Halloween

Like a lot of people who are nostalgic about their childhood, I have good memories of Halloween. It was a real kids' holiday. You could feel the excitement in the air as you scanned the neighborhood as it got dark and saw kids, front porch lights and flashlights everywhere. The candy was just a bonus. One of the fun things about the candy was you always got some stuff you had never had before, instead of the same old thing we got at the market every single time.

But, as I mentioned to a friend of mine not long ago, Halloween was a lot more fun before I realized that witches and the like were real. The forces and power of evil are real, and there are people out there who practice witchcraft, sorcery and devil worship, and some might actually derive power from Satan. While our society's practice of Halloween is generally innocent, I'm just not sure it's a good idea to "celebrate" evil, torture, fear, demons, etc. Even practices like Ouija boards and fortune telling might lead to things that are much more dangerous.

The Bible has much to say about this:

"Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his 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, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you." -Deuteronomy 18:10-12

"The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God." -Galatians 5:19-21

"But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death." -Revelation 21:8

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." -Ephesians 6:12

"I will set my face against the person who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute himself by following them, and I will cut him off from his people." -Leviticus 20:6

I think if you want to have a "candy day" or a "dress-up day" sometime in late October, it's OK. But don't associate with Halloween and other practices or traditions that glorify evil, even if it seems innocent.