Sound The Trumpet : Isn't Halloween Just Harmless Fun?‏

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“Isn't Halloween Just Harmless Fun?‏”
by WND - Karl Payne,
October 20th, 2014

A spiritual assault that traffics in the souls of mankind.

"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge."
Hosea 4:6

Halloween has strong roots in paganism and is closely connected with worship of the Enemy of This World, Satan. It is a holiday that generally glorifies the evil things of this world, rather than Jesus Christ.

Have you noticed how movies and TV shows are becoming more violent, gory and depraved each year? Even children’s costumes have become more gruesome and grotesque and the occult is increasingly glorified in American society, not only on Halloween but throughout the year, in frequent horror movies and television programs.

Karl Payne, an expert on demonology and the author of "Spiritual Warfare: Christians, Demonization and Deliverance," believes these elements of America are more than just "fun and games."

Halloween is almost here, and the theaters and TV channels are flooded with ghosts, zombies, monsters and worse. Just entertainment, amusement and not representative of anything real, right? The 21st century is consumed with interest in the "the dark side" of the paranormal. The mysterious realm of demonic spirits and other-worldly beings literally fills our culture. The world operates virtually unaware of the oppression, depression and very tangible torment daily added to millions of lives by unseen spiritual forces – often filtering through the portal of popular entertainment. As Christians we play into the hand of Satan and his demonic hosts when we approach demonic warfare as a theoretical game of curiosity rather than a life-threatening conspiracy from the pit of hell.

"This culture is like demonism on steroids," Payne states. "The last time I turned on the TV, one channel was heavily promoting a gory show on zombies and then on another, a show on witches that flirted with the occult was being heavily promoted. The proliferation of media like this desensitizes the public's awareness of the evil in the world around us and opens up individuals to demonic influence."

The two shows he cites are some of the most popular on TV right now. "The Walking Dead" is known for depicting gruesome violence and follows a group of human survivors in the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse. It just broke cable television records with its latest season premiere.

"American Horror Story" has also topped the ratings chart, and its new season is set to focus on witchcraft and the occult.

Payne disputes the notion that media, like these two shows, promote no harm in daily lives.

"There's the notion that this stuff isn't real, it's all 'fun and games,' and we shouldn't worry about it," he says. "But the fact is that a part of this stuff is real, and it hurts real people in real life."

Payne believes that people should avoid media and cultural forms that promote these negative associations and enjoy culture with more positive messages. He contends it's naïve to think that these influences won't end up causing harm.

"If people play games with the occult long enough and still believe they won't end up hitchhiking with the demonic, they're naïve," he states.

In his book, Payne issues a provocative, biblically-based challenge for all Christians, regardless of their denominational, ecclesiastical or theological loyalties, to consider the subject of spiritual warfare in general and demonic warfare in particular.

Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13