PAGAN HOLIDAYS & SEPERATION FROM THE WORLD: Easter, Christmas, Halloween (FULL TEACHING)

Written By Christopher Romance
 
 

Table of Contents

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    BEFORE YOU READ:

    We made a mini version for general reference and core argumentation if time is short:

     

    If you want the full argumentation, please continue reading.:



    Introduction

    Christians celebrating various holidays such as Easter, Christmas, and even some celebrating Halloween is a normative feature of today's Christian landscape. Churches use Santa and Christmas Trees, the Easter Bunny, Halloween, and egg hunts at their Church. It is referred to as harmless family fun, a harmless way to attract people into the Church, and as a means to make memories. 

    When seeing this in Churches, we as a ministry grew deeply concerned with what seems to be an easy willingness to be in friendship with the world against the warnings of Scripture, to not do, exactly that.

    This led to us diving deep into the subject to sort through the weeds, and present to you a resource that will help you understand how to navigate this troubling trend, and not only have the truth, but equip you to give it to others also.

    Friendship With The World

    We start our journey with the Bible, looking at James 4:4, which tells us that when we participate in friendship with the world, we are an enemy of God:

    “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.”

    But what does it mean to participate in the world or to have friendship with it and How does God define friendship with the world? One place we can start to answer that question is by looking at the words used in James 4:4. For the word ‘friendship’, which is the word philia, it is important to know this word is only used once in the Bible, and it is in James 4:4 which makes its usage unique. It is considered a hapax legomenon, which simply means it is uniquely used only once in a given body of work: i.e. the Bible. It is also one of the four classical Greek words for love: eros, storgē, philia, agapē. The type of love it is referring to is fondness, familiarity, and friendship. It denotes an affectionate attachment, loyalty or shared values between companions. 

    Keep this in mind, as we breakdown the rest of James 4:4 that friendship means love, loyalty, and affectionate attachment towards something:

    • The word for ‘adulterers” is μοιχός (or transliterated as moichos) which means one who is faithless toward God, ungodly.

    • The word for ‘world’ is κόσμου (or transliterated as kosmou) which means the fallen world system in opposition to God. 

    • The word for ‘enmity’ is ἔχθρα (or transliterated as echthra) which denotes an active hostility. 

    • The word for ‘will be’ is εἶναι (or transliterated as einai) which denotes a willful and deliberate position a person is taking.

    • The word for ‘enemy’ is ἐχθρός (or transliterated as echthros) used in the strictest sense as a formal and legally constituted enemy. 


    The accusation at the beginning of the verse declares you an adulterer (if male) or adulteress (if female) if you love the world. This is because we are the bride of Christ. Which juxtaposes Christ and the World as two competing entities of affection, loyalty, and fondness. By definition, the marital relationship with Christ formally stipulates a separation from the world. Love for Christ does not and cannot exist alongside a love for the world. This is why love for the world is an adulterous action, violating our marital covenant with God, committing flagrant adultery against Him.

    The theological weight of this is that it isn't just merely an unwise, or a foolish thing to love the world, to celebrate Easter, to celebrate Christmas or Halloween, it is actually a grievous sin equating to full blown adultery. 

    Put this into perspective: If you're married, and your wife or husband loves another of the opposite sex, whether it be physical, emotional, or both, it would constitute adultery in the Bible, as the marriage covenant necessarily implies full fidelity, loyalty, and love towards your spouse. No other can hold that place in your heart, mind, or body but your spouse. We being the bride of Christ is that serious, that if we were to love the World: Christ is telling us that loving the world is the equivalent of being a flagrant adulterer. 1 John 2:15-17 tells us the same thing. It says:

    “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”

    John is also as clear as James, revealing to us that if you have love for this world – whether it’s worldly music, worldly non biblical celebrations, feast or festivals, or it is the world’s philosophies, it’s systems, etc; If you love this world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. Or in other words, you cannot love God and mammon: 

    Matthew 6:24

    “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”

    Lest we blame the Apostles of Christ for overreach, Christ Himself told us this truth. Saying that we cannot love mammon and God, which when understood historically, mammon was not a god but instead worldly riches, prosperity, and specifically those whose alignment was antithetical towards God. In other words, loving the aspect of ‘the world’ that is prosperity and wealth. 

    The plain and simple, and rather indisputable truth of the matter, is that almost every bit of these traditions/holidays are rooted deeply in paganism and the occult, and thus The World. And any participation in them, is to commit adultery against God.

    For The “Well Meaning” Brother or Sister

    Now for most, it is not seen as a love, attachment, or deeply cherished thing, yet attempt to pry it from their hands and watch how quickly those who claim to love Christ alone will turn on you, reject you, and stick to their traditions. A common defense one might use is “You cannot judge me!” or “I love God more than anything else, and so long as I don't love this more than God, I am good!” and likewise one might say “You have no right to judge me like it says in Romans 14”.  But does the Bible actually support these claims?

    The Bible is littered with commands to correct, to rebuke, and exhort one another. Such as 2 Timothy 4:2 which says:

    “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.”

    To rebuke someone, to correct, to admonish, are all things permissible by the Word of God. The judgement spoken of in Romans 14 is in regards to condemning someone for their free will choices in Christ to do those things which are at liberty. Such as eating, or not eating meat, which is the entire context of Romans 14. It is about not ruling over the flock in disputable matters. It is not condoning all manner of things that are listed as sin in the Bible.

    Try those same reasonings against any other thing deemed as sin: porn, lying, swearing, blaspheming, hatred. It is at that point that the rally cry becomes an act of utter defiance against God, and not a mere defense of innocent actions. If the Bible declares it adultery and thus sin to love the world, and to love the world is to partake in it and not be separate from it. Then yes, by adopting worldly customs into your life, church and heart, you are sinning and being a flagrant adulterer against God, regardless of your feelings on the matter. And to call you out, rebuke you, and correct you is not a hateful judging thing, but a loving thing, to save your soul from a much worse fate (Galatians 6:1, James 5:19-20). 

    The emotional argument that these holidays are about love and family, and not about the world. Is an important thing to distinguish in something like this:

    If one has memories of joy and excitement in celebrating these things, it does not make that thing harmless or biblically permitted, regardless if done “for family”. In fact there is much joy in many things that the Bible prohibits. It is the key factor in why many, though knowing the truth of their sin and their eventual place in Hell, reject Christ for the love of their sin and this world.

    To someone who is engaged in adult material often, the pleasures they feel are undoubtedly joyful, yet no sane person would argue that sinful acts that bring us pleasure and joy, are biblically permitted on the grounds of that joy, pleasure or fondness. 

    In fact this is the very thing that demonstrates true repentance and belief, whether or not we have turned our backs on sin and the world and follow Christ, or not. Those who have not should quake in fear, for they risk being an enemy of God, and potentially shipwrecking their faith through apostasy, all in favour of what? An idol Easter Bunny, an inflatable Santa, or a giant Christmas Tree with gifts underneath? Is it really worth risking adultery towards God, to keep your vain worldly traditions?

    Mark 7:7-9

    “Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition”.

    Colossians 2:8

    “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”


    Are these scriptures speaking about you? Do you hold traditions above the commands of God? Do you full well reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your own traditions? I leave you to answer these questions in yourself. 

    A Note On “Holiday” vs “Holy Day”

    It may surprise you to know that the word “Holiday” directly stems from the words “Holy Day”. The Old English compound was haligdæg, from halig (holy) and dæg (day). 

    This word was exclusively used to mean a day of rest, and religious observance and in the context of English History it was almost exclusively used for the Sabbath and Holy Days of Israel and later Christianity. 

    Joseph Priestley's History of Corruptions of Christianity (Vol. I, iv. 336, 1782) stated “Pagan festivals [were changed] into Christian holidays.” as a slight against the Catholic Church. Which has a long and arduous history of taking pagan festivals, slapping Christian meaning to them, and continuing to practice pagan rituals in the name of Christ. Something you will see throughout this teaching, and something explicitly forbidden by God in Deuteronomy 12:31.

