Easter, by any other name.

[Nancyer]

Our Pastor refers to it as Resurrection Sunday, not Easter. We did have a Kid's Day, on Saturday with an egg hunt, crafts and bbq'd hot dogs, but we also had a story time and told the story of the resurrection to the kids, about 30. We then gave them all a book about Jesus and The Good News. All in all a very positive day. But Sunday was Resurrection Sunday; Sunrise Service and Traditional Service. All about Jesus, the Resurrection and Jesus' Teachings. Beautiful.

 

[ob77]

Okay alright. the English word Easter comes from German and the pagan Germans worshiped some false god and they used the egg to represent its dying in winter and return in spring and the bunny or rabbit as the produce wildly in the spring. I meant if you have two rabbits in a month you will have 45 rabbits, so to speak. The life of a rabbit. But is was introduced to the church saying that a chicken when born left behind a empty tomb, speaking of the egg. I would rather the whole thing be left out. But does your church have a druid Christmas tree come December 25. The question is where is your faith.

I do not have a 'Christmas tree". Although the tree of life is an evergreen, and the tribes of Israel, all have that tree.

 

[Hizikyah]

Our Pastor refers to it as Resurrection Sunday, not Easter. We did have a Kid's Day, on Saturday with an egg hunt, crafts and bbq'd hot dogs, but we also had a story time and told the story of the resurrection to the kids, about 30. We then gave them all a book about Jesus and The Good News. All in all a very positive day. But Sunday was Resurrection Sunday; Sunrise Service and Traditional Service. All about Jesus, the Resurrection and Jesus' Teachings. Beautiful.

How can we get three days and three night from Friday to Sunday?

http://christianchat.com/bible-discussion-forum/89812-do-we-even-care-about-truth.html

 

[ob77]

How can we get three days and three night from Friday to Sunday?

http://christianchat.com/bible-discussion-forum/89812-do-we-even-care-about-truth.html

Why is it that people do not listen to Jesus Christ Himself, when he said He would be in the tomb three days and three nights?
Wednesday sunset to Saturday sunset is three days and three nights. 72 hours as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish?

 

[skipp]

We can question anything and everything... how do you know you really exist? Is the sun a giant firefly? Etc..

We should question things and search them out, and not just settle for the first thing we hear or read.

Each one must do this for themselves if they are honest.

I didnt bother to post any more refrences because if Oxford Dictionary and Vines is not atleast enough to wonder then IDK what will be.

If you study ancient pagan religions you will see every practice of the following or Ishtar is carried over into Easter, transformed but carried over none the less.

I have 2 grocery stores by me run by Chaldeans, one called Babylon Foods and the other Ishtar, they are cathlocs, why? Because their ancient religion is carried over into this modern one, AND THEY KNOW IT.

Did Messiah dye an egg on the execution tree? No dying eggs came from the cult of Ishtar in which the eggs were dyed in the blood of infants. Where is the Scripture commanding the dying of eggs? And why do catholics only dye their eggs red?

Now we can get silly with questions like, "what classifies as 'pagan' and thus 'not allowed'. For instance, should I be reading the Bible in English, or in Hebrew/Greek? Should we only use the lyre, harp, etc in church music, and are organs right out? Why or why not? Can I catch the train to church, or should I walk? Etc, etc "

There is a big gap between these silly things and celebrating Messiah in the ways of pagan Babylon goddess Easter. But I guess if one throws them together they can trivialize both and continue in the deception that was prophesied in Daniyl 7:25.

We are told to not worship Yahweh in their ways and to come out of Babylon...

...Not to fight tooth and nail to stay in babylon... (I say this to everyone not isolating you)

The only similarity between Easter and Ishtar is that both words sound similar. Easter has nothing to do with Ishtar. Like somebody else mentioned in another thread, Ishtar is Akkadian while the word Easter is Anglo-Saxon, possibly of German origin. They are from different cultures and languages. There is no historical evidence that Ishtar had anything to do with dying eggs.

