A former Satan worshipper has expressed dismay that Christians celebrate Halloween, as it "honors the devil," and pointed out that the holiday is "very special" to satanists, as they are aware of the "implications and the dark power behind the night."
John Ramirez, who converted from Santeria to Christianity and has documented his story in a book titled Out of the Devil's Cauldron, recently penned an op-ed for Charisma News in which he lamented that believers can be surprisingly quick to honor the Devil.
"They see no harm in Halloween because they are not performing any demonic rituals or human sacrifices," he said. "But did you know that as soon as you dress up, whether you color yourself or put on a costume, the enemy owns you? Because by doing so, you have turned over your legal rights, and you have dedicated yourself and your kids to celebrating the devil's holiday," he said. "You have just made a pact with the enemy, and you are already sacrificing your children spiritually by dressing them up and changing their identity."
As a Satan worshipper, Ramirez considered Halloween a very special time because he understood the "dark power" and "implications" behind the night. In fact, he even got married on Halloween so that his wedding bells would be heard "all the way down to the gates of hell."
"It is very different from every other night in the witchcraft world. It would be like me saying to believers today, 'How important to you are Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday?' Halloween has that much weight and importance to those who dwell on the dark side," he said.
Ramirez said his "heart is saddened" when he sees some churches remove the word "Halloween" and call it "harvest," where members dress up in costumes and hand out candy.
He said that if it were up to him, he would create a biblical movie night and share with unsaved friends and families the dangers of Halloween.
"My intention for the event would be to expose the origin and dangers of Halloween, then turn it into a great movie night, with a small teaching afterward from God's Word about His love and the finished work of the cross," he said.
"The only harvest we should celebrate is the harvest of souls," Ramirez concluded.
Meanwhile, Ken Ham, President of the Creation Museum and the Ark Encounter, told The Gospel Herald that before deciding whether their children can celebrate Halloween, parents should ask what the holiday is "really all about."
"I think parents should make their own decision before God as to what they're going to allow their kids to participate in and why," Ham told The Gospel Herald in an exclusive interview. "More and more Christians are recognizing that this is an opportunity to use this time to witness to others."
Ham said that church alternatives to Halloween, like "trunk-or-treating" events, are a "good idea" for children.
"That way, children get involved in their churches while also having fun," he said. "I think it comes down to, parents have to make a decision, they're the ones responsible of their kids. As Christians, I think we need to ask, 'What is Halloween really all about and how can we use it to reach others with the message of the truth of God's word in the Bible?'"
