Annie's Halloween Page - A Christian Perspective on the Holiday

Annie's Halloween Page
~A Christian Perspective on the Holiday~
References for this page are The World Book, Compton's Encyclopedia, and the Bible.

"Every good and perfect gift cometh from the Father above."
James1:17 KJV

????? Are you Confused ?????
Why do you have a Halloween page?
Aren't you a Christian?

"Prove all things hold fast that which is good"..........1 Thes. 5:21 KJV

"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.".......Romans 12:2 KJV

Let's check out what Halloween really stands for.

We will look at what God's word says and then you can decide if it is just an innocent holiday that doesn't harm anyone.
Is it really just childish fun?

I want you to make your own decision after you have the facts. Then you are accountable for your actions.

Really my opinion doesn't matter.
What matters is what the BIBLE says.

"To whom much is given much is required."
Luke 12:48

"There is no fear in love...
but perfect love casteth out all fear....
because fear hath torment.
He that feareth is not made perfect in love."
~ 1 John 4:18 ~

"When you come into the land which Yahweh your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of the nations. - There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer" - "Or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead" - "For all who do these things are an abomination to Yahweh, and because of these abominations Yahweh your God drives them out from before you"
~ Deuteronomy 18:9-12 ~

What does the Bible say about these items:
witchcraft ~ Old Testament law concerning

Witches don't really wear black hats and ride on brooms.
Yes there really are self professed witches, wiccan and pagans who practice their beliefs today.

If you think that I am just a little off the mark why not see how many "witch" related sites are listed in the Top 100 religion sites.

Check what the Bible says about: magic & magician
sorcery ~ definition and references
evil ~ a search from The New Nave's Topical Bible

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:"
1 Peter 5:8

"And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light."
2 Corinthians 11:14

"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places]. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand."
Ephesians 6:12-13

Do you know Jesus?

He is God's Son and He died on a cross to save us from our sins. Sin is all the wrong things we do. We must be punished for our sins and Jesus came from heaven and died on the cross in our place. This is called the gift of salvation. Accepting Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior is as easy as ABC.

All you have to do is:

A Admit you are a sinner. - "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" Romans 3:23 KJV

B Believe Jesus died on the cross for you. "And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." Acts 16:31 KJV

C Confess your sin to God and turn from it. "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." Romans 10:9 KJV

It's that simple.
Thank you to House 2 House Ministries for this important and simple way of presenting the gospel.

Just a little note from Annie

I hope you will find this information thought provoking. We are all accountable for our choices and decisions. Ignorance is no excuse. The choice is up to you. My purpose was not to judge but to inform. If you are not a Christian and are interested in becoming one then please follow this link to: The Four Spiritual Laws by Campus Crusade for Christ. They will be glad to follow up and they have wonderful resources. Please feel welcome to visit my other pages. My main page: Annie's Home Page has many wonderful Christian resources. I have another page Annie's Begin the Day with Me Page that Christians will hopefully enjoy enough to make it there start/home page. It is filled with devotionals, Christian News, the Lighter Side to name a few and an index to my other pages. My Christmas page: Annie's Christmas Page has a focus of Jesus is the Reason for the Season. Thanks for visiting and come back often for I am always adding new pages.

Blessings and Love in Christ
Annie

Psalm 32:8 "I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go. I will guide you with Mine eye." -KJV

May the Lord use this page to honor Him

BOO!!!!!!!!!!
I'm SCARED!!!!!!!
I'm FRIGHTENED!!!!!!! FEAR!!!!! TERROR!!!!!!! PANIC!!!!!!!
I'm AFRAID!!!!!!!!!!!!

"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love."
~1 John 4:18~

There are 385 verses with the word FEAR in the Bible

Fear is defined in the dictionary as:
Main Entry: ¹fear
Pronunciation: 'fir
Date: before 12th century
transitive senses
1 archaic : FRIGHTEN
2 archaic : to feel fear in (oneself)
3 : to have a reverential awe of <fear God>
4 : to be afraid of : expect with alarm
intransitive senses : to be afraid or apprehensive

Check out SCARE & TERRIFY too.

"For God has not given us a spirit of FEAR but of power and of love and of a sound mind." ~~~2 Timothy 1:7~~~

"..............And shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them; For the LORD your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you." Deuteronomy 20: 3-4

"The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him." ~~Nahum 1:7~~

"No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement thou shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord."......... ~Isaiah 54:17~

MORE FEAR VERSES:
1 Cor 10:13, 1 John 4:4, 1 John 5:4, 1 Peter 1:5, Ephesians 6:13,John 10: 28,29, Deut 33:27, Psalm 37:9, Prov 21:18, Psalm 57:7, Psalm 46:1, Zech. 4:6, Psalm 4:8, Isaiah 54:17, 2 Peter 2:9, Proverbs 12:28, Psalm 90:1, Exodus 33:14 Prov 14:27 and Nahum 1:7. And there are more.