    Which speaks of the Israelites adopting pagan rituals to worship God, and God expressly forbidding the worship of Him in those ways, which are outside of that which he prescribed:“Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.”

    Earlier in the chapter God makes it abundantly clear we are not to adopt pagan festivals into worship of Him and thus Christianity:

    Deuteronomy 12:1-8

    “These are the statutes and judgments, which ye shall observe to do in the land, which the Lord God of thy fathers giveth thee to possess it, all the days that ye live upon the earth.

    Ye shall utterly destroy all the places, wherein the nations which ye shall possess served their gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree: “


    Notice here how it mentions worship tied to green trees. We continue with verse 3 which reads:

    “And ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place.

    Ye shall not do so unto the Lord your God.”


    Notice how it mentions groves, and how we are not to do those same practices unto God, which completely defeats the rebuttal Christians give that these holidays and pagan festivals are acceptable because they worship God with it. The Bible makes clear, we don’t get to choose how we worship God. And God has expressly forbidden pagan rituals to worship Him. We pick up at verse 8 which reads:

    “Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes.”


    This conclusively shows that: 1) the original meaning for Holiday was reserved for a day that was Holy, separate, and set apart. So it is not acceptable to call Pagan festivals holidays lest we openly mock God. And 2) it shows that we are expressly forbidden from calling pagan derived festivals as Holy Days, or worshipping God through them. In essence you are only allowed by God to worship Him in the manner in which he has prescribed, and one of those ways is in spirit and in truth. 

    “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”

    John 4:24


    You cannot say you are in truth worshipping Him, when you are openly mocking His Holy Days with expressly forbidden pagan festivals. You are committing a lie, adultery, and sinning. This cannot be more clear from the text of scripture. 

    The whole world is mocking God when they name their pagan festivals Holy Days. And more so than the world, the Catholic Church are the originators of adopting almost all of these pagan “holidays” and slapping Christian meaning to them. They are almost solely responsible for this mockery of God’s true Holy Days. 

    We as Christians ought to know it is unacceptable to participate in something that actively mocks God, that God has expressly forbidden, and causes us to commit adultery through friendship with the world. 

    Our Motivations

    The fact remains these pagan holidays are indeed sinful as they are seeped in pagan occult practices, having hidden occult meanings, and are used by the occult to practice their idol worship then and now. They are if anything the exact description of a worldly practice. What business does any Christian have in taking part in them? How much more would they be “of the world” if they are not harmless traditions, but things rooted in pagan traditions?

    On that premise: are we not then commanded to depart from evil and this world? Do we not then make a mockery of Christ when he told us to take up our cross and walk in Luke 9:23? If we are not willing to be separate and apart from these bold outward sinful things that are relatively easy to identify, then what does it mean as it pertains to our inner man? If we are not able to be separate and apart from the world in the outward state, what measure if any has the person made themselves separate in the inner state? Pause and consider these words:

    “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?”

    2 Corinthians 13:5

    Our motivation in this is to invoke greater self assessment and discernment in the Church. We write this teaching out of love for what is likely “well meaning” brothers and sisters who have stumbled into sin by practising these things. Our goal as always is to raise up individuals, and the church at large into an accurate obedience to the prescriptive and descriptive commands of God in His word, knowing that doing anything else is to err from the faith, and to err is to bring about sin and death (James 5:19-20, Galatians 6:8). 

    As Paul says in Romans 6 and Galatians 5: we having grace and liberty does not mean we are to use that grace or liberty as a means to practice sin. This is especially true for pastors and elders who by acting in disobedience to the Lord’s commands have led others to do the same (1 Corinthians 8:7). Which is a much greater price to pay for such pastors and elders, than it is for the misguided individual who is simply following the teachings of their pastor or elder (James 3:1).

    Brothers and sisters we must be strong in the faith (Ephesians 6:10-12), adhering to the word of God and being steadfast for Christ, in His word, and way. It is vital that when you read or hear this, and you find yourself in favor of practising Easter, Christmas, Halloween, or any other pagan holiday. Or you are someone who goes to a Church that is in favor of these things, or you are a Pastor or Elder, that you approach this topic with humility and allow the word of God to shape you (Romans 12:2) and not your church, your feelings, or what you were once taught. We pray this blesses you and helps you be wise and make Biblically accurate choices in regards to this in your individual lives and Church organizations.

    The Historical Separation of the Church & World

    Called To Be Holy

    It is no surprise to any avid reader of the Bible that the Church is unequivocally set apart from the world (John 17:14-16) by definition. To bring the totality of the dozens of scripture to bear to prove this point would be overwhelming and hopefully unnecessary to your understanding and comprehension. Suffice it to say there are three all-encompassing scriptures we can bring to bear, that succinctly capture the heart of the issue, and the attitude God commands to have towards these issues. Isaiah 52:11, 2 Corinthians 6:14-18, and Leviticus 20:26 which are the key verses that shape how we should view separation from the world. Which is not a separation in word alone, but also in deed.

    “Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord.”

    Isaiah 52:11

    “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” - 2 Corinthians 6:14-18“And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the Lord am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine.”

    Leviticus 20:26


    God has called us to be holy (1 Peter 1:15-16), separate (2 Corinthians 6:17) and apart (James 4:4), and the true Church of God is not a building or a singular local group of people, but all those who belong to Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27) and are in fact His bride. A bride He will perfect, and sanctify, which is done by and through His word (John 17:17) through the working of the Holy Spirit (John 16:13)

    We Are His Bride

    We as His bride are indeed subject to God and His word as a whole, and no part can do as they wish  against the Bible, lest they be in active disobedience. And reveal that they are not the body by the very fact that they confess that they know God but in their works deny Him (Titus 1:16).

    When we understand that the Church, Biblically speaking, is not just a building or a local gathering of believers but those who are in the Vine and are the branches (John 15:5) and are the bride of Christ (1 Corinthians 3:9) we can then begin to understand the importance of 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 which clearly tells us in short to:

    • Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers

    • Righteousness has no fellowship with unrighteousness 

    • Light has no fellowship with darkness

    • Christ has no concord/agreement with Belial (Satan)

    • That believers have no part with infidels/unbelievers

    • The temple of God has no agreement with idols (which is literally what Easter Bunnies and Santa are.)

    • That we are the temple of the living God

    • We are commanded to be separate

    • To touch not the unclean thing

    • That if we do this God will be our God and us His people

    • That God will be a Father unto us, we shall be sons and daughters

    • This saying is directly from God and carries eternal authority

    We as the bride should have nothing to do with the world, let alone its pagan holidays and practices. The Lord has expressly told us to be separate and holy. Not only Christ, but not even any apostle should they be alive today, is in favour of you setting up a Christmas tree in your home, having Santa on your front lawn, dressing your kids up in costumes on the day of the dead, or having Easter egg hunts to lure people to the Gospel. Let alone having any of this in a place of worship. In fact it is likely that those who did such things would meet the judgement of God, and drop dead while in the act of idol worship, if those apostles were still here. Much like Ananias and Sapphira did who lied to the Holy Spirit in the presence of Peter in Acts 5:1-11.

    Consequences of Sin

    It was a great mercy on those living back then for God to perform such a work, which caused others to fear and obey God. In these times, the Lord has provided us the warnings of scripture to obey, and we either obey and are proved to be the children of God (John 14:21, 1 John 2:3-4, Matthew 7:21) or we disobey and fulfill scripture concerning us. That our end is destruction as it says in 2 Peter 2, and Hebrews 6. There is coming a time, where what is, will remain, as it says in Revelation 22:11-17


    "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.

    And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

    I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

    Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

    For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

    I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.

    And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.”


    No apostle of Christ would ever support the idol worship and friendship with the world that we see today in the so-called modern “Church”. No early church record exists of true Christians (outside of the heretical gnostics and people of that age) participating in anything near this level of clear idol worship. Yet drive down the road in any North American city, and you are bound to see some place calling themselves the Church, actively promoting idol worship of Santa, Christmas Trees, Easter Bunnies, Face painting, Yoga, and everything else the world has to offer.

