Today is the Christian High Holy Day of Pentecost as celebrated on the 50th day (the seventh Sunday) from Easter Sunday. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and other followers of Jesus Christ while they were in Jerusalem celebrating the Feast of Weeks, as described in the Acts of the Apostles 2:1–31.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmkzSjs9eAw

May we all be born anew with new Spirits of Understanding and filled with love for one another. Amen.

P.s. This thread follows on from Lent

The ancient festival of Pentecost is sacred in both Jewish and Christian tradition and it speaks both of creation and of God’s gifts. Originally it was a harvest celebration and also recalled God giving the Law to Moses on Mount Sinai. For Christians, Pentecost is the birthday of the Church, the day on which God’s Holy Spirit was poured out upon Jesus’ followers which came dramatically with the sound of a great rushing wind and flames of fire. The earliest disciples had a mystical experience of empowerment which we’ll hear about later in our reading.

So Pentecost’s a time of thanksgiving, of new beginnings, fresh starts and inspiration. These are precious gifts for which our world longs as we hope we’re beginning to move from a time of pandemic and stress and towards recovery, restoration and a renewal of energy and wisdom for the future.

All the sounds of nature can feel like a wonderful call to prayer, a reminder to turn to our maker the source of all wisdom and power to the Immortal, Invisible, God only wise.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000wbzx

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GrQJGQWfd8

Where can we get the dates for these in the Bible?

Pentecost.
Christmas.
Easter.

Eveet Holy day YAH commanded, Christians cast away. But the ones He did not command or He forbade, Christians happily and diligently practice.

AntiChristian:
Where can we get the dates for these in the Bible?

Pentecost.
Christmas.
Easter.

Christmas and Easter? They’re not even scriptural stuff to celebrate.

December 25th ain’t Jesus’ birthday. Shepherds can’t watch over their flock out in the cold unmerciful wintery night. That’s one big rat for anyone smell.

As for Easter or better still Ishtar, celebrating the fertility goddess with eggs and rabbits have nothing to do with the resurrection.


Apologies for derailing. In summary, you can’t find a celebration or date for the last two in the scriptures.

OkCornel:

Christmas and Easter? They’re not even scriptural stuff to celebrate.

December 25th ain’t Jesus’ birthday. Shepherds can’t watch over their flock out in the cold unmerciful wintery night. That’s one big rat for anyone smell.

As for Easter or better still Ishtar, celebrating the fertility goddess with eggs and rabbits have nothing to do with the resurrection.

Apologies for derailing. In summary, you can’t find a celebration or date for the last two in the scriptures.

You are not derailing. Though you really do not need to insult me with eggs and rabbits and resurrection to get my attention.

I was in Mexico once and visited the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Assumption of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven. Its foundation is on top of a great major temple dedicated to the god Quetzalcoatl and a temple dedicated to the god Huītzilōpōchtli. When some visit the Cathedral today they worship those Gods instead of the Virgin Mary. The Cathedral ensures Quetzalcoatl and Huītzilōpōchtli are forever remembered.

Ishtar was a most famous Mesopotamian goddess and a very important one at that. So important that she is commemorated in the choice of her celebrated day for Christmas, kind of like so she too is never forgotten, though many don't know about her. Its the same way Jesus is not just Jesus to those who ask and knock and seek with all their hearts and souls and minds and beings.

The Bible is like a finger that points to the moon, so when some read "[url=https://classic.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+2%3A15&version=KJV]so it can be said that out of Egypt I called my Son[/url]", some go searching in Egypt, while some don't bother at all. For it is as [url=https://classic.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+11%3A5&version=KJV]Christ is written to have said[/url], The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them", the point being, everyone receives [understanding] according to their capacity and need. It would be rather odd for the lame to receive sight, or for the lepers to hear, or the deaf be made to see, or the gospel to be preached to those who are incapable of understanding, would you not think?

You just consider if you'd have heard of Ishtar if not for the Bible and you might just get the point.

The following posts might interest you:

https://www.nairaland.com/1412636/non-christian-chatbox-sticky/221#99204937

https://www.nairaland.com/5232179/monotheism-lord-gods#79119683

budaatum:


You are not derailing. Though you really do not need to insult me with eggs and rabbits and resurrection to get my attention.

I was in Mexico once and visited the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Assumption of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven. Its foundation is on top of a great major temple dedicated to the god Quetzalcoatl and a temple dedicated to the god Huītzilōpōchtli. When some visit the Cathedral today they worship those Gods instead of the Virgin Mary. The Cathedral ensures Quetzalcoatl and Huītzilōpōchtli are forever remembered.

Ishtar was a most famous Mesopotamian goddess and a very important one at that. So important that she is commemorated in the choice of her celebrated day for Christmas, kind of like so she too is never forgotten, though many don't know about her. Its the same way Jesus is not just Jesus to those who ask and knock and seek with all their hearts and souls and minds and beings.

