Question: "What is All Saints Day?

"
Answer: All Saints Day is observed on November 1 by the West (Roman Catholic Church, for
instance). In Eastern rite churches, it is observed on the first Sunday after Pentecost. Its purpose is
to commemorate the lives of all saints and, based on the belief of the communion of the living and
the dead, to ask for their intercession before God.
All Saints Day is also called Allhallows. Halloween is celebrated the day before, or, specifically, the
evening before All Saints Day. The word Halloween is a derivative of Hallows Eve. The emphasis on
spirits, goblins, witches, and other dark images came about from the supposition that the dark forces
were especially active just before All Saints Day in order to hinder the prayer for the dead that would
be offered the next day. The practice of trick or treating dates back to the Middle Ages when poor
people would go door to door begging food in exchange for their prayers for the dead.
While the Bible teaches that the dead in Christ are alive, it nowhere teaches us to ask for their
intercession. Rather, it urges Christians to come boldly before the throne of grace (to God) knowing
that we have a great High Priest, Jesus Christ, who ever lives to make intercession for us (Hebrews
4:14-16, 7:24-25). We are to depend upon Christ alone for salvation (Acts 4:12) and upon Him alone
for grace for Christian living after salvation. The Bible speaks of Christ as being our one mediator
between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5).
Question: "Should Christians celebrate Halloween?"
Answer: No because it paganistic. It is satanic. It is unbiblical. Some Christians celebrate Halloween
simply by dressing up in a costume and having fun, seeing it as innocent and harmless. Other
Christians are equally convinced that Halloween is a satanic holiday established to worship evil
spirits and promote darkness and wickedness. So, who is right? Is it possible for Christians to
celebrate Halloween without compromising their faith?
Halloween, no matter how commercialized, has almost completely pagan origins. As innocent as it
may seem to some, it is not something to be taken lightly. Christians tend to have various ways to
celebrate or not to celebrate Halloween. For some, it means having an alternative Harvest Party.
For others, it is staying away from the ghosts, witches, goblins, etc., and wearing innocuous
costumes, e.g., little princesses, clowns, cowboys, super-heroes, etc. Some choose not to do
anything, electing to lock themselves in the house with the lights off. With our freedom as Christians,
we are at liberty to decide how to act.
Scripture does not speak at all about Halloween, but it does give us some principles on which we
can make a decision. In Old Testament Israel, witchcraft was a crime punishable by death (Exodus
22:18; Leviticus 19:31;20:6, 27). The New Testament teaching about the occult is clear. Acts 8:9-24,
the story of Simon, shows that occultism and Christianity don't mix. The account of Elymas the
sorcerer in Acts 13:6-11 reveals that sorcery is violently opposed to Christianity. Paul called Elymas
a child of the devil, an enemy of righteousness and a perverter of the ways of God. In Acts 16, at
Philippi, a fortune-telling girl lost her demon powers when the evil spirit was cast out by Paul. The
interesting matter here is that Paul refused to allow even good statements to come from a demon-

