ALT-3 Why Easter is Celebrated
There is so much sentiment attached to celebrations like Easter and Christmas. Isn't it a fun time for the children? Maybe, but what does God think about it? I know I am going to set the cat among the pigeons here, but the truth must be told.Do those tucking into their chocolate eggs ever wonder where the name "Easter" comes from? You won't find it in the Bible, except for one passage in the KJV where it is a mistranslation of the word "Passover". It is not a Christian celebration and never was. Do those who go egg hunting know what rabbits and eggs have to do with the death and resurrection of Christ? NOTHING."Easter" is a festival that was dedicated to a pagan fertility goddess who went under different names depending on the culture of the people at the time."Astarte", "Ishtar", "Eastre", "Ostara" or "Eostre", all are names from which "Easter" is derived. Normally, when "Christianity" adopted a false religious celebration, they at least changed the name to camouflage the pagan roots.....not with this one apparently.
After the death of Jesus’ apostles, some decided to add to the original observance of Christ's memorial supper and include a fast (now known as Lent), followed by a feast, at Passover season. Somehow, for reasons known only to themselves, this became a way to commemorate Christ’s resurrection. (go figure!)Lent is supposed to be based on Jesus’ 40-day fast after his baptism but the Bible does not record any such practice among the early Christians. What did his 40 day fast after his baptism have to do with his death and resurrection anyway?
It appears that Lent was first observed in the fourth century. By that time the foretold corrupting of Christianity had taken place and like many other festivals adopted around that period, it had pagan origins.Do we imagine that the greatest act of love ever delivered to mankind should be celebrated over the top of a pagan festival in honor of a false deity? How could a God who demands exclusive devotion approve of such a thing?Were Christians ever encouraged to celebrate Christ's resurrection? Not that I can see. Christians were commanded to commemorate his death. The shedding of Christ's blood is what paid the ransom to redeem mankind. Easter Sunday's significance has completely overshadowed the more important event.
The anniversary of Jesus' death does not fall each year on a Friday either. The Jews celebrated their "Passover" on the 14th day of the month of Nisan.When we have the anniversary of an important event, it is celebrated on the 'date' not the 'day' of the week on which it occurred. Since the Lord's supper was originally held as the Passover, we should see the symbolism of Jesus as the passover lamb that was sacrificed and its blood put on the doorposts of the faithful Jews to protect them from the 'angel of death'. The two events are closely related. The Passover was an annual event, so the death of Christ, the true passover lamb, should also be an annual event, like many others that were celebrated in Israel.What are people really celebrating at Easter? This is what some reference works and other sources have to say about it....Easter was “originally the spring festival in honor of the Teutonic goddess of light and spring known in Anglo-Saxon as Eastre.” (The Westminster Dictionary of the Bible)“There is no indication of the observance of the Easter festival in the New Testament.” (Encyclopedia Britannica)The rabbit “was the escort of the Germanic goddess Ostara.” (Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology and Legend)Eggs “were said to be dyed and eaten at the spring festivals in ancient Egypt, Persia, Greece, and Rome.” (Celebrations, by Robert J. Myers)
The Easter bonnet originally “was a wreath of flowers or leaves. The circle or crown expressed the round sun and its course in the heavens which brought the return of spring.” The new Easter outfit developed because “it was considered discourteous and therefore bad luck to greet the Scandinavian goddess of Spring, or Eastre, in anything but fresh garb, since the goddess was bestowing one on the earth.” (The Giant Book of Superstitions by Claudia de Lys)Hot cross buns: “Like the Greeks, the Romans ate bread marked with a cross . . . at public sacrifices.” They were eaten by pagan Saxons in honor of Easter. (Encyclopedia Britannica)Sunrise services parallel rites “performed at the vernal equinox welcoming the sun and its great power to bring new life to all growing things.” (Celebrations)Does any of this sound Christian to you?Why is Easter celebrated? It beats the heck out of me! Being grateful and joyful about the resurrection of Jesus is one thing, but using a pagan religious festival to commemorate it flies in the face of Paul's words at 2 Corinthians 6:14-17. In this scripture Paul warns Christians that there can be no fusing of Christianity with paganism.
Forget how people feel about this observance...read the scripture and ask yourself how God feels about it?
