A Trick or a Treat?

Halloween is here again. What a fun night! Pumpkins and black cats and haunted houses. Children run from door to door, their Halloween bags held out in anticipation of the goodies they'll receive. Adults plan for weeks what they will wear, some paying more for a costume than they would for a good set of clothing for work. It's just a fun evening, isn't it? Let's take a closer look.

As we said yesterday, it's difficult to pin down exactly what the origins of Halloween are. What we're recording below comes predominately from the Encyclopedia Britannica - as objective a source as we could find.

The first observance of October 31 as a holiday began well before the Christian era. This day marked the end of the Celtic (Irish, Scottish and English) calendar year. It was the festival of the dead, celebrated by the Celtic pagan cult called the DRUIDS in England who had the idea that people needed to be cleansed after they had died. The soul of the departed was transferred by magic to the body of an animal. During the night of October 31, the enchanted souls were freed by the Druid god and taken together into the Druid heaven. During the festival, the dead rose and wandered; divination and soothsaying were practiced; fairies, witches, and goblins harassed the people of the countryside; and Druids demanded contributions of food to support their special diet -- "Trick or Treat"! Pumpkins carved to show a face are related to the turnips carved into death masks, which were carried by the Druids during the Festival.

During the Reformation, Halloween was revoked by Protestantism. But in spite of continual attempts by the church to destroy these pagan religions and practices, they have survived. During the middle ages, such practices found an outlet in a tremendous surge in the practice of witchcraft, which was devoted to the worship of Satan himself. One of the special "sabbaths" for this worship was October 31. Witches were said to travel to these services on broomsticks accompanied by black cats.

Whatever the specifics of Halloween's origin, the whole concept behind Halloween involves death, darkness, deception, fear, pagan rituals, and Satan. In these days of increasing occult activity and satanic practices, along with the more and more pervasive efforts to throw God out - not just out of the United States, but out of every country in the world - it may be that involvement in Halloween activities holds new dangers. Perhaps you and I need to be especially watchful.

Does this mean that Christians should shut their doors, turn out the lights, and ignore any children who come to your door? Does it mean that there is something wrong with doing ANYTHING on October 31st, including the "harvest parties" that many churches hold each year? Well, let's look at what Jesus would do.

First, in Matthew 5:14-16, Jesus said, "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." And in Romans 12:25, Paul (who spoke through inspiration of the Holy Spirit) said, "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." I don't know about you, but that says to me that the worst thing we can do as Christians is "hide" on Halloween! Instead, we should do everything we can to make sure that the children who come to our door walk away with a distinct feeling of having been loved by whoever opened the door! Should we pass out tracts that talk about how evil Halloween is? No, I don't think so. Instead, we should give the children something that they will love. something that will let them know that THEY are loved by Jesus.

What about church "alternative" parties? Are those a good thing? Absolutely! Especially if the saved kids in the church invite their unsaved friends to participate. And then, make sure that everyone has a wonderful time. How? Get the saved teenagers and kids involved in the planning. let them be creative. challenge them to come up with activities for the party that - instead of focusing on what's wrong with Halloween - they focus on what's right about Jesus!

That's the key right there. As Christians, our goal every day - not just on October 31st - is supposed to be glorifying God. It does not glorify Him to hide our light on the one night when it needs to shine the brightest!

This information is presented with no intent to judge or to condemn, but only to share in love the burden of my heart. It is my prayer that you will search the Scriptures (starting with the links below), examine their message and determine in each of your own hearts whether Halloween is a Trick or a Treat. and what you can do this Halloween to bring glory to God.

Exodus 22:18; Exodus 34:14; Leviticus 19:31; Leviticus 20:6; Deuteronomy 18:10-12; 2 Kings 17:16-17; 1 Chronicles 10:13-14; Isaiah 8:19; Isaiah 19:3; Isaiah 47:9-10; Jeremiah 27:9; Ezekiel 13:23; Daniel 2:27-28; Daniel 5:7-8; Micah 5:12; Zechariah 10:2; Matthew 6:24; Matthew 22:36-40; Luke 16:13; Acts 8:9-12; Acts 13:6-12; Acts 16:16-18; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; Galatians 5:19-21; 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22; 1 Peter 2:9; Revelation 18:23

"Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret." Ephesians 5:11-12 NIV

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