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Many Protestants and Roman Catholics celebrate Halloween.
Yet many Protestants and some Roman Catholics denounce it.
Why do we in the Continuing Church of God not celebrate it?
Well, there are many reasons.
Let’s start with the Bible.
In Leviticus 23, verse 2, God says:
2 … ‘The feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My feasts. (Leviticus 23:2)
That chapter then lists the weekly Sabbath and various annual days–but not one is anything like Halloween.
Since Halloween is not one of God’s feasts, we do not feel any obligation to keep it.
Now it is NOT because God is against fun–particularly since God’s word says to rejoice at His festivals (Leviticus 23:40)–but because His ways are for our own good (Deuteronomy 10:13).
His word also says we are not to decide our ways are best, but to rejoice in His holy days:
8 “You shall not at all do as we are doing here today — every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes …
11 there will be the place where the Lord your God chooses to make His name abide. There you shall bring all that I command you: your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the heave offerings of your hand, and all your choice offerings which you vow to the Lord. 12 And you shall rejoice before the Lord your God, you and your sons and your daughters … (Deuteronomy 12:11-12; cf. Leviticus 23:40)
So, yes, there is a way God says to rejoice and no, it is not always what people think is right in their own eyes.
Now another reason not to observe Halloween has to do with its name.
Halloween is an old English word which means “hallowed evening.”
It is the night before the Roman Catholic holiday that they claim to have adopted from the Eastern Orthodox now called All Saints Day (which in Mexico is celebrated as “the Day of the Dead”; see also All Saints Day and the Day of the Dead).
Since we do not consider that the evening of October 31st is hallowed nor believe that the dead should be prayed to, observing it would give credence to the idea that it is a holy time.
The dead do not become more accessible then. Saints do not answer prayers.
As far as names go, that would also apply to some other holidays that the Bible does not enjoin like Christmas, which means “mass of Christ.” In our church, while we hold church services consistent with those of the original Christians, they do not resemble a Roman Catholic mass.
And the term Easter comes from one or two fertility goddesses: Istarte and/or Eostre. Again, promoting such things is not something we can biblically endorse.
As far as why the Church of Rome chose Halloween when it did, it was the day of the ‘Lord of the Dead’. Here is something from Protestant broadcaster CBN:
THE FACTS ON HALLOWEEN
In ad 835, Pope Gregory IV designated November 1 as All Saints’ Day, or All Hallows’ Day (the term hallow refers to saints). The night before November 1, October 31, was known as All Hallows’ Evening.
The Celts worshiped … worshiped … the lord of death, or the lord of the dead, on Samhain (pronounced “SOW-wen” by Wiccans), October 31. https://www1.cbn.com/onlinediscipleship/the-facts-on-halloween accessed 10/28/22
Lord of the Dead? Two immediate issues come to mind.
The first is something Jesus said:
27 He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. You are therefore greatly mistaken. (Mark 12:27)
The second is that the dead know nothing:
5 For the living know that they shall die, but the dead know nothing more, (Ecclesiastes 9:5, DRB)
Here is something related to biblically-contradicting beliefs:
The Druids, and order of priests in ancient Gaul and Britain, believed that on Halloween, ghosts, spirits, fairies, witches, and elves came out to harm people. … From these Druid beliefs come the present-day use of witches, ghosts, and cats in Halloween festivities…The custom of using leaves, pumpkins, and corn stalks as Halloween decorations comes from the Druids. The early peoples of Europe also had a festival similar to the Druid holiday…In the 700s, the Roman Catholic Church named November 1 as All Saints’ Day. The old pagan customs and the Christian feast day were combined into the Halloween festival [Halloween. World Book Encyclopedia, vol 9. Chicago, 1966: 25-26].
Third, notice something from the Apostle Paul:
20 Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons. 22 Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He? (1 Corinthians 10:19-22)
Since Halloween certainly condemns demonic elements, we do not observe it.
