M
MrVersatile48
Guest
from http://www.crosswalk.com
Unmasking Halloween: Is it just harmless, innocent fun?
J.L. Williams, New Directions International
Just as Satan has successfully veiled the true focus of Christmas by Santa
Claus, reindeer, Christmas trees and presents, and the resurrection of
Christ with Easter bunnies and Easter eggs, he has given the true pagan
nature of Halloween a benign cultural veneer of respectability.
Satan is the master of deceit and disguise. His favorite deception is to
convince educated people that he really does not exist. What better way for
him to perpetrate the illusion that neither his person nor power exist than
to make it all "innocent fun."
Anyone who has spent time on the mission field, as I have, will know beyond
a shadow of a doubt that the whole realm of evil spirits and the demonic
are not something to be played with. To put them in the same category as
fairy tales, make-believe and mythology is spiritual suicide. This is the
very real and active fallen realm of "principalities, powers, rulers of
darkness and spiritual forces in heavenly places" that scripture tells us
to stand against in the whole armor of God (Eph. 6:12).
When God gave the Promised Land to the early Israelites, He clearly warned
them:"When you enter the land which the Lord your God gives you, you shall
not learn to imitate the detestable things of those nations. There shall
not be found among you anyone ... who used divination, one who practices
witchcraft, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who casts a
spell, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For
whoever does these things is detestable to the Lord" (Deut. 18:9-12).
Likewise, we Christians are clearly commanded to "abstain from every
appearance of evil" (I Thess. 5:22) - which I believe includes all of the
trappings of Halloween.
Whenever the apostles of Christ met with people involved in fortune
telling, witchcraft and the occult, the Holy Spirit firmly, swiftly and
decisively dealt with them (Acts 8:9-23). When spiritual revival came to
the ancient pagan city of Ephesus through the ministry of Paul, all books
and paraphernalia related to the occult were destroyed: "And many of those
who practiced magic brought their books together and began burning them in
the sight of all; and they counted up the price of them and found it fifty
thousand pieces of silver. So the word of the Lord was growing mightily and
prevailing" (Acts 19:19-20).
The enterprising merchants of Ephesus had capitalized on the economic
opportunities of the occult and witchcraft just as our contemporary
businessmen have exploited Halloween into a multi-million dollar annual
bonanza! Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and Halloween witches are their best
friends. History has proven that once something becomes culturally
acceptable and economically profitable, it will remain and
flourish-regardless of its origin-unless true spiritual revival comes to
root it out.
What Can Parents Do?
What is a concerned Christian parent to do in the face of such strong
cultural pressures to friends observe Halloween?
Let's face it, if you are a parent of small children, you have got a tough
problem on your hands every October 31st! You don't want to unnecessarily
make your child an "oddball" and "outcast" with his or her friends. But you
also don't want to mindlessly give in to every social and cultural pressure
exerted over you and them by a non-Christian world just to be popular and
accepted.
It has always been easier for Christians to either condemn the enemy or
"baptize the opposition" than to come up with truly Biblical alternatives.
Let me therefore try to suggest some possible creative alternatives to this
current Halloween paganism so we can perhaps substitute good fun for bad.
1. First, do some study in the Bible with your children on what God says
about dabbling in any occult practices. Look up with them words like
"occult", "witchcraft," "mediums," "fortune telling." It may be a real
eye-opener for both you and your children. Here are some places to start:
Gen. 40:8; Lev. 19:26-28; 20:6; Deut. 4:19; 7:25-26; 17:2-5; 18:9-14; 1
Sam. 15:23; 2 Kings 17:16-18; Isa. 47:13-15; MIcah 3:6-7; Zeph. 1:5; John
3:19; 1 Cor. 10:16-21; Eph. 5:5-11; 2 Pet. 2:1-3.
2. Next, try substituting a different type of party for the usual Halloween
party-perhaps some type of "Fall Festival," one with games, costumes,
refreshments and perhaps a good movie. As long as good food and fun are
available, kids will be happy.
3. If the children are at the age that they still like to dress up,
substitute the traditional Halloween costumes that honor the demonic realm
for ones with no negative connotations: clowns, animals, old fashioned
clothing, etc. Or you could have an "All Saints Party" with everyone
dressing up like saints from either the Bible or Church history. They could
even dress up like Bible characters and act out the roles. A good film
could be added like "Pilgrims Progress" or one on the Reformation since the
first Sunday in November is Reformation Sunday.
