A man cannot serve two masters...

[Rogue]

Easter: Is it REALLY a God honouring holiday?

First of all, let's examine the roots of the word "holiday". If something is a "holiday", it is literally a holy day. Keep in mind that when you call something a "holiday", you are calling it holy.

Now, Easter. Celebration of the resurrection of Jesus, correct? Well, only partially. You see, "Easter" is the English form of "Eostre" or "Ostara", the name of the Germanic goddess of fertility and prostitution. Curiously enough, this goddess is honoured and worshiped during the month of April with a large celebration on a specific day: Easter Sunday. Followers of Ostara/Eostre use rabbits and eggs, symbols of fertility, in their celebration for her.

Remember that old Roman Empire? Well, in 313 Roman Emperor Constantine I issued a declaration known as an edict of toleration, halting almost all persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire. His successor, Emperor Theodosius I, established Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire on February 27, 380. Constantine, who was himself a pagan, desired to convert to Christianity but was unwilling to put aside his pagan practices, as was Theodosius I and his successors. So what they began doing was incorporating their pagan practices while slapping Jesus on them to make them "acceptable" in the eyes of God.

Coincidence? I don't think so. The celebration of Easter is a wholly pagan celebration with Jesus' face on it. You cannot serve two masters.

Now, do a complete turn around and check out this other celebration: Passover. Here's the fascinating thing about Passover. It was the last meal Jesus had before he died, and he took great care to make sure it was so. What is Passover?

Passover is a celebration of when God delivered the Israelites from bondage. The angel of death passed over their houses if they had the blood of a perfect lamb on their doorposts.

Sound familiar? It should. The resurrection of Jesus is a celebration where death has passed over US because the Blood of Jesus, the perfect lamb, has been put on the doorposts of our hearts and so we are delivered by God from the bondage of sin.

Cool, right? There is a whole lot more about Passover that directly ties into the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. It'll take a bit, so I'll just leave it here for now. But if you would like, I can show you the rest of Passover and how it directly ties into the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus

 

[KayCee]

Remember that old Roman Empire? Well, in 313 Roman Emperor Constantine I issued a declaration known as an edict of toleration, halting almost all persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire. His successor, Emperor Theodosius I, established Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire on February 27, 380. Constantine, who was himself a pagan, desired to convert to Christianity but was unwilling to put aside his pagan practices, as was Theodosius I and his successors. So what they began doing was incorporating their pagan practices while slapping Jesus on them to make them "acceptable" in the eyes of God.

Hi Rogue,

Hey, you really nailed it down pat, my friend! In fact, I'll take your premise one step - and about 12 centuries - further:

In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Conquistadores and their camp-followers, the Spanish missionaries, first subdued the Aztec and Incas peoples and their descendants - by pillaging their gold treasures and their culture as well.

Over time, they finally won them over to Christianity - if not by cutting off the arms and legs of those who refused conversion - by replacing their native indigenous gods/godesses with the Virgin Mary and the huge retinue of saints. Coincident with this effort, native holidays were replaced with the feastdays of the newly accepted gods. Nice piece of work, eh what!

Your analyses are correct in all respects. Hat's off to you, my brother!
Kaycee

 

[Rogue]

Excellent point! The Church has an unfortunate history of accepting pagan practices and adopting them as our own with a new spin...

Thank you, dear sister, for the added information

 

[HumbleSaint]

Ya I think if the church should preach on the reserection on Easter they should call it the resurection. Then again we should remember the reserection everyday and not just one day of the year. The Bible never says to celebrate Christ's birth or his reserection on a certain day. It is interesting that Christmas and Easter were developed from pagan practices before the Catholic church tried to Christianize them.

 

[VW]

Ya I think if the church should preach on the reserection on Easter they should call it the resurection. Then again we should remember the reserection everyday and not just one day of the year. The Bible never says to celebrate Christ's birth or his reserection on a certain day. It is interesting that Christmas and Easter were developed from pagan practices before the Catholic church tried to Christianize them.

Every day, I remember His crucifixion as I am crucified with Him. Every day, I remember His death and burial, and I died and was buried with Him. Every day, I remember His resurrection, as the only life I have that is worth living, that can please God, is His resurrection life, in Him.

Every celebration that has to do with His birth and life and death and life after death has been subverted by pagan rituals. I do not pay them any attention, as His life is mine, every moment of every day. Without His life, I would have no life at all.

In His perfect love,
vic

 

[superdave5221]

Easter: Is it REALLY a God honouring holiday?

First of all, let's examine the roots of the word "holiday". If something is a "holiday", it is literally a holy day. Keep in mind that when you call something a "holiday", you are calling it holy.

Now, Easter. Celebration of the resurrection of Jesus, correct? Well, only partially. You see, "Easter" is the English form of "Eostre" or "Ostara", the name of the Germanic goddess of fertility and prostitution. Curiously enough, this goddess is honoured and worshiped during the month of April with a large celebration on a specific day: Easter Sunday. Followers of Ostara/Eostre use rabbits and eggs, symbols of fertility, in their celebration for her.

