Why do Christians embrace the Easter Bunny and other Pagan Symbols?

Question

Easter is named after a Pagan Goddess of Spring.

Answer 1

The word "Easter" comes from a pagan figure called Eastre (or Eostre) who was celebrated as the goddess of spring by the Saxons of Northern Europe. A festival called Eastre was held during the spring equinox by these people to honor her. The goddess Eastre’s earthly symbol was the rabbit, which was also known as a symbol of fertility. Since rabbits and hares give birth to large litters in the early spring, it’s understandable that the rabbit is the symbol of fertility.



The legend of the Easter Bunny bringing eggs appears to have been brought to the United States by settlers from southwestern Germany. The German tradition of the Easter Bunny or “Oschter Haws” migrated to America in the 1800s, likely accompanying German immigrants, many of whom settled in Pennsylvania. Over the past 200 years, the Easter Bunny has become the most commercially recognized symbol of Easter.



In legend, the Easter Bunny, also called the Easter Hare and the Spring Bunny, brings baskets filled with colored eggs, candy, and sometimes toys to the homes of children on the night before Easter, in much the same way as Santa Claus is said to deliver presents on Christmas Eve. The Easter Bunny will either put the baskets in a designated place or hide them somewhere in the house or garden for the children to find when they wake up in the morning, giving rise to the tradition of the Easter egg hunt.



Should Christian parents allow their children to participate in traditional activities that refer to the Easter Bunny? This is a question both parents and church leaders struggle with. There is nothing essentially evil about the Easter Bunny, unless it is used to promote the goddess of spring or fertility rites. What is important is our focus. If our focus is on Christ and not the Easter Bunny, our children will understand that, like Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny is merely a symbol. As with Christmas, Easter should be a time to reflect upon and celebrate the incarnation, the resurrection and the risen Christ.



http://www.gotquestions.org/easter-bunny-eggs.html





The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus

By: Gary R. Habermas, Michael R. Licona

http://www.christianbook.com/the-case-for-the-resurrection-jesus/gary-habermas/9780825427886/pd/427886?event=AFF&p=1011693&

Answer 2

This is a good example of how urban legends work. Tell a lie loud enough, and often enough, and people will begin to believe it and cite it as "truth" and authority.



Apart from one mention in the Venerable Bede's scientific treatise, De Temporarum Ratione, there is absolutely no evidence for a Germanic goddess with a name in any way resembling the word Easter. Every other recorded use of the term is in a Christian context. Rather than the term being derived from a goddess, the supposed goddess is derived from the term. She was postulated by certain 19th century Germanic scholars in an attempt to explain the etymology of the word. These same scholars (foremost among them the Grimm brothers, famous for their folk-tale collections and less well-known as the discoverers of the "Indo-European" linguistic family) had a very definite nationalist/ethnic agenda in which they were trying to rediscover the "real" roots of German culture. Thus the folk-tale collection's avowed purpose was to search for "survivals" of pre-Christian Germanic religion and culture.



The later connection of this invented figure to Astarte was sheer fundamentalist propaganda based on a coincidental similarity in sound.



In most languages the word for Easter is exactly the same as the word for Passover, so the relationship between the feast of Passover and the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is directly linked. A few examples are; Latin Pascha, French Pâques, Italian Pasqua, and Dutch Pasen. All these words mean both Easter and Passover, only the context formulates the difference. With the exception of English and German, all other European languages do not have a separate word for Easter and Passover, but simply use a single term derived from Pesach, the Hebrew word for Passover.



In one way this is an advantage to the foreign believer who immediately associates Jesus Christ as the Passover Lamb. Whether a believer is reading the New or Old Testament, the association between Christ and the Passover is clearly seen. This was also the case in the original Greek language which uses the word Pascha for both Passover and the resurrection of Christ. This has been the same for 2000 years in Greek. If you look up a modern Greek dictionary it will tell you that Pascha means Easter and Passover. This was also the case in English until Tyndale coined the term Passover. But as we shall see, the English rendition of Easter and Passover in the King James Bible is superior and needs to be exalted into its rightful place in English bible versions and dictionaries again.



This does not conclude that the English is superior to the original Greek, which is Ruckmanism, but in this particular instance there is a special feature in the English translation, which is also made clear in the Greek when read in context, but is made especially clear by the scholarship of the KJV translators. Just as most bibles include things like capitalization of deity and having the words of Christ in red, so too did the KJV translators make the OT Passover and NT Easter easier for the reader to understand in context.

Answer 3

In the early years of Christianity, the priests would embrace the celebrations of the pagans they were trying to convert in order to make it easier for the conversion. They put christian meanings with pagan symbols and actions. They thought that after a few generations the celebrations would be forgotten but they were wrong. In many ways the celebrations are clinged to with more determination that the base beliefs that the priests were trying to instill. While many do not remember the real meaning of the celebrations and symbols they still see them as important regardless of what the christians say.



I like to see it as the people hearing the voices of the God and the Goddess even after the intense brain washing that Christianity has put them through generation after generation.

