Halloween Is Pagan and Demonic? w/

Joe Heschmeyer as he explains the truth behind Halloween's origins. There is a popular theory linking Halloween to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, and Joe points out how the claim falls short.
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[@TheGPFilmMaker]

I legitimately laughed out loud at "we basically took Irish labor day and tried to make it demonic"

[@GamingxKnight]

There's actually no evidence to suggest that Samhain was a religious festival. The accusation that Samhain had pagan religious undertones didn't first surface until the 12th century. It was a 7 day festival where the Celtic pagans would simply have a festival where they would partake in sports, marketing, feasting and eating. Halloween was originally known as 'All Hallows E'en' which means 'Holy Evening' and was begun in the 8th century, hundreds of years before the first accusation that Samhain was a religious festival.

[@butterflybeatles]

It was probably religious but who cares?

[@GamingxKnight]

@@butterflybeatles There's no evidence to support that, and there's evidence to support the opposite. So most likely it wasn't religious. But true, even if it was, it still wouldn't support the myth that the Church Christianized Samhain.

[@butterflybeatles]

@@GamingxKnight My point is that the Church definitely was in the habit of using already established practices and celebrations and give them a Christian meaning. What's wrong with that? Have you noticed that most Christian holidays correspond to the Seasons' effects. Those dates weren't just picked out of a hat.

[@GamingxKnight]

@@butterflybeatles No she actually doesn't. Halloween, Christmas, Easter. You know what they all are? Holy Days of Obligation. You know how many Holy Days there are in the Church? At least 16. These three are just the one's that even secular people know about because there are secular practices surrounding them. Today is one Holy Day that the Church celebrates, All Saints Day. The Church doesn't base her Holy Days on what's pagan to try and change it.

[@butterflybeatles]

@@GamingxKnight So it was just co-incidence that Christmas just happens at the Winter Solstice.

[@ElessarofGondor]

The best part is, what we do know of the druids is largely thanks to Catholic monks who actually wrote down legends before they died out.

[@bogo1992]

Can assume many agrarian cultures living in temperate climates had some sort of celebration after harvest as an award for all the hard work. Sorry Protestants it’s a pagan holiday if you have any large gathering with food and celebration if it follows a communal effort.

[@Angela-uz3sq]

I would suggest watching the video Fr. Dan Rehill put out on the origins of Halloween. It's a short video, a little over 8 minutes long. Well worth the watch!

[@monicadriscoll645]

Yes, I watched it yesterday and very interesting

[@johnbanasiak3720]

Joe Heshmeyer has a great episode on his podcast about it too

[@LL-bl8hd]

Can you do a video on what a Jubilee is? I keep hearing about it but I don't know what it is.

[@neliusjordaan6751]

Jesus said, by their fruits you shall know them... And looking at how Halloween is done, with graves, skeletons etc, why would I want to have anything to do with it, regardless of the historical evidence presented by Joe. And adding to that many witches who came out of this and are now following Jesus warns about the occult practices done on this day. It is a high holiday for the practitioners of witch craft. The Lord is very clear that we are to be holy.

[@shananotz9920]

1: Christianity is strongly tied to gravesites and skeletons from the beginning. 2: if witches are getting witchy on any evening, Christians should be leaning in SUPER hard to counteract it with the grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ, celebrating His victory over death, and not allow them to do their thing unopposed.

[@user-ks3qr5fk6m]

@@shananotz9920 1. True. 2. Except they are not counteracting anything because Christian’s are busy celebrating Halloween the secular way.

[@shananotz9920]

@user-ks3qr5fk6m that's its own problem for sure. But if you don't have an all saints day, there's no reason for a hallows eve anyways so what could it even be for a protestant besides a secular dress-up block party?

[@jeremysmith7176]

I appreciate the shorter version.

[@mugglescakesniffer3943]

Samhain has nothing to do with Demons.

[@deiniolbythynnwr926]

Samhain is the month of November in Goidelic languages.

[@valentinabartholl7984]

But there are exorcists warning against Halloween...

[@ji8044]

There are no such things as exorcists.

[@butterflybeatles]

So, what's wrong with taking a Pagan holiday and transforming it to a Christian one?

[@julieelizabeth4856]

Yeah the cross itself was a pagan symbol until it became baptized by Christ, and the idea of the Christmas tree came from Norse mythology and their thunder oak that they worshiped.

[@docsavage8640]

@julieelizabeth4856 both false statements

[@carlosnievas1220]

From what I understand, to convert the pagans, the early church absorbed pagan holidays/practices. I too see nothing wrong with that. But it is not biblical. The various "fair weather Christians" foam at the mouth about that.

[@CodiiLuv]

The Annuls of the Four masters. We know pagans had festivals and we know what they believe and we know harvest celebrations are a thing and that historically europeans believed in all sorts of mythical creatures and stories to explain phenomenon they couldnt explain, the whole thing with Lord of the Rings was touching on deeply British elements of mythology and beliefs, albeit Catholic, but this whole idea to treat this as if there is zero weight to the tradition of Samhain is mislesding. Jonathan Pageau does a great job in explaining this season.

[@drewd5811]

All Saint's Day developed from multiple areas in the Catholic Europe with some celebrations on different dates. It developed slowly and locally. Some of these places had Celts some did not. The idea that Rome needed to place a feast day on a certain date to combat an Irish harvest festival is simply...an interesting stretch.

[@TomasTomi30]

There are ex-satanists warning against Halloween. This should raise some concern

[@NevetsWC1134]

They probably don’t know where Halloween came from. A group of people doing evil stuff on a day, doesn’t make that day evil. The acts committed are what’s evil.

[@nickw9766]

Agreed. I celebrate All Saints’ Day. So there you go.

[@GamingxKnight]

If ex-satanists began to warn against burping, should we be concerned? Satan isn't more powerful than God, God doesn't abandon the world for satan to have a single day. Stop fearing so much that you make satan more powerful than he actually is and making God weaker.

[@91Albertus]

Yes, because of the satanic stuff that modern satanists and witches decided to do on this day, but Hallowe'en itself is older than that. Hallowe'en as we know it today started in 19th century America with blended traditions brought by European immigrants, mostly Catholic - it had nothing to do with paganism, occultism, withcraft, etc; modern satanism is much younger, which decided to appropriate this day just because it brings into consideration spooky stuff like the Christian concepts of "memento mori" and "danse macabre", the reality of death, hell etc. If anything Halloween should be treated as a warning to all those who engage themselves in such sinful practices, that they will die one day and end up right where all these demons are, if they will not repent. If satanists decided to do their ceremonies on Christmas Eve, should we not celebrate it?

[@TomasTomi30]

@@nickw9766 Of course, this is the correct way of doing this. Not dressing like monsters and going to parties, but praying for the dead.

[@valuedCustomer2929]

🇻🇦

[@ji8044]

Seriously? Having this debate in the 21st Century?

[@MrMustang13]

Do you see the issues we’re having in the 21st century? Lol

[@ji8044]

@@MrMustang13 I don't know who "we" is.

[@MrMustang13]

@@ji8044 the royal we

[@julieelizabeth4856]

Anti-Catholic myths just won't die.

[@Ruudes1483]

People still claim Halloween is pagan, so yeah, this debate is still ongoing.