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Thursday, October 28, 2010

All Hallow's Eve

All Follows Evil

All Saint's Day celebration at a cemetery
in Poland to honor the dead.
Having been raised a Catholic, it was nothing for us to celebrate "All Hallow's Eve", commonly called Halloween or "All Saints' Day".  This commemoration is defined as:
All Saints Day is when the [Catholic] Church commemorates all saints, known and unknown. The eve of All Saints is known as All Hallows Eve, or Halloween...On All Saints Day, we celebrate these saints of the Lord, and ask for their prayers and intercessions. The whole concept of All Saints Day is tied in with the concept of the Communion of Saints. This is the belief that all of God's people, on heaven, earth, and in the state of purification (called Purgatory in the West), are connected in a communion...

The vigil of the Feast (the eve) has grown up in the English speaking countries as a festival in itself, All Hallows Eve, or Halloween. While many consider Halloween pagan (and in many instances the celebrations are for many), as far as the [Catholic] Church is concerned the date is simply the eve of the feast of All Saints...The day after All Saints day is called All Soul's Day, a day to remember and offer prayers up on behalf of all of the faithful departed.

Traditional Customs: Visiting Cemeteries and Giving "Soul Cakes" to the poor [an ancient custom where people beg for bread in return for praying for the spirits of the dead in the household].

Catholic Liturgy of the Hours All-Saints Prayer:
Father, All-Powerful and ever-living God,
today we rejoice in the holy men and women
of every time and place.
May their prayers bring us your forgiveness and love
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
"When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire [human sacrifice], or that useth divination [clairvoyancy, palmistry, horoscopy, soothsaying], or an observer of times, or an enchanter [cast spells], or a witch, or a charmer [using magic], or a consulter with familiar spirits [one contacting, asking, or inquiring of the dead], or a wizard, or a necromancer [communicating with the dead to obtain hidden knowledge or mysteries]. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee. Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God." Deuteronomy 18:9-13

Beyond the fact that we have absolutely no idea which "saints" are actually in Heaven or not, the Scriptures expressly forbid attempting to contact or have communion with those who are deceased.  Further, do the prayers of those who have died grant us God's forgiveness & love???  There is only one mediator who can make man worthy to receive God's forgiveness & love, and that is Jesus Christ.  Anything else is sacrilege and idolatry.  However the RCC's "All Saints Prayer" has their congregants attempting to commune with the deceased in the hopes that these "saints" prayers will make them acceptable to God. 

Early in its history, the Roman Catholic Church began embracing many pagan rituals with the intent of increasing its membership amongst those populations. The Catholic answer to addressing paganism was to assimilate the pagan beliefs.  In 601 A.D., Pope Gregory I issued an edict declaring that such pagan rites be enshrined into the Catholic Church so that the pagans' worship rituals to other gods would not be an obstacle to converting to Catholicism.  The pope writes in his epistle:
"[T]he temples of idols in that nation should not be destroyed, but that the idols themselves that are in them should be. Let blessed water be prepared, and sprinkled in these temples, and altars constructed, and relics deposited, since, if these same temples are well built, it is needful that they should be transferred from the worship of idols to the service of the true God...

And, since they are wont to kill many oxen in sacrifice to demons, they should have also some solemnity of this kind in a changed form, so that on the day of dedication, or on the anniversaries of the holy martyrs whose relics are deposited there, they may make for themselves tents of the branches of trees around these temples that have been changed into churches, and celebrate the solemnity with religious feasts. Nor let them any longer sacrifice animals to the devil, but slay animals to the praise of God for their own eating, and return thanks to the Giver of all for their fullness, so that, while some joys are reserved to them outwardly, they may be able the more easily to incline their minds to inward joys. For it is undoubtedly impossible to cut away everything at once from hard hearts, since one who strives to ascend to the highest place must needs rise by steps or paces, and not by leaps.
The RCC retained the pagan temples, replaced the idols of demons with idols of "saints", sprinkled some "holy water"; and now it was a place of worship for the Lord.  Instead of sacrificing to demons, they can now engage in those same practices in making sacrifices to God.

