listening
Truth2U - halloween

11 comments:

  1. I agree 100%. I don't see how all these churches think an alternative is any better.

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  2. I too agree with this article. Yet I know many believers that still celebrate this day.

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  3. Halloween isn't very big here in South Africa but most of the shops still have the decorations. I hate Halloween, it's so evil and demonic.

    Great post. Enjoyed reading it =D.

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  4. Very well written... thank you for the kindness in your tone of voice as you proclaim the Truth of YHWH =)

    Love to you!

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  5. Carmen - Very well written and shared, many practicing 'wiccans' play with this 'stuff' and then discover it was not (and should not) to be played with...some even play at evil thinking no harm no foul...but there is! Shalom and Blessings!

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  6. Great job!! Sadly a lot of my church-going family still celebrates this and is upset that we don't. Very well researched -- thanks!

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  7. Thank you for your kind comments. We were prepared for difference of opinions on this subject since there are many who observe this day. We appreciate knowing our article got the point across.

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  8. Shalom
    This was such a wonderful post, I loved all of the Scriptures, especially that ones out of Torah!!! YHVH bless your family!
    Shalom,
    Moira

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  9. Those who follow The Messiah do not observe "days, weeks, months or years" for the brethren of The Messiah are but "aliens and pilgrims while the earth" for their "citizenship is in Heaven"!

    So it is that they are exhorted to:

    “Love Not The World”

    ”For the WHOLE(not just a portion) world is under the control of the evil one”.......(I John 5:19)

    “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world will pass away, and the lust thereof: but he that does the will of The Only True GOD will abide for ever.”(IJohn2:15-17)

    “If you were of the world, the world would love it’s own: but because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said unto you, the servant is not greater than his Master. If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept My saying, they will keep yours also.” (John15:19-20)

    “Where do wars and fighting among you come from? Do they not come of your lusts that war in your members? You lust, and have not: you kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: you fight and war yet you have not, because you ask not. You ask, and receive not, because you ask amiss, that you may consume it upon your lusts. You adulterers and adulteresses, don’t you know that friendship with the world is to be at enmity with The Only True GOD? Therefore whoever will be a friend of the world is the enemy of The Only True GOD.” (James 4:1-4)

    “The world cannot hate you; but the world hates Me, because I testify that the works of this world are evil.” (John 7:7)” and “The Messiah gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of The Only True God, Our Father.”(Gal 1:4)

    The Messiah testified: “If the world hates you know that it hated Me before it hated you.”(John 5:18) Truly, Truly, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abides alone: but if it die it brings forth much fruit. He that loves his life in this world shall lose it; and he that hates his life in this world shall have it unto life eternal.” (John 12:24-25)

    John testified: “Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hates you.” (I John 3:13) “ James testified, “Whoever would be a friend of this world is the enemy of GOD”(James4:4)

    "Come Out of her, MY people"!

    Global warming, polluted air, land and waters, toxic wastes, sexual perversion, evil inventions of destruction, greed, hate, carnal warfare, dis-ease(no-peace),,etc,, are all destructive processes that have their root in “the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life” all of which fuel the fires of mankind’s “imag”ination ;-(

    "Come out from among them and be separate"!

    Peace, in spite of the dis-ease(no-peace) that is of this world and it's systems of religion, for "the WHOLE(not just a portion) world is under the control of the evil one" indeed and Truth......

    Truth IS, a lie never was and is not.......

    Abide in Truth....... francis

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  10. Thank you for your wonderful post! It was very informative. I have not agreed with celebrating Halloween for many years now. My new issue I am trying to tackle is Christmas and Easter. The days and many of the traditions have pagan origins as well. Some of my friends don't celebrate the days because of that. I don't think I will give up celebrating the days as of now but it's food for thought. What do you think?

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  11. Hello Katie, thank you for your comment. Yes christmas and easter do have pagan origins. Our family observes our Creator's Holy days, the same days that Jesus/Yeshua observed. If you would like to learn more, please feel free to email me personally. I would be happy to talk more with you. Please click on "contact us" above.

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