The Dark Side of Halloween
Pastor David L. Brown, Ph.D.
Copyright © 1990
Two occult sites discovered the day after Halloween
My past involvement in Halloween
What changed my mind about Halloween
The history of Halloween
Saman -- lord of death
The Druids and Halloween
Can Christians celebrate Halloween?
Modern-day witchcraft, satanism and Halloween
The origin of the name, "Halloween"
The origin of Halloween costumes
The origin of "Trick-or-Treat"
The origin of jack-o-lanterns
Black cats and Halloween
Bobbing for apples
The heroes of Halloween
The witch
What witches believe
Three categories of the occult
Four beliefs of witches
Levels of occult involvement
Dracula -- The real thing
The harm of halloween
Halloween and violence
Haunted houses and their influence
Things that lure kids into the occult
Halloween alternatives
What's going on? The sidewalks are swarming with excited children masquerading as every
imaginable creature and character. There is Batman and the Joker, Wonder Woman, witches,
devils, ghosts, skeletons and even razor fingered mass murderer Freddy Krueger. These
children are going door to door shouting "Trick or Treat," hoping to collect a
"ton" of candy before the night is over.
Take a look at the houses the children are going up to. They are strange, too! Eerie
grinning Jack-O-Lanterns watch as the children approach. Skeletons, witches, black cats
and more decorate the doors and windows.
Oh yes, don't miss the "haunted house" downtown. You'll be able to find it by
the long line and the strange sounds coming out of the old mansion. Likely you will find a
group of kids talking about what they've just seen inside... the bloody body in the
bathroom, the axe wielding maniac that chased them, the body hanging by the neck in the
closet, and the bubbling pot in the kitchen filled with body parts.
Then, across town there's a party going on at a friend's house or perhaps at school.
The activities are different than the usual party though. Someone is telling fortunes.
Perhaps a group is playing with the ouija board and there is going to be a seance
right after they watch the newly released horror video.
By now you have guessed what is going on. It's Halloween. To most
people it seems like harmless fun. But, beneath Halloween's candy coating is a
history of diabolical evil, evil that is directly connected to the occult and Satanism,
evil that you need to be warned of!
That is the purpose of this file, to make you aware of the dark side of Halloween. I
have researched this topic for more than a decade and Halloween's occultic connection is
becoming increasingly evident. As I begin, let me share two first hand examples of what I
am talking about when I refer to the "occult connection."
My phone rang one afternoon, early in November of 1989. A friend who works closely with
law enforcement agencies was on the other end of the line. He said, "I've been
notified of what appears to be, two occult sights in your area. Would you go and check
them out?" We talked a bit more and I found out where they were located. The next
day, camera in hand, I went out to each sight. The first sight was in the middle of a
small woods, which was adjacent to a large apartment complex. A tin circle had been
constructed which was about 9 feet in diameter and 4 feet high. Numerous Satanic symbols
were spray painted on the exterior as well as an obscene sexually oriented word and
Slayer, the name of a black metal rock band. This sight was likely put together by a group
of younger teenagers, perhaps junior high age, who were dabbling in the occult. Inside the
tin circle were the ashes of a fire and several beer cans.
The second sight was quite different. It was in a rural area of town. I discovered it
in a small grove of trees about 25 yards from a steep bank that drops down to Lake
Michigan. Whoever had built this sight knew more about the occult. There was a rudimentary
altar inside the intricately built three sided stick enclosure. It looked to me like the
work of late teens or young adults.
Perhaps you are wondering, what does any of this have to do with Halloween? These
occultic sights were discovered the day after Halloween. They were used on Halloween! As I
will show you in this study, Halloween is an Occultic/Satanic worship day. It always has
been. Increasingly, Halloween is being used to attract and introduce people to the occult.
It is a time when bizarre and often illegal rituals are being performed.
Now, don't jump the gun and "turn me off" before you read the rest of this
exposé. I am not criticizing you for celebrating Halloween in the past. The truth is, I
took part in Halloween activities for years, until I discovered the occultic/satanic connection Since that time, I have followed the injunction of
Ephesians 5:11 "...have NO fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but
rather reprove (expose) them." I will share the facts that I have uncovered and you
must weigh them and make your choice.
Let me share with you my personal history relating to my own Halloween involvement.
There are three holidays that nearly every American kid loves...Christmas, Easter and
Halloween! I was no different than any other American kid. I looked forward to them all.
But there was one that had a dark side, a side that I didn't like, a side that made me
very uneasy and that was Halloween. To be sure I liked the candy and I have a
"ton" of silver in my teeth to prove it. As I moved into my teen years I outgrew
trick-or-treating or rather, I should say, I was told I was too old. So Halloween parties
and dances were the "in thing" for teenagers. I remember being on the committee
for our class Halloween party. My job was decorations. So I went to a long forgotten,
overgrown, Civil War era cemetery and took a broken tombstone and used it as a part of my
Halloween decorations. I felt uneasy about what I had done and to make matters worse, when
I cleaned up the old grave marker, I discovered that the person had died on my birthday,
January 20th. That gave me the creeps. The party could not get over soon enough for me. I
wanted to get that grave marker back to where I had found it and I did! "You were too
superstitious!" you might say. I would agree. But that was just a part of the aura
associated with what I call "the dark side of Halloween."
My association with Halloween did not stop after high school unfortunately. The fact
is, until 1980 I had taken church youth groups on NIGHTMARE OUTINGS sponsored by an
international Christian youth organization. I sponsored Halloween parties in the church.
