Is Halloween Child's Play or a Serpent in the Garden????

Question

Halloween, Child’s Play or The Serpent in the Garden?
October 14th, 2006 by jet44

This was my child’s English assignment. The students were asked to write a story on the subject of getting rid of a Holiday or adding one and this is what she wrote. I guess when the teacher read this one (no names were given) the class was dumbfounded and speechless.

English 11 Holidays
10-6-06

To Whom It May Concern:

One of the main holidays in our country is Halloween. I feel that this particular holiday produces a more negative affect than holidays should be allowed. On Halloween nights many kids, young and old, walk up and down streets to collects candy and other goodies from the neighbors. These actions may seem completely harmless when thought of briefly but when the true history of this holiday is investigated further horrible truths emerge. For example the roots of Halloween date back to medieval times. Back then October 31 was considered a day when dead spirits were beli

. Back then October 31 was considered a day when dead spirits were believed to return to their homes and when evil practices, such as witchcraft, were most potent. My friends from South Africa lived in an arelived in an area, where on Halloween nights, the cults would gather at graveyards to sacrifice cats and newborn babies to evil spirits. Today many people don’t understand the gruesome nature of this holiday and eagerly dismiss and negative facts against its origin. Today the choice of costumes for Halloween is also a problem for many people. If you’ve ever visited a general store in late September you’ve probably seen the variety of costumes displayed: skulls painted with blood, witch hats and masks, knives, axes etc. On a more serious note store decorations for Halloween usually advertise death and murder. For example Menards in Nebraska shows a skeleton hanging from the rafters by a handmade noose.

Who would want their three year old child to be exposed to that degree of terror at such a young age? Decorations like these not only scare children but also teach them that these actions are O.K. and exciting.
The problem with Halloween not only lies with its history and advertisement, but also with the safety of communities. One of the activities that troublemaking teenagers like to do on Halloween is pranking. Although this activity is slightly tolerable a very fine line is often crossed. Damage to public and personal property is a major prank that many pranksters try to accomplish on Halloween night. Do you want your children to be out amongst these potential criminals? Worse yet, a part of this crime? Safety is also an issue when addressing Halloween. Children are commonly left alone on October 31st to gather all the candy they can with their friends. Although there is safety in numbers, abductions do occur and are possible at any moment.

. Allowing this holiday to remain on our calendars will surely endanger our homes and families to a point we have never reached before. The simple concepts behind Halloween, such as candy gathering and consuming as much as possible is hard on the human body system. High calorie candy is one reason why so many kids today are overweight and proud owners of cavities that require around $100 to fix. Careful consumption of these treats is a very important skill that Halloween clearly destroys.
I understand that Halloween has been a trademark of our history and economy for many years, but the strong negativity of this holiday is too much to agree with! An alternative holiday such as a Harvest Celebration could involve dressing up in less terrorizing costumes and having a meal with family and friends. Kids could play games and win small pieces of candy or toys for prizes.

All I ask is that you understand the satanic nature of this popular holiday and consider some other possible alternatives that could take the place of this highly controversial holiday
www.e-sword.net is a great Bible tool
www.answersingenesis.org search this sight on issues of evolution and dinosaurs etc
Sincerely,http://jet44.wordpress.com

Dear Bast
Thank You for your reply. You are right to say to celebrate it would be hypocrisy for me. We did not celebrate it tonight and had an awesome family night just eating Jelly Bellies , a few disagreements (normal of course) and watching "Over the Hedge" which stressed "family". I remember days gone past of dressing up the kids because of social pressure I guess and dragging them house to house as they complain they didnt want to wear their costume and thinking is this for me or the kids. The Lord is convicting me on these matters and we are all in process. Take no offense. Jesus did not come down to earth to condemn us, but to teach us the Truth so we would be set free.
Regards

Answer 1

I don't know if you want biblical answer but this supports what your child said and tell your child he/she did good.

Halloween, many Christians often wonder if it's right for them, well, let's look at some statistics.

The first recorded Halloween was in Anonka, Min., in 1921 and Illinois led the country in pumpkin production with 457 million pounds produced in its prolific pumpkin patches. Halloween is second only to Christmas as the biggest decorating holiday. Consumers spent $3.12 billion dollars in 2005 wich is almost half from previous years (praise GOD.) The average person spends $18 on candy and $9.03 on halloween greeting cards. It is estimated that 36.4 million children ages 5-13 went out to trick or treat in 2004 and that is a decline of 381,00 from 2003(another praise GOD.)
Now let's look at this holiday from a biblical, GODly view.