    Brothers and sister, I profess unto you that this ought not to be so, and what we are seeing is the apostate church marked in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3, 2 Timothy 4:3-4, 2 Timothy 3:1-5, Hebrews 3:12, Hebrews 6:1-8, and Revelation 3:15-16.


    In Acts 20:29-31 Paul earnestly warned the Church that after his departure to Heaven, grievous wolves will enter among us, not sparing the flock, which is to say to bring the flock to complete destruction, and even amongst our own selves will men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw disciples await o themselves. He finishes his exhortation telling them to remember that for 3 years straight he warned them to watch and remember, night and day, with tears.

    It is likely Paul knew this day would come, and did come, and knew many would be led astray. We share the heart cry of Paul in looking after your soul. Do not depart from what is holy, right, and just, into sin and despair. Pause and read the verses just mentioned, and meditate upon them, taking them deep into your heart. 

    The Biblical Call To Be Separate Today

    We are commanded to be separate from sin, the world, and idol worship. And by the very definition of being a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17) being born again (John 3:5-7) we are necessarily changed on a fundamental and categorical level. Made to be utterly separate and apart from the world as the very nature of being born again in Christ. Being referred to as pilgrims by the apostle Peter in 1 Peter 2:11.

    God Can Use Anything Excuse

    One may say that God can use any of our efforts whether they be good or bad, but this side steps the issue entirely. Why have any command in the Bible at all, if our efforts are vain and have no consequences whether we be evil or good? However, our efforts are not vain, they both have a consequence for you, and to whom you are reaching. All of which you will answer to God for on the day of judgement should you cause others to stumble.

    Such as in the case of those who cause harm and offence to a little one who believes in Christ. They are told that it would be better for them if a millstone were tied about their neck and tossed into the sea in Matthew 18:6 then to harm a little one. I contend that teaching kids idol worship towards Santa, Christmas Trees, Easter Bunnies, and Halloween: is in fact this very thing. In Romans 14:12 we are told we will have to give an account of ourselves to God. The entire purpose of the Bible is to instruct us in how to be righteous (2 Timothy 3:16-17) prepared unto every good work for the masters' use (2 Timothy 2:21). Even this teaching is being written under the presumption that our actions do matter, both in our accounting to God by writing this very article, and in yours in response to this article.

    God is God, and can use evil for good, but how much better is it for us to obey our Master and have Him use our obedience for good instead of despite us using our disobedience for the good. In one case you are given rewards in heaven through obedience to God, and in the other you earn great earthly chastisement in the temporal, and loss of rewards in the eternal: as though it be by fire as it says in 1 Corinthians 3:13-15. Or at worse you are proving out your false conversion to Christ and/or your apostasy through willful disobedience (Hebrews 10:26).

    Ultimately any person in continual disobedience, heresy, and wickedness proves out they have long since departed from Christ, and have shipwrecked their faith (Hebrews 6:1-8, 1 Timothy 4:1, 1 Timothy 6:21, 2 Timothy 2:17-18). Whatever the case, and we pray for anyone reading or listening to this, that is the former and not the latter:  It is clear from His word, that what many have meant for evil, even that He uses for good (such as in the story of Joseph/Israel). 

    But just because God uses evil for good, is no justification to do evil that good may come, as the Lord will conduct good according to His will regardless of your disobedience, or obedience. Don’t be deceived into believing your on paper results of so called conversions has justified you before God, if the means of those conversions (whether they be true or not) was sin and evil.

    If a Christian does this, whether as an individual or as a local church, they have erred by making themselves apart from Christ for the lust of the flesh and desire for this world. It is important to remember we can do nothing outside of Christ as John 15:5 says

    By adopting things of this world, we are in fact being apart from Him and drinking from the cup of devils while also attempting to drink from the cup of the Lord (1 Corinthians 10:21-23). . 

    On Church Growth As An Excuse

    Some have reported that their church saw the most growth during those times they incorporated the Easter Bunny or Santa into Church, but at what cost? The cost to you is surely great, but even if someone comes to the Lord in true genuine contrition and repentance, being born again, it is despite your worldliness, not because of it. 

    If that Christian is truly born again, you will watch them leave your fold as they themselves depart from wickedness, evil and the world, while you remain in your sin, and so will be judged. Thus, there remains no reward for you in this life or in the next, and this should cause you as that person's leader into Kingdom of God to shudder, for surely God is not pleased with a man who loved pleasure more than God, which had that form of godliness, but denied the power thereof. (2 Timothy 3:1-13)

    If growth is the only metric, you have already failed in your position as a leader in Christ. It is not numbers on a page, attendance sheets, and likewise other metrics of growth that matter, but true biblical repentance, that causes a person to grow inwardly, that they can be of use to the Lord.

    Consider also this: If a person makes an outward commitment to believe in Christ, and were won over by the things of the world, Do you not think they will depart from Christ when their faith demands sacrifice, suffering, and departure from that same world they loved? If it is by the world they were won, then it is by the world they will be lost. Seeker friendly, worldly churches produce more sons of Hell than the world itself. For after they were clean escaped from the rudiments of the world, they become entangled therein, their end is worse than their beginning as it says in 2 Peter 2:20

    “For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.”

    Brothers and sisters, we must be apart and separate from this world, as the bride of Christ we must be unto God a living sacrifice and be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:1-2). We are not in any way to be a part of this world, including its customs and its culture.

    1 John 2:15-17 says:

    “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

    For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

    And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”

    Love not the world brothers and sisters. 


    Evidence of Pagan Origins of Easter, Christmas, and Halloween

    This teaching would not be complete if we did not provide you with secular evidence to make your own decision. I say secular because Scriptural evidence is all that is really needed. This is also why we led with scriptural argumentation first. 

    Now that sufficient scriptural evidence has been made to you through our initial argumentation, we will also now provide further evidence to show the pagan origins of Easter itself based on well known facts. After this section, you will be able to confidently know that Easter is of the World, not of God, and by participating in it, you are participating in the world, and thus sinning by committing adultery against God.

    Easter

    The first iteration of this teaching was published on April 4th 2023. Since then we dived into Christmas and it’s pagan origins. We suggest you read the latter of the two should you desire a more in-depth look at Christmas and its pagan origins. For the purpose of this teaching we are going to condense what would otherwise be an exhaustive look into Easter, Christmas, and Halloween by briefly covering the topic. 

    Keep in mind that a lot of details have been truncated to make this teaching shorter and thus more digestible to you the reader, but more information is available should you request it. 

    Preliminary Defense of Satanic Syncretism

    Satanic Syncretism is the idea that deities of various types have been translated, borrowed, and reused or referred to throughout many different cultures and times to represent the same god or goddess type as a form of confusion and delusion that our enemy Satan has devised to distract men from the truth of God.

    It is not just the secular idea of ‘religious syncretism’ which is largely unguided throughout the course of History brought about by humanities nature. Instead Satanic Syncretism brings about the idea that syncretism took place through spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12), and not on its own.

    In short, Satan has blinded the mind of the world who believed not in God/Christ, and though names, places, and dates have changed, the same ideological archetype remains the same. 

    Some historians outright deny the connections, citing that these cultures developed these traditions and religious worship in isolation. However I submit to you that this is nothing short of denial of human nature, let alone spiritual nature. For one, there is no doubt people travelled from other places and brought their religion and beliefs. To argue complete isolation of religions while also arguing for cross cultural awareness documented in history seems intellectually inconsistent and illogical. Satan is the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4), he is the great deceiver (Revelation 12:9), and he wants nothing more than to rob you of truth, and replace it with a lie. He has been a liar from the beginning (John 8:44). Historians often miss this point because many are secular people who remain unsaved. This plays a significant role in not only being able to have, arrive, and know the truth (2 Thessalonians 2:10-12). 

