Easter celebration

I’d say the Ressurection is fully “documented” in the New Testament and is the very basis of Christianity.

I'm a devout atheist and even I understand this part of Easter.

Yes, that is true. But the origins of this holiday are not supported by the Scriptures. For example, many of the Easter traditions “have little to do” with Jesus’ resurrection, states the Britannica, “but derive from folk customs.” For instance, regarding the popular Easter symbols the egg and the rabbit, The Encyclopedia of Religion says: “The egg symbolizes new life breaking through the apparent death (hardness) of the eggshell.” It adds: “The rabbit was known as an extraordinarily fertile creature, and hence it symbolized the coming of spring.”

Philippe Walter, a professor of medieval literature, explains how such customs became part of the Easter celebration. He wrote that “in the process of the Christianization of pagan religions,” it was easy to associate the pagan festival that celebrated “the passage from the death of winter to the life of springtime” with Jesus’ resurrection. Walter adds that it was a key step in introducing “Christian commemorations” to the pagan calendar, thus smoothing the way to mass conversion.

This process of “Christianization” did not occur while the apostles were still alive, because they acted as a “restraint” against paganism. (2 Thessalonians 2:7) The apostle Paul warned that after his “going away,” men would “rise and speak twisted things to draw away the disciples after themselves.” (Acts 20:29, 30) And late in the first century, the apostle John wrote that some men were already misleading Christians. (1 John 2:18, 26) The way was open for the eventual adoption of pagan customs.

Same thing with Christmas. They didn't even get the date right for Christmas.

The Christianization of Pagan religions was a brilliant strategy to further the acceptance of Christianity world wide. When the priests came into a culture, rather than getting rid of the old gods, they just replaced them with saints.

The Priests win, the people get to keep their old cultural practices. God doesn't care either way. Everybody wins.

You hit the nail right on the head maxdancona. It becomes very clear when comparing what the Bible actually teaches to the customs associated with these holidays the Priests were not interested in teaching truth, in helping those they taught to understand the Creator's true feelings on matters like this.

Consider what occurred near Mount Sinai when the Israelites asked Aaron to make them a god. Aaron acquiesced and made a golden calf but implied that it represented Jehovah. “There is a festival to Jehovah tomorrow,” he said. Was Jehovah indifferent to this fusion of true religion with false? No. He had about 3,000 idolaters put to death. (Exodus 32:1-6, 10, 28) The lesson? If we want to keep ourselves in God’s love, we must “touch nothing unclean” and jealously guard the truth against any form of corruption.​—Isaiah 52:11; Ezekiel 44:23; Galatians 5:9.

I think you misunderstanding how religion works, Anthony.

No one actually follows what the Bible says. Everyone follows what they want the Bible to say and then explain away the words in the Bible that don't match.

I don't know anyone who turns the other cheek when someone hits them, or doesn't resist an evil man. And, the number of people who actually sell their possessions to give to the poor is pretty darn low. Of course there are also the passages about killing your kids when they disobey and throwing rocks at homosexuals.... it is probably best to ignore those. I would never kill 3,000 idolaters; in fact I wouldn't kill one even if God told me too (I think that particular story paints God as an evil tyrant).

Your religion should serve you... not the other way around. My kids like Easter eggs and Christmas trees. If God doesn't like that, he can keep them from his own kid.

This thread needs a hymn....

I hear what your saying. The vast majority see the Bible as just another nice book to have on the shelf. But surprisingly there are some who actually strive to follow what the Bible teaches.

Although I could never do it perfectly, as one of Jehovah's Witnesses I try to live by the principles that Jesus taught regarding the treatment of others. Even if I may not agree with a persons particular beliefs, I've learned that I still must respect their right to view or believe as they choose.

My daughter once had an interest in being a Christian... mostly because her cousins are devout Christians. Her cousins are part of bible believing protestant church that is quite strict. My daughter liked the community and the feeling of being part of something important. I wasn't so happy about this, but I believe that my children should have the ability to make their own mistakes and I knew that opposing her becoming a Christian was the best way to push her deeper into the arms of a jealous deity.

Fortunately, this particular church is very opposed to Halloween; feeling that the holiday has demonic roots.

So, I told her "If you are going to do this Christian thing, you are going to do wholeheartedly (in my religious days we called it "counting the cost" after one of the parables told by Jesus). She looked at how happy dressing up and getting candy makes her, then she looked at what God has to offer. That was the end of that experience for her...

If God were smart, he would make following him involve the things that make us most happy. Heck, if God commanded me to play poker and drink Scotch... I might be on board myself.

If you want people to follow God, Easter eggs and Christmas trees are a step in the right direction.