It was the only day I wanted anything to do with the devil or allowed him in my church.
What caused me to change my mind began when I was leafing through a back issue of Moody
Monthly magazine. The October 1975 issue to be exact. An article by Joy A. Sterling
caught my eye --"We Should Unmask Halloween" was the title. (Take a moment and
read a copy of that article for yourself) Her article really got me to thinking. If what
this lady said is true, I need to rethink my involvement in Halloween activities. I
decided to do some research on my own and see if there was anything to what she was
saying. WOW! WAS I SHOCKED by what I discovered.
Our Pilgrim forefathers well knew of Halloween's occultic roots. In fact they banned
celebrating Halloween in America. Halloween was not celebrated in this country until 1845.
At that time multiplied thousands of Irish emigrants flooded into New York because of the
Irish Potato Famine of 1845-46. They brought with them the old Druid holiday of Halloween.
Gradually celebrating this day spread throughout the rest of the country.
Now, to understand Halloween better we must go even further back. I found that the
original celebration was not called by its present name, Halloween. But, it began long
before Christ among the ancient Celtic peoples (Britons, Gauls, Scots, Irish). They
observed the end of summer with sacrifices to SAMAN (Shamhain). He was "the lord of
death and evil spirits". This marked the beginning of the Celtic New Year.
Depending on your source material, the Druid lord of death and evil spirits was called
Saman, Samana, Shamhain or Samhain. His "holiday" was called "The Vigil Of
Saman" or Samhain (pronounced so-wein). You probably have seen a modern day version
of SAMAN without even knowing it. This pagan god was shown as a ghostly, skeleton holding
a sickle in his hand. He later came to be known as THE GRIM REAPER.
- More About the History of Samhain (Halloween)
Ralph Linton in his book Halloween Through the Centuries, says "The
American celebration (of Halloween) rests upon Scottish and Irish folk customs which can
be traced in a direct line from pre-Christian times. The earliest celebrations were held
by the DRUIDS in honor of Shamhain, lord of death, whose festival fell on November
1st."
Searching other sources, I have this information to add: The Celts considered November
1st as being the day of death because the leaves were falling, it was getting darker
sooner and temperatures were dropping. They believed Muck Olla, their sun god, was loosing
strength because Samhain, lord of death, was overpowering him. Further, they believed that
on October 31st Samhain assembled the spirits of all who had died during the previous
year. They had been confined to inhabit animals' bodies for the past year as punishment
for their evil deeds. On the eve of the feast of Samhain, October 31st, they were allowed
to return to their former homes to visit the living. Supposedly to protect these people,
Druid priests led the people in diabolical worship ceremonies in which horses, cats, black
sheep, oxen, human beings and other offerings were rounded up, stuffed into wicker cages
and burned to death. This was done to appease Samhain and keep the spirits from harming
them.
Who were the DRUIDS? They were occult practitioners, witches of sorts. In the century
preceding the birth of Christ, Caesar conquered the Britains and he records very carefully
the account of the DRUID PRIESTS (early witches)..."All Gallic nations are much given
to superstition...they either offer up men as victims to the gods, or make a vow to
sacrifice themselves. The ministers in these offerings are the Druids, and they hold that
the wrath of the immortal gods can only be appeased, and man's life redeemed, by offering
up human sacrifice, and it is a part of their national institutions to hold fixed
solemnities (Ceremonies) for this purpose."
I looked deeper to see if I could find the dates of these "fixed
solemnities." In the series edited by Richard Cavendish called, Man, Myth and
Magic it says, in volume 6, page 720, "...the pagan Celts in Northern Europe
held two great fire festivals each year -- Beltane on the eve of 1 May and Samhain on the
eve of 1 November -- to mark the beginning of summer and winter." I also came across
an article written by Robert Graves in the Daily Telegraph Magazine, May 21, 1965. Graves
said the fixed worship days are the "cross- quarterly days-Candlemas (February 2nd),
May Eve (April 30th), Lammas (August 1st) and Halloween (October 31st).
When they got together on these pagan worship days they would meet in a grove of trees
(preferably oak trees) or in a Druidic stone circle, the most famous surviving circle
being located in Stonehenge, England. It is evident that human sacrifice was common at
this ancient Druid Sacrificial Circle because within three miles of this sight there are
over 350 funeral mounds that contain the remnants of countless human sacrifices.
Holiday researcher George Douglas adds some interesting information when he says
"Many of Halloween's customs are derived from the ancient Baal Festivals. Other
customs originate from the taking of omens from the struggles of victims in the fires of
druidic sacrifices." (From: The American Book of Days, by George William Douglas
revised by Helen Douglas Compton).
Alexander Hislop in his book, The Two Babylons, says, "The god whom the Druids
worshipped was Baal, as the blazing Baal-fires show --- We know that they offered human
sacrifices to their bloody gods. We have evidence that they made `their children pass
through the fire to Molech', and that makes it highly probable that they also offered them
in sacrifice; for, from Jeremiah 32:35, compared with Jeremiah 19:5, we find that these
two things were parts of one and the same system." Further, it is to be noted that
the "priests of Nimrod or Baal were necessarily required to eat of the human
sacrifices; and thus it has come to pass that `Cahna-Bal', (Cahna is the emphatic form of
Cahn which means `a priest') meaning the priest of Baal, is the established word in our
tongue for a devourer of human flesh." (from The Two Babylons, Hislop. See page 232).
