WHAT'S THE HIDDEN MESSAGE BEHIND TRICK OR TREAT

What's wrong with a little harmless fun? After all everyone's doing it! My parents used to have a quick response for "everyone's doing it!" Their response was, "Not EVERYONE is doing it, because YOU AREN'T!" At the moment, that response would infuriate me. As time passed though, it had a different effect. It began to instill respect for their opinions, but even more, respect for them. Their willingness to take a stand against something they knew to be wrong (even at the risk of my intense momentary displeasure) was something I now admire in them.

The day celebrated as Halloween has an extremely sordid background. Halloween has it's origin in the Celtic Druid setting. There were but two seasons then, the first being winter, which began in November. An orgiastic celebration of evil spirits and the dead occurred on October 31 as they observed the arrival of winter at midnight, when October turned to November. This celebration was called Samhain. To describe the festivities as pagan is a misguided understatement. They were occult. The church, in an effort to displace Samhain with something more palatable, created a "Christian alternative" called All Saints' Day, and instead of October 31, they celebrated it on November 1. It then became All Hallows Eve, and ultimately Halloween, retaining much of the original occultism in its festival flavor, and reverting to the original October 31 date. The attempt at cultural reinterpretation had failed.

Evil cults today are bent on reversing every worthwhile value of acceptable society (especially any value deemed to be Christian in nature) and they commit horrid atrocities on Halloween each year. This year will be no exception. In many of the "more civilized" cults, only animals will be mutilated and sacrificed in the name of Satan and all that is unholy. It could even be one of our own tenderhearted young ones that will lose a pet to be tortured and killed for this purpose. In many cults, however, it will not be just an animal that is sacrificed. It will be one created by God to be in dominance over the animals it will be a human being.

Human sacrifice is much more common than most people realize. Some of the women in generational cults are impregnated, carry a child for nine months, deliver the baby, raise it until the proper occasion, then deliver it up for sacrifice. Since the birth occurs within the cult, there is never a record of the birth, and the child is never missed. In other instances, a child will be kidnaped, never to be seen again by family and loved ones, to be used in this perverted, despicable practice. Other times, adults will volunteer themselves for this sacrifice, deceived into believing that it is the ultimate way to serve Satan, and will earn his favor for the next life. At times, the abduction of an adult will be necessary to satisfy their "need for the day".

In the more evolved and sophisticated cults, the type of sacrifice offered must be of a specific nature for a specific holiday ritual. For example, on Lammas, observed July 29 August 1, they usually require both an animal and a human sacrifice. This human sacrifice will be of a sexual nature, requiring a young girl from age seven to seventeen. Halloween, the highest Satanic holiday, also requires a human sacrifice, but does not specify age or sex. Anyone will do!

The idea of carving jack-o'-lanterns was born centuries ago. When a child was abducted for ritual sacrifice, a pumpkin with a carved face and a light in it was left at the doorstep of the home from which the child was taken. It is beyond my understanding why anyone would wish to observe a holiday so drenched in the occult especially one that represents such depravity! Churches and well-meaning people are still trying to establish alternatives to enable the child to be off the streets and celebrate Halloween in a safe environment. They may even try to apply a Christian theme to the festivities, which is about like trying to apply a coat of paint to an old rusted piece of furniture. It just can't cover it. Is it really an alternative, or is it a cop-out?

Please don't stop reading here, thinking the author is just a hopeless ogre who doesn't understand the needs of children, wanting to steal away all their fun. The author would encourage concerned groups and/or individuals to provide a fall festival or Octoberfest, etc. for the enjoyment of all; as long as it is not on October 31, and does not involve the traditional Halloween activities, such as costume, candy, jack-o'-lanterns, apple-bobs, etc. All of these traditional activities have a place in the occultic nature of Halloween. Even when the costume is not evil in appearance, the representation of the tradition is still there. We must realize that Halloween is not a Christian holiday, which Satan has corrupted, and a few evil people have twisted in order to ruin our fun. It is a Satanic holiday, which Christians and others have given a face-lift so it will no longer be viewed as an abomination to society. Halloween has always been an occult holiday, and Halloween is still an occult holiday. When we choose to observe Halloween (in ANY fashion), we are choosing to observe an occult holiday!

There are many among us who have been abused by Satanic cults as a child, and/or have been forced to watch or even participate in the sacrifices that occur on Halloween. They have managed to escape from the very presence of these horrific events, but their minds will never allow them to forget what most of us would never see in our worst nightmares. These poor souls wrestle with these memories throughout the year, but they virtually relive them again as they drive down our roads and see the jack-o'-lanterns on our doorsteps and the ghosts in our trees. Then they have to go to the supermarket, where they see all the grotesque displays of costumes and Halloween candy. The horrendous memories escalate to incredible heights when the doorbell rings, and a costumed child stands behind it with bag in hand for candy; for they know first hand of the fate yet ahead on this night for other little ones such as this child at their door. Many who have come out of this occult bondage question how we can observe such a day, yet consider ourselves civilized humans; not to mention that some of us would observe it, yet call ourselves Christians. What kind of a witness would they see in the Christian who observes such a day?

