Modern-day Easter is derived from two ancient traditions: one Judeo-Christian and the other Pagan. Both Christians and Pagans have celebrated death and resurrection themes following the Spring Equinox for millennia. Most religious historians believe that many elements of the Christian observance of Easter were derived from earlier Pagan celebrations.

The equinox occurs each year on March 20, 21 or 22. Both Neopagans and Christians continue to celebrate religious rituals linked to the equinox in the present day. Wiccans and other Neopagans usually hold their celebrations on the day or eve of the equinox. Western Christians wait until the Sunday on or after the next full moon.

http://www.religioustolerance.org/easter.htm

Palm Sunday, Holy Monday - Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, Easter Sunday? Where is the scriptural precedent?

Like I wrote in another thread, the counter girl at my DVD club was looking under the weather today.  When I asked her what was wrong she said she was sad because Jesus is going to die tomorrow.   

I couldn't agree with you more. Besides, what is holy about Thursday, Friday, Sunday, or Monday for that matter? Who declared them holy, and by whose or what authority?

So far I have not heard a reliable offering on the matter.

Kobe24:

for those whose research or beliefs have landed them to conclude that easter has pagan origins, let them not celebrate.

If by celebrate you mean attend dead ritualist mass and sitting at the feet of a cross to mourn the death of our risen Saviour, then no, I will not "celebrate"

Bobbyaf:

I couldn't agree with you more. Besides, what is holy about Thursday, Friday, Sunday, or Monday for that matter? Who declared them holy, and by whose or what authority?

If Christians cannot live holy EVERYDAY of their lives, where does the argument lead?

Many people have different perspective of what they think their religion is all about. People who go about arguing about what is in the bible or not are most times missing the point. Easter is not a pagan celebration. It is a reminder of the death of Jesus. Celebrating easter or not does not matter. What matters is living a godly life.

Wrong!!!

Easter IS a pagan name derived from ancient roots. Talk about a sweet in the gutter, ( Seems tasty but ugh! disgusting!) Christ, when with his disciples on the night of the Passover (Nisan 14) told 11 of his disciples to keep "doing this in remembrance of me." Some other so-called "Christian" celebrations which aren't Biblical are celebrated,
Please people, read for yourselves the fact by the studying these customs and you'll see that a huge majority aren't biblical.

Peace.

Christianity is just a 'modern' manifestation of pagan ideals.

@ Stimulus

If Christians cannot live holy EVERYDAY of their lives, where does the argument lead?

Is anyone in this thread debating that? Stick to the thread topic!

@ Firestar

Wrong!!!

Easter IS a pagan name derived from ancient roots. Talk about a sweet in the gutter, ( Seems tasty but ugh! disgusting!) Christ, when with his disciples on the night of the Passover (Nisan 14) told 11 of his disciples to keep "doing this in remembrance of me." Some other so-called "Christian" celebrations which aren't Biblical are celebrated,
Please people, read for yourselves the fact by the studying these customs and you'll see that a huge majority aren't biblical.

Peace.

Exactly! Most of the traditions we find in christendome today have been implanted by men and not God, and some persons seem bent on not seeing the truth about such things. To them its all right as long as you call upon Jesus.

Bobbyaf:

@ Stimulus

Is anyone in this thread debating that? Stick to the thread topic!

If you can read, my point is exactly on the topic.

Bobbyaf:

@ Firestar

Exactly! Most of the traditions we find in christendome today have been implanted by men and not God, and some persons seem bent on not seeing the truth about such things. To them its all right as long as you call upon Jesus.

Let who is without Sin be the first to cast the stone!
Stop picking the speck in other peoples eyes and yet you stand as the greatest culprit.

Let who is without Sin be the first to cast the stone!
Stop picking the speck in other peoples eyes and yet you stand as the greatest culprit.

Hahahah, what does having sin, or not having sin have to do with this topic? When does pointing out something as important as the thread is intended to do, picking the speck in other people's eyes? If you don't agree with what we have to say then simply say so and move on, but don't give the false impression that because people have something to share with others, that they are some how judging others.

The point is that, whoever is celebrating or not celebrating any day, it is to the Lord they do so.

Romans 14 -

[b]⁵[/b]One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.

[b]⁶[/b]He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.

[b]¹⁰[/b]But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

[b]¹³[/b]Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.

Christianity is an ancient pagan religion, and this is seen in ALL her tenets. ALL her philosophies, ALL her creeds, and ALL the beliefs that Christians hold.

The concept of a saviour god/man is based on pagan beliefs.

The concept of hell is based on pagan beliefs.

The concept of a devil aka Satan is based on pagan beliefs.