Pumpkins Pumpkins Everywhere!!!!!!!!
Pumpkins Pumpkins Pumpkins Pumpkins Pumpkins Pumpkins

They are not necessarily bad in and of themselves. Of course not! We decorate with them and make wonderful deserts. You can make Pumpkin Pies, Pumpkin loaves and Pumpkin muffins to name a few. They remind us that fall is here.

I love pumpkin pie.
Don't you?
Have you ever had "Pumpkin Seeds?

Pumpkins are not mentioned in the Bible but GOURDS are.

Pumpkin is a vegetable related to squash. Most pumpkins weigh from 15 to 30 pounds (6.8 to 14 kilograms). The majority of pumpkins are orange, but many pumpkins are white, yellow, or other colors.

What is a Jack O Lantern ?

Does it have a hidden meaning that we may not be aware of?
Originally turnips were used with embers in them.

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." 1 Peter 5:8

The Jack O Lantern was originally a turnip that was carved out and a candle put in it. The word jack-o'-lantern is from an old Irish story. Once there was a man named Jack who was very mean. When he died, he went to the devil. The devil threw Jack a hot coal and told him to put it inside the turnip he was eating. "This is your lantern," said the devil. Jack is still walking with his lantern, looking for a place to stay.

The World Book Encyclopedia says this: Jack-o'-lanterns are hollowed-out pumpkins with a face cut into one side. Most jack-o'-lanterns contain a candle or some other light. People in England and Ireland once carved out beets, potatoes, and turnips to use as lanterns on Halloween. After this custom reached America, pumpkins began to be used. Today, jack-o'-lanterns are used as decorations.

According to an Irish legend, jack-o'-lanterns were named for a man called Jack, who could not enter heaven because he was a miser. He could not enter hell either, because he had played jokes on the devil. As a result, Jack had to walk the earth with his lantern until Judgment Day.

The Moon this site has pictures of the moon.
A full moon does effect peoples moods. There are police and emergency room records that reflect this. The Moon is the earth's nearest neighbor in space.

Legend and folklore. Many peoples who did not think of the moon as sacred believed that it influenced life. Early philosophers and priests taught that the moon was related to birth, growth, and death because it waxed and waned. Some people feared eclipses as signs of famine, war, or other disasters. According to one superstition, sleeping in moonlight could cause insanity. The word lunatic, which means moonstruck, comes from luna, a Latin word meaning moon. Even today, many people believe the moon affects the weather. Others think seeds grow especially well when planted during a waxing moon. The moon is important in astrology, a popular pseudo (false) science.

Legends of various lands told how the "man in the moon" had been imprisoned there for stealing or for breaking the Sabbath. Some people saw other figures in the moon's markings. These figures include Jack and Jill, a beautiful woman, a cat, a frog, and a rabbit.

Many people once believed that some form of life existed on the moon. The ancient Greek writer Plutarch told of moon demons that lived in caves. Johannes Kepler, a German astronomer of the 1600's, wrote that lunar craters were built by moon creatures. In 1822, F. P. Gruithuisen, another German astronomer, told of discovering a "lunar city." In the 1920's, the American astronomer W. H. Pickering declared that insects might live on the moon. Many scientists hoped that certain chemicals might be found on the moon to give clues as to how life began on the earth.
~Source The World Book Encyclopedia~

Candy Corn

People in the United States purchase about 5 billion pounds (2.3 billion kilograms) of candy each year, or about 20 pounds (9 kilograms) per person.

I always liked the colors.
Each one of the candies
shows us the colors we
see every fall.

Candy is a popular sweet-tasting food. Candy is also called confection. The main ingredient in most candies is sugar, but some candies are made with saccharin and other artificial sweeteners.

The earliest records of candy making date back 3,000 years to ancient Egypt, where confections were made by mixing fruits and nuts with honey. People in ancient India made the first candy with sugar cane. Candy making remained a fairly small industry until the 1800's, when advances in technology enabled large quantities of candy to be produced cheaply.

"Trick? or Treat?"

What does it mean? " Trick or Treat" thought to have come from a European custom called "souling". Beggars would go from village to village begging for "soul cakes" made out of square pieces of bread with currants. The more soul cakes the beggars would receive, the more prayers they would promise to say on behalf of the dead relatives of the donors. At the time, it was believed that the dead remained in limbo for a time after death, and that prayer, even by strangers could guarantee a soul's passage to heaven.

What does the Bible say about how we get to HEAVEN ?

In John 14:6 Jesus said "I am the way the truth and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
The word Heaven is mentioned 428 times in the Bible.
We don't have to depend on others to get us there. It is not your "Religion" or "Church" that guarantees you admittance. You do need a pre-paid ticket though. Once you die you don't have another chance and no one can pray for you to get to heaven after that. Jesus Christ was the only one who could pay the price for the ticket. Do you have one? So if you die before you make your choice you only have yourself to blame.
"For by Grace are you saved through faith. It is a gift of God not of works lest any man should boast."
~Ephesians 2:8-9~

Scarecrows

are used in the fields to keep the birds away from the crops. They are usually stuffed with straw and hung on a pole.