 

[Hizikyah]

Why is it that people do not listen to Jesus Christ Himself, when he said He would be in the tomb three days and three nights?
Wednesday sunset to Saturday sunset is three days and three nights. 72 hours as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish?

Sadly it is just another thing Messiah said that most could care less about. According the Yahshua's own words a "messiah" that is not in the grave for 3 days and 3 nights is a false messiah:

Mattithyah 12:39-40, "So He answered, and said to them: An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Yahnah: For as Yahnah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."

 

[Daley]

Why is it that people do not listen to Jesus Christ Himself, when he said He would be in the tomb three days and three nights?
Wednesday sunset to Saturday sunset is three days and three nights. 72 hours as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish?

How do you know it was Wednesday and Saturday?

 

[Hizikyah]

The only similarity between Easter and Ishtar is that both words sound similar. Easter has nothing to do with Ishtar. Like somebody else mentioned in another thread, Ishtar is Akkadian while the word Easter is Anglo-Saxon, possibly of German origin. They are from different cultures and languages. There is no historical evidence that Ishtar had anything to do with dying eggs.

Like I said before they are both worship at the same time of year, both with bunnies, both will eggs, both with dying eggs...

No connection? How about this:


"The term 'Easter' is not of Christian origin. It is another form of Astarte, one of the titles of the Chaldean goddess, the queen of heaven. The festival of Pasch [Passover and the Feast of Unleavens] was a continuation of the Jewish [that is, God's] feast....from this Pasch the pagan festival of 'Easter' was quite distinct and was introduced into the apostate Western religion, as part of the attempt to adapt pagan festivals to Christianity." (W.E. Vine, Merrill F. Unger, William White, Jr., Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, article: Easter, p.192)

"The term Easter was derived from the Anglo-Saxon 'Eostre,' the name of the goddess of spring. In her honor sacrifices were offered at the time of the vernal equinox. By the 8th cent. the term came to be applied to the anniversary of Christ's resurrection." (International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, edited by Geoffrey Bromiley, Vol 2 of 4, p.6, article: Easter)

"Vernal Mysteries (spring heathen rites) like those of Tammuz, and Osiris and Adonis flourished in the Mediterranean world and farther north and east there were others. Some of their rites and symbols were carried forward into Easter customs. Many of them have survived into our own day, unchanged yet subtly altered in their new surroundings to bear a 'Christian'significance." (Christina Hole, Easter and its Customs)



You see a long time ago the true Mighty One confused the languages of the capital of sun/Ishtar worship (Babylon) and this worship stayed the same in practice but different in name...

 

[Hizikyah]

How do you know it was Wednesday and Saturday?

If you throughly study all the Scriptures surrounding Messiah burial and resurrection there is no other possible timeline. Again IF one sticks to Scripture. A solid introduction here: http://christianchat.com/bible-discussion-forum/89812-do-we-even-care-about-truth.html

 

[Nick01]

We can question anything and everything... how do you know you really exist? Is the sun a giant firefly? Etc..

We should question things and search them out, and not just settle for the first thing we hear or read.

Precisely.

Each one must do this for themselves if they are honest.

Right again

I didnt bother to post any more refrences because if Oxford Dictionary and Vines is not atleast enough to wonder then IDK what will be.

Oh dear. Here is where the wheels come off.

The Oxford Dicionary is a DICTIONARY. It is not a HISTORY book. There is a difference. In fact, if you google the OD online, you will see that there they note that the connection to a godess is uncertain. I will even do the (unrequited) service of providing you with a link.

As for Vines et al, at the risk of repeating myself, they do not cite sources, but make generalisations or guesses based on what seems to be very little evidence. I don't care who they are, they are just like everyone else - they are capable of trying to drive an ideological point with no evidence. This is why we have things like sources, and footnotes - so we can prove our point, instead of making it up.