    Syncretic Fertility goddess Worship

    A pattern emerges when we look into Easter. First the name likely comes from the name Eostre, which was a spring goddess of fertility. Worship of Eostre dates back to the Anglo-Saxons of Britain and Northern Europe in the period of the 5th to 8th century AD. Later the name Eostre was transposed into English as “Easter”. 

    Bede, in De Temporum Ratione (725 AD) documented that the month of April was once called Eosturmonath, or Eostre Month, and it was of course named after the goddess Eostre, in whose honor feasts were celebrated during that month.

    Jacob Grimm in Deutsche Mythologie (1835), found that the Old English name for April in Britain by the Anglo-Saxons was Eosturmonath, while the Germanic name for April was Ôstarmânoth. These are two separate cultures divided by a continent, that share the same name for the same month: April. Both of which are found to be the month of Eostre, or Ôstar, or in our modern tongue “Easter”.

    In 1958 Morken-Harff votive inscriptions were found carved on approximately 150 stone altars dedicated to the matronae "Austriahenae". Many serious scholars try to debunk Bede in his De Temporum Ratione (725 AD) by saying “He made it up”. However what this reveals is there is archaeological proof that there was a real worship of a female deity that shares the same linguistic roots as all three mentions. 

    • Easter comes from the Old English Ēastre, which is from Proto-Germanic *Austrō, which came from Proto-Indo-European *H₂ewsṓs: meaning the direction of the rising sun such as in the eastward direction as it is literally "where the sun rises"

    • Eostre comes from the Old English, same Proto-Germanic root *Austrō, same PIE root *H₂ewsṓs which again means: The dawn or the shining one. As a goddess, she is a personification of the rising sun and the light that comes from the east

    • Ôstar comes from the Old High German, identical Proto-Germanic root *Austrō, same PIE ancestry which means: toward the rising sun, east, dawn

    Philip A. Shaw, in Pagan Goddesses in the Early Germanic World (2011) concluded Eostre was a genuine pre-8th century deity based on the inscriptions combined with linguistic evidence.

    The worship of fertility goddesses of the spring traces its roots back through thousands of years. This is relevant to our discussion because it is still happening in our day and age. One cannot logically acknowledge the presence of syncretism across all of human history, then deny it is still taking place today. A brief look at fertility goddess worship reveals the following

    • Inanna (Sumer, ~3500 BC) became 

    • Ishtar (Babylon, ~2000 BC) which became

    • Astarte (Phoenicia, ~1550 BC) which became

    • Ashtoreth (who is condemned in Scripture) which became

    • Aphrodite (Greece) which became

    • Venus (Rome) which became

    • Eostre/Ostara (Anglo-Saxon/Germanic)

    • Which became Easter.

    Keep in mind that the exact same attributes of these deities were never changed. All carried the same attributes of spring, fertility, sex, the dawn, and the death/rebirth cycle of her consort. 

    Scripture specifically condemns the worship of Easter, or at that time Ashtoreth during a period of well over a thousand years from Judges 2:13 to Jeremiah 44. This alone shows how enduring these false gods and goddesses are. 

    Ashtoreth is named in the Bible as the so-called “Queen of Heaven” by the pagans of that day. Even Solomon, who was the wisest man to live, went after this exact idol  in 1 Kings 11:5. God's response is and always will be utter destruction of such things (Deuteronomy 7:1-5).

    What this reveals is that Easter is not some simple harmless family fun time of the year. It has its roots, timing, name, and practices directly of, about, and in a goddess in the Bible, specifically condemned by God not to worship. This means practising Easter is worship of Ashtoreth, and is direct sin against God through idol worship (Exodus 20:3).

    An interesting additional fact about Ashtoreth, in Hebrew is עַשְׁתֹּרֶת (Ashtoreth) which sounds very similar to the word בֹּשֶׁת (bosheth) for shame. The name in Canaanite/Ugaritic primary sources like the Ugaritic Baal Cycle tablets renders her name as Athtart (ʿṯtrt) with no "o-e" vowel pattern. The Hebrew Masoretic  Text has those vowels in them that directly mirror bosheth. This was done with other names of false gods like Baal, where Ish-baal became Ish-bosheth. Merib-baal became Mephibosheth.

    The goddess of shame is another way you can look at this, for it is a great shame to worship this goddess today by participating in Easter. 

    Easter Eggs 

    The use of Eggs and Bunnies in Easter worship comes from the long standing history across virtually all pagan spring traditions. For example:

    • Ancient Romans colored eggs with vegetable dye and gifted them as symbols of new beginnings. Particularly in spring. Very much the same practice today with Egg Hunts, and Egg Painting rituals.

    • The gifting, or importance of eggs, is something that dates back over 5,000 years ago as Ostrich eggs have been found in ancient Sumerian and Egyptian tombs, clearly as gifts.

    Another interesting theory some have suggested is that eggs entered into Easter practice because eggs were forbidden food during Catholic Lent. The theory is that people preserved and decorated them during the fast and ate them on Easter Sunday as a celebration of Lent's end. 

    However there is no scriptural command supporting the incorporation of eggs into the celebration of Christ's resurrection, and Lent itself has no biblical foundation. Whether eggs arrived through pagan Roman spring rites or through Catholic tradition, both roads lead to the same destination: a practice with no root in God's word. This is yet another example of the Catholic Church incorporating pagan festivals and practices into Christianity. Which is a sufficient reason on its own to depart entirely from Easter egg traditions.

    The Easter Bunny

    It has long been known that Hares (bunnies) were given ritualistic burials alongside humans during the Neolithic period in Europe. The idea was that Hares represented rebirth ( Smithsonian Magazine, citing anthropologist Tok Thompson (USC). 

    • In 1572 a German text mentions the Easter Hare which is the earliest known written reference. The exact text translates: "Do not worry if the Easter Bunny escapes you; should we miss his eggs, we will cook the nest." This confirms the egg-laying hare tradition existed in German culture before von Franckenau. The same culture which worshiped Ôstar during Ôstarmânoth.

    • In 1678/1682 Georg Franck von Franckenau, in De ovis paschalibus ("About Easter Eggs") documents children in southwest Germany believing a hare laid colored eggs for good children. This is the first formal documented primary source.

    • In the 1700s German Protestant immigrants brought Oschter Haws to Pennsylvania. Children made nests from their caps and bonnets and left them out on Easter Eve for the hare to lay eggs in. Alfred Lewis Shoemaker documented this in Eastertide in Pennsylvania, describing it as "childhood's greatest pleasure from the very first settlement at Germantown in the late 1680s."

    • In 1835 Jacob Grimm in Deutsche Mythologie connects the Easter hare to Eostre/Ostara and proposes the bird-to-hare transformation myth to explain why a hare would lay eggs.

    Much has been lost throughout history as much of what was Germanic religious practice was oral tradition. Which was heavily suppressed during the spread of Christianity. Suffice it to say: what remains is that for over 450 years, people have associated April with the goddess of fertility and the eastern dawn, and hares that lay eggs. From the date of the earliest known writing to now almost 500 years has passed, and it is reasonable to assume it existed before that, potentially since the very beginning. Especially under the umbrella of Satanic Syncretism. 

    Wiccan Spring Sabbat

    It is important to note that this very day, still continuing in our day and age, is the practice of Wicca. Which observes eight sabbats forming the "Wheel of the Year", Ostara is one of them, celebrated at the spring equinox (around March 20-21). Ostara is named directly after the Germanic goddess Eostre/Ostara, the same deity the entire Easter name comes from. 

    This is not some historical thing of irrelevance, it is an ongoing active, religious celebration practiced today by Wiccans worldwide Central symbols of the Wiccan Ostara celebration are eggs, hares, seeds, flowers all of which are fertility symbols identical to modern Easter.

    Gerald Gardner, the founder of modern Wicca, built the Wheel of the Year framework in the 1950s incorporating these ancient pagan seasonal festivals.

