Halloween?

Do You Really Want to Celebrate Halloween?

That is a choice you need to choose for yourself either way enjoy yourself and stay safe!!!!!!!!!!!

 The History

October 31, Halloween, is the “Vigil of Saman” celebration of the Druids, ancient Pagan Celtic priests. On this night, they placated the Lord of Death who released the souls of the dead to haunt and trick their relatives and visit their former homes. Witches and demons also came out of hiding on this night. This day coincided with the end of harvest and the beginning of the new year for these Druid worshipers of Samhain (numerous spellings are correct), the grim reaper, who required a human sacrifice.

In AD 601 the Roman Catholic Church “sanctified” these pagan practices they had previously been trying to abolish. They literally gave up against evil. The Roman autumn harvest celebrations and All Saint’s Day (November 1) were combined with All Hallows Eve (October 31)  in an attempt to Christianize it. The founding Pilgrims of America outlawed this practice. In the mid 1800’s Irish immigrants brought this custom to America.

Today young and old alike dress up and go out into the night, trick or treating and celebrating. Halloween has become the second most celebrated holiday with people spending about $80 per person to party (again, financially second only to Christmas). The majority of them are unknowingly giving glory to the day that the occult, Satan worshipers and Wiccan (those involved in witchcraft) call the “day above all others.” This is the highest of their eight holy days.

Anton LaVey, author of The Satanic Bible and high priest of the Church of Satan states,  “Satanists consider Halloween the most important day of the year. Satanic, occult and witchcraft powers are at their highest potency level…Satan and his powers are at their best that night.”

A sergeant at the Baldwin Park Police Department in Southern California states “frightening, murderous satanic practices take place around the world every Halloween, and yet the public dismisses reports of their occurrence, refusing to believe the holiday is anything more than ‘child’s play’.”

Quite literally, this “holiday” belongs to Satan, and those who celebrate it, even innocently, are giving glory to him and putting themselves in dangerous territory.

It’s Not All About The Candy!!

The Halloween Market is Growing?

Halloween might be growing but family’s are falling apart financially just over the fact of trying to live at such a standard that is unreachable with the way our economy has been persuaded. Why should we give up everything to live up to this standard that we need to decorate, buy candy, and bring our children treat or treating? Is it because of tradition so people feel like this is what my childhood was about so my children need to experience it? If that was the case wouldn’t we want our children to know the truth about the holiday so they have an understanding that its not all about candy and scares? I mean come on how does it look that a family would argue or fight or children feeling bad or sad just because you didn’t let them fill their stomach’s with poison or empty your pockets. This just does not add up to me and I believe this is only one cause why our generation is poor and the rich keep gaining profit off our dreams and the standard’s that were manipulated through graphic design to create this illusion that life is only meaningful when your spending your money on bullshit. Well I can’t be sooooo harsh because I am going into the profession of Graphic Designer so lets think about both sides, If we just refused to celebrate Halloween wouldn’t this mean to more unemployment? most likely yes because these company’s would loose profit therefor leading to cuts or shut downs. So because I am such a good person my advise wouldn’t be to completely not celebrate Halloween but more along the lines that our generation need to start changing things and the first thing would be to teach our children about the inner workings of the system so when you find yourself in the middle of a holiday and your unable to provide everything that your children don’t put that blame on you. How would you do this? Well I would start by explaining to our children when purchasing candy that we are buying this candy because we are helping other family’s around the world and that if you are unable to buy candy then is not such a bad things because it’s not a requirement of life.

Consumers are ready to spend around $6.86 billion dollars this Halloween, according to an annual survey commissioned by the National Retail Federation. That comes out to an average of about $72 per American. Market Research firm IBISWorld forecasts this year’s spending at a more modest $5.9 billion. Still, the firm says that would be an 11.7% improvement from the year before, and a huge bounce-back from 2009, when the recession caused sales to drop a ghastly 22% to $4.31 billion.