You do not have to wonder at what will convince me. I have told you - primary sources from antiquity, or at least cited references to something vaguely approximating that in a contemporary textbook. Not paragraphs from a New Testament dictionary with no references or footnotes.

If you study ancient pagan religions you will see every practice of the following or Ishtar is carried over into Easter, transformed but carried over none the less.

I have studied them. The first time I see pagan links to Easter is usually four or five centuries after Christ, when pagan mythologies adopted Christian slants (cf Adonis), or in the 20th century, when New Agers started reinterpreting old myths. Again, if there is so much evidence out there, you should be able to do better than cite a New Testament Dictionary. The secular atheist historians would presumably be all over this stuff.

I have 2 grocery stores by me run by Chaldeans, one called Babylon Foods and the other Ishtar, they are cathlocs, why? Because their ancient religion is carried over into this modern one, AND THEY KNOW IT.

Did Messiah dye an egg on the execution tree?

Honestly don't see what this has to do with anything. Jesus didn't drive a car either.

[No dying eggs came from the cult of Ishtar in which the eggs were dyed in the blood of infants.

Source please

Where is the Scripture commanding the dying of eggs? And why do catholics only dye their eggs red?

Again, where is the Scripture commanding the driving of a car, or of using a knife or fork? TBH, never even heard of the Catholics and red eggs thing, much less seen it.

Now we can get silly with questions like, "what classifies as 'pagan' and thus 'not allowed'. For instance, should I be reading the Bible in English, or in Hebrew/Greek? Should we only use the lyre, harp, etc in church music, and are organs right out? Why or why not? Can I catch the train to church, or should I walk? Etc, etc "

There is a big gap between these silly things and celebrating Messiah in the ways of pagan Babylon goddess Easter. But I guess if one throws them together they can trivialize both and continue in the deception that was prophesied in Daniyl 7:25.

We are told to not worship Yahweh in their ways and to come out of Babylon...

...Not to fight tooth and nail to stay in babylon... (I say this to everyone not isolating you)

No, I would call calling Easter and Easter and eating chocolate eggs a 'trivial thing'. It's you who is getting worked up about it, and you who is fighting tooth and nail over trivialities. No one sits their eating an egg praying to Ishtar. And if they do, then they probably do that even when it's not Easter. As for most people, they're oblivious, and the Christians will still go to church, preach the gospel, and remember a particular day in the calendar that's all about Jesus, regardless of what it's called, the only difference is they have a chocky at the end.

 

[Daley]

If you throughly study all the Scriptures surrounding Messiah burial and resurrection there is no other possible timeline. Again IF one sticks to Scripture. A solid introduction here: http://christianchat.com/bible-discussion-forum/89812-do-we-even-care-about-truth.html

You seem to begin with the assumption that the first day is Sunday, then work your way backwards by three days to arrive at Wednesday. But what proof do you have that the first day is Sunday? The Greek words for 'first' (protos) and 'day' (hemera) don't even appear in any of the first day passages in the NT.

What's more, we can't assume without proof that what Jews 2000 years ago called the sabbath was Saturday. We need proof. What is your proof?

 

[Karraster]

Contrary to popular belief, there are varying degrees of sin. To unknowingly sin is less severe punishment than sin with knowledge. Why Christians fight for and defend pagan holy days is not logical, and perhaps there is a stronghold in your mind. We all have strongholds to a degree, and must always ask humbly for grace to see where we are blind.
Acts 17:
[SUP]23 [/SUP]For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, To The Unknown God. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.
[SUP]24 [/SUP]God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;
[SUP]25 [/SUP]Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;
[SUP]26 [/SUP]And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;
[SUP]27 [/SUP]That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:
[SUP]28 [/SUP]For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.
[SUP]29 [/SUP]Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.
[SUP]30 [/SUP]And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

[SUP]31 [/SUP]Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

 

[Hizikyah]

No, I would call calling Easter and Easter and eating chocolate eggs a 'trivial thing'. It's you who is getting worked up about it, and you who is fighting tooth and nail over trivialities. No one sits their eating an egg praying to Ishtar. And if they do, then they probably do that even when it's not Easter. As for most people, they're oblivious, and the Christians will still go to church, preach the gospel, and remember a particular day in the calendar that's all about Jesus, regardless of what it's called, the only difference is they have a chocky at the end.

