My wife and I would like to share something with you that surprised, shocked, and convicted us all at the same time. We've talked at length about the best way to share what we've learned. Have you decorated your home with jack-o-lanterns, black cats, and witches for Halloween? Sure! I'm sure many of us have. My wife and I have all our lives! We've celebrated Halloween all our lives - it's fun to dress up, and the chocolate can't be beat! Have you also celebrated Halloween by decorating your home with pentagrams? No? Why not? Maybe because from the popular media we learn that pentagrams are evil? What does the news and TV tell us about black cats, jack-o-lanterns, and witches? Black cats are bad luck. Witches can be good and evil. Witches can be very nice: "Bewitched", the movie "Practical Magic," "I Dream of Jeanie", Disney's "Aladdin", and Jack-o-lanterns are fun to carve! My good friend Jeremy gave me information that really opened my eyes! Did you know that Halloween is celebrated because it's New Years Eve on the ancient Celtic calendar? No, Halloween is not All Saints Day - that's November 1st. When I thought of it - it was so simple. Does it make sense - a Catholic holiday having witches, black cats, jack-o-lanterns, etc? Where are they celebrated in the Old or New Testament in the Bible? Where are they celebrated in Judaism or Christianity? What are we celebrating when we celebrate Halloween? Displaying a black cat for the celebration of Halloween celebrates the highest form of reincarnated state that a Satanist can achieve, which is created from the Satanist's soul on New Year's Eve of the Celtic calendar, by Samhain, the Lord of Death (Satan). Displaying a jack-o-lantern celebrates people, who, after they've died, their souls are "damned to Hell." What are we celebrating? Why are we celebrating this? Halloween is the currently-celebrated holiday originated by the Druids, members of pagan orders in Britain, Ireland, and Gaul, held on the eve of the festival of Samhain, the eve when both good and evil spirits wander the earth...and more (not discussed in this e-mail). This disturbed us so much that we've decided to refrain from celebrating Halloween. We felt convicted because we stopped by a Halloween party once after a hayride to see some friends. We weren't dressed for Halloween, but we were at the party; condoning the celebration. If we wouldn't stand in a crowd watching a parade for something we didn't believe in or support, why should we stand in a party or take part in or help to continue anything else that we didn't believe in or support? So - now we're sharing what we've learned and are making an effort to not condone this and to share this knowledge with others. For those of us who are Christian and Jewish, what does our God think of Halloween? Well, I think it's pretty plain in black and white - in Exodus 22:18 "You shall not permit a sorceress [witch] to live." Why does God's law speak so strongly against sorcery (Leviticus 19:31, 20:6, 20:27, Deuteronomy 18:10-12)? Sorcery is punishable by Death by God's decree because it is a crime against God himself. To invoke evil powers violates the first commandment to "have no other gods." Sorcery is rebellion against God and his authority. It is worship of Satan. Why do we celebrate Halloween? There is even more explanation of Halloween - the use of candy, the fire in the jack-o-lantern, mischief night, the Human Sacrifices and Baby Sacrifices that happen Every Single Year in the U.S. on Halloween night - being the highest-held religious holiday and celebration of the Occult. Yet, so much money could be lost that is made marketing these Halloween things, which would greatly impact endorsements to the entertainment industry; so, we should flow with the popular media and those who don't know the facts.... is this why we celebrate Halloween? I have ordered many brochures called "What's Wrong with Halloween," by Dr. Russell K. Tardo, which can be purchased by writing to Faithful Word Publications, P.O. Box 496, Arabi, Louisiana, 70032 - or you can ask to read or have one of the ones that I've purchased - for free - just so you know it all. Thanks for your time. Tracy and I hope that we've been used by Jesus in a way that has benefited you and your families in the eyes of our Lord. ---------------------------- For information regarding this from the web, see http://www.seii.com/ccn/cults/satn49.txt , http://store.equip.org/cstore/parser.cgi?SKU=RO420&TMP=CRI , go to http://www.equip.org/search/ and use the search engine using "Halloween", or go to http://www.seii.com/ccn/ and use the search engine on the word "Halloween." ----------------------------- Here's research that I've done: The Marketing and Recruitment of American Children and Adults into the Occult Via the U.S. Food Industry, TV, the World Wide Web, and the U.S. Entertainment Industry The U.S. industry that supports Halloween the most, other than the entertainment industry, is the food industry, which promotes Halloween to gain millions of dollars in revenue from the sale of candy. Halloween is portrayed as innocent and fun, and little children are introduced to symbols and images of the Occult (the living dead - Frankenstein, ghosts, vampires, mummies, etc.). Some every-day foods are a daily promotion of these symbols (the cereals Count Chocula, Frankenberry, Booberry) that make this early introduction into the Occult seem very superficial, silly, and fun to most Americans, allowing these symbols, and the ideas