Have you approached your Pastor about celebrating Easter at your church? It's of Pagan Orgin, so why not?

Question

So many Christian churches are still using the name EASTER SUNDAY, and hiding painted eggs and candy bunnies around the church for children in fun? Many church members know this is not appropriate but say nothing. Have you approached your Pastor? Why or why not? What was the outcome? If not, is it because of fear? Do you believe a christian should fear human opinion above fear of the Lord?

Answer 1

You are wise in standing for the truth of the Bible. The Easter Holiday is less lately about Christ and more and more about the candy.

But little known is the origin. It was intermingled with the feast and festival to the god of fertility. Hence the rabbits and the eggs, both examples of reproduction.

Christ died a horrible death although he was as innocent as a dove. He was humiliated for coming here to help all of mankind. He was buried and raised up with a new body to show us how we will do it when the resurrection in the last day occurs. Then he waited on earth to offer his sacrifice to The Almighty God.

This is a serious thing and should not be intermingled with paganism. It diminishes the solemnity of Christs' ransom sacrifice .

Answer 2

And the swastika with arms pointing one way used to be a symbol of peace, now I don't even need to mention the first thought people have regarding the symbol because 'Nazi' is the association we were brought up with, thanks to Hitler.

What does it matter that the origin of every Christian holiday derived from ancient Pagan customs in one way or another (ever wondered why Christmas is December 25th!?!)

All that matters is the little kiddies are happy and people are enjoying some quality time together and hopefully taking a break from a busy lifestyle!

I really think it is about time the church got over its ancient grudges and took some of its own advice and love their neighbours no matter who they are and what different beliefs they have. An in the church getting over it they could help their congregation to realise that the history of a symbol does not take away the meaning it has for them. Seriously, does an innocent little bunny rabbit and egg shaped chocolate have to be scrapped because someone's fear of a Pagan association is more important than their own beliefs which would include that a bunny is a creature of God and an egg will soon release one.

Did anyone ask the bunny or the chicken/egg whichever one came first :P if they wanted to be associated with any of the Pagan or Christian holidays in the first place???

Happy Easter/ Ostara/Eostre...whichever one you celebrate. Hope your day is full of the peaceful meaning each one was intended to have.

Answer 3

What means one thing for one person can mean something totally different for another. We hunt eggs and enjoy other Easter activities because it is fun for the children, not because we believe what it represents for pagans. I know what Easter is all about and I teach it to my children. As to your question, "Do you believe a christian should fear human opinion above fear of the Lord?" Isn't your problem with hunting easter eggs and eating candy bunnies based on a human opinion?

Answer 4

The church adopted local traditions in order to take advantage of local celebrations already in existance. The celebrations were altered from pagan to Chrisitian celbrations, and lose all ties with their pagan roots except for the name, Easter, and the date 12-25 Mithras celebration turned into Chirstmas. It doesn't bother me at all, because the pagan holidays WERE REPLACED BY THE CHRISTIAN ONES.

Most Catholic churches would definantly frown on the idea of hiding eggs and candy in the church. A church is not the place for children's games.

I shall leave you with words of wisdom....
"On Easter Sunday Jesus rode out of the tomb riding a white rabbit pooping out colored eggs. That is the gospel of Cadbury..."

-Slightly altered words of Stephen Colbert

Answer 5

All Christian traditions and rituals (including mass) have a pagan origin. If you do a little research, you will find that even crucifiction had a pagan origin! (Druids hung their apprentices from a tree as a comming of age ritual, supposed to imbue the young with wisdom). The Christmas tree is also pagan: the Druids (again!) celebrated the winter solstice (December 22nd!) around a sacred tree covered by mistletoe (which looks like golden fruit in winter). Look into ANY other Christian tradition, and you will find the pagan origin to it.

In any case, the origin of something not necessarily makes it something to shun. Christ WAS a jew, after all, and he NEVER abjured of his religion; on the contrary, the first christians were very concerned about keeping their jewish faith. It wasn't until Christianity spread through Greece and Rome that it became detached of judaism.

.

Answer 6

First of all, I don't know which "church" youre going to, or even talking about, but I know of no Christian churches who are truly Christian that believe in the "Easter bunny". Ok?

Easter Sunday repesents the day that Christ arose from the dead. He was crucified on Friday, and rose on Sunday. Easter is celebrated on that day in rememberance of Him.

If Easter is close, or even implies anything close to what a pagan would do, that was certainly not it's purpose.

I do not celebrate pagan anything. I'm quite familiar with them too. I know what I'm there for Easter Sunday, and if there is anyone out there who believes in something other than what is intended, then I question their Christianity.

Answer 7

I am wiccan and pagan and Have accepted the reality that christianity has tryed to take many of the holidays that were and still are pagan and make them "Christian" They don't seem to want to let a little thing like "Facts" get in thier way. This is just the church's way of trying to dismiss any other faith than thier own. This is the way it has been for christianity for over 2000 years and they see no reason to change now. So I celebrate the holidays the way they were ment to be as pagan celebrations. That is all pagans can do. We are faithful to the fact of thier origins even if others don't want to be.

Answer 8

The clergy does not like the name Easter but they put up with it. I haven't run across a single one that likes it, but what can you do. The word Easter is only used one time in the bible . It is located in the book of Acts. On the original manuscripts of the bible the word was actually Pascal* which means passover. How it got translated as Easter is anybodies guess. But i fear there is no good scenario. God bless no no ms finc i think he is just trying to be fearless for the lord but technicaly he is right .

Answer 9

Easter, the Sunday of the Resurrection, or Resurrection Day, is the most important religious feast of the Christian liturgical year, observed between late March and late April (early April to early May in Eastern Christianity). It celebrates the resurrection of Jesus, which his followers believe occurred on the third day after his death by crucifixion some time in the period AD 27 to 33 (see Good Friday). In the Roman Catholic Church, Easter is actually an eight-day feast called the Octave of Easter.

Easter also refers to the season of the church year, lasting for fifty days, from Easter Sunday through Pentecost.

Answer 10

Wow! Who knew…?
Actually, everyone. Every educated person knows the early Christian Church established her feasts on top of major pagan festivals ON PURPOSE; this had the two-fold facility of destroying the baneful pagan significance of the feast while emphasizing its benign and beneficial aspects for the greater glory of God (who created EVERYTHING, after all, including eggs, bunnies, pumpkins, holly wreaths… ad infinitum). Christian Churches which are truly apostolic (foremost among them the Roman Catholic, of course, but also the Orthodox, and even Anglicans) know all this through their tradition, but some latecomers (like yours, for instance, I guess) have the annoying habit of being SHOCKED, SHOCKED to find that the Church’s gift of holy wisdom has been exercised for the whole two thousand years.