.**31/10/2024**
**Writer: Admin**
As we all know, today is Halloween. Many of your friends are out celebrating by going trick-or-treating and having a great time. You might be joining in the festivities with them, or, like me, you may feel hesitant to participate due to your faith. Today, I want to address the question of whether we, as Christians, should celebrate this holiday.
First, it's important to understand the origins of Halloween. Originally, Halloween was a Celtic pagan festival called Samhain. The Celts believed that during this time, the division between the dead and the living was at its thinnest. They practised traditions such as wearing costumes and masks to disguise themselves as evil spirits, which is similar to what we do on Halloween today. Additionally, they lit giant bonfires and offered sacrifices to Celtic deities and their ancestors. Scripture clearly warns us against these pagan traditions. For instance, Revelation 9:20-21 states, "The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshipping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood." This highlights that idolatry is a sin. Furthermore, in Leviticus 19:31, Moses advises, “Do not turn to mediums or necromancers; do not seek them out, and so make yourselves unclean by them,” which underscores the dangers of pagan practices.
While some argue that Halloween has Christian origins—since it was celebrated by Christians in the Middle Ages on the evening before All Saints' Day as a way to commemorate life after death—it is crucial to recognize that Halloween today has little Christian influence.
The Halloween we celebrate now primarily revolves around macabre imagery, including skulls, darkness, and ghosts. We often allow our children to dress up as characters, usually evil villains or dangerous monsters. In John 1:11, it is written, "Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good," and in Thessalonians, Paul advises, "Abstain from every form of evil." These two quotes from the Bible emphasize that we should steer clear of even the mere imitation of evil.
In conclusion, I believe that, as Christians, Halloween should not be celebrated. I leave you with a striking quote from an ex-Satanist and founder of the Church of Satan: "I’m glad that Christian parents let their children worship the devil at least one night out of the year."
Let me know what you think in the comment section below.
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