Halloween - Trick or treat

Well, here we are. It's halloween once again, with trick or treating and parties together with scary costumes. But is it just an innocent pastime and should we rush to involve our kids in it, or should we stop and think just for a moment?

I believe that man is a spiritual being made in the image of his creator. Most of our lives are spent seeking answers to questions such as

a) Who am I?

b) Where do I come from?

c) Where am I going ?

This search for answers has led man to dabble in all sorts of paddling pools, such as New Age thinking, (as old as the hills,that one, nothing new there) Eastern mysticism, crystals and feng shui for example. All of these alternatives miss the target somewhat I believe, as the only thing worth anything is knowing that you're in relationship with your creator.

So what is Halloween? where did it originate from?

The Medievel Chuch festival of All Hallows Eve was kept on the 31st October which has been traditionally the Celtic festival of Samhain; Shamain marked the end of the summer, Laws were reaffirmed and land tenures reviewed.

It was the Celtic and Anglo-Saxon new years eve. A festival where bonfires were lit to frighten away evil spirits. Witches, foul things and dark powers were thought to be let loose on this night to disturb the natural order of life.

In America, in the 19th century Halloween became a night of mischief, with both boys and young men going on "orgies of vandalism". Today the custom has continued as children dress up in scary garb, knocking on doors asking for sweets or cake as an inducement not to vandalise. Few if any of us will escape the knock on the door tonight.

There is something in each one of us that is fascinated by the unknown area just beyond the physical realm - astrology, ghosts, unexplained happenings, horror films, weird ancient religions - but I somehow feel that these are far from harmless.

It is through such interests that evil powers charm their way into our thoughts and minds to confuse and oppress.

But God is a loving father who wants only the best for his family. In the Bible he directly forbids any dealings with the occult which corrupts and enslaves.... "Don't let your people practise divination,or look for omens, or use spells or charms and don't let them consult the spirits of the dead." (The Bible)

God wants us to find our spirital happiness through a relationship with his son Jesus Christ. He offers us nothing less than to have a share in the spiritual power which enabled Jesus Christ to live such an incredible, rich, full and influential life.

None of us would encourage our children to have "fun" experimenting with drugs. Shouldn't we also think twice before inviting our children to be careless about strong,dark powers?

Have fun this night, but don't forget what could be behind this trick or treat.