Of course "praying to Ishtar" aka the Queen of Heaven is way wrong...

yeremyah:7:18, "How the children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, while the women knead dough to make cakes for the Queen of Heaven, and how they pour out drink offerings to the hinder gods so they may provoke Me to anger?"

as is baking cakes for Easter...I mean Ishtar... I mean hot cross buns... cough

No the real issue is this:

Deuteronomy 12:3, "You must destroy their altars, break down their sacred pillars and burn their sacred poles. Cut down the images of their gods and wipe out their names from those places. You must not worship Yahweh your Father in such ways."

Deuteronomy 12:29-32, “When Yahweh your Father cuts off the nations from in front of you, and you displace them and live in their land, Be careful not to be ensnared into following them by asking about their gods, saying: How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do the same. You must not worship Yahweh your Father in their way, for every abomination to Yahweh, which He hates, they have done to their gods. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods. Whatsoever I command you, be careful to observe and do it, you shall not add to it, nor take away from it."

2 Kings 17:33-34, "They were taught how they might worship Yahweh, but instead they worshiped their own gods according to the customs of the nations from which they had been brought. To this day, they continue to practice their former pagan customs. They do not reverence Yahweh, nor do they follow the statutes, ordinances, Laws, and commandments which Yahweh had commanded the children of Yaaqob, whom He named Israyl."

If ancient Israylites were allowed to be invaded carried off for these kind of things, and Shaul (Paul) says all things are written for our learning, how could we think its ok for us?

Most Christians would never worship the Creator in the ways prescribed by Muslims why would they worship in the ways prescribed the Babylonians?

Who would even want to worship the CREATOR of the heavens and earth, the standard of perfection, love, perfect judgement, and all righteousness, who would want to worship Him in the ways invented by pagans? with pagan rituals? CRAZY.

 

[Hizikyah]

You seem to begin with the assumption that the first day is Sunday, then work your way backwards by three days to arrive at Wednesday. But what proof do you have that the first day is Sunday? The Greek words for 'first' (protos) and 'day' (hemera) don't even appear in any of the first day passages in the NT.

What's more, we can't assume without proof that what Jews 2000 years ago called the sabbath was Saturday. We need proof. What is your proof?

While there has been changes in the calendar in the past 2000 years there has been no change in the 7 day cycle. However I dont follow the gregorian calendar for worship but I follow Yahweh's calendar for worship.

The sun, moon and stars were put there for telling time, (Genesis 1) according to NASA astronomers (not ASTROLOGERS) the cycle has not been broken. If the Messiah did not see fit to change the 7 day cycle while He was on earth I see no need to change it or doubt it.

And I believe Wednesday to Sabbath, if you check that link out it is explained. 3 days 3 nights. Perfectly fulfilling Passover and firstfruits. Messiah rises Sabbath just before sundown, Miriam goes to the grave, Messiah wont let her touch Him, He tells her to infor the others, on the 1st day when they ithers arrive Messiah lets Thomas touch Him... Why? Because He had already presented Himself to Yahweh, as the firstfruits.

 

[Hizikyah]

As for most people, they're oblivious, and the Christians will still go to church, preach the gospel, and remember a particular day in the calendar that's all about Jesus, regardless of what it's called, the only difference is they have a chocky at the end.

There are actually 7 days dedicated to the Messiah and His work that are set forth in the Scriptures. Leviticus 23 to be exact.

Feasts of Yahweh, they are prophetic shadow pictures abou the work of the Messiah, 1st and 2nd coming.

