exchemist
Veteran Member
In what country?
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Is Easter Pagan?
- Thread starter Riders
- Start date
I have a comment about its import to Christians. Let us momentarily suppose that egg dying is somehow historically influenced by some pagan myth (which I don't know if it is). Does this make it pagan within the Christian holiday? No, and carrying a cross does not make one a Christian either. The painted egg is an egg, and the cross is two sticks. This as always been my understanding through all phases of my journey from being a charismatic to being an official hypocrite. Its always been consistent everywhere I've talked to Christians. All evangelicals. All Catholics. All mainstream protestants. These all hold this view, generally. There are only a very few who fear that the similarity of an egg or of a tree to some pagan symbol long ago could somehow affect them. Its always a rarity for someone to think that, and to me it seems very odd. Its akin to fearing demon possession from touching something.
Moreover, why would anyone celebrate a brutal murder?
My first thought as well, but then again, we have many new members that would participate in such a thread year after year.
I didn't see them here. I'll go back and look for them again when I get to the end of the thread.
To answer the OP directly, I see no point in a Pagan diminishing the validity of a Christian holy day by making a claim to its rights.
At the end of the day, Easter isn't Pagan. Easter is Christian celebration of the resurrection of Christ that falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox. If you celebrate that, Happy Easter. If you're Pagan, I hope you had a blessed Ostara.
At the end of the day, Easter isn't Pagan. Easter is Christian celebration of the resurrection of Christ that falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox. If you celebrate that, Happy Easter. If you're Pagan, I hope you had a blessed Ostara.
I like them.
Offers great evidence that "rational sceptics" are just as gullible as those they mock on other threads whenever they are provided with emotionally and ideologically satisfying nonsense.
Obviously they are equally incapable of learning that lesson too though
The forum has a considerable number of self-identified skeptics (me included) who have significantly diverse views, so it seems to me that generalizing about them is bound to be inaccurate.
exchemist
Veteran Member
The timing is driven by the Jewish Passover so clearly has nothing to do with pagan roots - unless someone wants to propose pagan roots for the Passover itself. The Passover will also be the origin of the practice of eating lamb at Easter.
The egg business seems to be complicated. Partly it may come from the lifting of the privations of Lent, when people abstained from eggs (using them up is one explanation for the pancakes on Shrove Tuesday), but it seems that decorated eggs may have been adopted from Persian tradition by the early church, as a symbol of the rebirth associated with the Resurrection.
The Easter bunny seems to be something from German Lutheran tradition and quite recent, dating from the c.17th.
Colt
Well-Known Member
Italy. This is part 7 of an excellent thesis about how Jesus deliberately patterned his life after existing beliefs outside of Judaism so as to make the story of his life more acceptable within the Gentil world and their existing beliefs.
Augustus
…
Generalising about any group is inaccurate, but we ned to generalise about the world to some degree. Many exceptions always apply, the important thing is whether the generalisation contains enough truth to be meaningful.
On this issue, I'm highly confident that it does.
It is good that you are bucking the trend though and unlearning all the New Atheist history of religion mythology. Next one to do is the Galileo Affair
exchemist
Veteran Member
Hmm. This guy is no 1109 in the Encyclopedia of American Loons:
Encyclopedia of American Loons: Search results for robert sarmast
I don't think I'm going to watch his video.
Starlight
Spiritual but not religious, new age and omnist
Why do you ask the same question every year?
wellwisher
Well-Known Member
Christianity merged with the Empire of Rome in the 4th century AD. It became the official religion of Rome. This was a tribute to the heroism of the Christian soldiers, who fought for Rome. They were Rome's best armies any that time, fearless in battle. During this transitional time, Rome was in the driver's seat; top dog, and Christianity was an addendum; bottom dog. Rome would do what they felt was needed to benefit Rome.
Rome had a tradition of allowing its conquered countries to have a decent margin of cultural and religious self sufficiency, similar to states. However they we're still under the higher level Federal laws of Rome. They allowed these "states", to practice religions and traditions, as long as their leaders could maintain order and suppress any rebellions. This helped to work as a pacifier. Forced conformity was too labor intensive and cruel.
When Christianity appeared as the new official religion of Rome; Federal law, the old traditions of states, which had been useful for the stability of the empire, were maintained. Rome attempted to integrate the new official religion, by sharing the limelight with the traditions of the various states. Both Christians and Pagans, for example, could relate to Easter, therefore find a common ground that was good for all. Again forced conformity was not as effective when dealing with a the stability of an empire.
As the Roman Federal Church gained power and ascendancy over the secular states of Rome; Catholic Church, many of these integrating traditions were maintained, since the common culture made it much easier to preach the word to all the nations, as had been prophesied by Jesus.
Even today Christianity still allows new convert nations and peoples to practice even old witch craft traditions, unofficially, since a bridge is needed for the time being. Forcing conformity will often backfire, since it may not fit in the short term. Partial conformity is like new clothes, that just need a little breaking in until they feel comfortable.
Augustus
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Easter was copied from a Canaanite goddess via medieval England which is just about the only country where such an etymological claim would make sense? That's even more ludicrous than the Eostre nonsense.
That Easter hares (later changed to bunnies) were copied from druids makes little sense as they emerged 1000 years too late to be continuations of authentic pagan traditions and are obvious signs of springtime: 'mad march hares'
Eggs, as has been mentioned, are most likely to do with lent where people gave up animal products including eggs. As chickens keep producing eggs regardless, you end up with lots of eggs that need to be eaten
Bonus points for getting the history of Christmas wrong too
Kooky
Freedom from Sanity
I'm glad that you now feel better about your own emotionally and ideologically satisfying nonsense.
I hope this will bring you peace and understanding.
Kooky
Freedom from Sanity
The last question is a very definite no. In the Catholic Church, the day of Easter is determined by the lunisolar year, a practice they adopted from the Jews and which parallels the celebration of Pesach (though I don't know if the two fall on the same day). The day is counted from Lent, which is also calculated based on the lunisolar year. IIRC the Orthodox churches differ in that they set Lent on an earlier date than the Catholics (starting from a Monday rather than a Wednesday).
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Father Heathen
Veteran Member
You know what? You're right. I had completely forgotten about the part of the gospel where an egg laying rabbit hidden it's delights in Christ's empty tomb.......of Northern Europe.......
......which is therefore irrelevant, as Easter is a Christian festival and therefore comes from the Levant/Mediterranean. Easter is based on the Jewish Passover.
Like the Jewish Passover, it happens to occur in the N Hemisphere springtime and in Northern Europe - only - has taken a name derived from earlier tradition. In the Latin and Greek languages of the Mediterranean it is called Πάσχα, Pascua, Pâques, Pasqua....... for Passover.
It has F-all to do with pagan goddesses.