4. If you decorate your home, do it with colorful seasonal Fall
decorations, avoiding the usual Halloween symbols. If you do let your
children carve a pumpkin, do so with smiles and happy faces.
5. Try to use the "trick or treating" time as an opportunity for
witnessing. Take a humorous or cogent tract-not a negative, condemning one
and tape it to the candy you give out. You can usually find them at your
local Christian bookstore. Most will probably not be read, but we are
called to faithfully "sow the seeds." If you sow enough good seeds, some
will fall on "good soil" (Matt. 13:23).
Conclusions
Well, I hope that I have been successful in my task of "unmasking
Halloween." I also trust that I have put something Biblical and creative in
its place.
For educated people-to say nothing of Christians-to continue to celebrate
Halloween makes about as much sense as a group of Jewish survivors from the
death camps yearly celebrating the birth of Adolph Hitler and the
atrocities of the Nazi Holocaust.
I think it is high time we parents awaken and stop Satan's unchallenged
influence in the lives of our children. Halloween is just another one of
those opportunities for him to work unhindered in an area that we have too
long ignored. I know that when we stand up and speak out against it, we are
always in danger of being called narrow-minded religious fanatics or
fundamentalists on a witch hunt! But Christ did not call us to be
popular-just faithful.
As Christians, let's be done with ghosts, witches, vampires and monsters!
Let's leave that to the prince of darkness. As Christians, we must focus on
Jesus Christ, the Light of the world, who has "shone into the darkness"
(John 1:5). And let's heed Paul's admonition: "Be imitators of God, as
beloved children ... for you were formerly darkness, but now you are light
in the Lord; walk as children of light" (Eph. 5:1,8).
Visit New Directions International at http://www.crosswalkmail.com/aluyeko_jjkcpj.html
>> For more great resources to help you grow in your relationship
with God, please visit Crosswalk Faith: http://www.crosswalkmail.com/dqghyly_jjkcpj.html
Unmasking Halloween: Is it just harmless, innocent fun?
J.L. Williams, New Directions International
Just as Satan has successfully veiled the true focus of Christmas by Santa
Claus, reindeer, Christmas trees and presents, and the resurrection of
Christ with Easter bunnies and Easter eggs, he has given the true pagan
nature of Halloween a benign cultural veneer of respectability.
Satan is the master of deceit and disguise. His favorite deception is to
convince educated people that he really does not exist. What better way for
him to perpetrate the illusion that neither his person nor power exist than
to make it all "innocent fun."
Anyone who has spent time on the mission field, as I have, will know beyond
a shadow of a doubt that the whole realm of evil spirits and the demonic
are not something to be played with. To put them in the same category as
fairy tales, make-believe and mythology is spiritual suicide. This is the
very real and active fallen realm of "principalities, powers, rulers of
darkness and spiritual forces in heavenly places" that scripture tells us
to stand against in the whole armor of God (Eph. 6:12).
When God gave the Promised Land to the early Israelites, He clearly warned
them:"When you enter the land which the Lord your God gives you, you shall
not learn to imitate the detestable things of those nations. There shall
not be found among you anyone ... who used divination, one who practices
witchcraft, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who casts a
spell, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For
whoever does these things is detestable to the Lord" (Deut. 18:9-12).
Likewise, we Christians are clearly commanded to "abstain from every
appearance of evil" (I Thess. 5:22) - which I believe includes all of the
trappings of Halloween.
Whenever the apostles of Christ met with people involved in fortune
telling, witchcraft and the occult, the Holy Spirit firmly, swiftly and
decisively dealt with them (Acts 8:9-23). When spiritual revival came to
the ancient pagan city of Ephesus through the ministry of Paul, all books
and paraphernalia related to the occult were destroyed: "And many of those
who practiced magic brought their books together and began burning them in
the sight of all; and they counted up the price of them and found it fifty
thousand pieces of silver. So the word of the Lord was growing mightily and
prevailing" (Acts 19:19-20).