There are even more important questions to ask, however. If we allow our children to participate in this kind of tradition, whether in costume on the streets, or even in an "alternative" setting, what kind of signals are we sending our children?

If not already aware, one day the child is bound to find out about the darkness of Halloween. What will the child then think about the parent who has not prevented his/her participation in the celebration of such an event? If confronted by the child, the parent would probably say something like, "Well, I didn't want to keep you from having fun after all everyone was doing it!" What a far cry from what my parents used to tell me when they knew something to be wrong. Where is our backbone as adults? Won't this response just tell the child that his/her self-indulgence is a higher priority than principle? If so, doesn't this teach the child that it is better to have fun than to take a stand against something that we know to be wrong?

While we're mentioning nonverbal messages, let's consider this. When we buy the costumes for the kids, (or even all the material and/or items we need to make them), when we buy the candy and the party food and decorations, when we buy the pumpkins to carve, what message do we give the merchants? Isn't it a message to keep promoting this evil day, that WE will help them support it? When we send our kids out on the streets or to "alternative" gatherings, aren't we sending the message that we aren't strong enough to take a stand against the atrocities of Halloween, but will compromise and submit to it? Remember, the imprint of our willingness to compromise will remain with the child long after the fun of the evening has worn off. Isn't it time to take inventory and decide once and for all what we should be unwilling to submit to, refusing any longer to compromise? Where are our standards today? What type of integrity are we demonstrating? Our children will survive if they have to miss a party on Halloween eve, and through it, we can teach them something much more important than how to "dress up". We can teach them how to "stand up"!

There was One who was unwilling to compromise even when He knew it would cost Him His life. What if Yeshua had refused to take that final stand for us? We would be a people with no hope. It should be asked again. To what are we willing to submit? Are we willing to submit to the pressures from others to celebrate this occult holiday, or submit instead to the principles of nonconformity set forth for us in the life exemplified by our Lord?

Many have said, "But you HAVE to let children do SOMETHING special for Halloween! It isn't FAIR for them to just stay home while all of their friends are out going door to door in costume or going to a party somewhere!" What we are really saying is, "Because they are children, they must be indulged! After all everybody's doing it!" We need to question what we are teaching our children to receive as their master and Lord. We can teach them to base their decisions upon superficial pleasures (molding their minds to accept these pleasures as Lord of their life), or we can teach them to make choices that may require giving up superficial pleasures when appropriate, in order to be obedient; placing Yeshua as Lord of their life. In doing the latter we can help them learn the deeper joy that comes from obedience and growth in their walk with Yeshua. When Yeshua told us to walk the narrow road, He implied that it would not be easy! It sometimes DOES require a sacrificial spirit, and it is our job to instill this principle in our children. As humans, we are certainly not born with it!

We are given by God the most remarkable of treasures in our children. We have the awesome responsibility of raising them to be strong, to discern right from wrong, to withstand temptation, and to mature with the imprint of solid and healthy standards. We must enable them to stand firm on their own, gaining the respect of those around them. We can't afford to look just at the momentary consequence when we make a decision. We must view the long term effect. Let's choose to give them the right example. When we know right from wrong, let's choose to take a stand! If our children can't learn good moral character from us, how will they learn it?

The Bible is the inspired Word of God, given to us to direct our lives. It defines the moral principles we should strive to instill in our children, and strictly forbids certain practices which are steeped in the occult. The verses attached will help you to see what His Word has to say regarding the occult and how He would have us respond to it. You will begin to see that raising your child with an uncompromising commitment to His value system is reinforced repeatedly in God's Word. Get into this book of all books, and research for yourself the thoughts shared in this work.

A few verses to consider as you begin might be Leviticus 19:31; Exodus 22:18; Leviticus 20:27; Leviticus 20:67; Deuteronomy 18:10-12; Revelation 22:15; I Corinthians 10:20-22; I Chronicles 10:13-14; Romans 13:12; I Thessalonians 5:5; Ephesians 5:1; Ephesians 5:8; Galatians 5:22; Galatians 5:11; II Timothy 1:7; James 4:7; II Corinthians 2:11; I Peter 5:8-9; II Corinthians 6:14-17; Galatians 5:25; Psalm 97:10; Luke 10:18-19; Acts 19:19; and Philippians 4:8. May God bless you as you seek His guidance and study His Word.