HALLOWEEN: AN ACCEPTABLE FEAR?

“Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth.” Ps.60:4

     Children explore everything in life —in all their surroundings. Parents are always on their guard to insure their child’s protection. One area of a child’s exploration deals with the emotion of fear. A wave of fear can traumatize a child. When witnessing violence, or being separated from the mother, or just sleeping in a dark room, fear has a paralyzing effect and we all instinctively dread its experience.

     But as a child matures emotionally the dynamics of fear are explored, from the ghosts and goblins of Halloween to learning about the villains of real life whether of bullies or violent tempered men.

     Then there is the fear of losing a grandparent or childhood friend. This fear leads to sadness. But then there is the fear that is fun. It is the fear of someone sneaking up on you, surprising you with a loud “BOO!” This is why Halloween is emotionally acceptable. It tempers the emotion of fear to a level that is invigorating. As a result man is infatuated with death, so long as its purpose as ordained of GOD remains hidden.

     The Bible says, "The soul that sinneth it shall die;" and "The wages of sin is death." Eze.18:4; Rom.6:23. The dominion of death is GOD’S prison to contain every sin that threatens the security of life. Death (or nonexistence) is a vault, an abyss of nothingness to hold all the bitter fruits of selfishness. That is the sole function of death. It has no other purpose. So when Jesus Christ was forced into the grave at the hands of lawless men, having never united His will with sin, either by thought or deed, the grave had no legal right to hold Him: it had to set Him free; for death can only hold sin, of which Christ had none! On the day of Pentecost Peter said, "it was not possible that he should be holden of it." Acts 2:24. And because He is our Creator, [the Father and now son of the family of Adam (Rev.22:16)], the whole of mankind is invited to share in this victory that our "Everlasting Father" and "Creator," Jesus Christ gained on the behalf of His children (Is.9:6). This is the eternal reward for our repentance from sin against the Ten Commandments (Mk.1:15; Matt.19:17).

     It is man's ignorance of this spiritual reality of Christ's victory over death that allows for all manner of traditions, superstitions, and foolish values that continue generation after generation. So, for men to allow their children to celebrate death on Halloween it should be understood that Scripture is crystalline in its counsel that in all the places that bring eerie feelings, causing fear, EVERY FEARFUL AND SINISTER DEED IS ONLY DONE AMONG THE LIVING. The Bible is clear that the dead have no power, nor presence to influence in any way, shape or form the lives of the living. This includes the Virgin Mary and the dead saints. It is as the wisest man to ever live, king Solomon said: “For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing…Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun…for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.” Eccl.9:5-10.

     This is why GOD condemns séances and prayers to the dead (Deut.18:11; Isa.8:19). So, in all these traditions promoting “horrors” and causing your hair to stand on end, the only evil is from those who promote the fear. Whether of cemeteries or old abandoned homes, these are merely the remains where once there was life.

     It is when we examine the origin and theme of Halloween it is seen to be a rather pathetic example of “the tradition of men.”

     The word Halloween comes from “All Hallows' Eve.” Irish and Scottish immigrants carried the tradition to North America in the nineteenth century. Halloween has its origins in the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain (pronounced "sah-win"). The festival of Samhain is a celebration of the end of the harvest season in Gaelic culture. Samhain was a time used by the ancient pagans to take stock of supplies and prepare for winter. The ancient Gaels held a superstition that on October 31, the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead overlapped and the deceased would come back to life to haunt men, bringing sickness or damaged crops. Masks and costumes were worn in an attempt to appease the evil spirits. Our children are merely the innocent pawns to continue this ancient superstition.

     (Now, there are evil spirits. Anyone who has had experience with the paranormal powers of good and evil know full well the existence of holy and unholy angels. And it is the devils who portray the deceased among the living. And because men defy the Bible, both in and out of the church, Satan plays them the fool in a variety of ways. But those who know their Bible declare as did Paul: "for we are not ignorant of his devices." II Cor.2:11.)

     The festival would frequently involve bonfires. It was believed that the fires attracted insects to the area which attracted bats to the area. These are additional attributes of the history of Halloween.

     The "trick" part of "trick or treat" is a threat to play a trick on the homeowner or his property if no treat is given. But in Ohio, Iowa, and Massachusetts, the night designated for Trick-or-treating is often referred to as Beggars Night. The practice of dressing up in costumes and begging door to door for treats on holidays goes back to the Middle Ages, and includes Christmas wassailing.

     Trick-or-treating resembles the late medieval practice of "souling," when the poor would go door to door on Hallowmas (November 1), receiving food in return for prayers for the dead on All Souls Day (November 2). It originated in Ireland and Britain, although similar practices for the souls of the dead were followed in Italy. Shakespeare mentions the practice of souling in his comedy The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1593), when Speed accuses his master of "puling [whimpering, whining], like a beggar at Hallowmas."

     “Souling” was never practiced in America. Early national attention to trick-or-treating was given in October 1947 issues of the children's magazines Jack and Jill and Children's Activities, and by Halloween episodes of the network radio programs, The Baby Snooks Show in 1946, and The Jack Benny Show, and The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet in 1948 where Ozzie and Harriet were besieged by trick-or-treaters on an episode of their television show. The custom had become firmly established in popular culture by 1952, when Walt Disney portrayed it in the cartoon Trick or Treat. And UNICEF first conducted a national campaign for children to raise funds for the charity while trick-or-treating.

     There is a plethora of customs and traditions that will not continue when the LORD Jesus Christ gathers His children to Himself to be with Him for all eternity. And while our holidays of Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and Easter cannot directly be labeled as a sin, anything that hinders our love for our Father and His Son stands in the way of His best for us.