Answer 4

I think Christians main focus in Easter ,is The last supper ( Jesus LAST passover meal as he was a Jew)

The Crucifixion, death , then resurrection. This what they base their whole faith on for the last 2 thousand years . I believe iam not for certain , that the earliest account recorded by was first or second century Christians have been observing this .When Constiane got in the picture and made the first Christian religion , the Christians from my understanding started to separate more from their Jewish faith . The definition of Christian is follower of Christ not Roman Catholicism, although the Catholics are Christians . Prior to the Catholicism Christians were what the definition means , and they were Still Jewish , They were Jedeo Christians .The date for Christ Resurrection day or Passover wicth is the Correct term for it, is based of around the time when the Jesus last Passover meal took place.its was during the Last supper that Jesus told his disciples to due this in remembrance of me . The whole ritual as Christians would call Holy communion is based off of this .Christian are to r ember his death . So, what does Easter bunny and eggs have to due with all of this ? absolutely nothing. The Jewish passover falls around the same time that a pagan festival some time in history took place (sorry don't have accurate dates), The Christian observe this day as a movable feast as the date changes from year to year they purposefully mean for it to coincide with pass over not pagan festivals , so then why call this Easter instead of the correct term.for starters Only English speaking countries call this day Easter. All other Christians call it pasha or Christ resurrection day .Down the line pagans rituals get mixed in with Christian practices , i believe it wasn't until 1600s that Christians started this whole Easter egg bit ect.. Iam not sure ecatly how it blended could have been to get more converts by choice or force , simply because pagans would have held their celebrations around this time while the Jewish have their passover.or when pagans converted by choice , held on to their rituals. take your pick .The point is Easter for Christians dint start out this way , I cant say for sure but i doubt Jesus would have approved of this.

So why don't Christians call this by its correct term ? or take part of rituals wicth have no barring on a Church service or holy communion, Because they have become accustomed to call it Easter and too hide eggs.Because their parents di and the grand parents ect.. did something pagan LOL. AND it been pass down .Most people who go to Church on Easter Sunday know it has nothing to due with anything .Their children believe in the Easter bunny just a silly ritual and who doesn't like chocolate ect.. ? Easter isn't the correct term for the fertility goddess or for the Christian holiday .

so i don't think it makes a difference Christians aren't worshiping anything other than Jesus and the Atheist aren't worshiping it either they may due Easter as in eggs ect..so TOO me Easter nothing more than a cultural thing unless your worshiping that goddess or going to Church .(since the name was changed from pasha or Christ resurrection day for English speakers .

Let the Christians have their day . who cares if they eat Chocolate bunnies .let everyone have their day we all as humans have a right to it . we all are apart of nature , spring so who cares .They are just worshiping the God who they believe created Spring so that the pagans would have something to worship LOL. (just joking)

Answer 5

True Christians do not, they detest / loath / despise / hate the PAGAN festival of Istar (Easter), the Istar Bunny and every other kind of PAGAN symbol. True Christians also feel the exact same way concerning, the PAGAN practice of annually celebrating birthdays, Christmas, Valentines Day, Halloween and a whole slew of other PAGAN trash.



CHRISTENDOM on the other hand (which merely professes to be Christian) happily partakes in such things and couldn't care less about God almighty's or Christ's feelings on the matter. Christendom cares about what feels good to it's clergy and members, so long as God and Christ DON'T get in the way of THAT... Everything is all good to them.





"Now this is the basis for judgment, that the light has come into the world but men have loved the darkness rather than the light, for their works were wicked. For he that practices vile things hates the light and does not come to the light, in order that his works may not be reproved. But he that does what is true comes to the light, in order that his works may be made manifest as having been worked in harmony with God.”

~ John 3:19-21 (New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures)



2 Timothy 3:1-5 is describing the personality traits of CHRISTENDOM (which professes to be Christian):



"You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, SCOFFING AT GOD, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and HATE WHAT IS GOOD. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, AND LOVE PLEASURE RATHER THAN GOD. They will ACT RELIGIOUS, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!"

~ 2 Timothy 3:1-5 (New Living Translation)

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20timothy%203:1-5&version=NLT





I absolutely, positively utterly REFUSE to call the members of CHRISTENDOM Christian.



Keep in mind that the Bible DOES reveal that MANY of God and Christ's "sheep" are "lost" within Babylon the Great (the world empire of false religion of which Christendom is at the head) and these are admonished by God almighty Himself to heed the words of Revelation 18:4 BEFORE God brings about the end of the great harlot. They must GET OUT of false religion and join with God's true worshipers in the only true, unified worldwide CHRISTIAN congregation of JEHOVAH'S Witnesses (http://bit.ly/hi98GD ).



Ciao

Answer 6

Christ was impaled on Passover / Nisan 14 of the Jewish calendar.

This was a yearly Jewish celebration, near but not often (if ever it is only by coincidence) on the same date as the pagan celebration of Easter. So, those who truly follow Christ avoid doing as you suggest, choosing to commemorate Christ's death on the equivalent of Nisan 14 every year. The evening is when each day begins on the Jewish calendar, so it is the evening following the day of Nisan 13 when the memorial of Christ's death is celebrated by true Christians.



Those who celebrate Easter to commemorate Christ's resurrection have been taught to do so by the churches, which adopted the date & festivities of pagan religion to gain more converts . . .



The book 'Medieval Holidays and Festivals' tells us that “the holiday is named after the pagan Goddess of the Dawn and of Spring, Eostre"---"Who, according to the legend, opened the portals of Valhalla to receive Baldur, called the White God, because of his purity and also the Sun God, because his brow supplied light to mankind,” says 'The American Book of Days', adding, "There is no doubt that the Church in its early days adopted the old pagan customs and gave a Christian meaning to them. As the festival of Eostre was in celebration of the renewal of life."

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Answer 7

Because they weren't creative in any of the formations of the religion and they have to distract their followers with pretty eggs, candy, and bunnies because the holiday was based on a man becoming a zombie.

Answer 8

When you grow up with something it becomes engrained in your mind. Just like parents have passed on religion from generation to generation and people don;t question it. Only now people are finally taking a good look and many don't like what they see.

Answer 9

Because they do not realize the true origins of their religion and just go with the flow

Answer 10

Because they do not "worship with spirit and truth" as Jesus said true followers will.

Answer 11

at first i didn't know, i had no idead easter was really the ressurrection of jesus.... they're trying to cover him up.