The concept of heaven is based on pagan beliefs.

Christmas is based on pagan beliefs.

Baptism is based on pagan beliefs, ancient water purification rites were the virtual definition of mediterranean paganism long before the invention of Christianity.

The Sabbath is based on pagan beliefs.

The virgin birth is based on pagan beliefs.

The story of the resurrection of Christ is based on ancient pagan beliefs.

Individual salvation based on one's good works is based on pagan beliefs.

And on and on it goes.

Christianity is an ancient pagan religion masquerading as something different.

Do not be fooled by what priests in fancy gowns say - all they're after is your money - and your mind.

Jen33, are you a Christian, Muslim or Pagan? Please unveil yourself and substantiate your frivolous claims of everything in Christianity being pagan

nossycheek, I'm not a member of any particular religion and I believe in God.

To learn about the pagan roots of ALL Christian teachings visit:

http://www.medmalexperts.com/POCM/index.html

You'll need to spend a good hour or two there to grasp the reality of the situation.

Jen33:

nossycheek, I'm not a member of any particular religion and I believe in God.

To learn about the pagan roots of ALL Christian teachings visit:

http://www.medmalexperts.com/POCM/index.html

You'll need to spend a good hour or two there to grasp the reality of the situation.

JEN!!

At your service, Trini girl.

This only shows that paganism is a spritually far superior form of religion than both christianity and islam.

Jen33:

Christianity is an ancient pagan religion, and this is seen in ALL her tenets. ALL her philosophies, ALL her creeds, and ALL the beliefs that Christians hold.

The concept of a saviour god/man is based on pagan beliefs.

The concept of hell is based on pagan beliefs.

The concept of a devil aka Satan is based on pagan beliefs.

The concept of heaven is based on pagan beliefs.

Christmas is based on pagan beliefs.

Baptism is based on pagan beliefs, ancient water purification rites were the virtual definition of mediterranean paganism long before the invention of Christianity.

The Sabbath is based on pagan beliefs.

The virgin birth is based on pagan beliefs.

The story of the resurrection of Christ is based on ancient pagan beliefs.

Individual salvation based on one's good works is based on pagan beliefs.

And on and on it goes.

Christianity is an ancient pagan religion masquerading as something different.

Do not be fooled by what priests in fancy gowns say - all they're after is your money - and your mind.

Hey!

Can we get back to the TOD please. People have to know the accurate truth, not some half-facts. The thing is what are people actually doing about it, ( Or, are people that blindfolded not to see whats right under their noses all this while?) Sometimes, I ask some who celebrate this custom to show me where exactly they got the word EASTER from the bible.
As well as other "so called celebrated doctrines" termed to be Christian but are not.

The sooner people get to know this and ACT on them, the sooner middlemen realizes that marketing strategies in making bunnies, eggs and others wont sell in the name of true Christianity.

Peace.

The truth is that those so-called wise and prudent theologians know absolutely nothing about the so-called resurrection simply because it never happened. Easter, or the celebration of the resurrection, is merely a tradition, a tradition that you have been taught from childhood, and coming into maturity you have accepted it because that is what you were taught. That is what you read bout. That is what your parents made you observed every Easter Sunday. Thus, you continued to go along with it and before you knew it, you had carelessly assumed what you now believe without question or proof. Easter is the feast of feasts celebrated in honor of the risen Christ. You have even reached the point where you will defend vigorously and emotionally your belief, a belief that can lead you straight to hell.
It has become human nature to flow with the stream, and to go along with the crowd, to believe and perform like those around you. And, even when you stumble on the truth, you will not believe because like the majority of the people, you stubbornly refuse to believe what you are unwilling to believe. There is an old saying that says:He who is convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.

Many Christians are aware that the word “Easter” does not occur in the original Hebrew and Greek manuscripts. As a matter of fact, the only place it can be found in an English version of the Bible is in the King James Version, which reads:

Acts 12:4 (KJV)
And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.

This passage describes Herod’s plan to have Peter put to death “after Easter.” The Greek word for “Easter” is pascha, which refers to the Jewish Passover festival celebrated from the 14th to the 21st of Nisan (Exod. 12:18). In the case of the KJV, it seems that “the Acts of the Apostles had fallen into the hands of a translator who acted on the principle of choosing, not the most correct, but the most familiar equivalents.” [1] In this case, the fact that Easter was familiar to 17th century readers explains how the word got into the KJV, but it does not help us understand that the Passover and Easter are two different things, and that what Acts refers to is the Passover, not “Easter.” Modern versions of the Bible all translate pascha as “Passover.”

