Answering My Critics – Halloween 2

Should Christians Celebrate Halloween?

Thank you Patty Cake for sharing my article.   I also appreciate all the comments, both on Patty Cake’s page, my wall and personal emails and calls.   When I was asked to address some of the comments…I never thought I would be writing a Part II Follow-up to my Halloween essay.   But this is exactly what has happened.

There are few things that stir up controversy in the Bible than that of the ongoing debate on whether Christians should participate in Halloween.   Offhand I can think of only two other topics that stir the soul like Halloween…the question of origins (4.7 Billion Years or a mere 6,000.  The Big Bang…evolution or God did it over 6 days?  Dinosaurs went extinct 65 Million Years ago or they have always lived with man?  Were there dinosaurs on the ark?  Are there living dinosaurs today?) And Drinking (Is it permissible for a Christian to drink?  How about get drunk?  Does the Bible ever allow room for drinking?  What does the Bible say about social drinking and Bars & Taverns?  How do we reconcile Romans 14:21 and 1 Thessalonians 5:22)?

Many of you have asked these same questions.  Some of you “KNOW” the answer.  Not necessarily because you have read your Bible or researched for yourself…but because someone told you.   Perhaps a Pastor told you.  Someone you trust.   Remember, someone you trust can also be someone who is wrong.

How do you handle it when someone you trust gets it wrong?  First, they usually are not wrong about everything…if they are…I would find a new source.  Second, no one is right about everything…except me of course.  🙂

No matter how you feel about these three controversial subjects…they are your world view.  Your world view is affected by many things.  Rarely is it affected by our own personal prayer and research.

My goal when I wrote this article on Halloween was to provide a RESOURCE for those CHRISTIAN FAMILES looking for ANSWERS about HALLOWEEN and are STRUGGLING with the DECISION of whether or not it is right for their family.

I have read your comments and I appreciate all of you that have decided to weigh in and give your thoughts.    I think it is especially important for Christians to continue in open dialogue and discussion.  I do however want to address a couple of your comments.  Not to change your mind…because I am not good at that anyway.  J  But, rather try and get you to think about it a little bit.  Then with this information you can decide if Halloween is still right for you and your family.

Susan Pushmann, what bigger fish could we be frying than Christian’s addressing the very nature and source of evil in this world?  Halloween is a day that hell is opened up and demons walk among us.  Not in costumes —those are our children…but if you read my article or do the research on your own this is exactly what they are doing.  The Bible tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:22 to avoid the APPEARANCE of evil.  Not just evil as that is obvious…but the appearance.  Halloween is more than “fun”…it is a satanic event plain and simple.  Now, your children may not participate in these rituals…but these rituals go on even today.  Satan is alive and well on Planet Earth…and he chooses Halloween as a very special day for him and his followers.   Halloween is the #2 holiday for Wiccans and the number one holiday for Satanists.  That’s not me saying that or some statistic…go ask them…as Christians we hold the birth and resurrection dear…they hold The Festival of the dead dear.

Anne Pushmann LeClair…you are right…MOST Christians are fine with Halloween.  Churches celebrate the event like good Irish Druids.    Sadly, this world is far from God and the church is asleep.  I studied the history of the Church in America.  It was not long ago that you would be kicked of church if you were known to be the town drunk…you would even be kicked out for swearing.  Today, I think we would have some pretty empty churches.  J  In today’s modern church we allow adulterers, wife beaters and homosexuals in our churches.   Now I just picked 3 because they seemed extreme to me when compared to drinking and swearing…I think sin is sin…

You said, “…don’t make everything out to be evil. These same Christians feel the bible is the ultimate authority.”  You are partly right here.  “These same Christians feel the Bible is the ultimate authority.”  The problem is this same group…while they believe this and they allow their lives to show it…they don’t read their Bible so they have no idea what it says.

I believe that there is much evil in the world…Halloween being one of them.  Why do I believe this?  Because God said it and I believe Him.   Here are a few examples:

Romans 12:2, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:”

Matthew 24:9-13, “⁹ Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.  ¹⁰ And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.  ¹¹ And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.  ¹² And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.  ¹³ But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”

Ephesians 6:10-18 “10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.  11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.  13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand…” (You can read the rest)

1 John 4:8, “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.”

Romans 5:6 talks about the free gift of salvation brought about because of our many trespasses [Evil].

Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned [committed evil] and come short of the glory of God.”

1 John 5:19, “And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.”

The Bible says we live in the world but we are not of this world…it demands that even though we live in this world we should be separate from the [evil] things of this world.

2 Corinthians 6:17, “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,”

God says if we love the world or the things in this world [having fun with a Halloween] then we do not belong to him.

1 John 2:15, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”

God goes on to say that if we are a friend of the world we are in enmity with him (enmity is a very strong word for enemy).  He likens us to be adulteresses.  In other words, we are cheating on God by getting in bed with the world and in this case Halloween.

James 4:4, “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.”

It has always be interesting to me how people will take one scripture and attempt to support their whole doctrine with it.   The Bible has to be study as the whole…what is the message of God in the Bible concerning evil and Halloween?

I believe God is crystal clear…we are to have no part in it and if we do we are an enemy of his.  AN ENEMY OF GOD’s!!!!  Maybe that don’t mean anything to some…but to me…in no way shape or form do I want to be His enemy!

Since you used it as your analogy…lets discuss for a moment, “eating meat offered to idols”. Great job…most people have never even heard of this…a but let’s look at it a little closer to see if your analogy fits:

I don’t know if you were aware but this comes from the book of Leviticus chapter 17-18.  When the Jerusalem council met regarding what to require from the new Gentile believers, they basically summarized the requirements from Leviticus 17–18.  Leviticus 17 deals with the sanctity of blood and idolatry (offerings to demons) while Leviticus 18 focuses on forms of sexual immorality.

I don’t want to take this too far of the beaten path so we will look at primarily at chapter 17.    Leviticus 17:1-7 basically teaches that all clean animals must be brought as korbanot (offerings) and must be offered in the Sanctuary.     If anyone killed a clean animal and didn’t offer it to the Lord, he was guilty of bloodshed.  Sacrifices could not be made in the open fields or somewhere in the camp other than the Sanctuary.  These sacrifices were offered to goat-demons.  Since the Temple was destroyed in 70 A.D., no sacrifices to the Lord have been made because of this commandment.

Deuteronomy 12:13-16 re-emphasizes this commandment but gives permission to slaughter and eat clean meat in a manner similar to gazelle or deer whereas previously, the Israelites had to offer peace offerings when they wanted to eat meat.  From this point on, no matter where the Israelites lived they were permitted to eat meat whenever they wanted as long as they didn’t eat the blood.

You may be surprised to know that as Jews became believers in Jesus Christ, they still offered sacrifices at the Temple and made pilgrimages to Jerusalem for the feasts until it was destroyed in 70 A.D.  This was long after Christ’s death and resurrection.

Paul said some people had the knowledge that idols did not have any real existence in the world nor could they affect the meat which was sacrificed to them while others believed differently.   Paul suggested that believers should not eat meat sacrificed to idols so they won’t cause someone else with a weak conscience to stumble; however, this was not the primary reason to avoid meat sacrificed to idols.

Many Christians believe that believers are free to knowingly eat food sacrificed to idols when someone weaker in their faith is not around.  This could not be further from the truth.  Paul finally gives a better reason to avoid meat sacrificed to idols in 1 Corinthians 10.  In this chapter, Paul equates eating food sacrificed to idols to having fellowship with demons.  Clearly, we are not to eat at the table of demons.

If you don’t know whether or not your meat was offered to idols (demons), don’t ask.  Just eat it with thanksgiving to God.  If you hear your meat was offered to idols, don’t eat it.  Whatever you do, do everything to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:27-31).

So Anne, I do see where you are going with this…but I think the problem is your complete understanding of the account.  A careful reading as we have done here of Leviticus 17 and supporting scripture (Deuteronomy 12:13-1 and 1 Cor. 10:27-31…Acts 21) that your interpretation is a little misguided.  But don’t fret at least you are aware of the passage…meaning you have read your Bible.  Very good.

I think the physician Luke sums this whole thing best, Acts 21:25, “As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written and concluded that they observe no such thing, save only that they keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication.”  To get a complete understanding read the entire 21^st chapter.

Indeed, the Master has spoken…His Authority is true.  Leviticus does not give tolerance to the celebration of Halloween…in fact just the opposite.

Most of this was from an article I posted a couple years ago.  God is the same yesterday, today and forever.  Read the entire article at: http://airrington.com/?p=1799