Though the name of their gods were changed Hislop believes that the Druids practices
were rooted in Baal worship, which is condemned in the Bible.
- There Are Still Druids Today
According to Robert Graves, there are still Druid practitioners around today. In fact,
members of one surviving coven in Somersetshire, England still carry small blue tattoos
pricked below a particular finger joint made from woad (an Old World plant with leaves
that yield a blue dye) as did ancient Druids. You will still find Druids meeting at
Stonehenge this Halloween symbolically carrying out their grotesque sacrifices. Although
they claim no longer to practice human sacrifices they are one group responsible for
keeping the occultic celebration of Halloween before the media. The followers of the
Druids pagan religion are common in the USA too. A woman called me and told me a group
going around to Milwaukee, Wisconsin area libraries presenting a program to children which
dealt with their heritage. She engaged one in a conversation afterwards and found that he
claimed to be a druid priest who practiced the "old religion."
- The Pathetic Paradox of Christians Celebrating Halloween
It's no wonder that a onetime witch of our day, Tom Sanguinet, former high priest in
the Celtic tradition of Wicca (witchcraft) said, "Halloween is purely and absolutely
evil, and there is nothing we ever have or will do that would make it acceptable to the
Lord Jesus."
Owen Rachleff amplifies this when he wrote, "Halloween can be, and to many is, a
deadly serious affair. [It] originated with pre-Christian Druids or Celts in Northern
Europe, who marked the year by four seasonal festivals. The autumn feast took place on
November 1st. Early Christians, desiring a part in the traditional festivities, created
All Saints' Day to coincide with the pagan rites. Satanists--acting true to form--reversed
the Christian procedure. Because November 1st was All Saints' Day (All Souls' Day,
November 2nd, memorializes the dead), Satanists established October 31st as and "All
Demon's Night." As surely as the Christian martyrs and saints dominated their own
holiday, so did the demons permeate the preceding evening. All Hallows' Eve predictably
became a time of spells, curses, and horrors for those who did not believe, but for the
Satanists, particularly the witches, it was a joyous festival and major sabbat. So it
remains in a diluted form, ironically celebrated by Christian society far more vigorously
than All Saints' Day." (Quoted from The Occult Conceit - A New Look at Astrology,
Witchcraft and Sorcery, by Owen S. Rachleff, from page 189-190.)
Historically, Halloween is obviously and totally a pagan, occultic worship day. There
is NOTHING Christian about the day. Pause for a moment. Dig beneath the candy. What is the
primary focus of Halloween, even in our day? I see a three fold focus... 1) DEATH 2) FEAR
& HORROR 3) EVIL, THE DEVIL & THE OCCULT. There is absolutely NO Christian
significance to be found in Halloween.
- Modern Day Occult, Witchcraft and Satanism Celebrate Halloween
You need to understand that even today Halloween is STILL an occult worship day. Phil
Phillips says in his book, Halloween and Satanism, "...Halloween is a day witches
celebrate above all other days."
Is there any support for Phil's statement? Yes! "The Maine State Prison allowed
members of a witch coven (the Coven of Dawn) to hold a two-hour service on the feast day
they call Samhain [Halloween], after the Druidic festival of year's end. `This is our time
to give praise to our lord and lady for the bountiful harvest,' said the founder of the
`goddess- oriented' coven. He said that 75 inmates have been initiated into the religion
since its start in 1981." (This report is from Observations, 11/87 by way of the
"What In The World!" information sheet.
Turn your attention to the October 1989 issue of the Baptist Bulletin magazine. It
reported, in the "NEWS" section, "A U.S. Air Force physical therapist who
says she has been a practicing witch for four years won permission to take Halloween and
seven other days off as `religious holidays.' A spokesman at Lackland Airforce base in San
Antonio said regulations require that Patricia Hutchins...be accorded the same freedom to
express her religious beliefs as any other religious believer."
Probably the best documentation as to whether modern day witches actually celebrate
Halloween comes from their own testimony. When asked "Does anyone today celebrate
Samhain (Halloween) as a religious Holiday?" a major witches' organization responded,
"Yes, many followers of various pagan religions, such as Druids and Wiccans
(witches), observe this day as a religious festival. They view it as a memorial day for
their dead friends similar to the national holiday of Memorial Day in May. It is still a
night to practice various forms of divination concerning future events. Also, it is a time
to...initiate new projects." (from Cult Watch Response, October 1988, Vol. 1, No. 1).
Witches and Satanists love Halloween. They get a lot of media coverage around that time
of year. It's good P.R. (public relations) for them. That coverage usually portrays them
in a favorable light. In addition, it generates interest in "the craft" and is
good for recruitment purposes. As Craig Hawkins put it, "...with increasing vigor,
witchcraft is coming `out of the broom closet.' Many witches are actively seeking public
understanding and acceptance." (quote from an article in Christian Research Journal;
Winter/Spring 90 entitled "The Modern World of Witchcraft" by Craig S. Hawkins.)
Despite the public relations campaign to "sell" the public on the
"virtues" of witchcraft, modern day witches and Satanists still worship demon
gods & goddesses, practice bizarre & immoral sexual rituals, and certain groups
offer animal and human sacrifices.