Candy, huh? Did you know that candy- actually the sugar it contains- can be extremely detrimental to our health? It leads to cravings and obesity which in turn comes with a whole slew of problems like heart disease, etc.. It can cause constant pain from inflammation and arthritis throughout the body. It effects insulin levels and diabetes. It creates AGEs (advanced glycation end-products) which results in advancing the body's aging process. Sugar can cause synaptic dysfunction and impaired brain function. It breaks down our resistance to disease. It creates free radicals in our bodies. I have talked to teachers who say the day after Halloween can be pretty bad with kids bouncing off the walls from hyperactivity brought on by too much sugar.

Poker, huh? People's lives have been financially ruined by family members' gambling debts.

Gin, huh? After my sister's car was hit by a drunk driver she became a member of MADD (Mother's Against Drunk Driving). That organization was started by people whose loved ones were killed by alcoholic impaired drivers.

Candy, poker, gin, I don't know off hand if the bible directly forbids any of those although I do believe it does say to use such in moderation.

Aside from dressing in costume and eating lots of candy Halloween does have its extremes. There can be a malevolence that runs through that holiday.
Temptation is all around us. I wouldn't necessarily expect a child to understand. Christianity comes with cost. God wants us to chose to do what we know is right even if it costs us something we want. Because of the problems they may lead to it's apt to prove best to avoid candy, poker, gin and even Halloween altogether. It sounds like the church your daughter attended feels it is best not to celebrate Halloween because of the celebration of evil associated with it. Those who enjoy their guilty little pleasures may feel that this avoidance is overkill. It's not, but it does take a willingness to want to give up these things.

The bible does encourage happiness, love and joy. Candy, poker and gin don't necessarily lead to happiness. Knowing Jesus, really knowing Jesus, and the kind of man and example he was for us, will. God bless.

I think this is nonsense.

1. Church has nothing to do with God. One Church tells you not to celebrate Easter, another church gives out Easter baskets. One Church accepts same sex couples, another church tells you to oppose what they call the "gay agenda". One Church gives sanctuary to undocumented immigrants, another church yells at immigrants they call "illegals".

Each church enforces random arbitrary rules based on what the people in power want.

2. Churches hurt people. There are horrific stories about crimes, such as child abuse caused by ministers and clergy... and degradation of members of the communities such as rape victims being forced to publicly apologize for being a victim. There are many lesser harmful effects of church.

A church functions as closed group. People are pressured to act in a specific ways, and people who stray are chastised. This causes natural stress on people... who say, like to dress up for Halloween.

3. Life is for living. We are all going to die, the question is how we live. I like to play poker. I like to drink Scotch. I like to dance with loose women. This is what makes life worth living.

I want my kids to live in whatever way makes them happy. I don't want them limited by arbitrary rules based on what churches say about God; churches that can't even agree with each other.

I am much more afraid of my daughter getting wrapped up in harmful religion than I am of her eating Halloween candy.

maxdancona, I can understand how you feel. And what you state is very truthful in that the churches have in fact hurt many people. For a fact, the 2 world wars could not have been fought if the churches had taught their masses what the Bible really teaches.

The Bible log ago foretold that we would see this at 2 Timothy 3:1-5 where it states:

3 But know this, that in the last days critical times hard to deal with will be here. 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, haughty, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, disloyal, 3 having no natural affection, not open to any agreement, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, without love of goodness, 4 betrayers, headstrong, puffed up with pride, lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, 5 having an appearance of godliness but proving false to its power; and from these turn away.

Verse 5 highlights what we now see. Large numbers of people who profess Christianity, but who's lives and conduct contradict their claim. Granted, much of this is because many religious leaders have refused and failed to give people a chance to know what the Scriptures really contain. As one minister told me when I asked why he chose not to tell his members what the Bible actually teaches on a number of subjects, he said to me: "if I did that, how many people do you think I would keep in my church?"

All I could say was WOW. What came to my mind is what Jesus said would be the case with many religious leaders today who knowingly lie to their flocks at Matthew 23:13

13 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees (religious leaders of the day), hypocrites! because you shut up the Kingdom of the heavens before men; for you yourselves do not go in, neither do you permit those on their way in to go in.

You are missing my point completely.

I like to have sex even though I am not married. I like to drink scotch. I like to play poker for money. These are all things that add to my life (I enjoy them), and they fit my personal moral code. I don't believe that consensual sex, or enjoying alcohol in a way that doesn't hurt me, or playing poker within my means (I am good enough that I make more than I lose and I play small stakes) are wrong in any sense.

The problem is with God... anyone's view of God seems to come with a set of arbitrary rules that must followed whether they make sense in my individual context or not.

Having a divine being setting rules from above is the problem. Religion, by its very nature, is a dictatorship.

If God would allow me to live the kind of life that I find meaningful, I might have room for Him in my life, especially if he could help in times of trouble. When I stopped going to church, a friend asked me why I "left God". I replied, "I changed... and God never changes". That about explains it.

I understand.