The dictionary defines it this way:
Main Entry: scare crow
Pronunciation: 'sker-"krO, 'skar-
Function: noun
Date: 1573
1 a : an object usually suggesting a human figure that is set up to frighten birds away from crops b : something frightening but harmless
2 : a skinny or ragged person

Spiders

appear to be insects and yes appearances can be deceiving. But Spiders actually aren't insects at all, they are arachnids and they have 8 legs. A spider can spin a beautiful web. Even though they are small they have a big bite.
Just another item to scare you.
But God's word says "What time I am afraid I will trust in Him"

BATS are coming cover your heads!!!

Through the centuries, people have passed on many superstitions and mistaken ideas about bats. For example, the expression "blind as a bat" is false. All species of bats can see, probably about as well as human beings. The beliefs that bats carry bedbugs and get tangled in people's hair are also untrue. Bats tend to be timid. At night, they will try to fly out a window if they find themselves in a room.

A Bat is the only mammal that can fly. Bats have a furry body, and their wings are covered by smooth, flexible skin. Most species of bats live in attics, caves, or other sheltered places. Some species live in trees. Bats seem uncommon in many regions because they roost in dark places and come out only at night, when most people are asleep. Bats hang upside down when they are resting.

Vampire bats include a few kinds of bats that feed on the blood of other animals. The common vampire bat lives in Central and South America. It weighs about 1 ounce (28 grams) and has a wingspan of about 12 inches (30 centimeters). It preys mainly on cattle. It sometimes bites human beings, but such incidents are rare. Vampire bats approach their prey on foot. They scoop out a small piece of the victim's skin with their sharp teeth and then lick blood from the wound. Vampire bats consume about 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) of blood a day. The wound they give their victims heals quickly, but these bats may carry rabies.

Black Cats.....

Compton's Encyclopedia says that "Avoidance of black cats has religious origins as well. During the Middle Ages it was believed that witches could turn themselves into black cats. Thus when such a cat was seen, it was considered to be a witch in disguise.

"Passed on from a British Christian"

"Many people believe Hallowe'en is now a "modern" celebration, that witches don't exist and the old "witchcraft" traditions are just not carried out anymore.
This is not true in South-East England for example the police still find
"strange" arragments of animal bones and fire ashes in the woods and some churchyards every 1 November morning.
The lights from those fires can be seen on Oct 31 if you stand at the edge of those forests.
It happens and will happen this year.
Hallowe'en is a very real pagan festival to some people.
~October 27th, 1997~

The number 13
has been known as an unlucky number. I never really knew why until I did this research. At the Last Supper Of Jesus and his disciples, there were 13 persons, one of whom was Judas, the traitor. ~~Excerpted from Compton's~~

What about "Bobbing for Apples"?
First lets remember that APPLES are not BAD. Games are fun. I am not saying that if you "BOB FOR APPLES" that you are BAD or EVIL. I am sharing the answers that I was able to find for a visitor to my site.

Here is what I found:
The World Book Encyclopedia had this:
"Other Halloween traditions. Bobbing for apples in a tub of water probably began in England. Today, some people stick a coin into each apple as an extra reward."

Compton's didn't have anything.
Encarta had this:
"After the Romans conquered Britain, they added to Halloween features of the Roman harvest festival held on November 1 in honor of Pomona, goddess of the fruits of trees. Traces of the Roman harvest festival survive in the custom, prevalent in both the United States and Great Britain, of playing games involving fruit, such as ducking for apples in a tub of water."
"Halloween," Source Encarta Encyclopedia.

Well looks like you are at the end of my Halloween page. Now you can decide what you will do this year. To celebrate or not to celebrate? That is the question. Whether I "do Halloween" is really not that important. What the Bible says is the most important thing. Now as you decide to celebrate or not to celebrate you will have and know the history of the customs. Everyone's situation is a little different. I do have some suggestions on my Annie's "Alternative Ideas for Halloween" Page to help you with some other options rather then the standard "Trick or Treat". Remember that we as Christian's are to be the "salt" of the world. Sprinkle it. Don't dump the whole salt shaker at one time. We are living in an amazing time. It seems that we are seeing prophecy fulfilled in the catastrophes that are occurring everyday. Earthquakes, Floods, War, Famine, even Plagues and Locusts. Certainly sounds like the End times to me. One day soon the Lord will return and judge the world and all that are in it. Now is the time to decide who you will serve. In a world of GREY there are really "black and white" issues. Either you let the Lord direct your steps and paths or you try to do it yourself. You really can't have it both ways. You decide what choices in your life you will make. But remember we will all answer to the Lord one day soon and it won't be about whether you celebrate Halloween or not. It goes to the core of your beliefs.

"Choose ye this day whom you will serve. As for me
and my house we will serve the Lord."
~Joshua 24:15~

Annie's Other Halloween Pages:
Annie's Halloween Welcome Page

If you think that I am just a little off the mark why not see how many "witch" related sites are listed in the Top 100 religion sites.