1 00:00:00,013 --> 00:00:04,626 Halloween—Party Fun or Satanism? 2 00:00:04,626 --> 00:00:11,360 Halloween—an occasion for many children, teenagers, and adults to celebrate a spooky yet fun horror party. 3 00:00:11,360 --> 00:00:17,083 It's the day when children roam the streets, pretending to be evil spirits, and go from door to door 4 00:00:17,083 --> 00:00:20,433 asking for candy with phrases like, "Trick or treat!" 5 00:00:20,433 --> 00:00:25,920 Anyone who doesn't hand over what's demanded can expect to be met with insults or vandalism. 6 00:00:25,920 --> 00:00:33,283 At horror parties, adults dress up with slit throats and similar effects, and stores sell a wide variety of party 7 00:00:33,283 --> 00:00:37,606 gimmicks, such as “zombie snacks: brains and liquid blood.” 8 00:00:37,606 --> 00:00:43,043 At horror parties, people eat “chopped-off finger sausages,” and experimenting with occult practices—such as 9 00:00:43,043 --> 00:00:49,696 consulting oracles, tarot cards, or pendulums—is becoming increasingly popular, and not just at these events. 10 00:00:49,696 --> 00:00:55,600 But what are the origins of this bloody festival full of creepy faces and terrifying figures? 11 00:00:55,600 --> 00:01:04,512 And could treating these occult or eerie customs too lightly possibly be harmful, and where might that ultimately lead? 12 00:01:04,512 --> 00:01:09,280 These questions are usually not asked—or are dismissed as a killjoy. 13 00:01:09,280 --> 00:01:15,387 As for the origins of Halloween, the prevailing view is that the rituals observed on 14 00:01:15,387 --> 00:01:19,424 October 31 can be traced back to a Celtic tradition. 15 00:01:19,424 --> 00:01:25,248 It is said that druids sacrificed humans on this day to honor their god of the dead, “Samhain.” 16 00:01:25,248 --> 00:01:31,816 The custom was brought from the British Isles to the U.S. East Coast in the 19th century and 17 00:01:31,816 --> 00:01:35,424 later made its way back to Europe from there. 18 00:01:35,424 --> 00:01:41,280 It developed at a rapid pace and underwent a variety of transformations over time. 19 00:01:41,280 --> 00:01:48,806 There is no definitive historical evidence of a continuous evolution from Celtic customs to modern Halloween traditions. 20 00:01:48,806 --> 00:01:54,820 What can be substantiated, however, are the clear connections to Satanism, whose sacrificial 21 00:01:54,820 --> 00:01:58,944 rituals have been taking place in secret for millennia. 22 00:01:58,944 --> 00:02:08,256 Anton Szandor LaVey, the founder and high priest of the “Church of Satan” in the United States, also confirmed this connection. 23 00:02:08,256 --> 00:02:15,072 LaVey claimed to have been the first to define and organize modern Satanism. 24 00:02:15,072 --> 00:02:23,822 In 1969, he wrote *The Satanic Bible*, which states, among other things, that October 31—the eve of All Saints' Day—is 25 00:02:23,822 --> 00:02:28,293 considered one of the most important holidays in Satanism. 26 00:02:28,293 --> 00:02:34,632 Jack Roper, a researcher on the occult, notes: "...the time of year when the highest rate of 27 00:02:34,632 --> 00:02:38,693 satanic-occult ritual crimes occurs is Halloween." 28 00:02:38,693 --> 00:02:45,888 One person who knows from personal experience the reality of magic, witchcraft, and Satanism—as well as 29 00:02:45,888 --> 00:02:50,080 the Halloween cult and its effects—is John Ramirez. 30 00:02:50,080 --> 00:02:55,200 Ramirez grew up in the Bronx, a borough of New York City, in a family of Satanists. 31 00:02:55,200 --> 00:03:00,104 Be sure to watch our program on this topic: “Escaping Hell—John Ramirez, Former Satanist,” 32 00:03:00,104 --> 00:03:03,006 which we’ll be rebroadcasting right after this. 33 00:03:03,006 --> 00:03:06,780 Today, he is explicitly warning people about Halloween: 34 00:03:08,900 --> 00:03:13,200 “I wish I could say that it was all just harmless fun. 35 00:03:13,200 --> 00:03:17,312 That there is nothing real behind ghosts, demons, and the devil. 36 00:03:17,312 --> 00:03:19,880 But I can't do that. 37 00:03:19,880 --> 00:03:24,820 I have had experiences with dark forces that I must warn others about. 38 00:03:24,820 --> 00:03:30,560 That's why I can't pretend that Halloween is just a harmless spooky holiday. 39 00:03:30,560 --> 00:03:34,273 Many people don't believe that the devil really exists. 40 00:03:34,273 --> 00:03:37,920 But unfortunately, my experience has been different. 41 00:03:37,920 --> 00:03:43,026 Satan is real, and his power is destructive. 42 00:03:43,026 --> 00:03:52,706 Among Satanists and in witch circles, Halloween remains the most important holiday—a celebration of horror and death. (…) 43 00:03:52,706 --> 00:03:59,020 It's a sad fact that most children go missing at this time of year. 44 00:03:59,020 --> 00:04:05,480 (…) And yet everyone acts as if Halloween were a fun, harmless costume party. 45 00:04:05,480 --> 00:04:09,856 The devil loves Halloween—I used to know that very well. 46 00:04:09,856 --> 00:04:14,966 Because people turn to him on that day with complete innocence and naivety. 47 00:04:14,966 --> 00:04:18,944 In a playful way, they open themselves up to ghosts and demons. 48 00:04:18,944 --> 00:04:22,266 But you can't mess with the dark forces. 49 00:04:22,266 --> 00:04:32,000 "Believe me, as a voodoo priest, Halloween was a spiritual highlight, and I was fully immersed in it." 50 00:04:32,000 --> 00:04:38,634 According to this, the Halloween tradition would not just be a fad of our event-driven society, nor merely a commercial 51 00:04:38,634 --> 00:04:45,504 ploy sandwiched between summer sales and Christmas merchandise, but a day on which genuinely cruel acts are carried out. 52 00:04:45,504 --> 00:04:50,588 It is true that on Halloween, children wander the streets unsuspectingly dressed as demons, and 53 00:04:50,588 --> 00:04:56,320 teenagers unwittingly have their first experiences with occult practices such as consulting spirits. 54 00:04:56,320 --> 00:05:01,993 Even adults naively put themselves in the path of dark forces through their wild parties. 55 00:05:01,993 --> 00:05:09,792 But at the same time, satanic occult ritual crimes are being committed elsewhere within occult and elitist networks. 56 00:05:09,792 --> 00:05:19,836 Numerous testimonies from victims and former members—such as the Dutch banker Ronald Bernard—have since confirmed the practice 57 00:05:19,836 --> 00:05:24,946 of ritual violence, torture, infanticide, and cannibalism. 58 00:05:24,946 --> 00:05:29,982 Now, let everyone decide for themselves whether they want to continue believing that 59 00:05:29,982 --> 00:05:32,920 Halloween is completely harmless—or perhaps not.