First of all I think we need to describe Halloween, it is first of all a holiday with an origin stepped in the occult and pagan religion, every symbol associated with Halloween has demonic overtones to it. Halloween like most holidays is, well, a holiday.
The definition of holiday according to Websters dictionary says this.
1: a period of relaxiation, (now that I can get into)
2: a day which one is exempt from work; a day marked by general suspension of work in commemoration of an event, DID YOU CATCH THAT PART! in commemoration of an event.
3:(this one I really like) it is a Holy day, (huh halloween a holy day, go figure)

Now all we have to know is on Halloween what event are we commemorating and who are we celebrating? So far Halloween sounds real Godly, well let's take a look at the bible. We know that in all we do we are supposed to give thanks, and that we are to look at the fruit(s) of all that we do. Scripture says "A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot produce good fruit." What are the fruits of Halloween
1-fear, nightmares for small children
2-pranks which sometimes lead to death
3-poison candy
4-apples with razor blades in them
5-abductions(there are more kidnappings during the month of October than any other month
6-satanist meet to honor the devil and today have many avenues in which they invite others to join them to honor satan.

Ephesians 5:1-12(ncv)
1 You are God's children whom He loves, so try to be like Him. 2) live a life of love just as Christ loved us and gave Himself for us as a sweet smelling offering and scrifice to God. 3) But there must be no sexual sin among you, or any kind of evil or greed. Those things are not right for God's holy people. 4) also there must be no evil talk among you, and you must not speak foolishly or tell evil jokes, these things are not right for you. Insread, you should be giving thanks to God. 5)You can be sure of this: No one will have a place in the kingdom of Christ and of God who sins sexually, or does evil things, or is greedy. Anyone who is greedy is serving a false God. 6)Do not let anyone fool you by telling you things that are not true,because these things will bring god's anger on those who do not obey Him. 7)So have nothing to do with them, 8) In the past you were full of darkness, but now you are full of light in the Lord. So live like children who belong to the light. 9) Light brings every kind of goodness, right living, and truth. 10) Try to learn what pleases the Lord. 11)Have nothing to do with the things done in darkness, which are not worth saying. but show that they are wrong. 12)It is shameful even to talk about what those people do in secret.

That puts it pretty plainly, we are not to participate, or even speak about what they do in fact in vs. 11 we are supposed to rebuke them as it says to show that they are wrong,The christian community is the largest community in the United States, but she on issues such as Halloween has been asleep!!! She needs to take a stand,make a decision and rebuke others telling the fault of those things she once or still is in bondage to, we need to change these things, Jesus said"We are the salt of the earth and light of the world." now salt can't be added to anything without changing the flavor, we as christians are supposed to change the flavor or view of the world concerning things such as Halloween. now based on that scripture alone, I could probably stop and be content but there is so much more.
let's go on.

We are commanded to not even have fellowship with (them people.)

2 Corinthians 6:14-18
14)You are not the same as those who do not believe. So do not join yourselves to them.(this does not always mean in marriage) Good and bad do not belong together. Light and darkness cannot share together. 15)How can Christ and Belial, the devil, have any agreement? What can a believer have together with a nonbeliever? 16)The temple of God cannot have any agreement with idols, and we are the temple of the living God.vs. 16 should have hit a chord somewhere in your spiritual nerves. As God said: "I will live with them and walk with them. And I will be their God, and they will be my people."
17):Leave those people, and be separate, says the Lord. Touch nothing that is unlean, and I will accept you." {Isaiah52:11, Ezekiel 20:34,41}
18): I will be your father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty. {2 Samuel 7:14,7:8}
Wow that says a mouth full, basically if we separate our selves from them and dont' touch anything unclean then will be his sons and daughters, that should be motivation enough to avoid Halloween, but there is so much more in Gods word on this pagan holiday..

Just look at scripture it's not right, it's not healthy, we can't give thanks in it, and it's detramental to children but there are overtones that are bad to our society as a whole.

Deuteronomy 12:28-32 (ncv)
28)Be careful to obey all the rules I am giving you so that things will always go well for you and your children, and you will be doing what the LORD your God says is good and right.
29)you will enter the land and take it away from the nations that the LORD your God will destroy ahead of you. When you force them out and live in their lan, 30)they will be destroyed for you,but be careful not to be trapped by asking about their gods. Don't say, "How do these nations worship? I will do the same." 31)Don't worship the Lord your God that way, because the LORD hates the evil ways they worship their gods. They even burn their sons and daughters as sacrifices to their gods! 32)Be sure to do everything I have commanded you. Do not add anything to it, and do not take anything away from it.