Noted New Age Researcher Texe Marrs said this about the activities of witches on
Halloween. "...our own research confirms that on this unholy night [Halloween],
witches' covens meet, drink, dance, spit out curses and spells, conjure up spirits, engage
in sexual orgies, induct new members, and offer up animal and human sacrifices. (Witches
have become expert at covering up these sacrifices by use of cremation ovens and the use
of privately owned land preserves for disposal of bodies in deeply dug graves.)" He
goes on to say, "Somewhere in America in the week prior to this coming Halloween,
children will be kidnapped by witches and become statistics as `missing children.'
...While chances of your children being snatched may be remote, never the less we believe
caution and good judgment is in order."
Jack Roper, occult researcher with C.A.R.I.S. (Christian Apologetics: Research &
Information Service) says "...the time of the year where you have the highest rate of
Satanic ritual crimes is Halloween."
Jack also said, "Around Halloween, one of the things you see are graveyard
desecrations." Self-styled Satanists use human bones in their rituals. Graveyard
vandalism is a common Halloween occurrence.
At this point, I want to share with you some more "Halloween crimes" I am
acquainted with.
A Milwaukee county park worker contacted me in 1989. He told me of finding numerous
remains of small animals that had been sacrificed in area parks around Halloween. It was
clear that these sacrifices were occult related because the remains were associated with
either an altar, inside a circle, triangle or pyramid structure. That's not all.
While deer hunting in Marinette County, Wisconsin, I came across the remains of a bull
that had been sacrificed within a stone circle. It is almost certain that this was part of
a Halloween ritual sacrifice performed by a Satanic group.
Dave Benoit tells of a mother finding a strange diary, called "The Book Of
Shadows" in her son's room. She with fear and trembling leafed through pages filled
with Satanic drawings. Then her eyes fell on these horrifying words, "Last year I
stole a car at Halloween and ran over a kid and killed him. This year, at Halloween, I
plan to do the same thing!" The words in his satanic diary proved to be true. The
teenager is now incarcerated. He murdered a kid as a sacrifice to Satan.
Halloween is an evil day. Halloween honors Satan, idol worship, immorality, demonic
rituals and human sacrifice. Halloween is not a day I want to celebrate because of what it
has stood for and what it stands for today. Jack Roper put it simply enough, "You
would never see Jesus at a Halloween party. Halloween parties in churches are an
abomination [to the Lord]."
I no longer promote or participate in Halloween activities because of its association
with idolatry, immorality, bizarre rituals and human sacrifice. The Bible warns us,
"...the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to
God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils." (I Corinthians
10:20). That is why I am exposing the day for what it really is, SATAN'S DAY!
- The Origin of the Name, "Halloween"
Where did the name Halloween come from? Originally this Druid Holiday was called
"The Vigil Of Saman." In early Britain it was called Samhain, which is
pronounced So-wein. But, here is how we got the name Halloween. It came from an attempt to
"Christianize" this pagan worship day. In A.D. 800 the Roman Catholic Church
moved "ALL SAINTS DAY" from May to November 1st. The new day was called All
HALLOW'S DAY and it soon became the custom to call the evening before ALL
HALLOWE'EN. It
was shortened and called HALLOWEEN. The important fact to note is that the
CHRISTIANIZATION of this Celtic New Year's sacrifice day MISERABLY FAILED. Where is the
preeminence of Christ or glory given to the Lord as with Easter and Christmas. It is NOT
there but on the contrary, the Devil is dominant!
To summarize this section on "THE HISTORY OF HALLOWEEN" let me share with you
the words of Dr. John MacArthur. "First of all, dressing up like witches, ghosts, or
goblins is incompatible with a Christian's testimony. Furthermore, many of the customs of
Halloween are associated with the worst kinds of pagan beliefs and ceremonies; they are
usually sinister things such as demons, witchcraft and superstition."
He further stated, "If we as Christian parents simply disregard the unchristian
aspects of such practices as mere fantasy or superstition and then encourage our children
to participate in them, we run the risk of communicating the message that the spiritual
battle waged by the rulers of darkness (Ephesians 6:10) is not to be taken
seriously."
Let's move on to the origin of some of Halloween's customs.
How did the practice of wearing costumes at Halloween develop? The early
origin of costumes is repulsive. On the evening of October 31st, the Druids, who were the
occultic priests and teachers of the Celts, ordered the people to put out their hearth
fires. The Druids built a huge new year's bonfire of oak branches, which they considered
sacred. They burned animals, crops and human beings as sacrifices to their sun god
Muck Olla and Samhain, their god of death. During this diabolical ceremony the PEOPLE WORE
COSTUMES made of animal heads and skins. They then practiced divination, looked for omens
in the struggle of the victims sacrificed in the fires, jumped over the flames or dashed
through them, danced and sang. All of this was done to frighten the evil spirits away.
According to Man, Myth & Magic, volume 1, page 68, "The guisers
went from house to house, singing and dancing. Their bloodcurdling masks and grotesque
costumes may have been meant to keep evil at bay, or more likely, were visible
representations of the ghosts and goblins that lurked in the night..."
In the 11th edition of Encyclopedia Britannica, volume 12, page 8578 it
states, "It was the Druids belief that on the eve of this festival (November 1st,
Celtic New Year) Saman, lord of death, called together the wicked souls (Spirits) that
within the past twelve months had been condemned to inhabit the bodies of animals."
Saman would then send these evil spirits to attack people on the eve before the
November 1st celebration. The only way these people could escape was by assuming disguises
and looking like evil spirits themselves. (See Christianity Today, October 22, 1982,
p.32). It seems to me that these "evil spirits" must also have been stupid
spirits if they could be fooled by such a masquerade. Sadly, the fools were the
superstitious idol worshippers who refused to glorify the true God. As a result they
became "vain in their imaginations, and their foolish hearts were darkened."