    The Ostara sabbat is openly documented on Wiccan and neopagan websites, in Wiccan religious texts, and acknowledged by practitioners publicly.

    The Acts Twelve Discovery

    One important fact to remember is this type of spring deity fertility worship was widespread and thoroughly present during the time of Christ, and in fact in Acts 12:4 the Bible uses the word “Easter” in English, and not the word Passover. This is despite the word actually used in the Greek being the Greek word for Passover (pascha).

    Something remarkable, in which I submit to you, is one piece of evidence that the King James Bible is superior: is that you only find the word ‘Easter’ in the King James Bible and all other so-called “translations” render this word as Passover. Completely missing the significance of this difference.


    One helpful article read during the production of this teaching, presented some incredible facts to support this claim. 


    From their article they argue that:

    • Passover was a one day event on the 14th day of the month. 

    • The text in Acts 12:1-4 clearly marks that this took place AFTER the Days of unleavened bread which was a 7 day feast from the 15th-21st of the month.

    • Herod could not have been waiting till after Passover as it had already passed as the Days of unleavened bread were taking place

    • Modern “bibles” that change the word to “passover” instead of “Easter” are effectively saying “After Passover, Herod was waiting till after Passover.”

    • This is an impossible and illogical timeline error. You cannot wait for something that has already passed. 

    • All other precedent KJV Bibles used Easter because there was a separate festival practiced by the Romans to worship their spring deity:

      • “Luther's German translation (1522) : used "Oster"

      • Tyndale (1526) : "Easter"

      • Coverdale Bible (1539) : "Easter"

      • Geneva Bible (1557) : "Easter"

      • Bishops' Bible (1568) : "Easter"


    Quoting from the article it says 


    “If we substitute "Passover" in Acts 12:4, the verse becomes illogical: "Then were the days of unleavened bread... intending after Passover to bring him forth to the people." This creates a contradiction because:

    • The Days of Unleavened Bread always came after Passover

    • The text clearly states they were already in the Days of Unleavened Bread

    • Therefore, Passover had already passed


    How could Herod be waiting for something that had already happened?Herod, a pagan ruler who observed Roman traditions, was waiting for the pagan festival of Ishtar (Easter), not the Jewish Passover that had already concluded.


    This pagan celebration:

    • Was not fixed to a specific date like Passover

    • Typically occurred after the spring equinox and first full moon

    • Could fall between March 22 and April 25

    • Involved the worship of Ishtar (also known as Astarte or the Queen of Heaven)

    • Celebrated the supposed resurrection of Tammuz, a pagan deity”


    One thing this does, is reveal that Satan has been long attempting to replace the celebrations and Holy Days of God, with his own little inventions. 

    Herod Agrippa the 1st who was a Idumean king well documented by Josephus’s writings (an early historian) as someone who actively played both sides of the table. Which is to say he participated in Greco-Roman pagan customs as well as Jewish Holy Days. Arrested Peter and was waiting for the Roman Festival of “Easter” to complete, and not Passover. The quaternion soldiers or the Roman Soldiers who were guarding Peter were likely also performing their pagan “Easter”/spring goddess celebrations and Herod was waiting until their celebrations were finished.

    It is doubtful the people of that day called it “Easter”, that term was likely placed in there by the King James Translators in order to communicate the logical fact that it was not passover (as it had already occurred) but it was the Roman Pagan festival Herod was waiting for.

    Christmas

    The next two sections will be relatively brief as we have already covered the pagan origins of Christmas in great detail in our article entitled “Everything Wrong With Christmas”

     

    For the purpose of keeping this teaching manageable, here is the general outline for both below. We start off with some statistics concerning the Church. 

    What Professing Christians Believe

    Many profess Christ, but so very few actually follow Him. Jesus Himself said in Luke 6:46 

    “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?”

    Again in Matthew 7:21-23 he said 

    “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”

    And in Matthew 7:13-14 Jesus said

    “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”

    Finally 2 Timothy 3:1-5 says

    “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.”

    All of this to say, nothing new is revealed by the statistics below, rather what is being shown, is the same thing Christ spoke of two millennia ago. The following are from verified sources of credible information:

    • 96% of US Christians celebrate Christmas (Pew Research Center, December 2013)

    • Only 11% of Americans object to Halloween on religious grounds (Gallup)

    • 54% of Christians say Halloween is "all in good fun" (Lifeway Research, 2015)

    • 59% of all Americans think Halloween is "all in good fun" (Lifeway Research, 2015)

    • Only 13% of Protestant pastors discourage any Halloween participation (Lifeway Research)

    • 73% of Americans planned to celebrate Halloween in 2025 (National Retail Federation, 2025)

    • $13.1 billion spent on Halloween in 2025 which is a record high (National Retail Federation, 2025)

    • 47% of Americans attend church at Christmas time (Lifeway Research, August 2024)

    • Only 9% of self-identified Christians have a biblical worldview (Barna/Cultural Research Center, Arizona Christian University)

    • Only 51% of Protestant pastors have a biblical worldview (Barna Research)

    • Only 2% of US parents with children under 13 have a biblical worldview (Barna/Cultural Research Center)

    To say that this is a massive issue affecting Christianity today, is an understatement. It is almost like you can directly observe the remnant Church of Christ, by viewing whether or not they participate in these pagan traditions. 

    It's reasonable to say that the likelihood of professing Christians who do not practice Christmas, Halloween, and Easter being truly saved and born again is extremely high. Conversely the likelihood of truly being born again for those that do practice celebrating these pagan holidays is extremely low.

    At best it points to flagrant disobedience en masse, and at the worst it points to a very small number of truly born again Christians across the world.

    From experience, and even certain polls. This seems to be true. Barna research group put out a poll that shows Only 9% of professing Christians have a Biblical Worldview. Which was defined as a person who affirmed ALL of the following:

    1. Absolute moral truth exists

    2. That truth is defined by the Bible

    3. Jesus Christ lived a sinless life

    4. God is the all-powerful, all-knowing Creator who still rules the universe today

    5. Salvation is a gift from God and cannot be earned

    6. Satan is real

    7. A Christian has a personal responsibility to share their faith

    8. The Bible is accurate in all of its teachings

    The numbers revealed:

    • Only 9% of self-identified Christians met all eight criteria

    • Only 6% of all American adults met them

    • Only 51% of Protestant pastors met them

    • Only 2% of US parents with children under 13 met them

    • Catholics: less than 0.5%

    • Mainline Protestants: 2%

    These statistics are extremely disheartening to say the least. All I can say is the need to be bold, preach the Gospel and stand apart from this world, is still extremely relevant to our age. If not more so, where en masse there are hordes of fruitless Christians, all claiming Christ, yet by their own lives, showing themselves to be His enemy (James 4:4). 

    Santa Claus

    A brief summary of the issues with Christmas reveal that Santa is essentially a counterfeit Father God. He is described with possessing God like abilities and powers such as:

    • Omniscience (1 John 3:20) God knows all things including the human heart. Santa is portrayed as knowing the behavior of every child on earth. "He knows if you've been naughty or nice" is a common saying that denotes a supernatural knowledge attributed to a fictional character that belongs exclusively to God.

    • Near-omnipresence (Psalm 139:7) God fills heaven and earth and cannot be fled from. Santa is portrayed as visiting every home on earth in a single night, an impossible feat requiring a form of omnipresence that belongs to God alone.

    • Judgment (2 Corinthians 5:10) God is the sole judge of all humanity. Scripture declares every person will appear before the judgment seat of Christ. Santa operates a naughty/nice moral judgment system that mimics divine moral authority over human behavior.

    • Reward-giver (James 1:17) Every good and perfect gift comes from the Father of lights. Santa is the source of material rewards in the Christmas narrative. Gifts come from him, not from God, redirecting the attribution of provision and blessing away from the Creator.

    • Immortality (1 Timothy 1:17) God alone possesses immortality. He alone is the King eternal, invisible. Santa is portrayed as ageless and eternal, residing timelessly in the North Pole, never dying, which is a direct parallel to a divine attribute belonging only to God.