This scripture says a couple of things, first of all we are not even to ask about what they do, how they worship, lest we be tempted and drawn away. There are some things we should be ignorant about one is evil in the sense of partaking of it. Another thing this scripture says is we are not to add or take away from. Let me explain. Let's say Some buddies and I are attending a costume party, I'm saved and those 2 are not, now they dress as demons but I dress as samson, (is that okay--I think not) I can't dress up and say hey I'm a biblical character, I am still partaking, the bible says not to partake it doesn't say to change the rules a little and do it anyways. vs. 32 says do not not add anything to it, and do not take anything away from it. pretty clear and cut.

Children are curious nature, they take in everything they see and hear, both good, and bad. When it comes to pagan gods and practices it is better to keep them as far away as you can because it will stir their curiosity, scripture says "train a child in the way he is to live and he will not depart from it when he gets old." if you don't train them right then satan will train them wrong, those kinds of practices are dangerous to children as where you or I would be able to overcome them.
Children playing dungeons and dragons or with a ouija board, or watching Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings is wrong, why you may ask---well Ephesian 5:11 says it all--11)Have nothing to do with the things done in darkness, which are not worth saying. Kids say they are just playing, well they are-they are playing right into the hands of demonic forces that can destroy their young lives and any hope for a future that they may have, those things can ensnare us. Websters defines ensnare as to be held captive, caught, bound.
Scripture says we are to be wise as serpeants and harmless as doves (especially concerning satans schemes)

Romans 16:19 out of the Standard Revised Version says

For while your obedience is know to all, so that I rejoice over you, I want you to be wise in what is good and guileless in what is evil.

Guiless--Naive(Websters Dictionary)

We have to remember a couple of things Halloween is a holy day, it is a festival, it needs to be judged righteously by the word of GOD and we need to make some discernments to partake or not.

Deuteronomy 18:9-14 (revised standard version)
9)When you come into the land that the LORD you God is giving you, you must not learn to imitate the abhorrent practices of those nations. 10) No one shall be found among you who makes a son or daughter pass through fire, or who practices divination, or is a soothsayer, or an augur, or a sorcerer, 11) or one who casts spells, or who consults ghosts or spirits or who seeks oracles from the dead. 12)For whoever does these things is abhorrent to the LORD; it is because of such abhorrent practices that the LORD your God is driving them out before you. 13) You must remain completely loyal to the Lord your God. 14) Although these nations that you are about to dispossess do give heed to soothsayers and diviners, as for you, the LORD your God does not permit you to do so.

There's a lot there so I am going to break it down vs. by vs. first lets define the types of people mentioned in the scripture. vs 9 says we are not to LEARN to imitate abhorrent practices.

abhorrent is defined as-A)strongly opposed, B)not agreeable: CONTRARY c)being so repugnant as to stire up positive antaganism(which is to be in opposition of a conflicting force, actively expressed hostility.)
vs.10) No one shall be found among you who makes a son or daughter pass through fire. in other words child sacrifice, or who practices divination, the art to forsee the future by interpretation of omens, or supernatural power, or is a soothsayer,person who tells the future(in our time it would be a fortune teller, or an augur, this is an official diviner of ancient Roman government,one held to fortell event by omens, and an omen is a phenomenon believed to portend a future event in fact Balaam used omesn in Numbers chapter 24, or a sorcerer, person who practices sorcery, and if that doesn't help sorcery is the use of power gained from the assistance or control of evil spirits, especially for divining(or telling the future.) In case you didn't catch it most of those types of people tell the future, Jeremiah 29:11 says "I know the plans I have for you, plans of good and not of evil, plans to give you hope and a future."

I personally believe that what God has planned is not for us to know, that is why so much emphasize is put on staying away from fortune tellers and the like.

11) or one who casts spells, or who consults ghosts or spirits or who seeks oracles from the dead. One who casts spells is a sorcerer or magician, and a medium consults with ghosts and seeks oracles from the dead, does the story of Saul consulting the witch of endor ring any bells, how about John Edwards from the sci-fi channels Crossing over, I believe that Mr. Edwards has a very real power and he does consult the dead but it is very satanic, and he is blinded and leading others into a pit with him, open your ears people, and your eyes!!!!

Sometimes even Christians partake in a holiday that has nothing but demonic overtones, satan does not honor ignoance he prays on it . Ignorance in the natural leads to defeat. Ignorance in the spiritual leads to defeat, delusion and finally destruction, 1 Peter 5:8 Control yourselves and BE CAREFUL! satan does have a scheme, the rest of that verse says The devil, your enemy (YOUR ENEMY) goes around like a roaring lion looking (LOOKING) for someone to eat.