(Romans 1:21).
As you can see, gross looking costumes have their source in demonism and
because of this I want to "...cast off the works of darkness and put on the armour of
light." (Romans 13:12).
Now, just by chance if you had forgotten to dress up or could not fool the
demons by dressing in animal skins or other disguises, there was a way to exorcise them.
You were to set out a TREAT of food and fruit, and provide the wandering spirit with
shelter for the night. If the demon was satisfied with your TREAT, it was believed that
they would not TRICK you by casting an evil spell on you causing havoc.
I came across a shocking account of Trick or Treat written by a former
witch, Irene Park. She says, "...the Druids in Ireland would go through the
neighborhoods and countryside on the eve of October 31st to collect offerings to Satan.
They would carry lanterns, bags of money, and canes with very sharp points on the ends
(currently known as leprechaun staffs, good luck horns, or fairies' wands). At each house,
they would demand a specific amount. If the household would not or could not give the
offering (penance or treat), the Druid would use the cane to castrate the male human or
one of their prize animals." (From; Seven High Pagan Masses and Halloween by Irene A.
Park; page 1)
In later years James Napier says, in his book, Holidays of Legend, Irish
farmers went house to house begging for food for their ancient gods. Good luck was
promised to all who donated but threats were made against those who would not give. There
is absolutely nothing in Trick or Treat that honors the Lord that I can see.
Considering the origin of Trick or Treat, I quit giving out candy. I have
no desire to reenact Druidic practices. It seems to me that is exactly what you are doing
when you give out goodies on Halloween. Participating in occultic worship rituals
certainly does not glorify God.
Jack-O-Lanterns, what is their significance? The World Book Encyclopedia,
1977 edition, volume 9, page 24-26 says, "The apparently harmless lighted pumpkin
face of `Jack-O-Lantern' is an ancient symbol of a damned soul."
According to an article I read by Dr. John MacArthur, Jr. according to
folklore "Jack-O-Lanterns were named for a man called Jack, who could not enter
heaven or hell. As a result, he was doomed to wander in darkness with his lantern until
judgment day." With this in mind, people began to hollow out pumpkins and turnips,
placing candles inside to scare evil spirits from their houses.
What a tragedy. John 3:16 makes it clear that no one has to be outside of
heaven..."For God so loved the world (mankind), that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in Him should NOT perish, but have everlasting life." It is
also clear that if any individual refuses to trust Christ as Savior he is condemned
already (John 3:18 & 36). There is no wandering. It is either Heaven or Hell depending
on whether you have trusted Christ as your Savior (John 14:6; Romans 10:9-13; Ephesians
2:8-9).
There was another purpose for Jack-O-Lanterns according to author Owen
Rachleff. "The candlelit pumpkin or skull... served as a beacon for the sabbat and as
a signal to mark those farms and homes that were sympathetic to the Satanists and thus
deserving of mercy when the terror of the night (Halloween) began." (The Occult
Conceit; page 190).
Moving on, we come to cats and their connection with Halloween.
In the 1959 edition of World Book Encyclopedia, under Halloween it was
noted that Druid priests believed that cats were once human beings but were reincarnated
as punishment for evil deeds. Because of this they held cats sacred and involved them in
their idol worship of October 31st and November 1st.
Druids believed "the cat was sacred and...that cats had once been
changed (from being human & reincarnated) into that form as punishment for evil
deeds." (The American Book of Days, by George Douglas)
"Even after Christianity spread to Europe...oxen were sacrificed on
October 31st...and in medieval Europe, black cats [were] chosen as victims in the belief
that they were witches in disguise [and] were burned on that day (Halloween)."
(The American Book of Day, third edition by Hatch)
It is plain to see that cats, particularly BLACK CATS were thought to
represent EVIL. Further, they were a symbol of REINCARNATION. I have an article in my file
which says The Humane Society will not release black cats around Halloween for fear that
they will be mistreated or sacrificed. Their decision, in my opinion, is a wise one.
In A.D. 43 the Roman Empire was in solid control of the Celtic people. As
a result of this control the idol worshipping Romans introduced another ceremony honoring
their false gods to the already demoniacal Druid New Year's celebration. It was in honor
of their goddess of fruit trees. They would try to grasp fruit, floating in water, without
the use of their hands. This is the origin of BOBBING FOR APPLES according to the Atlanta
Journal & Constitution, Associated Press quote, October 16, 1977.
-
SUMMARY OF HALLOWEEN'S HISTORY
That gives you a brief historical background of Halloween. Is there any
doubt that the day is occultic? I do not believe we have lost that influence in our day.
It is probably the only day that you allow the devil, witches, ghosts, skeletons and
perverts in your house. Why then? Why honor Satan the demon of death at all.
Deuteronomy 32:16-17 tells us that God is provoked when demons are honored and not
him..."They provoked him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations provoked
they him to anger. They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to
new gods that came newly up..." The Lord God is THE GOD of The Ages. He is before all
else. We would be wise to heed Paul's admonition in I Corinthians 10:20 where he says he
does not want us to fellowship with demons or pagan practices in any way. "The things
which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not
that ye should have fellowship with devils."