Is not this faulty logic the same being employed by many churches today?  "In order to get people to become Christians, we must allow them to continue their same demonic practices in the church that they did in the world.  We have to reserve for them some "outward joy" from their worldly traditions or the Gospel just won't be appealing enough to them.  Let them do what was done to demons as unto the Lord!"  This is the reasoning behind Rock music in the church, 'Christian' tattoos, etc.

Yet simply look at history to see if this type of approach is true or false.  Did embracing pagan rituals serve as a way to bring pagans "step-by-step" into Christianity as they turned away from paganism over time?  No!  On the contrary, instead of leading pagans to move away from these occult practices, the RCC has indoctrinated many into the same practices who would have otherwise not engaged in them. By embracing paganism, the RCC has been the primary means for spreading the occult globally.

How utterly wicked this assertion from Gregory I is.  Sacrifices made unto idols, worship to false gods, witchcraft, etc. is not an 'outward joy'; it is sin!  Is there beauty in that which God calls an abomination?  Do we need to appreciate the good in people's sin in order to win them to Christ?  If someone gets joy out of sin, does it become less sinful?  It is only the spirit of anti-christ who will tell you that you can disobey God and still be received by Him.

When we come to Jesus Christ, God does not tell us to turn from our "outward joys" little-by-little, so that forsaking these things won't be too much for our "hard hearts".  He gives us a new heart and says, "Go and sin no more!"  The fact that the RCC was trying to assimilate people with hard hearts merely shows that they were engrafting into themselves the unconverted.  They were not converting people to Christianity, but merely increasing the rolls of the Catholic institution.  Turning away from idolatry is not impossible in Christ, but is part of the inheritance we have in Christ Jesus in that we are made new creatures in Him.  How are we to "flee idolatry" and at the same time keep practicing idol worship, but doing it in the name of Jesus (I Corinthians 10:4-21; II Corinthians 6:17, 7:1; I John 5:21)??

Yet, the RCC would give the ritual a "new Catholic face" so to speak and, "BAM!" it is a Christian "holy day".  This is where many so-called "Christian" holidays come from...and All Hallow's Eve is no different.  It has its roots in the Celtic Druid tradition (a religious sect of witchcraft involving human sacrifice and spiritism).

"Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye." Mark 7:13

Image of Samhain, the 'god of the dead'
during All Hallows Eve parade.
October 31st marked the end of the Celtic Druid calendar year and on this day, it was believed that their 'god of the dead', Samhain, released the spirits of the dead to temporarily mingle with the living.  The Celtics then would reach out to these spirits, including having rituals at cemeteries, in order to get blessings or knowledge from them.  They would also have to give out food to appease the malevolent spirits, so that these spirits would not play tricks on them.

In assimilating this pagan tradition, the Catholic Church simply made this a day to venerate and seek blessings/knowledge from the "saints".  However, it is still the same forbidden occult practices that God says is an abomination.

"Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God."  III John 1:11

What the Catholic Church has done historically is not very different from what many churches do now in having "Fall Festivals" or "Harvest Parties" as an alternative for Halloween.  The RCC took a pagan ritual, gave it a Catholic makeover, and claimed this made it an acceptable Christian practice.  These churches have taken the Catholic ritual, given it a "Protestant" makeover, and claimed this made it an acceptable Christian practice.  WHAT is the difference?

Why do we continue to believe that we can absorb the things of the world, cover it with a Christian veneer, and make it Godly?  This is the same lie which undergirds much of what Catholicism has done, making many of today's churches just as "pagan" as that institution.  What part of "Come out from amongst them" and "Thou shalt not learn to do after these abominations" do we not understand?

"Abstain from all appearance of evil." I Thessalonians 5:22

Before you participate in Halloween activities (or allow your children to), make sure that you understand where these customs come from.

