[align=center] Easter: It's Totally Pagan !
Easter is not a Christian name. It is Chaldean (Babylonian) in origin - the name Astarte, one of the titles of Beltis, the queen of heaven. The name Astarte, as found on the Assyrian monuments by the noted archeologist Layard, was the name Ishtar. The worship of Bel and Astarte was introduced very early into Britain, along with the Druids, "the priests of the groves," the high places where the pagans worshipped the idols of Baal. In the Almanac of the 1800's, May 1st is called Beltane, from the pagan god, Bel. The titles Bel and Molech both belong to the same god.
We must remember that Semiramis (also known as Ishtar) of Babylon, the wife of Nimrod and mother of Tammuz, was the same goddess worshiped throughout the world under various names, such as the Egyptian fertility god, Artemis, the Roman goddess of licentiousness, Venus, the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite, and the Ephesian, many-breasted fertility god, Diana, as well as many others.
The (Easter) bunny, the oldest pagan symbol of fertility - Semiramis - has absolutely NOTHING to do with the birth of Christ.
Nor does the Sunrise service. Jesus was resurrected while it was still DARK!
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"And early came Mary Magdalene, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre." John 20:1
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Sunrise services are for the worship of the Pagan Sun god - ONLY! In addition, Jesus was NOT resurrected on Sunday, the first day of the week. Please see the study entitled "Was Jesus Really Resurrected on Sunday?" at www.goodnewsaboutgod.com
One mythological legend says that sometime after Semiramis died, a huge egg dropped from heaven. Out of the egg came a re-incarnated Semiramis, now a goddess. The Babylonian Talmud refers to her as Ishtar, or Easter.
The forty days of Lent symbolize one day for each year of Tammuz' life. This period of time is celebrated in the "Christian" church by giving up something to mourn the death - of Tammuz, the son of the pagan goddess Semiramis!
Ezekiel 8:13,14 tells us what God thinks about any festival that recognizes Tammuz:
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"The Lord said also unto me, Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations that they (the Israelites) do.
Then He brought me to the door of the gate of the Lord's house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz."
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As late as the 19th century, in Great Britain, at Beltan (or the 1st of May) a number of men and women assembled at an ancient Druidical circle of stones near Crieff, to participate in an ancient worship feast to Baal.
The festival of Pasch, or the Passover, was very early observed by many professing Christians, in commemoration of the death and resurrection of Christ, although it cannot be traced back as far as the Apostles. But Pasch was observed by Christians a full month before the festival of Ishtar was celebrated by the Pagans. In addition, the festival of Ishtar (Easter) now observed in churches is far different from the original festival of Pasch.
The amalgamation of the Christian Pasch, as observed in Britain by the Christians, and the Pagan Easter enforced by Rome, occurred by violence and bloodshed. But at last, the Festival of the Anglo-Saxon or Chaldean goddess, Ishtar, came to supersede that which had been held in honor of Christ.
"The hot cross buns of Good Friday, and the dyed eggs of Easter Sunday figured in the Chaldean rites just as they do today. The Å’buns,' known by the identical name, were used in the worship of the queen of heaven, the goddess Ishtar, as early as the days of Cecrops, the founder of Athens, that is, 1500 years BEFORE the Christian era. One species of sacred bread which used to be offered to the gods was called Å’Boun.'" Hislop, Two Babylons, pg 107.
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"The children gather wood, the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven. Jeremiah 7:18
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The hot cross buns are not now offered, but eaten instead, on the festival of Easter (Astarte - Ishtar).
"The origin of the Pasch (Passover) eggs is just as clear. The ancient Druids bore an egg as the sacred emblem of their order. In the mysteries of Bacchus, as celebrated in Athens, one part of the nocturnal ceremony consisted in the consecration of an egg. The hindu fables celebrate their mundane egg as of a golden color. In China, even as late as the 19th century, dyed or painted eggs were used during sacred festivals.
"In ancient times, eggs were used in the religious rites of the Egyptians and the Greeks, and were hung up for mystic purposes in their temples. . . The classic poets are full of the fable of the mystic egg of the Babylonians.