What would Halloween be like without WITCHES. Let me share with you some
material I found in An Illustrated History of Witchcraft, by Peter Haining. He states,
"The witch is, without doubt, one of the most enduring figures in superstition and
literature. Whether portrayed as an aged crone astride a broomstick off on some mission of
evil, or else a young girl dancing naked with her companions in a wooded grove, she can be
found in carvings of antiquity or the columns of today's newspapers...since the Middle
Ages, (writings have) shown her as an enemy of humanity, a solitary being able to compact
with the Devil to work all manner of supernatural powers."
The oldest known illustration of a witch dates back to the pre-Columbian
times and shows the goddess Tlazolteolf naked, wearing a pointed hat riding a broomstick.
The first famous witch in history is the Witch of Endor. I Samuel 28
relates how King Saul went to her in an effort to get in touch with the dead prophet of
God, Samuel. He needed advice on how to defeat the Philistines. He should have known
better because Exodus 22:18 prescribed being a witch as a capital crime, punishable by
death. Again Deuteronomy 18:9-14 warned that God's children were to have nothing to do
with the OCCULT. Even in the New Testament (Revelation 21:8 Galatians 5:20 KJV) lists the
practitioners of witchcraft as being excluded from God's kingdom. Dr. Luke wrote about
what people did about their occultic involvement when they came to know Christ as their
Savior in Acts 19:18-19, "Many that believed (in Christ) came, and confessed (their
former evil practices) and showed their deeds. Many of them also which used curious arts
brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price
of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver." (A piece of silver was
a day's wage back in that day. By today's standard that could have been
as much as 1/2 million dollars.)
"Contemporary witchcraft is so diverse and eclectic that it is
extremely difficult to accurately identify and define" according to Craig Hawkins
(Christian Research Journal, Winter/Spring 1990, page 12). In fact you can't accurately
say ALL witches believe such and such. But you can give general guidelines relating to
their beliefs.
First, witches would have you believe witchcraft is different from
Satanism. In a minor sense they are partially correct. Satanism is the rebellion against
and reversal of Christianity. A practicing witch put it this way, "Satanism is
basically a reversion and perversion of Christian symbolism."
Witchcraft, on the other hand is not a reaction to Christianity but pagan
worship of the Mother Goddess and her consort the Horned God. Witches (Wiccans)
claim they don't even acknowledge Satan. But a former Alexanderian Wiccan witch clarified
this by stating, "as I got to the higher degrees I learned that the name of the
horned god was Lucifer. I learned that the sign of the second degree was an inverted
pentagram...symbolizing the horns of Satan." (Quote from Devil Worship: The Rise of
Satanism, by Jeremiah films)
Though witches like to make a distinction between themselves and
Satanists, there really is NO DISTINCTION biblically speaking. They might play little word
games masking the connection between Lucifer and Satan but the power behind Satanism and
Witchcraft is the same-Satan, (formerly called Lucifer before his rebellion against God )
and his demonic hords.
When the Bible makes reference to witchcraft it means anyone who is
involved in some form of the occult. The word occult comes from the Latin meaning secret,
hidden, or esoteric (private; understood only by a few) knowledge or practices.
There are THREE CATEGORIES OF THE OCCULT...
1. DIVINATION -- Seeking to know the past, present or
future by astrology; horoscopes; channeling; tarot; etc. This can include animal or human
sacrifice.
2. SORCERY or MAGIC(K) -- Seeking to control or
manipulate reality for ones own purposes. This can include animal or human sacrifice to
accomplish that end.
3. SPIRITISM -- Seeking to communicate with the dead or
other entities through a medium.
Generally speaking, it is accurate to say that those who practice
witchcraft hold the following four beliefs.
ANIMISM -- The belief that all objects (rocks, trees,
wind, plants, mountains etc.) are alive and have a soul.
PANTHEISM -- The belief that everything is divine (god).
Divinity is inseparable from and immanent in everything such as nature and humanity. In
fact we are divine or gods.
POLYTHEISM -- Belief in many deities (gods). They also
believe in multi-levels of reality.
At this point I should tell you that there is great diversity within
occult & satanic groups. Witches and occultists disagree among themselves as to what
constitutes a witch. But researchers find that there are several distinguishable
categories into which occultists fit.
1. DABBLERS -- They are experimenting or playing around
with the occult.
2. ECLECTIC or SELF-STYLED OCCULTISTS -- They have moved
from the dabbling stage into deeper involvement. They are developing their own
individualized occultic religion and developing personalized beliefs and practices.
3. RELIGIOUS OCCULTIST -- These people openly belong to
an official occult group. Their group is often tax exempt and is protected by the first
amendment. They deny involvement in any criminal activity and seek to present their
beliefs as a legitimate religion. Lori Cabot (official witch of Salem, Mass.) heads the
Temple of Isis. There is the Church of Circle Wicca; The Witches International Craft
Association and numerous others.
4. INTRA-GENERATIONAL OCCULTIST -- These are clandestine
(secret), family religions that pass their occultic practices from one generation to
another. This category of occultists seems to be well organized, very secretive and are
often very dangerous.
For the most part, wherever you find witchcraft you will likely find
nudity because many of their rituals are performed "skyclad" (in the nude).
Witches practice divination, that is the attempt to obtain information regarding the past,
present or future through occultic methods like astrology, channeling (inviting a spirit
to possess your body), tarot cards, crystal balls, etc.
Magic is a cornerstone of witchcraft. When I speak of magic I am not
talking about "slight-of-hand." I am talking about invoking or attempting to
invoke an invisible force (demons) for use in influencing, manipulating, or controlling a
given situation to accomplish ones own will in a situation.