influenced person. Acts 19 shows new converts who have abruptly broken with their former
occultism by confessing, showing their evil deeds, bringing their magic paraphernalia, and burning it
before everyone (Acts 19:19).
So, should a Christian celebrate Halloween? Is there anything evil about a Christian dressing up as
a princess or cowboy and going around the block asking for candy? No, there is not. Are there things
about Halloween that are anti-Christian and should be avoided? Absolutely! If parents are going to
allow their children to participate in Halloween, they should make sure to keep them from getting
involved in the darker aspects of the day. If Christians are going to take part in Halloween, their
attitude, dress, and most importantly, their behavior should still reflect a redeemed life (Philippians
1:27). There are many churches that hold "harvest festivals" and incorporate costumes, but in a
godly environment. There are many Christians who hand out tracts that share the Gospel along with
the Halloween candy. The decision is ultimately ours to make. But as with all things, we are to
incorporate the principles of Romans 14. We cant allow our own convictions about a holiday to
cause division in the body of Christ, nor can we use our freedom to cause others to stumble in their
faith. We are to do all things as to the Lord.
Question: "What does the Bible say about ghosts / hauntings?"
Answer: Is there such a thing as ghosts? The answer to this question depends on what precisely is
meant by the term ghosts. If the term means spirit beings, the answer is a qualified yes. If the
term means spirits of people who have died, the answer is no. The Bible makes it abundantly
clear that there are spirit beings, both good and evil. But the Bible negates the idea that the spirits of
deceased human beings can remain on earth and haunt the living.
Hebrews 9:27 declares, Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment. That is what
happens to a persons soul-spirit after deathjudgment. The result of this judgment is heaven for the
believer (2 Corinthians 5:6-8; Philippians 1:23) and hell for the unbeliever (Matthew 25:46; Luke
16:22-24). There is no in-between. There is no possibility of remaining on earth in spirit form as a
ghost. If there are such things as ghosts, according to the Bible, they absolutely cannot be the
disembodied spirits of deceased human beings.
The Bible teaches very clearly that there are indeed spirit beings who can connect with and appear
in our physical world. The Bible identifies these beings as angels and demons. Angels are spirit
beings who are faithful in serving God. Angels are righteous, good, and holy. Demons are fallen
angels, angels who rebelled against God. Demons are evil, deceptive, and destructive. According
to 2 Corinthians 11:14-15, demons masquerade as angels of light and as servants of
righteousness. Appearing as a ghost and impersonating a deceased human being definitely seem
to be within the power and abilities that demons possess.
The closest biblical example of a haunting is found in Mark 5:1-20. A legion of demons possessed
a man and used the man to haunt a graveyard. There were no ghosts involved. It was a case of a
normal person being controlled by demons to terrorize the people of that area. Demons only seek to
kill, steal, and destroy (John 10:10). They will do anything within their power to deceive people, to
lead people away from God. This is very likely the explanation of ghostly activity today. Whether it
is called a ghost, a ghoul, or a poltergeist, if there is genuine evil spiritual activity occurring, it is the
work of demons.

What about instances in which ghosts act in positive ways? What about psychics who claim to
summon the deceased and gain true and useful information from them? Again, it is crucial to
remember that the goal of demons is to deceive. If the result is that people trust in a psychic instead
of God, a demon will be more than willing to reveal true information. Even good and true information,
if from a source with evil motives, can be used to mislead, corrupt, and destroy.
Interest in the paranormal is becoming increasingly common. There are individuals and businesses
that claim to be ghost-hunters, who for a price will rid your home of ghosts. Psychics, sances,
tarot cards, and mediums are increasingly considered normal. Human beings are innately aware of
the spiritual world. Sadly, instead of seeking the truth about the spirit world by communing with God
and studying His Word, many people allow themselves to be led astray by the spirit world. The
demons surely laugh at the spiritual mass-deception that exists in the world today.

Gods Viewpoint
Notice what God says about pagan customs, traditions, practices and beliefs
in general: Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the
signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of
the people are vain (Jer. 10:2-3, KJV).
God took a nation of slaves, Israel, and freed them from their cruel Egyptian
masters. Leading them out of Egypt, He commanded them, saying, According
to the doings of the land of Egypt, where you dwelt, you shall not do; and
according to the doings of the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you, you
shall not do; nor shall you walk in their ordinances (Lev. 18:3). God ordered
the Israelites not to defile themselves with the practices and customs of the
surrounding nations (vs. 24-29). Therefore you shall keep My ordinance, so
that you do not commit any of these abominable customs which were
committed before you, and that you do not defile yourselves by them: I am
the LORD your God (vs. 30).
God gave Israel His laws, statutes and judgments. He gave them a way of life
completely alien to mankind; a way that, if kept diligently and from the heart,
will produce peace, joy, and prosperityevery good thing that He wants to
abundantly share with all of humanity (John 10:10). God told the Israelites
that they would be blessed beyond human imagination if they carefully kept

His laws (Lev. 26:3-13). And that they would be greatly cursed if they
rejected Him and replaced His ways with pagan customs, practices and
traditionsno matter how innocent or harmless they seemed (vs. 14-39).
Yet, despite Gods warnings, Israel would not listen. Even after God had sent
them servant after servant, throughout their turbulent history, they still would
not repent and whole-heartedly turn to Him. And the LORD God of their
fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers, rising up early and sending
them, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place.
But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at
His prophets (II Chron. 36:15-16). Because of their spiritual adultery and
affinity for pagan practices, calling them holy when God calls them profane
(Ezek. 22:26), God had no choice but to punish Israel. And, unfortunately,
the modern-day descendants of Israelthe United States, Canada, Britain,
Australia, Israel, and otherswill very soon be severely punished for failing to
discern what is holy from what is profane (Jer. 30:4-7; Ezek. 24:13-14).
The one true Godthe Creator, Teacher, Lawgiver and Judgedoes not take
pagan practices lightly!

