Commercialized Holidays, Is There an Alternative?
A commentary by Don Hooser
Good News magazine writer, Bellingham WA
Posted September 24, 2009
 The
claim is now circulating that money spent on observing Halloween is
second only to that spent on celebrating Christmas.
Actually, all popular holidays are now commercialized. Money
is driving this artificial popularity. Without holiday advertising,
retail profits would plummet.
But as it is, lots of people spend lots of money on holidays.
For Halloween, mega-bucks are spent on candy, costumes, carnivals,
decorations, booze and extravagant high-tech haunted houses.
MSN Money reports (9/15/09), "Halloween is now, behind
Christmas, the second biggest retail holiday in America. Americans are
expected to spend over $7 billion this year on costumes, candy, attending
parties and much more. Over the past three years, the popularity of
Halloween has tripled …"
Of all the holidays in the Western world, Halloween—a
holiday that celebrates nothing positive or noble—is having the
greatest increase in popularity!
Surge in adult partying and masquerading!
Adult partying on Halloween has been rapidly increasing since the 1980's.
Halloween is now the third biggest adult party day of the year—behind
only New Year's Eve and Super Bowl Sunday. Money spent on adult
costumes may now be surpassing money spent on children's costumes!
For decades, adult partying on Halloween has been popular among those
who actively subscribe to in the gay lifestyle. One participant, in
an online article titled "Halloween: The Great Gay Holiday" says "Halloween's
appeal to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered communities … has
a lot to do with … our propensity for cross-dressing and gender-bending… and
our special capacity to have fun. [We] cherish it…" (posted
October 27, 2008, The Bilerico Project).
The origin of Halloween
The ancient Celts regarded November 1 as the start of a new year, also
as an annual holiday called Samhain.
October 31 was New Year's Eve! That night was considered the
night of the dead, when spirits of the wicked dead were believed to
haunt the living. People would leave offerings of food and drink at
their front doors to appease the unfriendly ghosts and demons. So the
origin of "trick or treat" is the pagan belief that evil
spirits had the equivalent of a modern protection racket—"you
give food or we break your leg!"
Church leaders adopt pagan practices
To Christianize the pagans Roman Christianity took the easy approach
of relabeling pagan days and practices! They reasoned that the converts
could continue observing their old ways if they used them to honor the
God of the Bible. That is how many pagan days and practices acquired
Christian labels!
And it is how the pagan festival Samhain came be relabeled as All Saints
Day or All Hallows Day. Thus, the night before became All Hallows
Even, later contracted to Hallowe'en—and is
now just Halloween. Its purpose was to placate the not-so-hallowed spirits—the
demonic or evil spirits. That is why a witch's costume is so popular
for Halloween evening.
Does it matter to God?
To those who don't consider what God thinks, the origins of Halloween
would probably seem irrelevant. What would matter most to them is, "Is
it fun?"
But for those who believe in God's Word it's a different
story! The Bible says specifically that God detests pagan religious
customs (Galatians 4:8-10).
According to the Bible our ultimate destiny depends on pleasing God.
And the only real authority on what pleases God is the Bible.
God's Holy Days rather than unholy holidays
Four of God's festivals that God originally gave Old Testament
Israel and were kept by Jesus Christ, Paul and the early Church occur
in the fall.
These special festivals that have been observed by God's people
down through the ages—including members of the United Church of
God—are the Feast
of Trumpets, the Day
of Atonement, the Feast
of Tabernacles and the Last
Great Day.
God designated these deeply meaningful days to teach important truths
about His great master plan as well as for worshipping and enjoying
fellowship and wholesome activities with other likeminded believers.
The Day of Atonement pictures, among other things, the momentous time
when Christ will remove the worldwide influence of the real
evil spirits—Satan and the demons (Revelation 12:9; 18:2;
20:1-3).
We sincerely hope that in the very near future you and your children
will learn more about God's
Holy Days and begin observing them
rather than Halloween and other days of pagan origin that are of no
value for teaching spiritual truths.
  To get started in that learning process, simply request, download or
read online our free, highly informative booklets: Holiday
or Holy Days: Does It Matter Which Days We Observe? and Is
There Really a Devil?
Related Resources
Is
Halloween Harmless?
Every year at Halloween, well-meaning parents dress their children in grotesque
and ghoulish costumes. Is Halloween really harmless? Who and what's behind this
bizarre holiday?
Can
Halloween Be Christianized?
What should you do in deciding how you will approach this hotly debated
issue?
God's
Holy Day Plan: The Promise of Hope for All Mankind
Is it possible to know what the future holds for us? The Creator of mankind
does have a plan for us, and He reveals it to us through an annual cycle of
festivals described in the Scriptures. It is an astounding plan offering an
incredible future to every man, woman, and child who has ever lived. This
booklet will help you understand the incredible truth about what lies ahead
for all humanity.
Are
the Biblical Holy Days Christian Festivals?
Why do most people keep holidays that are different from the festivals listed
and described in the pages of the Bible? When were the biblical feasts abandoned,
and why? How can we be sure which sacred days Christians should observe?
The
Biblical Festivals That Reveal God's Plan of Salvation
Sin has cut humanity off from God and brought the ultimate penalty of
death. But God has a plan to heal the broken relationship and save mankind.
That plan is revealed in the festivals of God found in the Bible.
The
Biblical Festivals That Show How God Will Bring World Peace
Will mankind ever experience lasting peace? Humanity's track record isn't very
good. But a series of biblical feasts reveals how God will indeed bring lasting
world peace!
|
