SPIRITUAL WARFARE

I.

An introduction to Spiritual Warfare Lesson 5

Halloween Strategic Insight "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." [Romans 12:2] Purpose: This study will look at Halloween and some of its origins. Its history and what it means for Christians in todays world. Definition: Halloween. The eve of All Saints Day. All Saints' Day originated in the 7th century when the Pantheon at Rome was wrested from the barbarians, made into a cathedral, and renamed the Church of the Blessed Virgin and All Martyrs. Thus, from honoring "all gods" (which is the meaning of the Greek word pantheon") the Pantheon became the center for glorifying all saints.

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1. What are some typical activities associated with Halloween?

2. Where does Halloween come from and why was it created?

3. What are some other names for Halloween? 4. Why do some cults think that Halloween is a holy day?

5. What are the meanings behind the following Halloween symbols?

a) Jack o Lantern:

b) Bobbing for apples:

c) Black cat:

d) Giving out candy:

e) Costumes:

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Food for Thought: Read Deuteronomy 18. Do you think that you should participate in the activities of Halloween? How little or how much? Practical Application: Depending on what you came up with Food for Thought, some alternatives for Christians are to gather and educate themselves more about Halloween, or take the opportunity to pray and engage in spiritual warfare.

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Lesson 5 Halloween Strategic Insight Leaders Copy "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." [Romans 12:2] Purpose: This study will look at Halloween and some of its origins. Its history and what it means for Christians in todays world. Definition: Halloween. The eve of All Saints Day All Saints' Day originated in the 7th century when the Pantheon at Rome was wrested from the barbarians, made into a cathedral, and renamed the Church of the Blessed Virgin and All Martyrs. Thus, from honoring "all gods" (which is the meaning of the Greek word "pantheon") the Pantheon became the center for glorifying all saints.

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1. What are some typical activities associated with Halloween? 2. Where does Halloween come from and why was it created? The Celtic people were very conscious of the spiritual world and had their own ideas of how they could gain access to it such as by helping their over 300 gods to defeat their enemies in battle, or by imitating the gods in showing cleverness and cunning. Their two main feasts were Beltane at the beginning of summer (May 1), and Samhain at the end of summer (Nov. 1). They believed Samhain was a time when the division between the two worlds became very thin, when hostile supernatural forces were active and ghosts and spirits were free to wander as they wished. This day that honored all the "hallowed" saints was first observed on the evening of May 13, and was known as the All hallows festival. Pope Gregory IV officially authorized the day in 835 after it was moved to November 1 to coincide with Samhain. It began on the evening of October 31, which was called All Hallows Eve. 3. What are some other names for Halloween? Mischief Night, Devils Night 4. Why do some cults think that Halloween is a holy day? Halloween is a day that witches celebrate above all other days. It is a festival of the dead, and represents the "end and the beginning of the witches year. It marks the beginning of the death and destruction associated with winter. At this time the power of the underworld is unleashed, and spirits are supposedly freed to roam about the earth it is considered the best time to contact spirits" (Halloween and Satanism, P. Phillips and J.H. Robie, 1987, p. 146). 5. What are the meanings for the following Halloween symbols? a) Jack o Lantern: Irish would carve out turnips or beets as lanterns as representations of the souls of the dead or goblins freed from the dead. When the Irish emigrated to America they could not find many turnips to carve into Jack O'Lanterns but they did find an abundance of pumpkins. Pumpkins seemed to be a suitable substitute for the turnips and pumpkins have been an essential part of Halloween celebrations ever since. Pumpkins were cut with faces representing demons and was originally intended to frighten away evil spirits. b) Bobbing for apples: The apple is also a common love charm, the practice of ducking for apples seems to have been associated with the selection of a lover. Apple bobbing was originally a fertility rite deriving from the Christmas observance, which was replete with various fertility rites. c) Black cat: Cats have been closely associated with mystery religion from the
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Egyptians to the Norse. But the Celts had a particular fear of cats, believing they were humans who had been changed into feline form by evil powers. The black cat particularly was connected to demonic powers. Black cats are the chief idol of the goddess of Wicca, Diana. In legend, she turns into a black cat to commit incest with her brother, Lucifer. Eventually the Druids themselves came to be regarded as witches. Witch hunting during Halloween became almost a national pastime in the colonial years of our nation. But that was yesterday. Halloween is regarded as the high "sabbath" for practicing witches today. d) Giving out candy: European custom called "souling". Beggars would go from village to village begging for "soul cakes" made out of square pieces of bread with currants. The more soul cakes the beggars would receive, the more prayers they would promise to say on behalf of the dead relatives of the donors. At the time, it was believed that the dead remained in limbo for a time after death, and that prayer, even by strangers could guarantee a soul's passage to heaven. e) Costumes: The wearing of costumes, for instance, and roaming from door to door demanding treats can be traced to the Celtic period and the first few centuries of the Christian era, when it was thought that the souls of the dead were out and around, along with fairies, witches, and demons. Offerings of food and drink were left out to placate them. As the centuries wore on, people began dressing like these dreadful creatures, performing antics in exchange for food and drink. This practice is called mumming, from which the practice of trickortreating evolved. Food for Thought: Read Deuteronomy 18. Do you think that you should participate in the activities of Halloween? How little or how much? Practical Application: Depending on what you came up with Food for Thought, some alternatives for Christians are to gather together and educate themselves more about Halloween, or take the opportunity to pray and engage in spiritual warfare.

Attitudes of the public

A poll of visitors to the Beliefnet.com website as Halloween for the year 2000 approached showed that there is a wide range of beliefs about Halloween: Belief % Response "It's a fun holiday for kids and adult parties. I don't take it seriously." 42% "It's a wonderful time to remember the dead and celebrate the end
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of the year." 28% "We shouldn't celebrate it because it has occult origins and morbid overtones." 12% "I celebrate it as a Christian holiday, the ever of the Feast of All Saints." 9% "It doesn't mean anything to me one way or the other." 9%

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