Satan Blinds the World

Most people do not believe that Satan the Devil existsand that best suits his
game plan. His goal is to keep the people of his world, his society, blind to his
lies and deceits (II Cor. 4:4; Rev. 12:9). He even uses false ministers, who
seem to be ministers of light, but are in reality Satans ministers of darkness.
Paul wrote, And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an
angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform
themselves into ministers of righteousness (II Cor. 11:14-15). Satan wants
us to be so wrapped up in the customs and practices of this worldhis world
that when presented with the plain truth about Halloween, we will shrug our
shoulders and say, Im just celebrating it to have funwhats the big deal?
Throughout mankinds turbulent history, Satan has always managed to find a
way to separate man from God (Isa. 59:1-3) by tempting him into various

sins and false ideas that may seem rightthat may seem innocent and
harmlessbut are in direct opposition to God! Jeremiah said, O LORD, I know
the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own
steps (10:23), and The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately
wicked; who can know it? (17:9). Even when the Roman Catholic Church
attempted to gloss over strange pagan practices of the Celts and Romans, it
introduced its own false, Satanic doctrines, passing them off as Christian.
Halloween is riddled with deceit and falsehoods.
Yet, even after all the historical evidence and biblical insights are brought to
light, there will still be those who continue to view Halloween as just another
harmless childhood practice. Nothing will convince them otherwise. Like a
gleaming, white-washed tomb (Matt. 23:27), Halloween may sparkle on the
surface, but in Gods eyes, it is filled with every spiritually unclean and filthy
thing imaginable, a foul stench to His nostrils (Isa. 65:5).
No man or religious organization has the power to white-wash Halloween
and declare it to be Christian. God unmasks Halloween and sees it for exactly
what it is!
Will you?

Where did Halloween come from? Can

a Christian celebrate it?
by Matt Slick

Halloween is celebrated by millions of people in multiple countries. For

most it is a fun time for kids who put on costumes and going door-to-door to get candy. But it is

also known as a time of witches, ghouls, goblins, and ghosts. On one hand, some Christians see
Halloween as a harmless time of fun and on the other, a ghastly and demonically inspired night
that should be avoided.
As Christians, there is a lot of debate on whether or not we should participate in Halloween. Is it
alright to go trick-or-treating? Can we dress our kids up in costumes and send them out door-todoor? If we do any of this, are we celebrating an evil holiday?

Halloween's Origins
The word Halloween is derived from the term, "All Hallows Eve," which occurred on Oct. 31.
"All Saints Day" or "All Hallows Day" was the next Day, Nov. 1 . Therefore, Halloween is the
eve of All Saints Day.
st

Some say that the origins of Halloween can be traced back to ancient Ireland and Scotland
around the time of Christ. On Oct. 31 the Celts celebrated the day because it was when animal
herders would move their animals into barns and pens and prepare to wait out the winter. This
was also the time of the crop harvests. This annual change of season and lifestyle was marked by
a festival called Samhain, pronounced 'sow-ane' (Sow rhymes with cow) which means 'end of
summer.'
st,