What we know today as the Easter festival developed after the New Testament period. The New Testament does not mention a Christian festival in which the death and resurrection of Christ were celebrated, but what we do see is that some of the earliest Christians continued to hold the Passover feast. As late as Paul’s trip to Jerusalem in which he was arrested and jailed, which was in the late 50’s AD, or 30 years after the birth of the Christian Church, many Christians in Jerusalem were proud of the fact that they kept the Law.

Acts 21:20 (NIV)
When they heard this, they praised God. Then they said to Paul: “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law.

It was common for these “zealous” Christians to maintain their adherence to the Law by observing the Passover feast, which became a feast of commemoration. It was no longer a time of waiting for future atonement with God, but of remembering that He had provided the payment for the sins of His people through Christ. This was a very sensitive topic for early Christians, because not all Jews who converted to Christianity were comfortable with the idea that Christ had fulfilled the law and they no longer were required to keep it. The Church Epistles later given by the Lord to Paul made clear that participating in the Jewish feasts was no longer necessary (Col. 2:16-17). Paul had ruffled a few feathers by teaching things like “circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything” (Gal. 6:15). The charge that Paul was teaching converts to “turn away from Moses” put the whole city of Jerusalem in an uproar and resulted in his arrest (Acts 21:21).

While many Jews who became Christians retained the custom of keeping the Passover feast, it was less likely that the Gentile converts would be attracted to keeping a festival that was not actually required by God. As Christianity began to spread through the ancient world, Gentile Christians began to celebrate the death and resurrection of Christ in a less Jewish way. Unfortunately, as was often the case with Jewish-Gentile disputes, many of the forces guiding Christianity were radically opposite of those desiring to maintain the Jewish roots of Christianity. Eventually, the celebration of the death and resurrection of Christ was infused with elements that have little to do with the Jewish feasts or the actual events of Christ’s death.

Date Controversies

For centuries, the date for the celebration of the resurrection of Christ was hotly disputed. The earliest Jewish Christians, primarily those in Israel, Syria, and the East, naturally wanted to celebrate on the 14th of Nisan, the date of the Passover. “Churches in Asia Minor (following the Johannine tradition that the death of Jesus occurred at the time of the slaying of the Passover lambs) celebrated the Christian Pascha on 14/15 Nisan, regardless of the day of the week on which this date might fall.” [2] This practice presented an interesting situation for the Church. Those Christians who maintained the Jewish date looked to the Jews to determine it. “In Judaism, the calendar is lunar. Each month, Nisan included, includes the phases of the moon, and the Passover falls on the 14th day of the month, that is, the full moon.


The word “Easter” was essentially adopted by the Church from paganism.
The determination of this date was a secret process jealously guarded in the Jewish Temple and later, synagogues, and it was according to this calculation that Christ observed the feast.” [3] In order to celebrate the death and resurrection of Christ on the actual Passover date for a given year, the Church would have to rely on the Jews, something they were not willing to do. Not only would the Church have to acquire the date from the Jews, but the fact that the 14th of Nisan could be on any day of the week did not appeal to them either.

“The Hebrew Passover falls on any day of the week, and this did not suit the Christians. They wanted a Holy Week beginning with Palm Sunday, proceeding to Good Friday and ending on Easter Sunday, commemorating the resurrection.” [4] Those Christians who fought to celebrate Easter on the 14th of Nisan were known as “Quarto-decimanians,” most of whom lived in the Eastern part of the Roman Empire. “The Western Christians observed Easter on a Sunday, the Eastern in many cases were Quartodecimanians and preferred the 14th day of the lunar month. It was a foretaste of the schism that was to split the Eastern Orthodox Church from the Roman Catholic.” [5] The date for celebrating the resurrection was thus included amidst the great Christological controversies at the Council of Nicaea in 325. When Jesus Became God, by Richard Rubenstein, describes the atmosphere of the Nicene council.

“One underlying question was this: To what extent were the values and customs of the ancient world still valid guides to thinking and action in a Christian empire? Some Christians, among them were Arius and Eusebius of Nicodemia, had a stronger sense of historical continuity than others…By contrast, the strongest anti-Arians experienced their present as a sharp break with the past. It was they who demanded, in effect, that Christianity be ‘updated’ by blurring or even obliterating the long-accepted distinction between the Father and the Son.” [6]

In the same spirit of breaking with the past, the council unanimously decided that the Resurrection celebration would not be on the Jewish date, but would fall on the Sunday following the full moon after the vernal equinox. Interestingly, the Sunday celebration actually still allowed for the possibility that the Church would celebrate on the same day as the Jews. Once again, the East and the West handled the situation differently. The West established a rule that if the date matched the Jewish Passover, the Church would wait another week to celebrate. Conversely, the East continued to celebrate even if the day coincided with Passover.