    • Mystical residence (Isaiah 66:1) Heaven is God's throne, the earth His footstool. Santa's North Pole is a hidden, magical, unreachable realm. This is a counterfeit of the unseen heavenly dwelling place of God, presented to children as the source of blessing and wonder.

    • Intercessor (1 Timothy 2:5) There is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. Children write letters to Santa communicating their desires and requests. Which is a direct imitation of prayer and intercession, replacing Christ as the mediator between a child and the fulfillment of their hopes.

    Additionally you must keep in mind: Satan's ambition from the beginning is to be like the Most High God (Isaiah 14:13-14) Santa achieves this in the minds of children through Santa, aptly named so as the moving the “n” in Santa to the end spells Satan. 

    Yule Father & Pagan Connections

    In our teaching we also outlined how Odin, known as Jólnir or the Yule Father, is the direct predecessor to the modern Santa Claus figure. The evidence for this connection is well documented.

    • The Prose Edda by Snorri Sturluson, a primary source, describes Odin leading the Wild Hunt through the sky during Yule (Christmas Time) atop Sleipnir, his eight-legged horse. Children would leave boots filled with hay and carrots by the chimney for Sleipnir, and Odin would leave gifts in return.

    • Odin is also depicted as a long-bearded, wandering old man, the precise visual archetype carried forward into the modern Santa image. 

    • His ravens Huginn and Muninn brought him knowledge of the deeds of men, a clear parallel to the modern claim that Santa "sees you when you're sleeping."

    • H.R. Ellis Davidson in Gods and Myths of Northern Europe (pp. 176-180) draws this connection explicitly, identifying Odin as the Yule Father and tracing his attributes into the Santa Claus tradition.

    • As Christianity spread through Scandinavia and the Germanic regions, Odin's attributes were gradually blended with those of St. Nicholas, born 270 AD and died December 6, 343, through centuries of cultural and religious syncretism. The resulting figure was later secularized into the modern Santa Claus through Clement Clarke Moore's 1823 poem A Visit from St. Nicholas, and then commercially cemented by Coca-Cola's advertising campaigns in the 1930s which gave Santa his now iconic red suit image.

    Christmas Trees

    Perhaps it is believed that evergreen trees are another harmless tradition the Western world has adopted. But the origins of the Christmas tree can be directly linked to Norse pagan mythology as well, which aptly coincides with what we already know about Santa.

    In Early Germanic Paganism, approximately 500 BC to 500 AD, the Roman historian Tacitus in Germania (1st century AD) describes Germanic tribes worshipping their gods by sacred trees, writing that they "do not confine their gods within walls... but consecrate woods and groves." E.O. James in The Tree of Life (1966) further establishes that evergreens specifically symbolized immortality due to their resilience through harsh winters.

    Moving forward to Norse Mythology, the Poetic Edda describes Yggdrasil, the "evergreen ash," as the World Tree connecting all realms, standing forever green. The Prose Edda by Snorri Sturluson echoes this, describing Yggdrasil as "always green," highlighting its divine and eternal attributes. What this succinctly demonstrates is that early Germanic pagan tribes absolutely venerated evergreens and participated in worship of their gods using trees specifically.

    Yule traditions further demonstrate this. The Saga of Hákon the Good found in The Heimskringla describes Yule customs where greenery was brought indoors to honor gods and spirits during midwinter, symbolizing renewal and protection during the darkest time of the year.

    Even after Christianization, Adam of Bremen in Gesta Hammaburgensis Ecclesiae Pontificum (c. 1075) notes the persistence of tree-centered rituals, underscoring how deeply ingrained these practices were. The first recorded use of a decorated evergreen tree in a home appears in 1605 in Strasbourg, Germany, documented in the Chronicle of Strasbourg.

    It is clear that the use of evergreens in celebrations, whether in Norse Yule festivals, Germanic rituals, or Christian Christmas traditions, has deep roots in paganism. Even earlier, greenery was a common feature in pagan winter practices worldwide, such as the Egyptians using greenery to honor Ra during the solstice and the Romans decorating with evergreens during Saturnalia.

    God warned us about this directly. In Deuteronomy 12:1-4 He commanded the destruction of high places and green trees used in pagan worship, stating plainly: "Ye shall not do so unto the LORD your God." And in Jeremiah 10:2-5 the description is unmistakable: cutting a tree, bringing it into the home, decking it with silver and gold. The problem is not the tree itself. It is the practice.

    One that God has thoroughly condemned in scripture. Take note of this, how there are in scripture now two modern traditions, Ashtoreth/Easter worship, and Christmas Tree/Decorating trees with silver and gold, that were directly condemned by God thousands of years ago. Yet even today, they remain fixtures in the homes of pagan, and the disobedient towards God. 

    This is to say nothing of how it is literally idol worship to bring a tree in your home, sacrifice and offer gifts under it, and stand around it and sing. The reasoning to justify such things are grounded in intention. Yet God never gave allowance for idol worship or adopting pagan practices so long as your intentions were good, wholesome and family orientated. In fact, he made it abundantly clear in Deuteronomy 12:1-4 that “Ye shall not do so unto the LORD your God.” 

    Many have tried to dismiss Jeremiah 10:2-5 by saying it was totem poles that were being made, but this is a historical fallacy. Totem poles were not used for approximately 2,300 years later. The description succinctly reads

    “For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.”

    Rendering this as something other than a Christmas Tree is intellectually dishonest. Sure Christmas traditions as they are today did not exist back then. But that is not the argument. The argument is reverse. Christmas Trees exist today because of the History of evergreen worship found throughout every pagan culture, during the winter solstice, with praises to their gods, all utterly condemned by scripture. The argument is grounded in the practice described by scripture, not in whether or not there were Christmas Trees back then. 

    Do you not cut down a tree out of the forest, and deck it with silver and gold, and fasten it so it won’t move? Is that not the most accurate description of Christmas Trees ever, yet it existed thousands of years before the modern practice? Why do you consider that is? 

    I submit to you that it is exactly like the practice condemned in scripture, because the practice has not changed. What has changed is the direct pagan usage of these practices. The modern world no longer does it for the express purpose of Pagan false god worship, yet this is not the point. Intentions do not change something condemned by scripture. 

    For more through reasoning and analysis, please do visit: VideoGameGospel.com/articles/everythingwrongwithchristmas where we cover this topic more in depth.

    Halloween

    Finally we come to Halloween. Growing up as a Christian, and becoming truly born again at the age of 31. I was entirely shocked that anyone had Santa in their house. Yet my upbringing included both Christmas Trees and Halloween. I even made an entire costume of the Grim Reaper when I was 10 or 11, tattered black sack cloth clothing and all with a giant cardboard tube painted black for a handle, and a cardboard silver painted scythe to go along with it. My own Mother helped me put it all together. 

    So naturally it is likely the same for most people listening or reading this that your upbringing also included experiences going trick or treating, or as they call it in other places, trunk or treating. 

    It is a wide-spread Western practice involving kids dressed up as various demons, witches, ghouls, goblins, skeletons, characters from TV and Games and more. 

    Widespread as it may be, it is a deeply demonic and occult day, and no genuine Christian parent will ever allow their children to partake in such events. Especially if they honestly look into the origins of the festival.

    Origins

    There is really zero scholarly or historical debate about the Origins of Halloween. It is one of the most widely known occult holidays, yet many treat it as harmless family fun to make memories and spread the joy of the dead? You can see how this is troublesome, because the entire festival is based in pagan worship of the dead. 

    Halloween gets its name from "All Hallows' Eve," which is the evening before All Hallows' Day (All Saints' Day) on November 1. It is derived from the Scots term for "All Hallows' Evening," with "hallow" meaning "holy" or "saint" in Old English.

