St. Paul's Lutheran Young Disciples - Children's Ministry: October 2009

I have been here now 5 teaching years, just celebrated my 4th anniversary. Along those years, a few things have changed.
I am not against fun and folly. It may seem like it at times but Halloween is not fun and folly. It is prancing on the darkside and if you live for Christ than ... well you shouldn't be playing on that side of the gate.

Scripture says

John 8:12 and 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.

Ephesians 6:12And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Romans 12:2 and then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

I know many of you believe that you can have both, that Janette is just a crazy Christian who is trying to change everyone into her way of thinking. I am crazy for Jesus, no doubt about that. I have chosen to rise above the status quo and not conform to the ways of the world.

Here is an article that was written just a few years ago that is important to share.

Very long

A CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE ON HALLOWEEN

HALLOWED OR HARMFUL?

Hundreds of years before the birth of Christ, the Celts, inhabitants of Britain and Ireland, observed a festival on October 31st. Unlike modern-day Halloween, theirs was no children's holiday. The Celts and their priests, the Druids, celebrated Samhain, a festival that marked the eve of the Celtic New Year, which began on Nov 1.

The fall harvest was complete and winter loomed ahead. The Celts believed the power of the sun was fading. For the next several months, darkness would prevail.

The Celts believed that during Samhain the veil separating the living from the dead was at its thinnest. They believed that on the evening of October 31, evil spirits and the souls of the dead passed through the barrier and entered the world of the living. Departed family members would revisit their earthly homes.

The thought was frightening -- and exciting! The Celts believed these spirits and dead souls could torment the living. Crops might be destroyed, babies stolen, farm animals killed. But this was also an opportunity to commune with the spirits and divine the future. The Devil, the lord of darkness, was ordinarily feared, but during Samhain, his power would be called on to foretell the future.

TRICK OR TREAT

The Druids were charged with appeasing the goblins and preventing harm to the people. Huge Samhain bonfires were lit to guide the way of the spirits. Various sacrifices -- including human -- were performed to assure a good year. Several ancient authors commented on the gory religious rites of the Druids.

It is believed that, like many pagan cultures around the world, the Celts left out food for the spirits, hoping that a "treat" would prevent an evil "trick."

Centuries later, descendants of the Celts continued to observe the Samhain festival by dressing as evil spirits. They roamed from house to house demanding food in exchange for the "spirits" leaving the home unharmed. They carved demon faces in hollowed-out turnips and lighted them with candles. That night they also practiced many customs designed to divine the future. Young people roasted nuts in Samhain fires to see which would crack first and tell them who they would marry. The person who retrieved an apple with his mouth from a tub of water assured himself of a lucky year. Obviously some of these customs (like "apple-bobbing") have remained with us, strictly as amusement.

ALL HALLOWS' EVE

When Christianity began to spread through Europe in the third and fourth centuries, the pagan temples were torn down. But pagan worship never completely disappeared. The festival of Samhain remained a primary pagan festival. Belief in spirits may have waned, but many of the old Samhain traditions continued to be practiced especially by the children. Primarily in Ireland, children dressed as spirits went from house to house demanding a treat. If they received none, they performed an unwelcomed trick. They were play-acting the part of evil spirits that had to be appeased, just as in the old Samhain festival the people believe they really did have to appease spirits.

In the 700s AD the Church decided to combat this festival by replacing it with a celebration of the Lord of life. Instead of honoring evil spirits and the souls of the dead, the church chose to recognize the saints or hallowed ones who had lived godly lives. The Church seemed to be saying, "All right, if you must have a day to celebrate the dead, then celebrate those who died in the Lord."

So November 1 came to be called All Saints' Day, also called All Hallows' Day. The evening before was called All Hallows' Evening. From that we get the modern name of Halloween.

But pagan customs continued. And with the growth of witchcraft in the Middle Ages, additional symbols became associated with Halloween - black cats, witches, bats, and skulls.

HALLOWEEN IN AMERICA

Irish immigrants in the mid-1800s brought to America the Halloween customs we're familiar with -- costumes, trick-or-treat, carved Jack-o-lanterns, etc. (The Jack-o-lantern is simply an American version of the hollowed-out turnip, mentioned earlier. The pumpkin did not grow in Ireland and Britain.) Unfortunately, they also brought "tricks" with them which often involved breaking windows and over-turning sheds and outhouses.

