The Easter Bunny and other secular/pagan Easter practices
Submitted by Loutzenhiser on Mon, 2008-09-15 14:53.
Just who is this Easter Bunny? Where did he come from? How did he get into Christ's resurrection? Should Christian's participate? What other secular/pagan Easter practices are in Christ's Resurrection? For discussions on the Resurrection of Christ then please use the Passover thread.
What about Christmas?
Like Easter, Christmas was sort of overlaid atop a pagan winter festival; once a holiday that celebrated the birth of a winter god, Christmas became the celebration of the birth of Jesus. Like Easter, Christmas has secular aspects, like Frosty the Snowman, but also once-religious now-secularized icons like Santa and decorated trees. Like Easter eggs, Christmas presents sometimes compete with the point of the holiday. All that being said, what makes Easter less acceptable than Christmas? Should we cancel Christmas? Should we refuse to decorate with lights? Maybe we should just enjoy the holiday?
Personally, and I'll just take a minute here, I think it's a tad short-sighted when the Christian population demands EVERYONE recognize the "Christian" nature of our holidays, particularly here in America. How offended would a Christian be if Buddhist, Muslim, or Hindu holidays were widely celebrated, if the government declared particular days to be celebrations of the birth of Visnu, etc? Christians would utterly panic. But we are outraged when Christmas is 'assaulted' or paganism competes with our sacred holidays. I, for one, am glad that there are non-religious aspects to holidays like Easter, because it means the day can be celebrated by more than just Christians--that was the POINT of overlaying Christian holidays atop pagan holidays; it was a foot in the door, an opportunity to turn the hearts and minds of the non-Christian world towards Christ. Kinda hard to do if the secular population has no way to relate to the Christian experience...
Justin Staller - Junior Moderator
justinstaller@yahoo.com
Search the scriptures--for in them ye think ye have eternal life:
They are they which testify of me--and ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.
(John 5.39-40)