Then there is the common practice among witches and occult followers of
"drawing down the moon." The high priestess of the coven usually stands
"skyclad" with arms outstretched to the sky and calls down the goddess or
invites the goddess to possess them. In response, the high priestess will often enter a
trance state and become the voice of the goddess. During this time she functions as the
goddess incarnate (goddess in the flesh) within the magic circle. Whatever she says is
supposedly directly from the goddess.
Witches and coven members practice many immoral and perverted sexual
practices as a part of their rituals. These rituals are often accompanied by alcohol and
drug use.
It is obvious that God does not want his children to have anything to do
with witches or witchcraft. I believe we should "Abstain from all appearance of
evil." (I Thessalonians 5:22) Certainly that would include dressing like a witch,
wizard or sorcerer.
Another classic Halloween character is COUNT DRACULA. If you watch you
will see a number of these black caped, fanged toothed monsters running around this
Halloween. But if you want to have your socks knocked off read DRACULA, A Biography of
Vlad the Impaler, 1431-1476, by Radu Florescu and Raymond T. McNally. Dracula was a real
person. He was maniac monster, the Hitler of his day. During his six year rule it was
estimated by a reliable source that Dracula massacred 100,000 men, women and children. And
how did he impose death? Let me quote Pope Pius II who tells how he killed 40,000 of his
political foes shortly before 1462. "He killed some of them by breaking them under
the wheels of carts; others, stripped of their clothes, were skinned alive up to their
entrails; others places on stakes, or roasted on red hot coals placed under them; others
punctured with stakes piercing their head, their navel, breast, and what is even unworthy
of relating, their
buttocks and the middle of their entrails, and, emerging from their mouths..." No one
was excluded, not even babies. Dracula decapitated, cut noses, ears, privates and limbs.
On one occasion he even nailed the turbans on the heads of some Turks because they refused
to remove them in his presence. On one occasion he saw a man poorly dressed walking by his
home. He called the man into his presence and said "Your wife is assuredly of the
kind who remains idle. How is it possible, that your shirt does not cover the calf of your
leg? She is not worthy of living in my realm. May she perish!" The man protested,
saying that he was satisfied with her. Dracula said, "You will be more satisfied with
another, since you are a decent and hardworking man." His wife was fetched and
immediately impaled on a stake. In the meantime the new wife was introduced and carefully
shown what happens to a lazy wife. The document says "Consequently the new wife
worked so hard she had not time to eat." Let me relate one last atrocity of this
warped, demonic inspired madman. Dracula devised a plan to rid society of the burden of
all the countries beggars, sick, old, lame and poor. He invited them all to a feast.
Little did they know that it would become a house of horror for them. He fed them well and
got them drunk and then made his personal appearance and asked them..."Do you want to
be without cares, lacking nothing in this world?" Naturally they all said yes!
Dracula then ordered the palace boarded up and set on fire. No one escaped. Dracula was a
demon possessed madman. I do not want my child associated in any way with such a
degenerate reprobate, do you?
Would you let your child dress up like mass murderer Jim Jones?
Would you dress your child like cult murderer Charles Manson? How about mass child killer,
pedophile John Wayne Gacey? Of course not. Then why let them dress up like some pervert of
old like Dracula or any other ungodly, demonic or distasteful character.
Paul's admonition in II Corinthians 6:14-17 certainly applies when it says
"...What fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness...what communion hath
light with darkness? And what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?...Come out from
among them and be ye separate." I no longer celebrate Halloween because of
Halloween's heroes and I have only looked at two. Frankly, I am appalled by stories like
the one that appeared in the Milwaukee Sentinel, September 24, 1982. It told of a Waukesha
man that decapitated his wife. Yet, we let our children go to Ghosts' Manors on Halloween
like the one pictured in the Milwaukee Journal, October 22, 1982 showing a blood spattered
victim in a bathtub (staged thankfully). What are we telling our children if we accept
that kind of scene on Halloween and yet it makes our blood run cold and our stomachs turn
any other day?
What harm could there be in Halloween? Halloween can be a dangerous and
harmful day and here are some reasons why.
-
HALLOWEEN EMPHASIZES VIOLENCE AND DEATH
I well remember how this point was driven home to me. I stopped at a
restaurant one afternoon on January 6, 1988 to pick up a bite to eat before my next
appointment. I stopped at the paper box outside the restaurant and bought a newspaper on
my way in. As I was waiting for my lunch to arrive I came across Ann Landers. The title of
her column was "Parents must tackle violence." The parent wrote, "I heard
something today that made my hair stand on end. I hope you will deal with it in your
column because it is a symptom of a problem that warrants deep concern. Last October, the
teacher of a fourth grade class asked her students to write a short essay on what they
would like to do most to celebrate Halloween. Eighty percent of her 9 year-olds expressed
the wish to `kill somebody.' Where do children get such ideas? I believe it is fair to say
that they get them from movies on TV. What are we going to do about this love of violence
among the young? Frankly, it scars me to death. I am - Concerned in California."
This letter hit the nail on the head! All parents ought to be concerned.
Halloween is desensitizing our children by its glorification of violence, death,
mutilation and gore.