Even though the practice of actually performing a trick if no treat is given has faded, the custom of children going "trick-or-treating" has become an established American tradition. Only in recent years have parents hesitated to send their children into the streets because of the increased danger of accidents, poisoned food, and menacing strangers.

Nonetheless, despite the dangers associated with trick-or-treating, Halloween is celebrated more than ever. In fact, the night is the second most popular party night of the year (after December 31) for "baby-boomer" adults. Many adults look at it as the one night of the year they can dress up and act foolish.

But while children and adults innocently imitate ancient Celtic customs, darker practices persist. Witches and Satanists still consider Halloween to be one of the strongest times during the year to cast a spell. On Halloween most witchcraft practitioners participate in a ritual called "drawing down the moon." In this the chief witch of the coven (group of witches) becomes, they believe, a channel for the moon goddess. During this ritual the participants, both male and female, are 'sky-clad" -- that is , naked. Stonehenge, the mysterious ancient stone formation in England, is often the site for bizarre gatherings of occultists, some of who believe they are modern-day Druids. (Many people believe that Stonehenge was a Druid religious site.) And evidence persists that some Satanist and voodoo groups offer sacrifices usually animals, but, possibly, human babies.

THE BIBLICAL RESPONSE TO HALLOWEEN

Witches and Satanists are, of course, a small minority. Few people who celebrate Halloween these days ever think about the darkness that underlies most Halloween practices.

A beaming child dressed in a black pointed hat and matching gown with a wart carefully drawn on her nose and a trick-or-treat bag held tightly in her hand is hardly thinking of death or the spirits of departed relatives. Nor should she be.

She's thinking of candy and fun. She's glowing because of her delight in her special costume. And she's anticipating the adventure of her house-to-house pilgrimage.

Merchants also look forward to October 31. The sale of candy, costumes, decorations, and party goods make Halloween one of the major retail seasons of the year.

Surely, no one can deny children or adults all the Halloween fun simply because of its unsavory history. Can there really be anything wrong with this light-hearted revelry?

DOES THE BIBLE HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY ABOUT CELEBRATING HALLOWEEN?

In Corinth, meat that had been sacrificed to idols was sold in the market. People who bought it then ate it in honor of that particular pagan god. Speaking of his freedom to eat food that a pagan had dedicated to an idol, the apostle Paul said, "Everything is permissible" (I Corinthians 10:23). After all, he didn't believe the pagan gods really existed.

If we apply Paul's statement to the celebration of Halloween, then one could argue that Christians can dress in ghostly costumes and practice the traditions that have been passed down from the ancient Celts. After all, the supernatural powers they tried to appease don't have power over those who belong to Christ.

The Bible says that Jesus destroyed the power of death when He went to the cross. By Jesus' death and resurrection, anyone who gives his or her life to Jesus doesn't need to fear evil. But Paul didn't stop with a statement of his freedom. He said, "'Everything is permissible' but not everything is beneficial." It is in this light that Christians need to examine how to observe Halloween.

THREE REASONS TO EXAMINE HOW YOU CELEBRATE HALLOWEEN

1. What may not hurt you may hurt others.

Paul said that it wouldn't harm a Christian to eat meat sacrificed to an idol. After all, the pagan gods that the meat had been sacrificed to weren't real gods. In the same light, he probably would say that Christians are not prohibited from dressing in costumes and going trick-or-treating or attending Halloween parties. After all, "We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world and that there is no God but one" (I Corinthians 8:4).

But Paul went on to say that by doing what the believer was free in the Lord to do, the believer may be distressing another believer who doesn't realize he has this freedom. "Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak" (I Corinthians 8:9). The weak ones would be those who still had problems with the idea of eating the food sacrificed to idols.

During Halloween, little children in particular are the weak ones. On TV, in movies, in school, and with their playmates, many children today are exposed to occult influences. We may be opening our children to these influences if we approve of these things in Halloween fun. We adults may be fully aware that we are only spoofing witches and ghosts, but the young many not be so sure.

