WHY NOT CELEBRATE HALLOWEEN?

Actor Kirk Cameron:

"The real origins have a lot to do with All Saints Day and All Hallows Eve," the actor

told The Christian Post. "If you go back to old church calendars, especially Catholic

calendars, they recognize the holiday All Saints Day, with All Hallows Eve the day

before, when they would remember the dead. That's all tied in to Halloween."

Moreover, the "Unstoppable" star went on to cite what he believes to be the meaning

behind dressing up in frightening costumes on Halloween, clarifying the meaning of

Oct. 31.

"When you go out on Halloween and see all people dressed in costumes and see

someone in a great big bobble head Obama costume with great big ears and an

Obama face, are they honoring him or poking fun?" Cameron asked.

"They are poking fun at him," the actor said, answering his own question before

comparing the concept of costumes to early Christianity.

"Early on, Christians would dress up in costumes as the devil, ghosts, goblins and

witches precisely to make the point that those things were defeated and overthrown

by the resurrected Jesus Christ," Cameron continued. "The costumes poke fun at the

fact that the devil and other evils were publicly humiliated by Christ at His

resurrection. That's what the Scriptures say, that He publicly humiliated the devil

when He triumphed over power and principality and put them under his feet. Over

time you get some pagans who want to go’ this is our day, high holy day of Satanic

church, that this is all about death’, but Christians have always known since the first

century that death was defeated, that the grave was overwhelmed, that ghosts,

goblins, devils are foolish has-beens who used to be in power but not anymore. That's

the perspective Christians should have."

Lastly, the "Fireproof" star urged Christians to use Halloween as an opportunity to

inform others about God with the biggest celebration around.

1. While there is some difference of opinion as to the specific origins of the many Halloween

traditions (jack-o-lanterns; costumes; trick-or-treating; bobbing for apples; association with ghosts, spirits, witchcraft, and death), it is undeniable and universally agreed that:

A. All of these traditions are rooted in the beliefs and practices of pagan peoples.

B. The pagan traditions were based upon “the signs of heaven” and were connected to various types

of contact with the spirits of the dead. C. The evolution of the modern holiday is tied to Roman Catholic adaptions of the pagan practices.

D. It remains an important and celebrated “holy day” for modern pagans and witches.

(Mark 7:9) And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep

your own tradition.

13) Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and

many such like things do ye.

http://www.history.com/topics/halloween/history-of-halloween

Article from The History Channel

http://www.history.com/topics/halloween

Halloween's origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow -in). The Celts celebrated their new year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer and harvest, and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31 they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future. To commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred bonfires, where the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities. During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other's fortunes. When the celebration was over, they re-lit their hearth fires, which they had extinguished earlier that evening, from the sacred bonfire to help protect them during the coming winter. By 43 AD, the Roman Empire had conquered the majority of Celtic territory. In the course of the four hundred years that they ruled the Celtic lands, two festivals of Roman origin were combined with the traditional Celtic celebration of Samhain. The first was Feralia, a day in late October when the Romans traditionally commemorated the passing of the dead. The second was a day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. On May 13, 609 AD, Pope Boniface IV dedicated the Pantheon in Rome in honor of all Christian martyrs, and the Catholic feast of All Martyrs’ Day was established in the Western church. Pope Gregory III (731–741) later expanded the festival to include all saints as well as all martyrs, and moved the observance from May 13 to November 1. By the 9th century the influence of [Roman Catholicism] had spread into Celtic lands, where it gradually blended with and supplanted the older Celtic rites. In 1000 AD, the church would make November 2 All Souls' Day, a day to honor the dead. It is widely believed today that the church was attempting to replace the Celtic festival of the dead with a related, but church -sanctioned holiday. All Souls’ Day was celebrated similarly to Samhain, with big bonfires, parades, and dressing up in costumes as saints, angels, and devils. The All Saints’ Day celebration was also called All-hallows or All-hallowmas (from Middle English Alholowmesse meaning All Saints' Day) and the night before it, the traditional night of Samhain in the Celtic religion, began to be called All-hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween.

Video from The Discovery Channel

http://news.discovery.com/videos/history-where-did-halloween-come-from.html

2. While there is nothing inherently wrong with eating candy or dressing up in costume the following scriptures leave no room for doubt as to the level of involvement that Christians should

have in such a holiday.

(Jer 10:2-3) Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not

dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.

3) For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the

work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.

(Eph 5:11) And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather

reprove them.

(2Cor 6:14-17) Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship

hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with

darkness?

15) And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth

with an infidel?

16) And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of

the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will

be their God, and they shall be my people.

17) Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and

touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

(Deut 18:9-14) When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee,

thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.

10) There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter

to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an

enchanter, or a witch,

11) Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.

12) For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of

these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.

13) Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God.

14) For these nations, which thou shalt possess, hearkened unto observers of times,

and unto diviners: but as for thee, the LORD thy God hath not suffered thee so to

do. Necromancy /ˈnɛkrɵˌmænsi/ or nigromancy is a f orm of magic inv olv ing communication with the deceased – either by summoning their spirit as

anapparition or raising them bodily – f or the purpose of div ination, imparting the means to f oretell f uture ev ents or discov er hidden knowledge, or to

use the deceased as a weapon, as the term may sometimes be used in a more general sense to ref er to black magic or witchcraf t. [1][2]

3. The fact that so many so-called Christians and so-called churches celebrate the holiday in spite

of these truths reveals two things:

Sadly, very few have sufficient knowledge of and/or interest in what the Bible says for it to

have much of an impact on how they live their lives.

((Hos 4:6) My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected

knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast

forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.

(2Tim 2:15) Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be

ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.)

Many of are more interested in pleasing self Rom 15:3, 2Tim 3:1-5

and/or being acceptable to society Gal 1:10, 1Pet 2:9

than they are with pleasing the Lord Rev 4:11,

and doing what is acceptable to Him Ps 19:14

Many of those who may know what the Bible says are more interested in pleasing self

((Rom 15:3) For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them

that reproached thee fell on me. (2Tim 3:1-5) This know also, that in the last days perilous

times shall come. 2) For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud,

blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3) Without natural affection,

trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4)

Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5) Having a form

of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.)

and/or being acceptable to society

((Gal 1:10) For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased

men, I should not be the servant of Christ. (1Pet 2:9) But ye are a chosen generation, a royal

priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him

who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:)

than they are with pleasing the Lord

((Rev 4:11) Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast

created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.)

and doing what is acceptable to Him

((Ps 19:14) Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy

sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.)