    This was also something that was instituted by the Catholic Church to “replace” or rather to adopt, one of four major Celtic seasonal festivals: Imbolc, Beltane, Lughnasa, and Samhain. Christianity had reached Ireland in the 5th century and the Catholic Church decided that in order to “convert” Celts, it was wise to once again incorporate pagan celebrations into the Catholic calendar. All Saints Day was originally assigned to May 13 by Pope Boniface IV, 609 AD. Pope Gregory III (8th century) strategically moved All Saints Day to November 1, directly on top of Samhain. Which is confirmed by Sky History and World History Encyclopedia

    November 2 became All Souls Day which was an attempt to absorb elements of Samhain that All Saints Day failed to capture. "All Hallows Eve" was the night before All Hallows Day thus Halloween was born the name itself is Catholic in origin, the practice underneath it is Samhain.

    Nicholas Rogers documents this in his book entitled, Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night (Oxford University Press, 2003) which is a primary scholarly source on the Samhain to Halloween transition.

    In Jack Santino's book Halloween in America: Contemporary Customs and Performances he explains how during Roman conquest and spread of Christianity, Celtic traditions were quote "reframed with a Christian narrative in an attempt to capitalize on the popularity of the pagan practices while spreading the new religion"

    In the 19th century, the Irish famine was rampant and brought immigration to America. When that happened the occult druid practice of Samhain were brought along with it. It’s customs of carving pumpkins (originally carved turnips in Ireland), costumes, and other traditions, became American Halloween.

    Samhain was the most significant out of the four celtic festivals Imbolc, Beltane, Lughnasa, and Samhain. It included community bonfires (hearth fires extinguished and relit from communal fire), animal sacrifices, feasting, druid divination for the coming year, food offerings set out to appease spirits and ensure livestock survival through winter, a place set at the table for the souls of dead ancestors, costumes and masks worn to disguise oneself from harmful spirits and blend in with them which is where we get the modern practice of Halloween costumes.

    Other rituals performed in the Samhain festival were, Mumming and guising: going door to door in costume reciting verses in exchange for food which is where we got trick-or-treat. Something well documented from at least the early modern era in Celtic regions: See Gerina Dunwich, The Pagan Book of Halloween p. 11. Trick or treating is a remnant of a Druid religious practice, not a fun event for kids.

    "Mischief Night" was another practice in Samahin, which involved playing pranks on people as recorded in the Scottish Highlands as far back as 1736.

    Primary sources include: The earliest Irish literature from the 9th century which mentions Samhain, it also appears in Celtic sagas including The Second Battle of Mag Tuired and The Adventures of Nera, both set on Samhain. And Neolithic passage tombs in Great Britain and Ireland which are aligned with the sunrise at the time of Samhain, suggesting the common belief that the threshold between the dead and the living has thinned. The significance of this date predates the Celts themselves

    Modern Occult practices

    Samhain is still actively and formally celebrated in Wicca and modern Neopaganism today, and it is one of the eight major Wiccan sabbats. Halloween or Samhain is considered the most important. 

    • Doreen Valiente a Wiccan high priestess and co-author of foundational Wiccan texts with Gerald Gardner stated: "Halloween is one of the four Great Sabbats of the witches... To witches, Halloween is a serious occasion... It is the old Celtic Eve of Samhain."

    • Gerald Gardner who is the founder of modern Wicca (Gardnerian Wicca) was a disciple of the Satanist High Priest Aleister Crowley and member of Crowley's OTO (Ordo Templi Orientis, which is Latin for Order of the Temple of the East.) who founded Wicca and  incorporated Crowley's ceremonial magick into Wicca. The Wiccan Rede ("that it harm none, do as thou wilt") is a variation of Crowley's satanic maxim "Do What Thou Wilt"

    • Crowley openly called himself "The Great Beast 666" and "the wickedest man in the world." He was not a casual occultist, he was a dedicated Satanist and ceremonial magician who built an entire religious system around self-deification and the rejection of Christian morality. The OTO under his leadership practiced ritual sex magic and ceremonial initiation rites.

    • Anton LaVey, founder of the Church of Satan (1966), author of The Satanic Bible (1969) stated in The Satanic Bible p. 96: "After one's own birthday, the two major Satanic holidays are Walpurgisnacht (May 1st) and Halloween."

    • LaVey also stated: "I am glad that Christian parents let their children worship the devil at least one night out of the year. Welcome to Halloween."

    • Blanche Barton, Satanic High Priestess, Church of Satan website: "It [Halloween] gives even the most mundane people the opportunity to taste wickedness for one night. They have a chance to dance with the Devil."

    • Salem, Massachusetts is openly described by practicing witches as "our holiday, our new year" and witches travel from across the world to gather there for Samhain.

    • The first Greater Church of Lucifer in Houston, Texas chose Halloween as the day to officially open its doors to the public.

    • The Satanic Calendar designates Halloween as one of the two most important nights of the year

    • Isaac Bonewits, described as America's most prominent leading Neopagan: "Halloween is a time to deepen the connection... to the gods and goddesses we worship"

    Halloween is typically believed universally to be a day of worship for Satan, false gods, and worship of the dead. All of its practices stem directly from pagan false god worship and are used today to worship the enemy of the people of God. 

    The idea that a parent would allow their children to dress up as various ‘spirits’ in costumes, and participate in the most demonic and evil day of the year, is tantamount to child harm and abuse, and I am reminded and warn such parents sternly of the warning from Christ our Lord:

    “But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.”

    Matthew 18:6  

    Summary Of This Teaching

    While all pagan holidays carry the James 4:4 warning of committing adultery against God, and Halloween is by far the worst. They all source themselves in the world, and ultimately in the great deceiver of the world (Revelation 12:9, 2 Corinthians 4:4) Satan. 

    By participating in these festivals you are declaring to God and the world that you profess to know Him, but by your works you deny Him (Titus 1:16). 

    You are squarely placing yourself in opposition towards God. And are committing the sin of adultery by being a friend of the world (James 4:4)

    As recap on we proved in this teaching, and what you can confidently say you have learned is:

    • Friendship with the world is not a minor issue but a grievous sin equating to adultery against God. The Greek word φιλία (philia) in James 4:4 means friendly love and it carries the full weight of covenant marriage betrayal when you love the world. The word for enemy (ἐχθρός) is a formal, legally constituted enemy. Not merely someone God is disappointed in. (See: Friendship With The World)

    • The Bible commands total separation from the world, its customs, and its practices. Isaiah 52:11, 2 Corinthians 6:14-18, and Leviticus 20:26 form the scriptural backbone of this command. It is not a suggestion, it is a direct command from God with covenantal implications for the bride of Christ. (See: Called To Be Holy)

    • The word Holiday is derived directly from Holy Day (Old English haligdæg), meaning a day exclusively set apart for God. Joseph Priestley documented in 1782 that the Catholic Church changed pagan festivals into so-called Christian holidays. Deuteronomy 12:1-8 expressly forbids adopting pagan practices in worship of God, specifically mentioning green trees and groves, and verse 8 condemns every man doing what is right in his own eyes. Calling pagan festivals Holy Days is an active mockery of God. (See: A Note On Holiday vs Holy Day)

    • The name Easter derives directly from the pagan goddess Eostre. Bede documented this in 725 AD. Jacob Grimm confirmed it in 1835 through two separate Germanic language branches both naming April after the same deity. The 1958 Morken-Harff votive inscriptions provide archaeological confirmation that this was a real worshipped deity, not Bede's invention. All three names, Easter, Eostre, and Ôstar, share the identical Proto-Indo-European root meaning the rising sun and dawn. (See: Syncretic Fertility Goddess Worship)

    • Easter worship traces an unbroken lineage of condemned idol worship spanning over 5,000 years. Inanna (Sumer, 3500 BC) became Ishtar, became Astarte, became Ashtoreth, became Aphrodite, became Venus, became Eostre, became Easter. The same attributes of spring, fertility, sex, and the death/rebirth cycle of her consort never changed. Scripture condemns this exact goddess by name for over a thousand years from Judges 2:13 to Jeremiah 44. Solomon himself fell to this idol in 1 Kings 11:5. (See: Syncretic Fertility Goddess Worship)