If we have given our lives to Jesus Christ, then our eternal destiny is safe in the hands of Almighty God. But that's not true of most of the people around us. There is a valid reason for most people to fear a "lord of death" even if they don't take him seriously on Halloween. We who have found life in Jesus should be careful that our freedom doesn't keep others from finding that same eternal life.

2. Some permissible things may hinder your Christian growth.

The Bible encourages us to "throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus" (Hebrews 12:1-2). This one night of the year, most eyes are not fixed on Jesus but on a darker image. The Christian's "race of faith" leads him to eternal life, to a joy that has no shadow. Should we really be focussing on the devil, witches and other dark beings, even for one night?

3. God says, "Don't imitate evil!"

"When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you who...practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium, or spiritist or who consults the dead (Deuteronomy 18:9-11).

If our children dress as witches and sorcerers, if we hang cardboard ghosts in our windows, if we entertain with tales of ghouls and haunted houses what are we doing but imitating that which is evil? We need to make it clear as Christians that witches and evil spirits are not funny and are not harmless, even if the people in witch costumes are only play-acting.

As Halloween comes again – think about the best way you can live out your life of faith.

ARE THERE ALTERNATIVES?

As Christians, we have plenty of reason to celebrate. While the world around us focuses on activities honouring fear and death, we can celebrate the One who brings life.

The following ideas might help you celebrate October 31 in a way that's joyful for you and your family:

1. [Reflect on how God has led you and others in the Past]

Protestants shy away from honoring saints. Their reluctance generally is based on a fear that the honor will cross the line into worship or prayer to saints. We are to worship and pray to no one but God. However, there is a good biblical basis for looking to those who have faithfully followed God in the past: Hebrews 11 has a roll call of believers who have set examples for us. But in his Letters to the Corinthians, Paul makes it abundantly clear that he and other saints are only servants men and women like ourselves who are following God. And it is God and God alone to whom we look in our worship and prayers.

But with nearly 2000 years of church history, we can well remember many faithful believers whose lives can encourage us in our walk with the Lord. That can include not only famous figures from the church's history, but also the saints we have known personally people in our own family and in our own church who are now [dead]. While the Celts trembled at the thought of their departed kin returning on Samhain, we can celebrate by joyfully recalling our own departed saints. (Christians from many Protestant traditions may want to recall that October 31 is also Reformation Day, celebrating Martin Luther's beginning the Reformation by posting his "Ninety-five Theses" on the church door.)

2. Hold a Bible study on what God says about the occult and witchcraft.

This might be especially good for teenagers, since they are probably coming into frequent contact with influences of this type. This may sound farfetched to you, but in recent years there has been an amazing growth of witchcraft and Satanism in the U.S. Some New Age cultists are attracted to many aspects of witchcraft, especially the ideas of tapping the "powers of the universe" and of controlling our own destinies.

3. Use trick-or-treating as an opportunity to tell others about the love of Jesus.

Most Christian bookstores carry small pamphlets about the Lord designed especially for children on Halloween. These could be taped to candy and dropped into each trick-or-treat's bag.

4. Gather for a prayer and praise meeting.

During this night when Satanists and witches covens meet to cast their spells and perform grotesque rituals, it seems appropriate for believers to gather to praise the one and only God.

Praise God for His victory over death, Satan, hell and all evil. (Recall Paul's words in Romans 16:20: "The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.") And pray for all the people who don't know that Jesus Christ wants to give them peace with God and eternal life. Pray for all the people who don't know that Jesus Christ wants to give them peace with God and eternal life. Pray that Jesus will reveal Himself to their minds and spirits.

Whatever you do on Halloween, use this biblical guidelines as you make your plans: "Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God" (I Corinthians 10:31).

WHAT ABOUT THE LORD OF LIFE?

Halloween's earliest origins reflect a fear of a lord of death that was common among ancient pagan cultures. However, despite man's advances in science and philosophy, death remains for many a troubling event that they cannot avoid. The Bible says that we have a spirit that, unlike our physical body, endures beyond the grave. However, the Bible also says our spirit is subject to death as well. But God offers us eternal life for our spirits. How do we get it?