"The occult meaning of the mystic egg of Astarte had reference to the ark during the time of the flood, in which the whole human race was shut up, as the chick is enclosed in the egg before it is hatched. And of course, the egg also refers to birth, or creation.
"Though the deified queen, whom Astarte represented, had no actual existence till some centuries after the flood, yet through the doctrine of metampsychosis, which was firmly established in Babylon, it was easy for her worshippers to be made to believe that, in a previous incarnation, she had lived in the Antediluvian world and passed safely through the waters of the flood. The Roman Catholic Church then adopted this mystic egg of Astarte, and consecrated it as a symbol of Christ's resurrection." Ibid pg 109,110.
The Bible clearly tells us what God considers the memorial of Christ's death and resurrection. It is NOT the pagan celebration of Easter, in honor of the pagan god, Ishtar. It is BAPTISM:
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"Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death?
Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that just as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
"For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection:
"Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed (rendered inoperative), that henceforth we should not be slaves of sin." Romans 6:3-6
The memorial for Christ's death and resurrection is BAPTISM - - - NOT Easter!
There is NO doubt that Easter is a totally Pagan holiday.
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"Blessed is He who Comes in The Name of The Lord"
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"Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death?
Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that just as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
"For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection:
[/align][align=left][/align][align=left][/align][align=left]Amen and Amen![/align][/blockquote]
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Jesus said, "he who stands firm to the end will be saved" Mark 13:13.
Live Life in such a way that those who do not know Christ will come to know Him because they know you
Yea, I agree it started as a Pagan holiday. But totally pagan? I think not. Why, because in my heart, on Easter Sunday, I think of what Christ did for us. I don't think about baal, or other imaginary gods. I think about God.
Whats wrong with thinking about Christs death and resserectionon Easter. Take something evil and turn it into Glory for God?
I don't like the egg thing and the bunny thing. And definately don't like it at my church. But I don't think any of those kids looking for eggs and getting bunny stuffed animals are sitting thier thinking about baal or any other pagan god.
I don't like the egg thing and the bunny thing. And definately don't like it at my church. But I don't think any of those kids looking for eggs and getting bunny stuffed animals are sitting thier thinking about baal or any other pagan god.
I agree...but how much leaven do you allow into the bread, before it's no longer un-leavened?
Where Was The Easter Bunny When Christ Rose From The Dead?
by Brian Chan
Today, painted eggs, baskets full of chocolates, pastel colors and small people in big bunny suits celebrate the Easter holiday. For the Church, in addition to the eggs and bunnies, it is a day of celebrating Christ's resurrection. It is a day of remembrance for when Christ rolled the stone away and showed himself as the one who conquered death. So, where did this Christian holiday find its roots? What does the bunny have to do with it?
Easter Origins
The first celebration of the Easter occurred in the first century church as the Christian parallel to the Jewish Passover. The word Easter is derived from the Greek word "pascha," which is the word used to mean "festival." But the word literally means "passage."
The Jewish Passover celebrated a major event that marks the Jewish faith-the exodus. They celebrated an event that took place 1500 years ago, when Moses-empowered by God-confronted the oppressors of the Israelites and the powers of the Egyptian gods. Through feats of miracles unseen before and the guidance of God's very own presence, God delivered them from their bondage and gave them freedom to do the one greatest thing that mankind was meant to do-to be a people of God, worshipping God.
Christ's resurrection brought new meaning to the celebration of the Passover. Just as God had liberated his people from Egypt, Christ's resurrection liberated captive sinners from the realm of Satan. Just as God led his people out of Egypt, so Christ now leads believers out of darkness. The Passover had found its truest meaning in Easter, that is for believers of Jesus Christ to find liberation from sin and death to do the one greatest thing that Christians were meant to do-to be a people of God, worshipping God.
The parallels between the Jewish Passover and the Easter Holiday are striking. First, before the Passover, lambs were slaughtered in preparation for the offering. Christ, as the "Lamb of God," died on the day and the hour when these lambs were being slain for the Passover feast. Second, in Roman crucifixion customs, breaking of the convicts' legs were typical in order to speed up their deaths. But to fulfill the requirements of being a true Lamb, an acceptable sacrifice to God, none of Christ's bones could be broken. And that was how it happened! While the other two convicts hanging alongside Christ had to have their legs broken, the Roman centurions found Christ already dead and therefore had no need to break his legs. For the early Christians, there was no mistake that Christ was the true "Lamb of God!" There was no mistake that Easter was celebrating the true, spiritual Passover! (John 19:32-6; Exod 12:46, Num 9:12).
