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| Anneliese Michel: A portrait of demon possession |
Many folks are convinced that Halloween is just a harmless holiday that's celebrated in the mid-fall when the trees are changing colors and winter is knocking on the door. Halloween's a time of witches and goblins and pumpkins and parties and trick-or-treating and tons of candy.
But Halloween also has deep roots in the demonic that trace back 1200 years to the Celtics in ancient Europe who believed that the so-called veil that separated the living and the dead vanished around October 31, allowing the dead to visit and mingle with the living.
According to the Encyclopedia Britannica: In ancient Britain and Ireland, the Celtic Festival of Samhain was observed on October 31, at the end of summer…. The souls of the dead were supposed to revisit their homes on this day and the autumnal festival acquired sinister significance, with ghosts, witches, goblins, black cats, fairies and demons of all kinds said to be roaming about. It was the time to placate the supernatural powers controlling the processes of nature. In addition, Halloween was thought to be the most favorable time for divinations concerning marriage, luck, health, and death. It was the only day on which the help of the devil was invoked for such purposes.
Halloween wouldn't be the popular holiday that it is today without the help of the Roman Catholic Church. During the 9th century, the Catholic Church incorporated that pagan holiday with the celebration of All Saints and All Souls: By the 800s, the influence of the Catholic Church entered into Celtic lands. In the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV had already designated November 1 All Saints' Day, a time to honor saints and martyrs. Later, the Church would make November 2 All Souls' Day, a day to honor the dead. The eve of All Saints', All Saints', and All Souls were celebrated with big bonfires, parades, and dressing up in costumes as saints, angels, and devils.
Halloween wouldn't be the popular holiday that it is today without the help of the Roman Catholic Church. During the 9th century, the Catholic Church incorporated that pagan holiday with the celebration of All Saints and All Souls: By the 800s, the influence of the Catholic Church entered into Celtic lands. In the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV had already designated November 1 All Saints' Day, a time to honor saints and martyrs. Later, the Church would make November 2 All Souls' Day, a day to honor the dead. The eve of All Saints', All Saints', and All Souls were celebrated with big bonfires, parades, and dressing up in costumes as saints, angels, and devils.
What makes Halloween so deadly is its promotion of abominable occult practices such as necromancy, sorcery and witchcraft that bring curses and God's judgment upon those who engage in them. Consider this: "Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord; because of these same detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you. You must be blameless before the Lord your God." (Deuteronomy 18:10-13)
Though that law was given by God to the ancient Israelites, it's a universal law that applies to everyone. And yet very few people know or understand how dangerous occult practices are. And tragically, many occult practices become quite popular around Halloween.
Such as the Ouija Board that promises to help its practitioners make contact with the spiritual realm. The Ouija Board led to the demon possession of a young man named Roland Doe (a pseudonym) who lived in Mt. Rainier, Washington in the 1940s.
Why did Doe use the Ouija Board? He wanted to contact his deceased grandmother who had initiated him into the occult. Shortly after Doe attempted to make contact with her via the Ouija Board, he began acting peculiarly and speaking in languages he had never learned. Doe's behavior deteriorated until he had to be chained to a bed. Even then, the chains couldn't hold him and eyewitnesses recall seeing obscene words appear on his chest.
If Doe's story sounds familiar, that's because the classic horror film The Exorcist was based upon it. And Doe's story and the film never would've happened had Doe not used the Ouija Board.
Certainly, most people who dabble with the Ouija Board or attend a seance probably won't become demon possessed. However, they will have given Satan and his demons a legal right to come into their lives to influence and oppress them.
And mark my words; anyone who has been involved in any sort of occult practice will eventually experience trouble in their lives. The antidote for that is repentance from such practices and a true confession of Jesus Christ as Lord and a life dedicated to worshiping and serving Him.
And so, does everyone who celebrates Halloween come under a curse? Of course not. But consider Halloween's roots. Why celebrate something that came from the unholy? Rather, why not celebrate something that glorifies God?
Or, as the prophet Isaiah wrote over 2,700 years ago: "When someone tells you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? Consult God’s instruction and the testimony of warning. If anyone does not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn." (Isaiah 8:19-20)
Though that law was given by God to the ancient Israelites, it's a universal law that applies to everyone. And yet very few people know or understand how dangerous occult practices are. And tragically, many occult practices become quite popular around Halloween.
Such as the Ouija Board that promises to help its practitioners make contact with the spiritual realm. The Ouija Board led to the demon possession of a young man named Roland Doe (a pseudonym) who lived in Mt. Rainier, Washington in the 1940s.
Why did Doe use the Ouija Board? He wanted to contact his deceased grandmother who had initiated him into the occult. Shortly after Doe attempted to make contact with her via the Ouija Board, he began acting peculiarly and speaking in languages he had never learned. Doe's behavior deteriorated until he had to be chained to a bed. Even then, the chains couldn't hold him and eyewitnesses recall seeing obscene words appear on his chest.
If Doe's story sounds familiar, that's because the classic horror film The Exorcist was based upon it. And Doe's story and the film never would've happened had Doe not used the Ouija Board.
Certainly, most people who dabble with the Ouija Board or attend a seance probably won't become demon possessed. However, they will have given Satan and his demons a legal right to come into their lives to influence and oppress them.
And mark my words; anyone who has been involved in any sort of occult practice will eventually experience trouble in their lives. The antidote for that is repentance from such practices and a true confession of Jesus Christ as Lord and a life dedicated to worshiping and serving Him.
And so, does everyone who celebrates Halloween come under a curse? Of course not. But consider Halloween's roots. Why celebrate something that came from the unholy? Rather, why not celebrate something that glorifies God?
Or, as the prophet Isaiah wrote over 2,700 years ago: "When someone tells you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? Consult God’s instruction and the testimony of warning. If anyone does not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn." (Isaiah 8:19-20)
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