First, we must understand that we all will be held accountable for the choices we make. If we choose to ignore God, we'll face eternal separation death from Him (Romans 6:23, Hebrews 9:27).

The Dark Side Of Halloween

Excited children masquerading as witches, pirates, devils, ghosts, Dracula and other creatures bounding through the neighborhood, going from door to door shouting, "Trick or Treat" the party at school or a friend’s house where they tell ghost stories, bob for apples or tell fortunes the visit to the community "haunted house" and homes decorated with witches, skeletons and eerie looking grinning Jack O Lanterns...IT MUST BE HALLOWEEN! Sounds like harmless fun, doesn’t it? But there is THE DARK SIDE TO HALLOWEEN YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT, a side that I never liked because it was associated with evil, the devil, fear, death and violence. That side of Halloween always gave me "the creeps." And after a thorough study of Halloween I know why I felt that way because BENEATH HALLOWEEN’S CANDY COATING IS A HISTORY OF DIABOLICAL EVIL. In a moment I will share with you some of my findings relating to THE DARK SIDE OF HALLOWEEN. I will share with you briefly three things. 1) The History Of Halloween 2) The Heroes Of Halloween 3) The Harm Of Halloween.

The History Of Halloween
Halloween is a "religious day" but it is NOT a Christian day. Tom Sanguinet, former high priest in the Celtic tradition of Wicca (witchcraft) said "The modern holiday we call Halloween has its origins in the full moon closest to November 1, the witches’ New Year. It was a time when the "spirits" (demons) were supposed to be at their peak power and revisiting the earth planet." He went on to say, "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."

What is the man talking about, you might be asking yourself? Let me explain. The origin of Halloween is the Celtic Festival of Samhain, lord of death and evil spirits. Long before Christ (at least 2000 years), Druids in Britain, Ireland, Scotland, France, Germany and other Celtic countries observed the end of summer by making sacrifices to Samhain. 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 losing strength and 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. These spirits had been confined to inhabit animals’ bodies for the past year, as punishment for their evil deeds. They were allowed to return to their former home to visit the lving on the eve (Oct. 31) of the Feast of Samhain. 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 spirits from harming them. It is clear to see that HALLOWEEN HAS ALWAYS BEEN A CELEBRATION OF DEATH.

Which brings me to my next point. How were these sacrifices obtained? Druid priests and people would go from house to house asking for fatted calves, black sheep, and human beings. Those who gave were promised prosperity and those who refused to give were cursed and threatened. In addition, it was likely that all of the "wandering spirits" would get hungry. If you set out a treat for them, they would not trick or curse you. Hence we have THE ORIGIN OF TRICK OR TREAT. "Trick or Treat is a reenactment of the Druidic practices. The candy has replaced the human sacrifices of old, but it is still an appeasement of those deceptive evil spirits. The traditional response to those who do not treat is to have a trick played on the. When you give out Halloween candy, you are, in essence providing a sacrifice to false gods. You are participating in idolatry" says the former high priest of Wicca, Tom Sanguinet.

Did you know that even the Jack-O-Lantern has its origin with these pagan practices? In the book Occult Conceit the author says on page 190, "The candlelit pumpkin or skull served as a signal to mark those farms and homes that were sympathetic to the Satanists and thus deserving of mercy when the terror ("trick or treat") of the night began." Further, an old edition of The World Book Encyclopedia says "The apparently harmless lighted pumpkin face of the Jack-O-Lantern is an ancient symbol of a damned soul."

What about COSTUMES? They originated with these terrible Druid death rites also. As people and animals were screeching in agony while being burned to death the observers would dress in costumes made of animal skins and heads. They would dance, chant and jump through the flames in hope warding off the evil spirits.

It is obvious that Halloween is a pagan day rooted in the worst kind of pagan rituals and worship. The Bible urges Christians to "Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness" (Ephesians 5:!1). Through Halloween is diluted somewhat there is obviously nothing Christ honoring about the day. It is a pagan sacrifice day and the Bible warns Christians "the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that you should have fellowship with devils." (1 Corinthians 10:20). Halloween is the devil’s day!