The Bottom Line
Whether you’re buying costumes for yourself or your kids, spending money on candies to give away or just buying decorations for your house, there’s a good chance that you’ll be giving money to the thriving Halloween industry.

http://www.investopedia.com/financial-edge/1012/why-the-halloween-industry-is-worth-8b.aspx

http://blog.psprint.com/printing/ways-designers-cash-halloween/

The Halloween Economy: $2 Billion in Candy, $300 Million in Pet Costumes

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/10/the-halloween-economy-2-billion-in-candy-300-million-in-pet-costumes/247531/

Halloween profit booster for theme parks

US theme parks say Halloween now accounts for as much as 20 percent of their annual attendance.

Dennis Speigel, president of International Theme Park Services, a global consultant based in Cincinnati, said: “It’s a season maker and breaker in some cases. A lot is riding for a lot of companies on Halloween.”

At destination parks, such as Universal Orlando, Halloween events can draw as many as 600,000 visitors, Speigel said, making the holiday among the industry’s top performers.

This year, the Halloween season could also help chase away a summer that fell short of expectations at some regional parks, Speigel noted.

The Symbols

A grotesque face was carved in a pumpkin to scare away evil spirits; this was a sign to the demons that a virgin sacrifice had been given by the household. Inside was a candle made from the human fat of the sacrifice. Do you want a Jack-o-lantern in your home?

The Bonfire had a three-fold purpose: 1) to scare away the evil spirits; 2) to mark the gathering places for the celebration where people came after putting out their hearth fires; 3) and to have the “bone-fire” where human and animal sacrifices were burned. The participants carry a stick home to light their hearth fires from this community bonfire.

To disguise themselves from the spirits, people donned Costumes trying to look like the evil spirits, or look terrible enough scare them away; oftentimes they wore the heads of the animals they had sacrificed.

The Druid priests went door to door demanding food to offer to Samhaim and pronounced a demonic curse of death or physical male castration, if they didn’t get what they asked for. Another custom was for people to leave a “treat” out for the spirits, so they wouldn’t “trick” or torture the household. Thus the Trick-or-Treat custom was born.

What about the other symbols of Halloween? Ghosts played tricks and caused supernatural happenings in the household. Astrology was heavily practiced, as everyone wanted predictions for the coming new year. Traditionally they “read” the sacrificial bones and entrails of sacrifices. Witches are real satanic worshipers, yet their caricatures are portrayed and costumed everywhere. Coffins, tombstones, mummies, skeletons and cemeteries come from the Lord of Death theme. Roman harvest festivals bring in the apples, cornstalks and pumpkins. An ancient Roman ceremony honoring false gods involved trying to grasp floating fruit without using hands, which is where bobbing for apples came from. The Druids believed that black cats were reincarnated humans who had been punished for their evil deeds. These cats were sacred sacrifices. Today, black cats are still sacrificed during occult rituals.

 Is it Really Just another Holiday?

Knowing the meaning and traditions behind Halloween, do you really want to celebrate Halloween? It’s much more than just an innocent child’s day. There is absolutely no way you can include Jesus Christ in these celebrations. Why place yourself, even for a few hours, in the territory of the evil one? In Ephesians 5:11 Jesus tells us through Paul to “Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but reprove them.” In Ephesians 4:27 He says, “Neither give place to the devil.”

Bible Answers

When you apply the following Bible texts to Halloween, it is obvious what our position as Christians should be regarding Halloween, the occult, sorcery or magic:

•  Leviticus 19:31 – Should we turn to mediums or wizards?
• Leviticus 20:6-27 – What will happen if you turn to wizards or medium? What will happen if you become a medium or wizard?
• 1 Chronicles 10:13 – What happened to Saul because of his involvement? (1 Samuel 28 – 30)
• Revelation 18:4 – What are we to do?
• Ephesians 5:8-11 – What should we do with the works of darkness?
• 2 Timothy 1:7 – What spirit did Jesus give us?
• Ephesians 6:11 – What should we do?
• Philippians 4:8 – What kind of things should we dwell on?
• 2 Corinthians 6:14,15 – Can light and darkness mix? Should we mix with evil?
• 1 Corinthians 10:31 – Who should receive our glory?
• Matthew 6:24 – How many masters can we serve?
• 1 Peter 2:9 – Who are we?
• Exodus 20: 5 – What is God’s warning?
• Ephesians 5:1 – Who should we imitate?
• Psalm 101:3 – Are we ever to look at wicked things?
• 1 John 3:8 – What has God promised?
• 1 Corinthians 10:20,21 – Can we partake of two tables?
• Ephesians 6: 14-17 – What are the only safe things to put on?
• Ephesians 4:27 – Should we give place to the devil?
• 1 Thessalonians 5:22 – What should we abstain from?
• Ephesians 5:11 – What should we do with darkness?
• Acts 19:18-19 – What did the early church do to occultic books?
• Exodus 22:18 – What happened to witches in the Bible?
• Deuteronomy 18:9-14 – Should we participate in the occult?
• Isaiah 8:19 –  Can we learn about the future from mediums and psychics?
• Revelation 22:15 – Will mediums, wizards, sorcers and those that consult them enter heaven?

What Can We Do?

Spend time in prayer and spiritual warfare for your community and the innocent children caught up in the darkness of Halloween. The occult members pray for evil spirits to inhabit the costumes sold to children. We should pray that Satan be bound.

Educate your own children. Don’t scare them by giving them too much information. Explain to young children only what they need to know to understand. Do a Bible study and look up these Bible texts with your children.

Get together with like-minded families. Have a soup and salad potluck, a time of intercessory prayer together and family game time.

Many Pathfinder groups collect cans on this night. You could do this as a church or home school group. Pass out bags in a specific area a few days before with a note explaining what your group is doing. After collecting, make food baskets or donate to Community Services and local food closets. I personally have reservations about being out on this night at all.

Witness to your neighbors without condemning them. On Halloween night, pass out inexpensive crafts or toys instead of candy and include a scripture that will point them to Jesus. Some families include an invitation to church and a Little Friend or Primary Treasure.

Celebrate your blessings and share with others the good news of Jesus.

As horrific as Halloween and these traditions are, “God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and love and of a strong mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7.

Make a stand… “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15

10 Reasons Christians Should Not Celebrate Halloween.

1. October 31st. Has long been known as “The Festival of the Dead.” The Celtic tribes and their priests the Druids celebrated this day as a marker for the change from life to death.

2. Halloween today is performed usually by adherents of witchcraft who use the night for their rituals. Witches celebrate Halloween as the “Feast of Samhain” the first feast of the witchcraft year. Being a festival of the dead, Halloween is a time when witches attempt to communicate with the dead through various forms of divination.

3. Christians should not be involved with occultic practice or divination. Note God’s command against divination in Deuteronomy 18.

4. Occultist believe Halloween is a time of transition between life and death. Some occult practitioners…believe in lying on the grave and listening to the message from the long departed.

5. Occultist also taught that spirits and ghosts left the grave during this night and would seek out warmth in their previous homes. Villagers, fearful of the possibility of being visited by the ghosts, would dress up in costumes to scare the spirits on their way. They would also leave food and other “treats” at their door to appease the spirits.

6. Occultists also would try to scare away the spirits by carving a scary face into a pumpkin. Sometimes the villagers would light a candle and place it within the pumpkin and use it as a lantern.

7. In some witchcraft covens, the closing ritual includes eating an apple or engaging in fertility rites.

8. Schools are removing any religious significance from Christmas (Winter Break) and Easter (Spring Break). Isn’t it ironic that most public schools still celebrate Halloween even though it has occultic origins?

9. Participating in Halloween gives sanction to a holiday the promotes witches, divination, haunted houses and other occultic practices.

10. Christians should not endorse or promote Halloween in any way. “The night is nearly over; the day is almost near. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armour of light.” Romans 13:12.

http://money.cnn.com/2014/10/30/investing/stocks-market-october-treat/