The enterprising merchants of Ephesus had capitalized on the economic
opportunities of the occult and witchcraft just as our contemporary
businessmen have exploited Halloween into a multi-million dollar annual
bonanza! Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and Halloween witches are their best
friends. History has proven that once something becomes culturally
acceptable and economically profitable, it will remain and
flourish-regardless of its origin-unless true spiritual revival comes to
root it out.
What Can Parents Do?
What is a concerned Christian parent to do in the face of such strong
cultural pressures to friends observe Halloween?
Let's face it, if you are a parent of small children, you have got a tough
problem on your hands every October 31st! You don't want to unnecessarily
make your child an "oddball" and "outcast" with his or her friends. But you
also don't want to mindlessly give in to every social and cultural pressure
exerted over you and them by a non-Christian world just to be popular and
accepted.
It has always been easier for Christians to either condemn the enemy or
"baptize the opposition" than to come up with truly Biblical alternatives.
Let me therefore try to suggest some possible creative alternatives to this
current Halloween paganism so we can perhaps substitute good fun for bad.
1. First, do some study in the Bible with your children on what God says
about dabbling in any occult practices. Look up with them words like
"occult", "witchcraft," "mediums," "fortune telling." It may be a real
eye-opener for both you and your children. Here are some places to start:
Gen. 40:8; Lev. 19:26-28; 20:6; Deut. 4:19; 7:25-26; 17:2-5; 18:9-14; 1
Sam. 15:23; 2 Kings 17:16-18; Isa. 47:13-15; MIcah 3:6-7; Zeph. 1:5; John
3:19; 1 Cor. 10:16-21; Eph. 5:5-11; 2 Pet. 2:1-3.
2. Next, try substituting a different type of party for the usual Halloween
party-perhaps some type of "Fall Festival," one with games, costumes,
refreshments and perhaps a good movie. As long as good food and fun are
available, kids will be happy.
3. If the children are at the age that they still like to dress up,
substitute the traditional Halloween costumes that honor the demonic realm
for ones with no negative connotations: clowns, animals, old fashioned
clothing, etc. Or you could have an "All Saints Party" with everyone
dressing up like saints from either the Bible or Church history. They could
even dress up like Bible characters and act out the roles. A good film
could be added like "Pilgrims Progress" or one on the Reformation since the
first Sunday in November is Reformation Sunday.
4. If you decorate your home, do it with colorful seasonal Fall
decorations, avoiding the usual Halloween symbols. If you do let your
children carve a pumpkin, do so with smiles and happy faces.
5. Try to use the "trick or treating" time as an opportunity for
witnessing. Take a humorous or cogent tract-not a negative, condemning one
and tape it to the candy you give out. You can usually find them at your
local Christian bookstore. Most will probably not be read, but we are
called to faithfully "sow the seeds." If you sow enough good seeds, some
will fall on "good soil" (Matt. 13:23).
Conclusions
Well, I hope that I have been successful in my task of "unmasking
Halloween." I also trust that I have put something Biblical and creative in
its place.
For educated people-to say nothing of Christians-to continue to celebrate
Halloween makes about as much sense as a group of Jewish survivors from the
death camps yearly celebrating the birth of Adolph Hitler and the
atrocities of the Nazi Holocaust.
I think it is high time we parents awaken and stop Satan's unchallenged
influence in the lives of our children. Halloween is just another one of
those opportunities for him to work unhindered in an area that we have too
long ignored. I know that when we stand up and speak out against it, we are
always in danger of being called narrow-minded religious fanatics or
fundamentalists on a witch hunt! But Christ did not call us to be
popular-just faithful.
As Christians, let's be done with ghosts, witches, vampires and monsters!
Let's leave that to the prince of darkness. As Christians, we must focus on
Jesus Christ, the Light of the world, who has "shone into the darkness"
(John 1:5). And let's heed Paul's admonition: "Be imitators of God, as
beloved children ... for you were formerly darkness, but now you are light
in the Lord; walk as children of light" (Eph. 5:1,8).
Visit New Directions International at http://www.crosswalkmail.com/aluyeko_jjkcpj.html
>> For more great resources to help you grow in your relationship
with God, please visit Crosswalk Faith: http://www.crosswalkmail.com/dqghyly_jjkcpj.html
:
Hi All you Writers