To this day there is still disagreement concerning the date of the Easter celebration. The Protestant and Roman Catholic dates of Easter coincide, but, due to a different method of calculation, the Eastern Orthodox Church’s observance can be up to five weeks different than the Western churches. Desire for Christian unity has in recent years brought forth the idea of a universal fixed date for all Christian churches.

Pagan Elements

It is no secret that much of the modern Easter celebration has developed from pagan sources. The word “Easter” itself was essentially adopted by the Church from paganism.

The English word Easter and the German Ostern come from a common origin (Eostur, Eastur, Ostara, Ostar), which to the Norsemen meant the season of the rising (growing) sun, the season of new birth. The word was used by our ancestors to designate the Feast of New Life in the spring. The same root is found in the name for the place where the sun rises (East, Ost). The word Easter, then, originally meant the celebration of the spring sun, which had its birth in the East and brought new life upon earth. This symbolism was transferred to the supernatural meaning of our Easter…” [7]

Another common view taught by Bede, the English historian of the early 8th century, is that the word derives from “Eastre,” a Teutonic goddess of Spring who received offerings in the month of April. While both explanations are plausible, it is clear that the word “Easter” is anything but biblical.

The Encyclopedic Dictionary of Religion states that the custom of Easter eggs may be based upon ancient fertility cults (Indo-European), the Persian association of eggs and spring, or the fact that some early Christians abstained from eggs during Lent. [8] It is not hard to see how Christians could have adopted the egg as a symbol of the tomb of Christ, or even their new life in him. Further, the rabbit is pre-Christian and represents fertility due to its rapid rate of reproduction. The rabbit has not actually been adopted as a part of the “Christian” celebration of Easter, but it has become a common symbol of the day in many cultures. Much like Christmas, the celebration of Easter has diverged greatly from the original remembrance of our Lord’s death on the 14th of Nisan.

Balance

As modern Christians, we must decide how to engage a world that has lost interest in the true origins of our faith. Should we condemn modern holidays as pagan abominations? Or should we wholeheartedly accept our culture with an attitude of concession? As with so much in our modern world, we are to find a balance that allows us to exercise true spirituality and yet still engage the culture in which we find ourselves.

Imagine telling your loved ones at Christmas, “I’m sorry, I don’t give gifts because I’m a Christian.” Or on Easter, “I don’t celebrate the resurrection of the Lord on Easter because I’m not a pagan.” Clearly, there is some level of absurdity that can be reached by trying to avoid all the non-Christian elements of our culture. For example, in an article published by The Restored Church of God titled “The True Origin of Easter,” the author correctly identifies the pagan elements of the modern Easter celebration, but we believe he goes too far in his zeal to avoid them. Concerning sunrise services, he states, “Observing sunrise services is serious to God! He so hates this vile practice that he will ultimately destroy all who persist in it (Ezek. 9)!” [9] Can this be the same God who inspired the following scripture?

1 Corinthians 8:7 and 8 (NIV)
“…Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat such food they think of it as having been sacrificed to an idol, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.

God has revealed that it is not an outward demonstration that He requires, but the inward dedication of the heart. We know that God did not raise Jesus from the dead on Sunday morning (it was actually Saturday between 3pm and sunset), but does God not honor the hearts of people who trouble themselves to get up in the dark on Easter Sunday, get dressed, and go to a gathering place to pray, sing, and affirm the resurrection of the Lord? We believe He does.

The Bible uses an interesting word to refer to our ability to relate to things it does not specifically mention—freedom (1 Cor. 8:9)! Remember, with freedom comes responsibility. It is not a sin to have a Christmas tree, or to hide some eggs out in the back yard for the children to find. Please understand, we are not saying that knowing the truth is not valuable, but we feel you can know the truth and still celebrate many modern customs. For example, a Christian can know that Christ was not born in December and that no early Christians had Christmas trees, and still have a Christmas tree of his own. He can know that Christ was crucified on the Jewish Passover but still show his devotion to the Lord in a Sunrise Service. What we as Christians must do is to teach ourselves and others the true freedom that Christ has given us. Many Christians are very blessed to take the opportunity that Easter provides to honor the Lord and his resurrection, and we think that is just fine with God (and the Lord Jesus).

As we consider what honoring the Lord will look like this season, it may be helpful to remember the words of Paul in Romans.

Romans 14:5 and 6 (NIV)
One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord.

