I was visiting America just before Easter and of course Easter found me there. I was shocked beyong belief that everything continues as normal during this special time and America, being a Christian country, should be the one leading the whole world in celebrating by making sure there is no school and no-one goes to work (public holiday). In South Africa, it is a great time and we go out to visit our parents and relatives to be together remembering what Christ did for mankind. Am I missing something?
2007-05-31 01:50:57 · 6 answers · asked by Susan R 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I'm sorry that someone misled you. The United States is a SECULAR nation, not a christian one.
To quote our Treaty of Tripoli, 'The United States is not in any sense founded upon the christian religion'.
Btw, Easter is a pagan holiday to celebrate the return of Spring. It is named after the goddess Eostre whose totem is the bunny and whose symbol is the egg.
2007-05-31 02:01:45 · answer #1 · answered by Kallan 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It is a good thing to celebrate the ressurection of Christ. However, I don't know if you know your history of how Easter started, but it is actually a holiday derived from paganism.
Easter is a man made tradition. Easter always falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the equinox. So Easter is never on the same date. Therefore it cannot be the exact date of the ressurection. The pagan empire worshipped Ishtar, the Goddes of fertility. Eggs were worshipped as a sign of fertility and rabbits, prolific reproducers, were also worshipped. That's where we get Easter eggs and Easter rabbits. Constintine claimed he had become a Christian. So in an effort to unite Christians and pagans he changed Ishtar's day, the symbol of new life to celebrate Christ's ressurection, the giver of life. Now there is nothing wrong with celebrating Christ's ressurection, but we need to be careful. Today this holiday has become so commercialized and most people are in it for the money, especially retailers. Many people have taken Christ out of the picture, how sad.
Another thought. If God wanted us to celebrate the ressurection wouldn't he have told us in the Bible the exact date or even mentioned that it should be celebrated. The death, burial, and ressurection is the most important event is all of history. It is something we should be contemplating every day not just one day a year.
2007-05-31 09:12:34 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Easter is on Sunday and most jobs and many schools NEVER work on sunday.
Now, Jesus once had dinner at the Head Pharasee's home and asked him if it was wrong to heal on the Sabbath, the Pharasee couldn't answer him so Jesus got up, went to the Pharasee's front door and healed a man who had come to find Jesus.
So, Next EASTER be Happy that AMERICA unlike South Africa, keeps hospital emergency rooms open staffed with doctors so they can operate on you on EASTER should EASTER DINNER give you a heart attack.
We have Jesus to thank for that tradition of HEALING ON THE SABBATH.
2007-05-31 09:13:55 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Actually, you must of hit the wrong state. In Tennessee we have great services all around the state. We have all different things to celebrate easter. That is one of my favorite times!
2007-05-31 08:56:24 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
We're not actually a Christian nation. The First Ammendment in our Constitution promises us Freedom of Religion.
2007-05-31 08:55:27 · answer #5 · answered by liberpez 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Yes.
It is really a celebration of the spring equinox. What do you think the eggs and rabbits have to to with Christianity?
2007-05-31 08:56:47 · answer #6 · answered by Simon T 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