10.25.02

And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. - Ephesians 5:11.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. - Ephesians 6:12.

Horror has been repackaged as Halloween with cool costumes, diabolical decorations, goblin goodies, and eerie entertainment. We are encouraged to watch the top ten scariest movies ever made so that we can have a “screamingly good time.” On the USA Today web page is the horror of snipers at the top and at the bottom is the smiley marketing face of Halloween Illuminations. Horror Historian David J. Skal writes (in his book, “Death Makes a Holiday: A Cultural History of Halloween”), “Halloween is a holiday that refuses to play by anyone's rules.” Skal also writes that Halloween is, “Unpredictable and unrepentant, Halloween also remains stubbornly unofficial and underground, and this may be the key to understanding the tumult that regularly erupts in its name.”

More than two thousand years ago the Druids living in what is now Ireland, Great Britain and France had the Fire Festival which they observed to mark the Celtic new year. The Druids believed that on that night the barrier between the natural world and the supernatural was removed, and then the spirits of the dead were able to move freely among human beings. In the seventh century, the Roman Catholic Church brought Christianity to the Celtic peoples. Pope Gregory IV in 835 A.D. moved the “Feast of All Saints” from spring to November 1st to replace the observance of the Fire Festival or Samhain. “All Saints Day” honored believers who had died. The night before with a sacred vigil became known as “All Hallow’s Eve,” or Halloween. However, the old practices and beliefs of the Druids refused to die and were denounced as being witchcraft. This was how Halloween became known as a witch’s holiday.

A combination of pagan and Christian elements brought about the Halloween celebration we see today. In recent years a renewed interest in the old pagan beliefs has flourished in North America and beyond with television shows like, “Buffy: The Vampire Slayer,” “Sabrina, the Teenage Witch,” and others. Of course now we have the Harry Potter books and movie adding to the popularization of the occult. The result of all of this is that Halloween is very much associated with the occult and the preoccupation with the dead. These are two things that the Bible and the church have always warned us about.

To many people Halloween appears on the surface to be an innocent way to laugh at our fears. At one time even after I became a Christian I was just as naïve about the dangers of the devil’s holiday. However, satan and his demons are a spiritual reality, and we are in a war with them whether we like it or not.

This year please do not be deceived by the glitz of Horror. Instead of honoring the devil, honor and praise God.