God has given us freedom from all kinds of bondage. Do not let the true meaning of this Easter season be lost to you in a secular sea of eggs and rabbits (and chocolate—which early Christians did not have), but remember that much of the true meaning of the death and resurrection of the Lord is about the freedom we now have to celebrate that from our hearts, and pray and sing to bless and honor him, even if we do it on a day that is not actually “Passover.” May we praise the Lord every day, forever and ever.

@silent1,

Thanks for that input. Blessings.

@Horus,

Yes, we've heard it all. Question: What has your "black jesus" done for YOU?

@ Thesilent1

Thanks for that imput! I have always stressed that one needs to watch out for translational errors, because these have a lot to do with the continuing confusion in christendome.

@thesilent1,

thesilent1:

Many Christians are aware that the word “Easter” does not occur in the original Hebrew and Greek manuscripts. As a matter of fact, the only place it can be found in an English version of - - -

God has given us freedom from all kinds of bondage. Do not let the true meaning of this Easter season be lost to you in a secular sea of eggs and rabbits (and chocolate—which early Christians did not have), but remember that much of the true meaning of the death and resurrection of the Lord is about the freedom we now have to celebrate that from our hearts, and pray and sing to bless and honor him, even if we do it on a day that is not actually “Passover.” May we praise the Lord every day, forever and ever.

http://www.truthortradition.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=494

Cheers.

Not only the word “Ester” that you can not find in the Bible, other Christian Dogma like Trinity, Christmas, Christianity, Christian & Hallelujah are all inserted through the numerous edition, re- edition and re-re- edition and re-re-re- ……………. of the Bible. .

By the way can anyone tell me the meaning of Halleluiah, (i.e. when Christian says Praise the Lord the invocation that follows) is it English, Greek? Hebrew or Spanish.

@MC Usman,

MC Usman:

Not only the word “Ester” that you can not find in the Bible,

True, 'Ester' cannot be found in the Bible; but we don't know what that word means!

Okay, was just teasing you - I guess you meant Easter!

MC Usman:

other Christian Dogma like Trinity, Christmas, Christianity, Christian & Hallelujah are all inserted through the numerous edition, re- edition and re-re- edition and re-re-re- ……………. of the Bible. .

Rather than make alleagtions, please pick up a Bible and read it!

Let me use the example of a word in your quote:  'Christian'. Two verses should encourage you to read it for yourself:

Acts 26:28
Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.

1 Peter 4:16
Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed;
but let him glorify God on this behalf.

You may allege all sorts of things against the Bible; but when you do so, please be rational enough to make sense where honesty is the watchword.

Now with regards to the Trinity, do you care to enter a discussion for a spirited debate theretto?

I have offered invitations several times to a few Muslims including babs787 and olabowale - and they have never disappointed me in typically scooting off and ducking that invitation. All I would require from you (if you'd be willing to enter that discussion) is that you gather yourself together and be man enough to stay your course instead of making roundabout excuses and then vamoose like the others have. Do you care for that, MC Usman?

Now when it comes to the exculpations of a word never appearing in the Bible, we don't make fusses about it. We can also argue that Muhammad is never in the Bible - and thereby use that same argument to show that the Qur'an is false in its claims that we should find Muhammed in any verse of the Bible. 

- - -
If the 'Trinity' is false because it is not a word that appears in the Bible, then 'Muhammad' is also false because he does not appear in the Bible as well!
- - -

Whenever you're using these cheap arguments of "this-that-and-the-other-word" is not in the Bible, then remember to also add that Muhammad is not in the Bible - and if those things are false because they are not in the Bible, then again Muhammad is false because his name is not in the Bible!!

I think you Muslims should learn to respect the fact that some Christians take exception to your incessant derision of Christian convictions - and if you do not like to read some disaffectionate remarks about Muhammad and Allah, then you ought to show deference and complaisance to Christian convictions - especially about the Trinity!

MC Usman:

By the way can anyone tell me the meaning of Halleluiah, (i.e. when Christian says Praise the Lord the invocation that follows) is it English, Greek? Hebrew or Spanish.

Pretending like you do not know? Can you tell me if 'God' is also Greek?

MC Usman:
By the way can anyone tell me the meaning of Halleluiah, (i.e. when Christian says Praise the Lord the invocation that follows) is it English, Greek? Hebrew or Spanish.

Halleluiah is hiding the name Haylal.
Haylal is one of the many name of the Evil one Alias Satan, Iblis, Shaytan, Sama'el, Khannaas,and his many other names.
In fact Christians are praising the Evil one when they sing Halleluiah,and they are not even aware of it.

See, Sincerely I think Only JEHOVAH WITNESSES are practicing truth christainity.