| Recent newspaper stories about satanic
cults and ritual animal mutilation have caused many
people to ask why such activities exist. Our society has
been desensitized to the difference between what is good
and evil and what is harmless and harmful. Halloween is a
major part of that desensitization process. |
| Halloween originated in pre-Christian
Ireland and Scotland. It was called Samhain or Samhuin,
the Celtic New Year’s Day. Celts believed that life
originated from the spirit underworld. On Samhain the
wall separating the visible world and the spirit world
was at its thinnest. This created an opportunity to
communicate with the spirits of the dead. |
| Today, "modern" witches
celebrate Samhain as one of their eight major festivals.
These modern Satanists are attempting to tap into the
spiritual underworld for wisdom and power. During the
midnight ritual some groups (covens) use human or animal
sacrifices. Others (neo-pagans or Aquarians) "just
seek" to communicate with demonic spirits of
pre-Christian religions. |
| The natural curiosity of people for
the occult is used to trap people, especially teenagers,
into dangerous satanic cults. The distinction between
good and evil has been blurred to the point that kids
have difficulty making right choices. Horror films and
much of today’s rock music desensitize young people
to the dangers of the occult. |
| The "holiday" we know as
Halloween is another part of that desensitization
process. Parents that are normally very selective about
what is allowed to influence their children seemingly
become blind to the influences of Halloween. Children
dress like mad slasher characters, ghosts, and goblins,
wear masks of grossly disfigured faces or wear costumes
of obvious demonic nature. School rooms, grocery stores
and shopping malls are decorated with skeletons, witches,
spiders and demonic looking characters. In the midst of
all this the holiday is somehow viewed as childish and
harmless. |
| The practice of trick or treating
originated directly from the festival of Samhain. Wanting
to avoid harassment and vandalism from traveling spirits
of their ancestors, people would leave cakes and food out
during the night to placate the spirits. Today children
dressed in evil looking costumes act out the same role
when asking for candy. It is incredible that parents
would view such activity as harmless. |
| Prior to the 1840’s the holiday
was not celebrated in the United States. However, influx
of Gaelic immigrants during 1845-1848 brought the holiday
to significance. Today it is a time marked by increasing
violence and vandalism. |
| Parents interested in teaching their
children the difference between good and evil need to
remove Halloween from their family’s list of
holidays. As Americans, we do not celebrate the ancient
Roman Feast of Jupiter, neither do we celebrate the
rising of the Aztec Sun God. Halloween is a pagan
festival which has origins that are definitely demonic,
and harmful; not the sort of celebration you would
consider worthy of a family activity. |
| Instead of participating in Halloween,
use the time for something positive and wholesome.
Consider the impact of parents all across our city
spending time with their children on Halloween night. In
the final analysis, that would be the best treat of all. |