Happy Easter everyone. Not being a religious guy, my appreciation of the holiday is based on the themes of renewal and Spring. That’s where the eggs and bunnies and whatnot come from, and these are not specifically Christian. In other words, you don’t have to believe in the divinity of Jesus in order to be happy that winter is over, the sun has returned, and life is more common than death.
The Resurrection is probably where I break from Christianity most significantly. I believe Jesus lived, taught some very important moral lessons, and then died on the cross. I don’t believe he was a God, came back from the dead, or was otherwise magic.
So, in other words, you are a traditionalist. Back when Easter WAS about Spring, Renewal, etc. Before it was co-opted by a conquering religion.
That’s what burns me up the most about Christian holidays. They were grafted onto other holidays in order to make their practice more palatable by native peoples.
http://www.religioustolerance.org/easter1.htm
Easy, Dave.
Say anything bad about chocolate bunnies and there’s a flame war in the offing…
Dave, Easter’s timing has more to do with the Jewish Passover than spring.
The egg and rabbit symbolism, however, has pagan spring celebration written all over it.
I’m not sure about the reality of the Resurrection either. I dig Easter due to the fact that it usually occurs around the end of tax season. We’re on the final count down now, only 2 days until April 15, the 70+ hour work weeks are finally coming to a conclusion. Our office will be closed this Thursday and Friday, we’re all ready for a 4 day weekend. There’s an interesting article about how the date of Easter is fixed. It has something to do with Easter occuring on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox. According to the article, Easter can’t occur before March 22 or after April 25. Interestingly, Easter in 2011, (two years from now), will occur on April 24, almost as late as it can ever happen.
It shouldn’t be a surprise that religion is a cultural interpretation of Scripture. I’ve been to enough churches around the country to know that those who attend chruch are the ones who set the religious tone and the preacher is usually chosen in their image…Scripture is the dough, but the congregation and the clergy mix the recipe and bake the cake.
Saturnalia celebration morphed into Christmas. Had the church been historically accurate, Christmas and Easter would both be occuring near tax time.This way the religious event fits into an appropriate season: the rebirth of light then the ‘word became flesh’ in Spring with Easter. The spacing of these events allows chuches to devote full measure to the 2 most important Christian holy days..
It just seems good common and political sense to continue with already established celebrations and christianize them.No one sees incongruity in Christmas trees and Nativity creches (yes, a few purists do).
My neighbor helps me with my outdoor Christmas lighting and I help him with their blue and white Hannukah lighting. Let’s thank early Roman and Christian pragmatism! It has all become part of what makes America a great culture. Let’s add that capitalism is also served with 2 separate seasonal spending periods.
I think the Easter bunny has more to do with capitalism than Christianity. Stores make a pretty buck or three off all those canides being sold…and it’s easier to market a cute bunny than the crucified son of God;-)
Rev –
On Easter, you get to market the resurrected Son of God – a much easier sell.
And don’t even come CLOSE to dissing my chocolate bunnies…