behind them, to be "every-day" things and of no concern. Here, the "pot of water" is set to Low, with every-day cereal advertising and marketing, and then it is set to High with Halloween, an official Occult and Satanic holiday. The funny and seemingly innocent Occult-related TV shows of the past, "Bewitched" and "I Dream of Genie," have been replaced by much more serious TV and web sites ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer" on the WB television network, "Charmed" on the WB television network, and "Sabrina the Witch" on the ABC television network), and movies that market to and recruit into the Occult, like "Practical Magic" - a movie that celebrates girls and women who recruit women of their community into a witch coven. TV plays on the people's emotions to lure them into the Occult. As the American Family Association reported in their 9/17/99 Edition of AFR News, "According to the September 4 edition of World Magazine, 'In the [television witches'] world, the demons are handsome, the ghosts are good-looking,' and some of them even wear designer clothes." The Internet takes over where TV leaves off. The web site for Charmed (http://broadcast.webpoint.com/wpix/charmed/) actually has a link labeled "Witchcraft - A peek at the ways of Wicca." Does your son, daughter, grandson, or granddaughter use the Web? Are they educated on the Occult? The pot of water is now boiling, after children and fellow Americans enjoy Occult-related entertainment enough to find out more on the World Wide Web, they are being told that witches are good, not evil, and that Wicca is good (The following excerpts are from the Charmed web site at http://broadcast.webpoint.com/wpix/charmed/charmed_witchcraft.htm - "According to 'Charmed,' all witches are good." "Coven: A group of witches who work together in an organized fashion for positive magical endeavors or to perform religious ceremonies.") All of these forms of entertainment market and promote the Occult to the youth and adults of America and the World. When children and adults use a web search engine to find information on their favorite Occult-related TV program (I used Yahoo.com for these examples), they find more than their intended search! A search on Charmed begins its find list with six links to the show Charmed web pages, and then it has a link to a web site called "Alchemy and Angels - suppliers of charms, spells, amulets, and talismans." Yes, How To info for children on joining the Occult. A search engine search on "Vampire" provides several links to Buffy the Vampire Slayer sites, as well as the link, "Temple of the Vampire - authentic international church devoted to and authorized by the Vampire religion." Yes, a quick How To on joining the Occult to worship the vampire and to become a modern-day vampire. A search on Buffy the Vampire Slayer generates 90 links to web pages. Yes, 90 ways to feed on Occult-related entertainment. A search to find "Sabrina the Witch" using search words "witch" and "TV" generates seven links to Sabrina the Witch web pages and a link to "Power Exchange - for straight, gay, bi, TG, and TV interests. Bondage equipment, witches wheel in dungeon setting. Voyeur shower, semi-private bordell and Victorian-style rooms." Yes, to use the Web to find out more about your favorite teenage witch program, you'll also learn about places where you can go to perform Occult bondage and other Satanic practices with your friends. The seriousness of this, as you can plainly see, is extreme. With this marketing of the Occult to our youth and fellow Americans, and to the world via American entertainment, the responsibility of Christian leaders to educate their communities regarding this spiritual warfare is self-evident. "For you were once in darkness, but now you are the light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them." (Ephesians 5:8-11). ----------------------------- What does God say about the Occult and interest/participation in Occult-related activities? Christian and Jewish Holy Scripture Addressing Halloween and the Occult Note: Text in brackets is commentary provided by the Life Application Bible, New King James Version, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois. Exodus 22:18 "You shall not permit a sorceress to live." [Sorcery was punishable by death because it is a sin against God himself. To invoke evil powers violates the first commandment to "have no other gods."] Leviticus 19:26 "You shall not eat anything with the blood, nor shall you practice divination or soothsaying." Leviticus 19:31 "Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits; do not seek after them, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God." Leviticus 20:6 "And the person who turns to mediums and familiar spirits, to prostitute himself with them, I will set My face against that person and cut him off from his people. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am the Lord your God." Leviticus 20:27 "A man or woman who is a medium, or who has familiar spirits, shall surely be put to death; they shall stone them with stones. Their blood shall be upon them." Deuteronomy 18:9-14 "When you come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or 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 the Lord, and because of those abominations the Lord God drives them out from before you. You shall be blameless before the lord your God. For these nations which you will dispossess listened to soothsayers and diviners; but as for you, the Lord God has not appointed such for you. 2 Kings 21: 6; 10-15 [Manasseh Reigns in Judah] "Also he made his son pass through the fire, practiced soothsaying, used witchcraft, and consulted spiritists and mediums. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger." "And the Lord spoke by His servants the prophets, saying, 'Because Manasseh king of Judah has done these abominations (he has acted more wickedly than all the Amorites who were before him, and has also made Judah sin with his idols), therefore thus says the Lord God of Israel: 'Behold, I am bringing such calamity upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whoever hears of it, both his ears will tingle. And I will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samaria and the plummet of the house of Ahab; I will wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. So I will forsake the remnant of My inheritance and deliver them into the hand of their enemies; and they shall become victims of plunder to all their enemies, because they have done evil in My sight, and have provoked Me to anger since the day their fathers came out of Egypt, even to this day.''" 1 Chronicles 10:13-14 "So Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he had committed against the Lord, because he did not keep the word of the Lord, and also because he consulted a medium for guidance. But he did not inquire of the Lord; therefore He killed him, and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse. Jeremiah 10:2,3 "Do not learn the way of the Gentiles [heathen]; Do not be dismayed at the signs of heaven, For the Gentiles are dismayed at them." [The people of Judah wanted to know the future, and they tried to discern it through reading the signs in the sky. Jeremiah'' response applies today: God made the earth and the heavens, including stars that people consult and worship. No one will discover the future in made-up charts of God's stars. But God, who promises to guide you, knows your future and will be with you all the way. He may not reveal your future to you, but He will walk with you as the future unfolds. Don't trust the stars - trust the one who made the stars.] Zechariah 10:2 "For the idols speak delusion; The diviners envision lies, And tell false dreams; They comfort in vain." Malachi 3:5 "And I will come near you for judgement; I will be a swift witness Against sorcerers, Against adulterers, Against perjurers, Against those who exploit wage earners and widows and orphans, And against those who turn away an alien - Because they do not Fear Me," Says the Lord of hosts." Jeremiah 27:9-11 "Therefore do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your dreamers, your soothsayers, or your sorcerers, who speak to you, saying, "You shall not serve the king of Babylon." For they prophesy a lie to you, to remove you far from your land; and I will drive you out, and you will perish. But the nations that bring their necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will let them remain in their own land,' says the Lord, 'and they shall dwell in it.'" [The false prophets told the people what they wanted to hear. The people in Jeremiah's day needed a true friend like Jeremiah who brought God's painful, corrective word. A true friend speaks the truth no matter how much it hurts to hear. Seek friends who speak truthfully, even though their correction is painful. Someone who flatters you by telling you lies is not a true friend.] Matthew 7:17-18 "Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit." Acts 8:9-13 "But there was a certain man called Simon, who previously practiced sorcery in the city and astonished the people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great, to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, 'This man is the great power of God.' And they heeded him because he had astonished them with his sorceries for a long time. But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. Then Simon himself also believed; and when he was baptized he continued with Philip, and was amazed, seeing the miracles and signs which were done. Acts 19:19 "Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver. So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed." Galatians 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissentions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Ephesians 5:8-11 "For you were once in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them." [It is important to avoid the "unfruitful works of darkness," but we must go even further. Paul instructs us to expose these works because our silence may be interpreted as approval. God needs people who will take a stand for what is right. Christians must lovingly speak out for what is true and right.] 1 Thessalonians 5:22 "Abstain from every form of evil." 2 Timothy 3:8,9 "Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith; but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was. [According to tradition, Jannes and Jambres were two of the magicians who counterfeited Moses' miracles before Pharaoh (Exodus 7:11, 12). Paul explained that just as Moses exposed and defeated them (Exodus 8:18, 19), God would overthrow the false teachers who were plaguing the Ephesian church. Revelation 21:8 "But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." Revelation 22:14-15 "Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie. -------------------------------------------------------- Thank you for your precious time. *** Forward as you wish ***