The Bible is like a finger that points to the moon, so when some read "[url=https://classic.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+2%3A15&version=KJV]so it can be said that out of Egypt I called my Son[/url]", some go searching in Egypt, while some don't bother at all. For it is as [url=https://classic.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+11%3A5&version=KJV]Christ is written to have said[/url], The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them", the point being, everyone receives [understanding] according to their capacity and need. It would be rather odd for the lame to receive sight, or for the lepers to hear, or the deaf be made to see, or the gospel to be preached to those who are incapable of understanding, would you not think?

You just consider if you'd have heard of Ishtar if not for the Bible and you might just get the point.

The following posts might interest you:

https://www.nairaland.com/1412636/non-christian-chatbox-sticky/221#99204937

https://www.nairaland.com/5232179/monotheism-lord-gods#79119683

Hi Buda, no insults intended. Not even sure where I misstepped with the egg and rabbit stuff to be honest.

Was only stating my understanding of the holidays with nobody in mind.

OkCornel:


Hi Buda, no insults intended. Not even sure where I misstepped with the egg and rabbit stuff to be honest.

Was only stating my understanding of the holidays with nobody in mind.

Well, you might understand that your own understanding might not be everyone else's understanding, and claiming Easter is about rabbits and eggs or even resurrection is like screaming ignorance since most Christians don't do Easter for any of those reasons.

Before Easter, see, Christians are meant to observe Lent and fast for 40 days during which they are meant to reflect and assess themselves to see things they may decide to improve.

Surely even you can see the immense benefit in an annual SWOT Analysis. No?

budaatum:


Well, you might understand that your own understanding might not be everyone else's understanding, and claiming Easter is about rabbits and eggs or even resurrection is like screaming ignorance since most Christians don't do Easter for any of those reasons.

Before Easter, see, Christians are meant to observe Lent and fast for 40 days during which they are meant to reflect and assess themselves to see things they may decide to improve.

Surely even you can see the immense benefit in an annual SWOT Analysis. No?

My point is, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus has nothing to do with the word “Easter” or “Eggs and Rabbits”. That wasn’t how the early church honoured the Lord’s day, if the Scriptures and historical records of the early church Fathers is anything to go by.

Pagan customs were syncretised with the faith by you know who…and boom! Here we are.

OkCornel:

My point is, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus has nothing to do with the word “Easter” or “Eggs and Rabbits”. That wasn’t how the early church honoured the Lord’s day of the Scriptures and historical records of the early church Fathers is anything to go by.

Pagan customs were syncretised with the faith by you know who…and boom! Here we are.

I showed you first how what might be called 'pagan' Quetzalcoatl and Huītzilōpōchtli were syncretised into the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Assumption of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven. One of the links shows how Jesus is syncretised into 'pagan' Egypt. So why do you seem to have the impression that syncretism is a negative thing?

The word "celebrating" is being narrowly defined by you. The process starts with 40 days of fasting, prayer and penance before Easter and is the culmination of the Passion of Jesus. Easter Day itself is simply a commemoration, like an annual reminder to go through the process.

But I guess you will need to get your head from out of God's ass in order to understand. Go on, try it. Go atheist on me instead of believing crap and then tell me what you understand.

budaatum:

I showed you first how what might be called 'pagan' Quetzalcoatl and Huītzilōpōchtli were syncretised into the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Assumption of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven. One of the links shows how Jesus is syncretised into 'pagan' Egypt. So why do you seem to have the impression that syncretism is a negative thing?

The word "celebrating" is being narrowly defined by you. The process starts with 40 days of fasting, prayer and penance before Easter and is the culmination of the Passion of Jesus. Easter Day itself is simply a commemoration, like an annual reminder to go through the process.

But I guess you will need to get your head from out of God's ass in order to understand. Go on, try it. Go atheist on me instead of believing crap and then tell me what you understand.

Syncretism isn’t outrightly bad, it depends on what is being mixed. Do the components complement each other perfectly or are they mutually exclusive?

To what purpose is there mixing poison with edible food?

What is the logic or connection between the day Jesus rose from the dead, and the fertility goddess Ishtar?

OkCornel:

Syncretism isn’t outrightly bad, it depends on what is being mixed. Do the components complement each other perfectly or are they mutually exclusive?

Is it not up to me to decide whether "components complement each other perfectly or are mutually exclusive", and to determine how I mix them so long as my soul is edified and my God is glorified ?

OkCornel:
To what purpose is there mixing poison with edible food?

Why and how have you determined one is "poison and the other is edible food"?

Would I not profit from an understanding of both?

OkCornel:
What is the logic or connection between the day Jesus rose from the dead, and the fertility goddess Ishtar?

"The connection between the day Jesus rose from the dead, and the fertility goddess Ishtar", is to be made with one's own understanding.

For a clue, as a seed must die in order to sprout up a new fertile plant, so must one die, it is written, in order to be born again.

The actual day is irrelevant. One can choose any day one wants to die and be reborn by the authority conferred on one.