Early Easter Practices
The early Christians focused on the passion of Christ, his suffering and his death. The passion of Christ was very real to the early Christians since they lived in a time close to the actual event. But as time passed, by the end of the second century the celebration of Easter focused on the passage instead, the journey from bondage of sin to freedom in Christ. In the first few centuries, Easter was celebrated with candles. Light was a symbol of Christ's triumph over darkness. The services included lessons from the Old Testament and the singing of psalms. Christians prepared for the celebration of Easter with fasting, prayer and all night vigils on Saturdays. On Sunday, the fast was broken and replaced with joyous celebration over the resurrection, including readings from the Prophets and Gospels. There was no more fasting, and prayer was done without kneeling. The symbolism was clear-celebration, not mourning.
The Greek Orthodox churches celebrated on Saturday evening with a candlelight procession outside the church. Upon entering the church on Sunday, bells sounded to begin the early morning Easter prayer followed by the Lord's Supper. Believers greeted one another with the phrase: "Christ is risen," and the response was, "He is risen indeed" (for an example refer to My Big Fat Greek Wedding).
By the fourth century, the church celebrated Easter for 50 days, in which each day was treated just like Easter Sunday! The 50th day was the day of Pentecost, in which Christians celebrated the gift of the Holy Spirit spoken of in Acts 2.
Easter In America
In contemporary America, Friday night gathering commemorates Christ's crucifixion-it is a time of mourning. Then, Christians gather again for sunrise service on Sunday morning in addition to regular service. The Lord's Supper is taken and baptisms are conducted, as it was in the Early Church. Services consist of the singing of hymns, prayer and preaching.
Typically, it is a time to spend with extended family, share meals together and wear new clothes (yes husbands, it is traditionally legitimate for wives to go out and buy a new "Easter dress").
So, where does the Easter bunny and the painted eggs come from? In Anglo-Saxon culture, Christians replace the pagan holiday of "Spring celebration" with Easter. This pagan holiday of Spring celebrates fertility, which is where the symbols of eggs and rabbits come from. Pagan ideology and symbols often sift into Christian practices and get enmeshed with Christian celebrations. Like how Santa Claus gets mixed with Christ's birth, so bunnies get mixed in with Christ's resurrection.
That's why it is not unusual to see churches having egg hunts and giving out chocolate bunnies on Easter. But eggs and bunnies are not part of the authentic or traditional celebration of Easter-Christ's triumph is!
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Jesus said, "he who stands firm to the end will be saved" Mark 13:13.
Live Life in such a way that those who do not know Christ will come to know Him because they know you
I don't like the egg thing and the bunny thing. And definately don't like it at my church. But I don't think any of those kids looking for eggs and getting bunny stuffed animals are sitting thier thinking about baal or any other pagan god.
I agree...but how much leaven do you allow into the bread, before it's no longer un-leavened?
Thats something we idividually need to decide for ourselves. We need to read the Bible, talk to the Lord, and go about our salvation with fear and trembling. We will all sin. No doubt about it. Its every where in our lifes, from malice we show other posters on topics, to pride of winning debates on forums to road rage where we cut off drivers. Its everywhere. I would rather not see a easter egg or bunny at all, and would rather see people in thier house showing thier children that they need to pray on that day of rememberance.
Call it Easter, call it Resurrection Day (like we do at out church), I don't see anything wrong with showing our gratitude to our Lord Jesus on the day He arose from the grave. It doesn't matter to me what the "background" behind it may be becausewe're not rejoicing aboutthe pagan background.Most modern day Christians don't even know about that, so they aren't guilty of taking part in a pagan ritual.
It's Resurrection Day -- a day to be thankful for what Christ did for us. There is nothing wrong with that.
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Today' s small bucks are tomorrow' s trophies.
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Easter Is A Pagan Holiday