The Heros Of Halloween

You could not celebrate Halloween without the WITCH. The oldest known illustration of a witch dates back to the pre-Columbian era. He drawing shows the pagan goddess Tlazolteolf naked, wearing a pointed hat and riding a broomstick. Where you find witchcraft you will find nudity, divination, gross immorality and occultic practices just to name a few. According to the Old Testament of the Bible witchcraft and the whole spectrum of the occult were capital crimes, punishable by death. In the New Testament, in Galatians 5:20, witchcraft is listed among those things that are to be renounced by believers. In fact, Acts 19:18-19 records how that those who became Christians renounced all dealings with the occult and burned any occultic material they had. Popular west coast Bible teacher Dr. John MacArthur expresses it clearly enough when he says, "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 kind of pagan ceremonies; they are usually centered on the sinister things such as demons, witchcraft, and superstition."

The other heroes of Halloween aren’t any better. Consider Dracula. Did you know he was a real person? He live from 1431 to 1476. During his six year reign this demented maniac massacred 100,000 men, women and children in the most hideous ways. He devised a plan to rid his country of the burden of beggars, handicapped, sick and aged. He invited them to a feast at one of his palaces. He fed them well and got them drunk. Then he asked them, "Do you want to be without cares, lacking nothing in this world?" They yelled "YES!" Dracula then ordered the palace boarded up and set it on fire. No one escaped. This tragic event was the original House of Horror.

The overwhelming majority of Halloween Heroes are evil, demented or demonic. That should not surprise us. Halloween is the devil’s day! But there is something else that concerns me even more

The Harm Of Halloween

Halloween is a dangerous day and here are the reasons why...

HALLOWEEN IS FOCUSED ON VIOLENCE

In January of 1988 I stopped at a restaurant to pick up a bite to eat before my next appointment. I picked up a paper on the way in. As I was eating I came across Ann Landers’ column entitled "Parents must tackle violence." The parent wrote "I heard something today that made my hair stand on end...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?" she asked.

The answer is a simple one. Halloween accentuates mutilation, murder, blood, guts and gore. It even glorifies it! I well remember seeing the large picture in the newspaper of a mutilated corpse in a blood stained bathtub. It was utterly repulsive. The accompanying article lauded a community organization’s youth work using this "haunted house."

The truth is, millions of people, and likely your kids will be exposed to some of the almost endless string f TV programs, videos, community and church activities that GLORIFY MUTILATION, TORTURE, and BIZARRE MURDERS this Halloween. Now before you say "it won’t hurt them, it’s only fantasy," perhaps you should consider what a horrified mother discovered in her teenage son’s diary. She read "Last year I stole a car at Halloween and ran over a kid and killed him for the Devil. I plan on doing it again this year." The boy is now incarcerated.

HALLOWEEN IS HARMFULL BECAUSE OF ITS FOCUS ON VIOLENCE. Don’t you see the paradox? When we read of a violent murder any other time we gasp. But we laugh, tease, call it fun and glorify the same things when Halloween comes. Halloween’s focus on VIOLENCE breaks down the inhibitions of our children toward murder. They have difficulty separating between fantasy and fact. And that is taking its toll on our society. There is another reason Halloween is harmful...

HALLOWEEN IS HARMFUL BECAUSE OF THE EMPHASIS ON FEAR

I read an article in The Milwaukee Journal entitled "Haunted house fun: It could become nightmare for kids." It started out "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." Fear is no joke. Fear is a powerful and often damaging emotion. The writer of the article quoted developmental psychologist Marvin Berkowitz of Marquette University. Berkowitz said "Some haunted houses can frighten an adult." Children must "go in with the right mental set. Make sure they know it’s going to be a fun scare, not a real scare." The article went on to say, "even the most careful parents can misjudge their child’s reaction. If the child is horrified, if the kid’s traumatized and shrieking, you hold him and comfort him. Give him physical security." The question is, why expose your child to such traumatizing influences? They serve no useful purpose. In fact long lasting emotional problems can develop as a result of the frightening experiences that are encountered at Halloween activities, such as going through a "haunted house."

But there is another aspect I want to share with you relating to fear. Dr. Grace Katterman M.D. says in her book, You and Your Child’s Problems: How to Understand and Solve Them "a tragic by-product of fear in the lives of children as early as pre-adolescence is the interest and involvement in supernatural occult phenomena." Which leads me to the next point.

