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Catholics
and Evangelicals "Redeem" Satan's Day
Critique of Americancatholic.org and Focus on
the Family's Pro-Halloween Position
The Bible
says, "have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather
reprove them." (Ephesians 5:11) Those who are in disobedience to God's word
are trying to convince you that it is possible to Christianize works of
darkness.
Catholic as well as Evangelical writers are
encouraging church members to celebrate Halloween, albeit in a "Christian"
fashion. Followers of the Lord Jesus Christ "abstain from all appearance
of evil" (1 Thess. 5:22). They do not place a Christian veneer upon what is
evil.
This article
addresses what one Catholic and two Evangelical writers want you to believe
regarding Christians and Halloween or Samhain.
Catholic Version of Redeeming Halloween
Below are selected excerpts from the article, "How
Halloween Can Be Redeemed" by Catholic writer, Page McKean Zyromski.
Liberty To The Captives' comments on the article, "How Halloween Can Be
Redeemed" are in blue.
Halloween has grown into a major secular holiday in American culture. But for
those who don’t value devotion to the saints, the Eve has become "hollow"
instead of "hallow." The purpose behind it has been lost—like celebrating New
Year’s Eve without a New Year’s Day. Take away the saints and our beliefs about
the dignity and destiny of human beings, and the only thing left is
pre-Christian superstition regarding the dead.
[The author falsely reduced Satan's Day into mere
"Christian superstition regarding the dead."
The purpose behind
Halloween has not been lost. Human sacrifice, though substantially reduced
through prayer, is still going on as well as the recruitment of many
thousands of teens and young adults into witchcraft and satanism via
Halloween parties.]
Among many Christians, there has been concern that things have gotten out of
hand. After all, doesn’t Halloween glorify evil?
[Yes, Halloween
glorifies Satan, who is evil. True Christians will not rationalize the sin
of touching the unclean thing. They will instead,
pray against it.]
Is it right to send our children out as devils
and vampires, or is it better to emphasize the saints, whose nearly forgotten
feast day is the reason for Halloween? Hallow is the same word for "holy" that
we find in the Lord’s Prayer, and e’en is a contraction of "evening."
[Parents who send their children "out" to participate in
Halloween dressed in any fashion--whether as a devil or as a saint are
giving Satan and his demons permission to afflict and even indwell their
children.]
The word Halloween itself is a shortened form of "All Hallows
Eve," the day before All Saints Day. In this Update we’ll consider how Catholics
can "redeem" Halloween.
[What an interesting ecumenical coincidence. Focus on the
Family is just as eager as Americancatholic.org to teach readers how to
"redeem" Halloween.]
Redeeming Halloween
How can we keep the religious connection and curb pre-Christian trappings?
The connection between trick or treat and
forgiveness deserves to be reclaimed, don’t you think?
[The
trick-or-treat ritual symbolizes human sacrifice, not forgiveness!
Fake Christian Ministries often mark themselves for
their real master by promoting the trick-or-treat ritual.]
The rest of this Halloween
promoting article may be found here:
http://www.americancatholic.org/Newsletters/CU/ac1099.asp
Evangelical Version of Redeeming Halloween
Focus on the Family claims to take
a middle of the road (1) approach to Halloween but their founder, James Dobson,
plainly advocates the celebration of Halloween, including
trick-or-treating,
as long as it is done in a presumably innocent manner:
If the Halloween experience is focused on
fantasy rather than the occult, I see no harm in it. Make costumes for your
children that represent fun characters, such as Mickey Mouse or an elderly
grandmother, and then let them go door-to-door asking for treats. This side
of Halloween can be thoroughly enjoyable for the little ones. (2)
It is impossible to be middle of the road or
neutral when it comes to whom a Christian serves. The Bible says that we must
"choose ye this day whom ye will serve." (Joshua 24:15) Since Halloween belongs
to Satan, it is he who is served when one participates in "Christianized"
Halloween rituals and it is he who gains the right to spiritually afflict those
who fellowship with him in this manner.
Authors Kim Wier and Pam McCune,
who wrote a Halloween-is-Christian type book that is endorsed by the
Focus on the Family mega ministry,
asked the question, "How can we keep the religious connection and curb
pre-Christian trappings?" in the following way:
Together we will discover the redeeming
origins of Halloween and answer that elusive question, "Can I really
celebrate without selling out?"
(Quoted from: Redeeming
Halloween by Kim Wier & Pam McCune pg 2, A Focus on the Family Book
Published by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.)
The Focus on
the Family book, Redeeming Halloween promotes an agenda that is just as
foreign to true Christianity as the one promoted in the Catholic article, "How
Halloween Can Be Redeemed." Authors Kim Wier and
Pam McCune, (who are pictured on the back cover dressed in black and red
outfits) claim that the story of Halloween began at the foot of the
cross. (page 9). Redeeming Halloween is filled with carnal justifications
for partaking of Halloween in a "Christianized" fashion.
God's people must purpose to reject all
rationalizations for sin, no matter where they come from. Quench not the Holy
Spirit when he convicts you about the sin of yoking what is holy (the Lord Jesus
Christ) with what is evil (Halloween.)
Closing remarks:
There are no
Christ-honoring Halloween alternatives. Christians
are to overcome darkness with light, not
find so-called "Christian" ways to partake of darkness. Halloween can no more be
redeemed than Satan can be redeemed. Satan's workers, however, can be
redeemed and those who have been saved by the Lord Jesus Christ must reject the
message that they may partake of Christianly amended works of darkness, or what
is presented as the lighter side of Halloween.
Catholicism is not authentic
Christianity (3) and neither is modern-day falling away Evangelicalism, which
falsely teaches that you can be saved by the God of the narrow way while you
continue to walk on the broad way (the way of the world which "lieth in
wickedness." 1 John 5:19 Those who expect to continue in the Christian
faith must hold fast the form of sound words found only in the
Holy Bible or you will be swept away in the
modern ecumenical surge.
Notes:
(1) "While Focus
on the Family takes a "middle of the road" approach to
Halloween, we want to provide a balance of resources to help you as you
decide what's best for your family." http://search.family.org/query.cfm
qt=halloween&style=family&Search.x=16&Search.y=5
(2) What to Do About Halloween--Dr. James Dobson's Perspective
http://www.focusonyourchild.com/entertain/art1/a0000637.html
(3)
Why I Left Roman Catholicism
(See the list of links on the left-hand side of the page)
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