Furthermore, the Apostle Paul wrote:
1 Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ. (1 Corinthians 11:1)
Not only did Jesus and the Apostle Paul not observe ‘Halloween,’ I do not believe that they would be observing it today.
Jesus warned:
43 Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. 44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. 45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. 46 Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me? 47 He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God. (John 8:43-47)
Halloween is a lie.
Consider also the following from Jesus:
16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them. (Matthew 7:16-20)
What are the real fruits of Halloween?
While some Protestants teach that this is an excellent time to meet your neighbors, surely there are better ways than to co-observe a holiday that goes against several aspects of scripture.
The Bible repeatedly warns against the practices of witches (Exodus 22:18; Deuteronomy 18:10, Galatians 5:20) and dealing with ghosts/etc. (Deuteronomy 18:11, I Chronicles 10:13).
In addition, notice the Bible specifically teaches:
23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. (1 Samuel 15:23).
Is is not rebellious to observe a religious holiday where many are trying to look like a witch?
Furthermore, consider the following from the Apostle Paul:
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21).
Many dress up in lewd ways–actually those type of costumes are some of the more popular for young women wear on Halloween.
Halloween has elements of revelries that the Bible teaches against.
Plus, it is not good for people to eat a lot of candy. I suspect many of my cavities came from eating too much Halloween candy.
Halloween certainly has the trappings of the works of the flesh that the Apostle Paul warned Christians against.
Now back to CBN, it also noted:
The Celts and their Druid priests began their New Year on November 1, which marked the beginning of winter. They apparently believed that on October 31, the night before their New Year and the last day of the old year, Samhain gathered the souls of the evil dead who had been condemned to enter the bodies of animals. https://www1.cbn.com/onlinediscipleship/the-facts-on-halloween accessed 10/28/22
But that is not when the Bible enjoins the year.
When speaking of the Hebrew month of Abib, which occurs around late March/early April God declared:
2 This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. (Exodus 12:2)
So, again we in the CCOG would not wish to celebrate a ‘new year’ of pagan origins as that is also opposed to scripture.
There are more reasons we do not observe Halloween. But to summarize:
Halloween is not enjoined as one of God’s holy convocations.
We are to do what is right in God’s eyes.
The name suggests that a day to pray to the dead is holy, which it is not.
The date chosen is the same date pagans honored the ‘Lord of the Dead.’
Jesus said that the our God is the God on the living, not the dead.
Halloween is a lie.
The date chosen has to do with a pagan, not biblical, new year.
Halloween observances contain demonic worship practices.
The Apostle Paul Christians should not use demonic worship practices.
Neither Jesus nor the Apostle Paul kept anything like Halloween and would not do so today–and we strive to imitate them
Fruits associated like witches, lewdness, and having drinking parties are not appropriate for Christians.
Anyway, we believe those are important reasons why we on the Continuing Church of God do not celebrate Halloween.
God is love (1 John 4:8.16).
God’s ways are for our good.
Rejoice in them.
Here is our latest uploaded video:
Many Protestants and Greco-Roman Catholic celebrate Halloween. What are some biblical and factual reasons why those in the Continuing Church of God do not? Should you pray to dead saints? What about Christmas and Easter? Where does the Bible list times for “holy convocations”? When was October 31st selected to be the evening before ‘All Saint’s Day’? Was there an earlier Celtic holiday for the ‘Lord of the Dead’ on October 31st? Did the ancient pagan Druids use pumpkins and other objects associated with Halloween decorations? What about the involvement of witches and demons? What about Halloween’s relationship to the Celtic New Year? Did the Apostle Paul write several passages that would be opposed to Christian participation in Halloween activities? Are the “fruits” of Halloween a lot like the “works of the flesh” that the Apostle Paul condemned? Would Jesus or the Apostle Paul observe Halloween today? Steve Dupuie asks Dr. Thiel questions related to those matters which he answers.
Here is a link to that short video: The Bible and Halloween Facts.
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