The History of Halloween and the Customs Behind It
By John Ankerberg

Where does Halloween come from and what is the meaning behind carving pumpkins, wearing costumes, and "trick or treating"?




Halloween, Human Sacrifice, Stonehenge And The Wicker Man
by Dr. Scott Johnson



16 comments:

  1. Well you know what people will say: "What's the harm?" "It's just fun." "We can change it to Hallelujah night." "It doesn't mean that anymore." "Well, what are the children supposed to do?"

    Thanks again for the info to help keep us informed.

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  2. Excellent and well articulated article.

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  3. Praise God! I pray to God that He'll continue revealing truth to you and I thank you for sharing this information with us.

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  4. I pray for God to enlighten your view of the RCC. It is wrong! The RCC is the Church Christ started and there is NO practice of idolitry practied in the Church. Life is through Christ alone, and asking for a Saint to pray for us is no different than asking a friend on earth to pray for us. Try to learn with an open heart. God bless you.

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  5. Hi Anonymous,

    I am very familiar with the RCC as I was raised Catholic. It is God Himself who delivered me from that institution and opened my eyes to its perversion. He does not acknowledge it, nor is it the "Church" that He started. It is a stench to Him, as is any false way.

    It matters not what "we" say, only what God says.

    * Prayers to another person cannot bring us God's forgiveness and love - whether the person is deceased or alive. Such is idolatry.

    * God forbids trying to communicate with the deceased, no matter what the RCC teaches about that practice.

    * God says not to follow or practice pagan rituals, but the RCC says it is okay to embrace them and adopt their worship to Christ.

    In the end, you must decide who you will believe...God or the RCC for they are at odds one with the other.

    Search the Scriptures, pray and ask God to open your eyes as well. He is no respecter of persons, and He will answer your prayers.

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  6. Wow! Thanks for the insight, Latter Days. I've read quite a bit on the TRUE nature of Halloween, And frankly, it's no suprise that those in the know try to make Halloween acceptable in wider society whilst 'hiding' its true meaning (I put hiding in inverted commas because so many people are spiritually asleep these days).

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  7. in your post, you said God opened your eyes to some of the perversions in the catholic church. Please if you can i'll like to know some of them bcos it will go a long way to helping me and others.

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  8. Hi Stevie,

    Certainly some of what you seek is addressed in the article above and in the videos by Dr. Scott Johnson. Even the dictate by Gregory I itself is a reflection of that corruption. God never calls for His people to embrace idolatry, but to flee from it.

    I was raised a member of the RCC and was a devout catholic before God began to open my eyes. I have also written about that a few times on this blog.

    However, what is most needful I think is not a dialog about the many RCC errors, but a revelation from the Living God of His truth in the heart of man. Since He is no respecter of persons, I know that He is faithful to provide that to those who ask because He did so for me.

    There are many religious delusions we could discuss endlessly, of which the RCC is only one. But the only thing which gives life is the Truth.

    I am in no way intending to dismiss your question. However, if the choice is between helping someone to be more knowledgeable about RCC abominations versus helping someone to better know Christ, I choose the latter. The focus of my efforts must be on the preaching of Christ for He alone is able to lead you (and me) into all truth.

    If you have a question about God's word or Christianity, I am happy to dialog with you about it, so please do not hesitate to ask.

    Thanks for your comments.

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  9. Many can see the errors of Halloween, but they refuse to see the same level of occult in Christmas.

    Christ - mass means the death of Christ, and all the good christians go around saying 'merry christs death', the death of Christ was not merry.

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    1. Hi Anonymous,

      It is true that Christmas is not a "holy" day and is another manufactured "Christian" holiday. Neither is it the time when Jesus was really born. While we do not celebrate it, I do not see it on the same level as Halloween, which is an open celebration of demons.