The really great part is your dont even have to mingle with Babylon when you celebrate them, one can stay in the confines of Yahweh!

 

[Nick01]

Of course "praying to Ishtar" aka the Queen of Heaven is way wrong...

Who is praying to Ishtar? What does Ishtar have to do with Easter? You still haven't established even that much. Again, you continue to make the assertion that calling Easter Easter, or having chocolate, or not observing the Passover specifically as prescribed in Leviticus 23, are all wrong, because of what God says in the passages you quote.

Three major problems:
1) You have done very little to demonstrate that the modern celebration has any explicit connection to pagan practice, whether regarding the word itself (which is near trivial anyway), to the consumption of chocolate eggs or bunnies. It should be pointed that for most Christians these aspects aren't actually what constitutes the celebration of Easter as a religious event, anyway.

2)The sole use of the OT to make the point that 'pagan practices' (whatever you take that to mean) are bad, ignoring the NT perspective on the Gentile church and the observance of religion outside the temple structure. Clear breaks in what is permissible practice can be seen in eating food sacrificed to idols, Jesus emphasis on motivation and the heart that leads to action rather than simple outwards observance, the cessation of worship at the temple and the tearing of the curtain at the Holy of Holies, the direct grafting of Gentiles to the vine as co heirs, the pouring out of the Spirit on Jew and Gentile, Paul's preaching at the Areopagus in Acts 17, and the allowance by the Jerusalem council of integration of Gentile Christians into the Jewish Christian community with minimal cultural or ritual requirements. The whole tenor of the NT must be read against the Old in order to arrive at the proper understanding of what activities are permissible, and what aren't.

3) A blurring of content and action. Of course, I would not worship in the same way as Muslims because they worship a different God. Does that mean that there are things in how they observe their religion that would not at least theoretically be valuable? I think so. There is a reverence in prayer, a commitment to serving the poor, and so forth, that find corollaries in both Judaism and Christianity. Would you say we should stop serving the poor because Muslims do that too? Of course not. So just because a thing appears in two places does not make it 'bad'.

I do hope we could progress the conversation, but you still have not addressed the most central of my propositions. I hope you will take the opportunity now.

 

[Hizikyah]

I do hope we could progress the conversation, but you still have not addressed the most central of my propositions. I hope you will take the opportunity now.

1) My meaning earlier was that I would not post anymore quotes connecting Easter to paganism as the few I did post were basically called not reliable. Vines is a solid bible dictionary done by a renowned scholar Merrill F. Unger and others, if that will be discarded then what can I post that will matter to you?

2) You said: "The sole use of the OT to make the point that 'pagan practices' (whatever you take that to mean) are bad, ignoring the NT perspective on the Gentile church and the observance of religion outside the temple structure. Clear breaks in what is permissible practice can be seen in eating food sacrificed to idols"

So pagan worship is perfectly ok now?

And " permissible practice can be seen in eating food sacrificed to idols"

WHAT????

Acts 15:29 ASV
American Standard Version
that ye abstain from things sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication; from which if ye keep yourselves, it shall be well with you. Fare ye well.

Also:

Rev 2:

12“And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword.

13“‘I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faithb even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. 14But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality. 15So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth. 17He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.’

3) You are oversimplifying this in a way that was not my intent, I didnt say ohh because muslims say there is a "god" we cant believe there is a "god".

No what I amm talking about is worshiping in ways prescribed by another religion that is not prescribed in Scripture or even condemned in Scripture.

What ever happend to "you cant sit at the table of Yahweh and the table of demons?"

Im done here, I will leave it at this, if you study the queen of heaven, Ishtar, Astoreth, Astarte, Eostre, etc you will see it is all the same fertility cult, eggs and bunnies during the "easter" time, study what went on in their ancient temples, at their altars, if they died eggs etc etc etc.