John 10:10 calls him a thief, Ephesians 6 says to put on the whole armor of GOD that we may stand against the devils wiles. Wiles is defined as a shceme, plan, trick, satan has a strategy against all of us. You can't relent to the devil. When you are in the light don't think about the devil, for he must tremble at our feet. You can get into trouble by focusing on satan, demonology or demonic powers, but you can also get into trouble by ignoring the devil, the reality of demons, don't yield to him in any way even by hanging a witch in your window, the bible calls witches an abomination, your home is just as much holy ground as a church, and hanging a witch in it is disrespectful to GOD for the bible says that GOD resides in your home.


many people expose their children to things without finding out what they mean, ex. skeletons, jack-o-lanterns, haunted houses and other symbols, some people say symbols mean nothing. OHH is that so----------how about turning the cross upside down, or throwing communion on the groung and trashing on it, if symbols don't mean anything then why were the 10 commandments ordered to be taking down off of legal building walls, or why can't a teacher have a bible on his/her desk, you start asking about their symbols and those people will get huff with you.
symbols mean something.
idols mean something
and the bible says behind every idol is a demon.....

And finally a friend asked me if it was okay to put Gospel tracts on candy and hand it out, and at first this stumped me, but after reading and asking some questions to my trusty pastor, here is what I found out. First let's say you did that, you handed out some candy on Halloween with a gospel tract on it (doesn't sound to bad) but let's say 5 doors down the same kid gets another peice of candy and this one is poison, the kid eats it and dies. Now did you give him the poison candy, NO, are you guilty of it just as much YES scripture says In Jeremiah, that he was going to prophesy about Judah and the inhabitants didn't like what he was saying so they were going to kill him, but Jeremiah said "If you kill me you are guilty of killing an innocent person, not only that but the town will be guilty and everyone in it." Do you see the connection of guilt by association, still don't believe GOD believes that, what about Achin and his sin, this particular sin caused his whole family to be destroyed, why? because they were associated with him. God also believes in blessing by association, if you don't believe me let's look at Sodom and Gomorrah, God told Abraham that he would spare the city if he found 10 ritghteous people. In other words the whole city would have been saved through guilt by association. If that still doesn't convence you look at Haggai 2:12-13, this scripture talks about something holy touching something unholy, the priests said the unholy cannot be made holy then in vs. 13 they say that something clean become unclean simply by touching it. Starting to get the picture. Something that has an origin steeped in occultisism, paganism and devil worship cannot be made holy but it can be stopped through prayer, so putting gospel tracts on candy and handing it out wont' do any good, the child will throw it away (if he/she reads it at all) and eat the candy without a thought about what the tract said. oh yeah the bible says not to partake, it doesn't say change the rules and do it anyways.

Love and GOD bless
Jaime

Answer 2

Halloween is for fun now days. And people who still associate it with negative things like your saying are being foolish. Good christian people who live by their religion, which somehow i doubt you do because like many Christians your a hypocrite, celebrate Halloween. Halloween is as harmless as Harry Potter and Grand Theft Auto. It's twisted people who make it into something more. And if a persons religious beliefs call for a sacrifice that is no business of mine or yours because they are not in our country as you stated. In America such things are not allowed and never should be. Do some research before you write a paper. . .Halloween was started by the Druids to celebrate the harvest.

Answer 3

The story got cut off. The origins of Halloween come from the pagan celebration Samhain (pronounced SOW-in). From what little I gather here, your child (and you, probably) believe that pagans are the harbingers of "horrible truths". I'm sorry you feel this way. I am not pagan myself, but the ones I know and love are fine people who respect others. Hope you do, too.

Answer 4

Halloween is like any other holiday. Just like Christmas and Easter, you can choose to participate or not according to your own belief system, but don't ruin it for others - you don't have that right. The only right you have is what YOU are going to do.

Answer 5

I used to feel that way...evil...I thought. Day of the dead and the memories of kings torturing people in dungeons...Why do we do this.

Then it came to me whe I was explaining why we celebrate Halloween to some elementary school kids.

I told them it is a day to laugh at the things you are afraid of...a day to overcome fear and evil with laughter. Laugh at the things that frighten you and they will quit being evil.

Yeah, snake in the garden but its only a garden snake and more likely just a lizard.

Answer 6

Bah! Halloween is nothing but a fun holiday.