Consider for a moment the "Nightmare on Elm Street",
"Halloween", and "Friday the 13th" film series. They are popular
viewing fare at Halloween parties. Who or what inspires these "actors" (I use
the term loosely)? Robert Englund who plays mass murderer Freddy Krueger in the
"Nightmare on Elm Street" series says he draws his inspiration from the late Ted
Bundy, who raped and murdered more than 28 women. Englund told Slaughterhouse magazine,
"I just read an article on Ted Bundy, so a lot of my imagery is based on him."
At the least, exposure to sadism, sexual violence, satanism, torture,
mutilation and bizarre murders causes our kids to become calloused to these behaviors.
But, Harriet Kozkoff, a public TV producer told the press, "Entertainment is a
powerful socializing agent in contemporary society. Slasher and horror movies...use
violence and sexual arousal to maximize profits and are an inevitable prescription for
conditioning sexual sadism into our pre-teen, teenage and young adult film fans."
Psychiatrist Dr. Thomas Radecki said, "Every year film violence and
real-life violence continues to get worse. We must protest and stop this growing sadism in
our homes, schools, and on our streets."
Obviously, the problem is wider than just on Halloween. But TV programming
and video rentals of violent horror films is at its peak at Halloween.
Halloween is harmful because of its emphasis on violence and death.
-
HALLOWEEN EMPHASIZES HORROR AND FEAR
An article in the Milwaukee Journal, entitled "Haunted House Fun: It
could become a nightmare for kids" stated, "It's just for fun, you know that.
But to a young child, a trip through a `haunted house' created for Halloween could be a
nightmare." Psychologist Marvin Berkowitz of Marquette University said, "Some
haunted houses can frighten an adult." He warned that a child must "go in with
the right mental set." He said, "Make sure they know it's going to be a fun
scare, not a real scare." The article went on to day that even though you do your
best to let the child know this he can be traumatized by such an experience."
I don't believe children should be exposed to such manufactured traumas.
Exposing a vulnerable child can have harmful consequences that run the spectrum from
nightmares to emotional damage. In fact, Dr. Grace Ketterman, M.D. says in her book, You
and Your Child's Problems, "A tragic by- product of fear in the lives of children as
early as preadolescence is the interest and involvement in supernatural occult
phenomena."
Halloween is harmful because of its emphasis on fear and horror.
-
HALLOWEEN EMPHASIZES THE OCCULT
Halloween is harmful because it lures people into the occult. Many
children are introduced to occultic practices at Halloween parties. I first learned about
the occult at a Halloween party as a teenager. Many kids get their first exposure to
occultic horror movies at Halloween parties. After the initial exposure to the occult some
children are attracted to the occult because of the power it offers them. Others see it as
the ultimate means of rebelling against there parents.
-
Other things that lure children into the occult --
1. Black & heavy metal music
2. Fantasy Role playing games
3. Slasher/horror movies & sadistic pornography
4. Reading occult & satanic literature
People who would not ever involve themselves with the occult at any other
time will experiment at Halloween parties with seances, Ouija boards, levitation, rituals
and ritual sex.
Did you know that Devil's Night (the night before Halloween) is the worst
night of the year for ARSON FIRES? In Detroit, Michigan in 1983, 450 fires were set by
pranksters. To add to the trauma, more personal property is defaced and public buildings
damaged at this time than any other time of the year. Law enforcement officials have told
me that grave yard desecration are becoming a real problem at Halloween.
What about Trick-or-Treat? In Milwaukee, Wisconsin hospitals x-ray candy
received while "begging" to be sure no foreign objects, like pins or razor
blades, were in the goodies.
Malicious Halloween pranks even kill people, like the lady who had a
pumpkin dropped on her car from an overpass. It went through her window and caused her
death.
Let me conclude this section by telling you of a recent video taped
interview that we did with a Wisconsin policeman. He told us of a woman who had come to
them and reported that her two children had been sacrificed in Satanic Halloween rituals.
She was an occult member and wanted out of the group.
Holloween is a sinister day with occultic roots. As we move along in the
last days an increasing number of people are realizing that Halloween is a pagan worship
day. It is day that honors false gods, demons and Satan. I have no desire to enter into
the worship of false gods nor honor the devil. I hope after considering this study you
will agree and decide NOT TO CELEBRATE HALLOWEEN. Put Ephesians 5:11 into practice,
"...have NO fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove
(expose) them."
I have come to believe that Christ is not honored by celebrating
Halloween. I have shared my conviction with my family. As a result, we have replaced the
celebration of Halloween with something completely unassociated to it. We make it a family
night and do something special together. You can see that I do believe in the PRINCIPLE OF
REPLACEMENT. I believe that Romans 12:21 teaches it. "Be not overcome of evil, but
overcome evil with good."
Certainly remove the bad. Explain to your children why you are not
celebrating Halloween any more. BUT then replace it with something that will glorify God
(I Corinthians 10:31). Be creative. Make what you do more fun, yet honor Christ. Have a
harvest party where you focus on Christ the creator and his provisions for you. Have a
Christian video party. Have a glory gathering where Christian songs are sung and the word
is preached. Get a group together and go from door to door (not dressed up) and pass out
Gospel tracts then meet for a time of fellowship afterward.
My closing challenge to you is this. Prayerfully consider what Christ
would have you to do. My your desire be that of James, "Submit yourselves therefore
to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw
nigh to you." (James 4:7-8).
[This report is provided by LOGOS for personal research only. If you want
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a donation of $4.00. Inexpensive pamphlets are also available for general distribution. A
well documented one hour video that has been distributed nationally by Evangelical Films
& Video is also available.]
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