It not raining because the road is wet, the road is wet because its raining.

and until the so called believers take a firm stance against satans deceptions, the faith once delievered to the saints will not be commonplace in the minds of the people.

 

[RedTent]

There is nothing of scripture in any of Easter. The festival is from the spring festivals, various ones, of the pagans. The celebration of Christ's resurrection is added in. The idea was started soon after all the apostles died and men like Origen wrote and taught. They believed that God had decided to curse and punish the Jews, they did not believe what Paul wrote about God being faithful to them, or using their unbelief for our benefit, or that God saw all who accepted Him equally. They believed it was their duty to help God punish them. It was part of their religion to be careful to do nothing God spoke of doing before Christ. Christ, to them, was a new God, apart from the God of the OT.

They were also closer to their pagan roots than to Christian roots. When Easter was made legal by the end of the three years of debate at the Council of Nicene, this copy and paste was given as a reason: " The canon from Nicea, pushed by Constantine, made it forbidden to "celebrate with the Jews," pointing to the undercurrent of anti-Jewish sentiment we have seen in earlier centuries."

That it is scripture that tells us of Passover, and the holiday they decided on was not scripture at all was not something their minds could comprehend.

Histories tell us there was a debate similar to the debate over cristianizing Easter that happened before Christ. It was started by the people who waited for Moses to return from Mt Sinai. Moses had said that God was a God in spirit and truth, not like the idols. The people needed something to actually see to represent God, so they made a golden calf. Like Easter, it represented God, it was in worship of God, it could not be wrong. The golden calf was used for hundreds of years to help with worship of the one true God, anyone who objected would be looked at in the same way those of us who object to Easter instead of Passover is looked at.

 

[Nick01]

1) My meaning earlier was that I would not post anymore quotes connecting Easter to paganism as the few I did post were basically called not reliable. Vines is a solid bible dictionary done by a renowned scholar Merrill F. Unger and others, if that will be discarded then what can I post that will matter to you?

And I will say it yet again - post either a primary historical source, or post a source to a history textbook, bible dictionary, limerick, WHATEVER, that actually cites sources. A good bible dictionary is not necessarily a good history book, I'm sure you will agree.

2) You said: "The sole use of the OT to make the point that 'pagan practices' (whatever you take that to mean) are bad, ignoring the NT perspective on the Gentile church and the observance of religion outside the temple structure. Clear breaks in what is permissible practice can be seen in eating food sacrificed to idols"

So pagan worship is perfectly ok now?

No, I'm saying that what you are calling pagan worship is not actually pagan worship.

And " permissible practice can be seen in eating food sacrificed to idols"

WHAT????

Acts 15:29 ASV
American Standard Version
that ye abstain from things sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication; from which if ye keep yourselves, it shall be well with you. Fare ye well.

Also:

Rev 2:

12“And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword.

13“‘I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faithb even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. 14But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality. 15So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth. 17He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.’

I'll raise you a 1 Corinthians 8...

4 Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.” 5 For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”— 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.7 However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. 8 Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. 9 But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling blockto the weak.

Hence why I say, if it is an issue for you, fine. But that's a very different proposition to calling everyone who doesn't have a problem with calling Easter Easter a bunch of pagan satanic idol worshippers. The issue is not of the food itself, but whether on eating it, one's own conscience causes them to sin by causing them to worship that which man created instead of the Living God himself.

3) You are oversimplifying this in a way that was not my intent, I didnt say ohh because muslims say there is a "god" we cant believe there is a "god".

No what I amm talking about is worshiping in ways prescribed by another religion that is not prescribed in Scripture or even condemned in Scripture.

So, again, the Bible does not say you can worship God using English words. The Bible does not proscribe worshipping God while wearing shoes (in fact, you could imply it does the opposite). It does not prescribe using an organ or a piano. Why are these things that it does not prescribe allowed, and yet others are not? Why not eat chocolate? The only possible way I could see this being a bad thing is if one eats while genuinely worshipping an idol, which is clearly not allowed. But you haven't established that as being the case.