HALLOWEEN IS HARMFUL BECAUSE OF ITS FOCUS ON THE OCCULT

The two most frequent ways children are introduced into the occult are through rock music and Halloween. I was introduced to the occult at a Halloween party. Tragically, more an more children are being introduced to the occult by teachers in the public schools. And unfortunately, Halloween is one of the two Holidays that public schools celebrate. They choose Halloween (and Valentine’s Day) because supposedly there is no "religious" significance. How wrong they are about Halloween. To be sure, there is no Christian significance to Halloween but it is obviously a religious day.

Our forefathers recognized Halloween’s association with the occult. The Pilgrims banned celebrating Halloween in America. The ban lasted 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 Halloween with them and gradually it spread throughout the rest of the country.

Alternatives
An increasing number of people are seeing the dangers associated with celebrating Halloween. Christians, when exposed to the dark side of the day, are deciding that celebrating it is not pleasing to the Lord Jesus Christ. Wise parents are replacing Halloween with family night activities. Others are having "Glory Gatherings" where all references to Halloween are removed and wholesome games are played, Christian songs are sung and Christian videos are shown. Others are using Halloween as a night to pass out Gospel literature. Whatever you do, "Be not overcome of evil, but over come evil with good." Romans 12:21

I hope you will carefully consider this information and decide NOT to celebrate Halloween.

Should Christians participate in Halloween?

The October 31st holiday that we today know as Halloween has strong roots in paganism and is closely connected with worship of the Enemy of this world, Satan. It is a holiday that generally glorifies the dark things of this world, rather than the light of Jesus Christ, The Truth.

Have you noticed how costumes and masks are getting generally more bloody, gory, and depraved each year? Unfortunately, the gruesome and grotesque and the occult are increasingly glorified in American society, not only on Halloween, but throughout the year in horror movies and in television programs.

My family does not celebrate it or participate in it. We do not believe that our children are "missing out," and neither do they. Other days are used for costumes and parties. Happily, all of our children have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. We have found that Halloween provides an excellent time to remind our children that, as Christians, we are different, and not of this world (Heb. 11:13-16; 1 Pet. 2:11).

What about church "Harvest Festivals" held on October 31? Although we understand the rational and good intentions behind them, we don't think they are the best approach. Our family tends to agree with the author of an article called "Are 'Harvest Parties' for Christians?" (written by a self-avowed former witch and now active Christian). Harvest parties on October 31 tend to assume that "our children need something to take the place of Halloween, since they won't be participating in the secular and pagan celebrations. It suggests our kids are missing out on something. And indeed they are, if we allow them to spend Halloween in celebration." There are better things to do on Halloween than partying.

Also, we need to teach our children that "the fight isn't against occultists, non-Christians, Christians who feel differently than we about Halloween, or institutions that promote Halloween, but" "against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12, NKJV).

Relevant scripture on the issue of Halloween and Christians:

1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 ("Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.")

James 1:27 ("keep oneself from being polluted by the world")

3 John 11 ("do not imitate what is evil")

Romans 12:9 ("abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.")

Deuteronomy 18:9-14 (do not learn to imitate detestable ways, including spiritists, sorcerers and witchcraft)

Ephesians 5:11-12 ("Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness" / "live as children of light")

1 Timothy 4:1 (don't "follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons")

1 Corinthians 10:21

2 Corinthians 6:14-17 ("what fellowship can light have with darkness?")

Philippians 4:8 (think about pure, lovely, noble things)

1 Corinthians 11:1 ("follow the example of Christ")

1 Corinthians 10:31 ("whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God")

James 4:7-8 (submit yourselves to God / resist the devil / purify your hearts)

Ezekiel 44:23 ("...teach my people... to distinguish between the unclean and the clean.")

Proverbs 22:6 ("train a child in the way he should go")

Matthew 18:6 ("if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin...")

Hosea 4:6 ("My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.")

John 3:19-20 (people love darkness instead of light)

Romans 13:12 ("put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.")

Ephesians 6:11-18 ("take your stand against the devil's schemes.")

1 John 5:19

2 Chronicles 7:14

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