      Also, to my knowledge, Christmas is a reference to "Christ's Mass"; mass being the name of the Catholic service. The word mass itself does not mean death. The etymology site says the following about the word:

      "Eucharistic service," O.E. mæsse, from V.L. *messa "eucharistic service," lit. "dismissal," from L.L. missa "dismissal," fem. pp. of mittere "to let go, send" (see mission); probably so called from the concluding words of the service, Ite, missa est, "Go, (the prayer) has been sent," or "Go, it is the dismissal."

      Part of the Catholic mass could be considered a celebration of death, as they believe that they are offering a sacrifice of Jesus' literal body & blood each time the eucharist is performed. However, to my knowledge that is not the meaning of the word "mass".

      Thanks for commenting.

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  10. In one of your posts I remember reading about how churches should not have Harvest Festivals. Why? What's so bad about Harvest Festivals? I think they're better than having kids go to strangers house getting candy. I would rather they be in the house of the Lord and hearing the word of God. At our church we have Harvest Festivals, the kids don't dress up, we don't give out candy, we have pizza and the kids hear the word of God.

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    1. Hi Anonymous,

      I cannot remember talking about that topic more than mentioning it above. However, I really don't care if churches have harvest festivals. My point is, what is the point of such events?

      If your church wants young people to be in the house of the Lord and hear the word of God, then why not do that every week? Even every night? Why does it have to be called a "harvest festival"?

      The reason - if we are honest with ourselves - is that it is presented and seen as an alternative to Halloween. Therein lies the problem.

      It is much better to teach our children that the things the world has to offer are superficial and without value than it is to give them the impression that they are missing out by not being like the world. When we create alternatives to the world's offerings, we imply that the things of God are somehow substandard. We subconsciously tell our children that the world is really more fun and fulfilling than what God can offer, and as a result we have to run around and come up with a "Godly" version of what the world does (and of courses there is no such thing).

      We don't have to compete with the world, not even for our children's attention/affection. Instead of raising them to parody the world, why not teach them to cherish what pleases God? If we do, then we will have no need of a "harvest festival" on Halloween night. Rather, we will engender in our children a desire to spend time with God always.

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    2. Hi. The mission centre I volunteer at has a yearly 'Halleluyah Party', not to try and celebrate Hallowe'en in a covert way, but to actually get some of the local kids away from the pagan activities of 'trick or treat' and dressing up in evil costumes, etc, so we don't encourage any costumes or any other signs of paganism, but we do some general children's games and do a gospel message. The organisers also have prayer before the start of the party, because we want God's will to be done in touching their hearts and to deliver them from evil. I agree that we certainly should not try to 'Christianise' occultism, and I would not want to compromise truth. However, it is for us simply about taking the opportunity to counteract the evil that goes on. We do have other activities for young people weekly anyway, but I believe it's good to use the opportunity on the actual 'night of paganism' to actually seek to interrupt satan's schemes to the glory of Christ.

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    3. I have family members who can SEE the demons that come out on Halloween!
      This holiday is nothing to play with!

      To Stevie,
      you might want to check out Doc Marquis 'America's Occult Holidays' video on youtube. This ex illuminist witch felt this message was so important for all to hear, that he put up the video there into twelve parts for free. It really shows the pagan origins of these RCC holidays...

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  11. And does God also forbid us from throwing on a Superman costume and munching down on Twix and Snickers? Any connection or affiliation with pagan rituals and the occult has long since been forgotten in our commercialized version of the holiday. Now it is nothing more than an evening for a little girl to dress up as her favorite princess or a little boy as his favorite superhero and to spend an evening as a family. I'm grateful for the family memories this holiday has helped me create, from touring pumpkin patches to picking out costumes. Surely God will not condemn us for that?

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    1. The righteousness of God is not determined by what we like or enjoy, but by obedience to His words. Each person has to decide whether they will live for themselves or for the Lord. We are each free to choose, but we will also each be accountable for our choices.

      "There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." Proverbs 16:25

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