What ever happend to "you cant sit at the table of Yahweh and the table of demons?"

I don't think the devil has a monopoly on chocolate. But God has a monopoly on my heart.

Im done here, I will leave it at this, if you study the queen of heaven, Ishtar, Astoreth, Astarte, Eostre, etc you will see it is all the same fertility cult, eggs and bunnies during the "easter" time, study what went on in their ancient temples, at their altars, if they died eggs etc etc etc.

It not raining because the road is wet, the road is wet because its raining.

and until the so called believers take a firm stance against satans deceptions, the faith once delievered to the saints will not be commonplace in the minds of the people.

Cool, see you later, then. I hope YOU also go do some reading, because I genuinely want me to show all this super certain proof about what you say. If it's out there, I would dearly love to see it (not even kidding)

 

[RachelBibleStudent]

Now that the "Easter Holiday" has passed, I can now rile people up. I want to change the name of Christ's resurrection. I wish to name it after the goddess of Baal. Baal is another name for Satan as you may or may not know. So, what do you think?

Ahh....too late, for that has already happened. Yes, boys and girls, we were deceived again. In Acts 12-4 in some English versions of the bible (including the 1611 King James version, which I use) Paul says" intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people" - This was in reference to Peter being apprehended and kept prisoned. Paul never wrote the word "easter".
He wrote the word Pascha, which is Passover in the greek. Christ became our Passover, not our easter.
Easter is a heathen term, derived from the saxon goddess Eastre. the same as Astarte, the Syrian venus, called Ashteroth, who was goddess of Baal. Baal, for those of you who may or not know is another name for Satan.
Why the translators chose this word I will never know, other than to confuse. Now, some will say - Yes but the word easter does not mean what it did then. Yes it does. words have meaning and God knows what they mean as they originally were used. So then why does the clergy continue to deceive? We mustn't rock the boat, we mustn't upset the moneygivers, we might reduce our fleecing of the sheep! Think upon this now....all the easter stuff, the bunnies, the eggs and so forth, these were all symbolic of the orgies of the Lupercalia and heathen fertility rites dating all back to the terms I provided above, lest I not mention the earth goddess Gaia, who came out of the sea onto the shore in a giant egg.
This is horrible stuff, I know, but we as Christians need to stand up and say NO! Listen, when I had small kids, we hid the baskets with all the candy and stuff, but when it came to what we were actually celebrating, the kids were already brainwashed into thinking that the easter bunny brought all those goodies, and who is the Christ guy, he did not bring us these things, the bunny did. I am guilty of these things, in ignorance at the time, yes, but still guilty. I have since asked for forgiveness, for I no longer partake in pagan rituals that is easter. For goodness sakes, at least consider these things I have said here. I do this out of love for my fellow brethren, more than chastisement.

the only source for the claim that easter is named after a pagan goddess is a medieval christian writer named bede...and bede himself admitted that he had never witnessed anyone worshipping this goddess and only knew of it through hearsay...

there are absolutely no primary sources attesting to the existence of this pagan goddess that easter is supposedly named after...

furthermore 'easter' and 'ashteroth' and 'astarte' only sound similar...there is no linguistic connection between 'easter' and the others...'easter' ultimately has its origins in the latin loan word 'eostarum' which means 'dawn'...'ashteroth' and 'astarte' on the other hand are variants of 'ishtar' which comes from the akkadian for 'she who waters'...

lupercalia didn't even take place around easter time...and the symbols of lupercalia were goats and wolves...not rabbits and eggs...

and the ancient pagans regarded gaia as a primordial being...a personification of the earth itself...usually thought of as predating the sea and sky and actually being the mother of both... she was not viewed as being born out of the sea...

unfortunately the time of your ignorance and guilt is now...and what you are doing now is what you need to be asking forgiveness for...