There was much superstition associated with this time of change, including the belief in fairies
and that the spirits of the dead wandered around looking for bodies to inhabit. Since the living
did not want to be possessed by spirits, they dressed up in costumes and paraded around the
streets making loud noises to confuse and frighten the spirits away. In addition, the new year
began for the Celts on Nov. 1. So, the day of Samhain was believed to be a day that was in
neither the year past or the year to come. Since it was in between, chaos ruled on that day. Often,
people would pull practical jokes on others as a result.
Later, around the 5 century, as the Catholic Church developed and moved into the area, instead
of adding a new day to celebrate, it took over the Samhain celebration. Nov. 1 became "All
Hallows Day" where all the saints of the Catholic church were honored. Oct 31 was "All
Hallows Eve" which became "Halloween." A later custom developed where people would go
door-to-door on Nov. 2 requesting small cakes in exchange for the promise of saying prayers for
some of the dead relatives of each house. This arose out of the religious belief that the dead were
in a state of limbo before they went to Heaven or Hell and that the prayers of the living could
influence the outcome. This may have been the precursor to Trick-or-Treat.
th

st

The Jack-O-Lantern apparently comes from Irish folklore about a man named Jack who tricked
the devil into climbing a tree. Once the devil was in the tree, Jack carved a cross on the trunk
preventing the devil from coming down. The devil then made a deal with Jack not to allow Jack
into Hell after he died if only Jack would remove the cross from the tree. After Jack died, he
couldn't go to Hell, but he also couldn't go to Heaven. He was forced to wander around the earth
with a single candle to light his way. The candle was placed in a turnip to keep it burning longer.
When the Irish came to America in the 1800's, they adopted the pumpkin instead of the turnip.
Along with these traditions, they brought the idea that the black cat was considered by some to
be reincarnated spirits who had prophetic abilities.

So, it appears that the origins of Halloween are a mixture of old Celtic pagan rituals superstition
and early Catholic traditions.

What does the Bible say about Halloween?

What does the Bible say about Halloween? Nothing. But it does speak concerning witches, the
occult, and paganism.

Exodus 22:18, "You shall not let a witch live."

Deut. 18:10-12, "Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in
the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, 11 or casts
spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. 12 Anyone who does these
things is detestable to the LORD..."
The Bible definitely speaks negatively about occultic practices, spirits, witches and condemns
not only the practice but also the people who are involved in it. As Christians, we are to have
nothing to do with the occult. Tarot Cards, contacting the dead, sances, lucky charms, etc., are
all unbiblical and can harm a Christian's fellowship with God and open the Christian to demonic
oppression. Most Christians know this and avoid these activities. But, the question still remains.
Since there are ancient pagan connections and modern-day occultic connections, what is the
Christian to do?

Can the Christian celebrate Halloween?

The answer is simple: Yes and No. Lets look at the negative first.
The Christian is not to be involved with or support the occult, witchcraft, demonism, or any other
thing that is occultic. To do so is to contradict Gods Word, dabble in the demonic, and invite
judgment from God. If a Halloween celebration is centered on demons, devils, spirits, etc., I
would say don't have anything to do with it.
On the other hand, it isn't wrong to dress up in a costume and go door-to-door saying, "Trick or
Treat." Provided that the costume isn't demonic, I can't see anything wrong with this. It's just fun
for the kids.
Take a look at the Christmas tree. It was originally an ancient fertility symbol. Yet, it has
become a representation of Christmas and the place where gifts are placed. Are the Christians
then paying homage to an ancient pagan fertility god? Not at all. They do not consider it pagan
and are simply joining in a cultural event and giving no honor to anything unscriptural.
Think about this. In the Bible in 1 Cor. 10:23-33, Paul speaks about meat sacrificed to idols.
This meat was often sold in the meat market; and the question arose, "Should a Christian each
such meat?"

Paul said in verse 25, "Eat anything that is sold in the meat market, without asking questions for
conscience' sake." This is most interesting. He says it is okay to eat the meat bought in the
market place even though that meat may have been sacrificed to idols.
Then in verses 28-29 he says, "But if anyone should say to you, 'This is meat sacrificed to idols,'
do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for conscience' sake; 29 I mean not
your own conscience, but the other man's; for why is my freedom judged by another's
conscience?" Paul is saying that if you find out the meat was sacrificed to idols, don't eat it - not
because of you but because of the other person. In other words, eating that meat won't affect you.
But, it may affect the attitude of another who does not understand the freedom the Christian has
in Christ.
Is it any different with Halloween (or Christmas)? No. Even though Halloween has pagan origins
and because of your freedom in Christ, you and/or your kids can dress up in costumes and go
door-to-door and just have fun. However, if you are not comfortable with doing this, then you
should not. If you know of a person who would be hindered by doing it, then you shouldn't
either.