    • God mocks Ashtoreth in His Word, by applying the vowels of bosheth (shame) to the consonants of her name. The same pattern appears in Ish-bosheth and Mephibosheth. This was not accidental, it was God's own editorial commentary built into the preserved text. (See: Syncretic Fertility Goddess Worship)

    • Easter eggs and the Easter Bunny have no biblical origin whatsoever. Eggs as fertility symbols were gifted by ancient Romans in spring and found in Sumerian and Egyptian tombs over 5,000 years old. The egg-laying Easter Hare (Oschter Haws) is documented in German writings as far back as 1572, in the same Germanic culture that worshipped Ôstar (our modern day Easter). Jacob Grimm connected the Easter hare to Eostre in 1835. Von Franckenau formally documented the tradition in 1678. German immigrants brought it to Pennsylvania in the 1700s. (See: Easter Eggs and The Easter Bunny)

    • Ostara is still actively celebrated today as a Wiccan sabbat, using eggs and hares as central fertility symbols, named directly after the goddess Eostre. Modern Wicca was founded by Gerald Gardner, a disciple of Satanist Aleister Crowley and member of his OTO (Ordo Templi Orientis). The Wiccan Rede is a direct adaptation of Crowley's satanic maxim. The pagan practice of Easter is not a historical relic, it is ongoing live worship. (See: Wiccan Spring Sabbat)

    • Acts 12:4 in the KJV uniquely renders the word "Easter" where all other versions say Passover. This is not an error, it is the only logically consistent translation. Passover had already occurred before this verse. Herod was waiting for the Roman pagan spring festival, not a feast that had already passed. Every pre-KJV translation from Luther (1522) through the Bishops' Bible (1568) also used Easter, confirming it referred to a distinct Roman pagan festival. (See: Acts 12:4 Discovery)

    • Only 9% of self-identified Christians have a biblical worldview (Barna/Cultural Research Center), defined as affirming eight basic biblical truths including the accuracy of Scripture and the reality of Satan. Only 51% of Protestant pastors meet the same standard. Only 2% of Christian parents with children under 13 meet it. These statistics directly confirm what the evidence of pagan holiday participation shows. (See: What Professing Christians Believe)

    • Santa Claus is a counterfeit Father God, systematically mimicking seven divine attributes belonging exclusively to God: omniscience (1 John 3:20), near-omnipresence (Psalm 139:7), judgment (2 Corinthians 5:10), being the reward-giver (James 1:17), immortality (1 Timothy 1:17), mystical residence (Isaiah 66:1), and intercession (1 Timothy 2:5). This fulfills Satan's stated ambition in Isaiah 14:13-14 to be like the Most High, accomplished in the minds of children through Santa, a name which oddly contains all the letters for Satan. Panned or unplanned that alone is interesting as even Hollywood made a movie with Jack Black about this very thing.  (See: Santa Claus)

    • Santa Claus traces directly to Odin, the Norse Yule Father (Jólnir). The Prose Edda by Snorri Sturluson documents Odin riding Sleipnir through the sky during Yule, children leaving boots by the chimney, and Odin leaving gifts in return. Odin's long white beard, wandering old man appearance, and ravens who brought him knowledge of human deeds are the direct visual and behavioral archetypes of Santa. Odin's attributes blended with St. Nicholas through Germanic syncretism, were further shaped by Clement Clarke Moore in 1823 and commercially cemented by Coca-Cola in the 1930s. (See: Yule Father and Pagan Connections)

    • The Christmas tree has documented pagan roots spanning over 2,500 years. Tacitus documents Germanic tribes consecrating woods and groves (1st century AD). The Poetic Edda and Prose Edda describe Yggdrasil as the eternal evergreen World Tree. The Heimskringla documents evergreen boughs brought indoors during Yule to honor gods. Tree rituals persisted after Christianization as documented by Adam of Bremen in 1075. The first decorated Christmas tree in a home appears in Strasbourg in 1605. God directly addresses this practice in Deuteronomy 12:1-4 and the description in Jeremiah 10:2-5 is unmistakable. (See: Christmas Trees)

    • Halloween is Samhain, a Celtic druid festival of the dead, documented in the earliest Irish literature from the 9th century. Its practices of costumes (to disguise from spirits), trick-or-treat (going door to door reciting verses for food as documented by Gerina Dunwich), and bonfires are all directly traceable to Samhain. The Catholic Church strategically moved All Saints Day to November 1 in the 8th century under Pope Gregory III to absorb Samhain. Jack Santino documents that Celtic traditions were reframed with a Christian narrative to capitalize on pagan popularity. (See: Origins)

    • Halloween is still actively used as a day of worship by Satanists and Wiccans today. Anton LaVey listed it as one of the two highest Satanic holidays in The Satanic Bible (p. 96). LaVey stated: "I am glad that Christian parents let their children worship the devil at least one night out of the year." Wiccan high priestess Doreen Valiente confirmed it as one of the four Great Sabbats. The Greater Church of Lucifer opened its doors on Halloween. Salem is openly described by witches as "our holiday, our new year." (See: Modern Occult Practices)

    • Participating in any of these festivals places you in direct friendship with the world, which James 4:4 declares to be enmity with God, constituting flagrant adultery against Christ who is your bridegroom. You are not able to drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of devils (1 Corinthians 10:21). The question is not whether these things are fun or make good memories. The question is whether you will serve God or mammon. Matthew 6:24.


    It may not be easy, it may not be fun to separate from the world, but separating yourself from the world is a must. Will you be the one to say unto the Lord: “Lord, Lord! I prophesied in your name, I even cast out devils, I have done many wonderful works in your name” And have the LORD of Heaven and Earth say unto you “I never knew you, depart from me, ye that work iniquity”

    Are you yet still a worker of iniquity? Have you truly departed from your sin in humble repentance or is your salvation a sham? Is it an outward profession with no measure of actual faith and obedience to God?

    If you are among the millions of professing Christians who are still partaking in this world, professing to know God but by your works denying him (Titus 1:16): 

    The time to repent is now, choose you this day whom you will serve (Joshua 24:15). Lest the master comes and finds you doing evil (Matthew 24:46-51), having buried your gift of eternal life in the hill (Matthew 25:14-30). Repent now, and live for the Lord Jesus Christ, fully separate from the world, living a life holy unto God, without spot or wrinkle (Ephesians 5:27). Be blameless in the sight of God (1 Corinthians 1:8). Let go of this world, and set your eyes on the things above (Colossians 3:1-10). Where moth and rust do not destroy (Matthew 6:19-23). 

    For if any man thinks himself to be something when he is nothing deceives himself (Galatians 6:3-8), If you know Him yet keep not His commands, you are a liar and the truth is not in you (1 John 2:4) . And how be the love of the Father in you, if you have love for the world? (1 John 2:15). know ye not you are in Christ, except you be a reprobate? (2 Corinthians 13:5) 

    Work out your salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12) you believe and do well, yet even the demons believe and tremble (James 2:19). Therefore if a man says he has faith but has not works, his faith is dead (James 2:14-26). Therefore live unto God a holy righteous sacrifice (Romans 12:1), and do the will of the Father in heaven (Matthew 7:21). 

    Separate from this world (2 Corinthians 6:17) Flee! (1 Corinthians 10:14). And rest in the promise that your reward in Heaven is great (Matthew 5:1-12). For no man who has left father or mother, or wife, or sons or daughters for his names sake will not receive 100 fold in Heaven (Mark 10:29-30). 

    Therefore take up your cross and walk, follow after the Lord (Luke 9:23-26). And be ye perfect as he is perfect (Matthew 5:48). This is your reasonable service (Romans 12:1).

    Go with God, and make much of His name. 

    THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT

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    Christopher Romance

    Voice Actor and Producer

    https://www.ChristopherRomance.com
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