This is an easy way for someone who wants to be right to dismiss all ideas to the contrary. It's a form of gas-lighting, which is deceptive.
Perhaps you believe the encyclopedia:
"Like many other Christian feasts, the celebration of Easter contains a number of originally pagan or folk-religious elements tolerated by the Church. Among these are customs associated with the Easter egg, Easter breads and other special holiday foods, and the European concept of the Easter hare, or, in America, of the Easter rabbit, which brings baskets of candies and colored eggs during the night."
The pagan roots of Easter involve the spring festivals of pre-Christian Europe and the Near East, which celebrate the rebirth of vegetation, welcoming the growing light as the sun becomes more powerful in its course toward summer. It is significant that in
England and
Germany the Church accepted the name of the pagan goddess "Easter" (Anglo-Saxon
Eostra —her name has several spellings) for this new Christian holiday. In Mediterranean Europe (Italy,
Spain, and
France),
Christianity adopted
pascha, a word derivative of Passover, from which comes the adjective "paschal" for things pertaining to Easter, such as the Paschal Lamb."
http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Easter.aspx
Also, I'm not too worried about the Pagans offense. They can kick rocks. I'm not here to please them. However, this out of one of their own mouths:
Easter history : holiday traditions and their origins, from the goddess Ishtar(Inanna)to the Easter Bunny.
Another one:
Easter history : holiday traditions and their origins, from the goddess Ishtar(Inanna)to the Easter Bunny.
Everything about Passover is about your Messiah. Everything about Easter is ham, pretty eggs, and bunny rabbits, all pagan ideals, whether it's directly related to the goddess Ishtar or not. How does whatever her name is somehow change the paganism of the rituals which are being committed? What are you defending, exactly?
Here's an excerpt from a very good book:
EASTER ISHTAR EOSTRE ASTARA