A Soldier’s Story

Management at Victoria’s Secret (NYC),

Three weeks ago I requested to have October 31st off as the celebration of Halloween goes against my religious beliefs therefore I do not work or even leave my house on this day.  As my request was rejected, here is a written statement and historical comparison showing my religious convictions and reasons why I do not take part in Halloween.  I also choose to not leave my home as a precautionary measure to my safety, as traveling alone late at night on Halloween is not a wise option.  All one has to do is read the newspaper the following day to know the dangers and the tragedies.

The History: taken from wikipedia.com and paganwiccan.about.com

Halloween’s origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhein which marked the end of harvest and the beginning of winter, a time of year associated with death. The pagan Celts believed that on that night, the boundary between the worlds of the living and dead blurred, and the ghosts of the dead returned to the earth. It was a night for preternatural communication with the dead, various forms of divination and prophecy, and sexual rituals.

Samhain is one of the eight annual festivals in the Wicca Wheel of the Year, often referred to as ‘Sabbats‘, observed as part of the Wiccan Wheel of the Year. It is considered by most Wiccans to be the most important of the four ‘greater Sabbats’. It is generally observed on October 31 in the Northern Hemisphere, starting at sundown. Samhain is considered by some Wiccans as a time to celebrate the lives of those who have passed on, and it often involves paying respect to ancestors, family members, elders of the faith, friends, pets and other loved ones who have died. In some rituals the spirits of the departed are invited to attend the festivities. It is seen as a festival of darkness.

Samhain is known as the witch’s new year, and it’s a time when the veil between our world and the next is at its thinnest. It’s a season of death and dying and darkness, and hearkens the coming of winter’s chill.  Halloween imagery includes themes of death, evil, the occult, or mythical monsters.

My Religious Beliefs: taken from The Torah and The Bible

Deuteronomy 18:10-12 “Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to The Lord.”

Ephesians 5:7-12  “So don’t have anything to do with anyone like that. You used to be like people living in the dark, but now you are people of the light because you belong to the Lord. So act like people of the light and make your light shine. Be good and honest and truthful, as you try to please the Lord. Don’t take part in doing those worthless things that are done in the dark. Instead, show how wrong they are. It is disgusting even to talk about what is done in the dark.”

John 8:12 “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’”

2 Corinthians 6:17 “Come out from among them and be separate.”

Thank you for your time and I apologize if this causes any inconvenience to the scheduling and coverage of that day.  I attempted to avoid such problems by giving an advanced notice of my intentions, which in the future I will make clearer at a much earlier date.  I am more than willing to work my scheduled Monday shift of 1 to 7 with a call-in to 10 pm if moved to the following day, Tuesday the 1st of November.

J.A.

PS. A young woman my daughter worked with at VS was a high priestess in a coven. She also asked for the day off as it is her high holy day. She was denied, too, and wrote her letter of reason for wanting the day off.

©2011 Tentstake Ministries Publishing, all rights reserved.  No copying or reproducing of this article without crediting the author or Tentstake Ministries Publishing.