Remember that old Roman Empire? Well, in 313 Roman Emperor Constantine I issued a declaration known as an edict of toleration, halting almost all persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire. His successor, Emperor Theodosius I, established Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire on February 27, 380. Constantine, who was himself a pagan, desired to convert to Christianity but was unwilling to put aside his pagan practices, as was Theodosius I and his successors. So what they began doing was incorporating their pagan practices while slapping Jesus on them to make them "acceptable" in the eyes of God.

Coincidence? I don't think so. The celebration of Easter is a wholly pagan celebration with Jesus' face on it. You cannot serve two masters.

Now, do a complete turn around and check out this other celebration: Passover. Here's the fascinating thing about Passover. It was the last meal Jesus had before he died, and he took great care to make sure it was so. What is Passover?

Passover is a celebration of when God delivered the Israelites from bondage. The angel of death passed over their houses if they had the blood of a perfect lamb on their doorposts.

Sound familiar? It should. The resurrection of Jesus is a celebration where death has passed over US because the Blood of Jesus, the perfect lamb, has been put on the doorposts of our hearts and so we are delivered by God from the bondage of sin.

Cool, right? There is a whole lot more about Passover that directly ties into the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. It'll take a bit, so I'll just leave it here for now. But if you would like, I can show you the rest of Passover and how it directly ties into the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus

Much of what you say is true. And I really like the last paragraph about the passover. Nice insight! However...

So you are saying that if we celebrate the Fourth of July, we are calling it holy? There is a difference between secular and religious holidays. And just because we use our Christian liberty to take a special day and celebrate the resurrection of Christ, does not mean we are calling it holy.

Next, are you saying that all Christians who celebrate Easter, (it is an unfortunate name which should not be used because of it's pagan origins), are actually participating in idolatry? {serving two masters}
So you are saying that it is possible to worship God or Jesus without knowing who they are? If Christians are idolizing or worshiping idols whom they have never heard of, just because Easter happens to fall on a pagan holiday, then logically it would be possible to worship Jesus without knowing Him. Paul refutes that idea in no uncertain terms, (Romans 10:14). I know that when I was participating in communion on sunday, that I was thinking about Jesus, and His love for me, and not about pagan idols.

And if we are going to let the history of the Catholic church, and the misuse of power by Spanish missionaries convict us of sin, then we might as well throw our hands in the air and give up all hope of ever being saved.

By the way, we don't have easter egg hunts at our church.

 

[Rogue]

So you are saying that if we celebrate the Fourth of July, we are calling it holy? There is a difference between secular and religious holidays. And just because we use our Christian liberty to take a special day and celebrate the resurrection of Christ, does not mean we are calling it holy.

No, but etymologically, "holiday" means "holy day". It's only logical then to say that if "holiday" means "holy day", calling something a holiday is calling it a holy day. That's why, generally, unless the day is a day actually ordained by God such as Passover, I tend to call these things "observances".

Next, are you saying that all Christians who celebrate Easter, (it is an unfortunate name which should not be used because of it's pagan origins), are actually participating in idolatry? {serving two masters}

No, I'm just addressing the fact that Satan is the lord of pagans and God is the King of Righteousness, and celebrating such pagan-infused observances like Easter and Christmas is combining the two. Not that you're necessarily serving two masters, because you can't. But it's almost as if you ARE serving two masters by practicing pagan-infused observances.

And if we are going to let the history of the Catholic church, and the misuse of power by Spanish missionaries convict us of sin, then we might as well throw our hands in the air and give up all hope of ever being saved.

That's not the issue. The issue is that these two groups made a horrendous mistake and we should learn from their mistakes rather than partaking in them. That's what history is for, to learn from, not to repeat.

By the way, we don't have easter egg hunts at our church.

That's excellent Unfortunately, most do.

 

[Rogue]

Keep in mind, my intent is not to tear down the celebration of Easter. I'm merely pointing out the facts behind the observance and suggesting a more biblical approach to celebrating the resurrection of Jesus.

 

[pickles]

I understand your point here, but I still believe that any sin is that of conviction, our words.
That Jesus has freed us from this and destroyed any power of satan by his sacrifice.
But I was considering all that has been said last night in prayer.
I began to think how easly certain rituals could end up being applied to any day.
I recalled how I thought a good food to begin serving on easter would be fish, since Jesus called the apostles to be fishers of men, and how otften the fish is applied in scriptures. I shared with others before easter how I thought fish would be a good way to remember Jesus on this day.
Many I spoke to thought this was a great idea, and thought they would do the same. Again as I prayed last night I saw how something so simple could grow into a tradition, and thus maby become a ritual for many.
I came to see that all we do ,could easly become something more than it should be.
This is why we need to see not the acts or fear what may have been on these days. But always keep any day we celibrate, and also live, commited to Jesus Our Lord and savior.
That we must not live under the conviction of what is wrong or may be, but live always under the salvation won for us in Jesus Our Lord and Savior!
Always giving all glory and honor to Jesus.
God bless, pickles

 

[pickles]

Easter: Is it REALLY a God honouring holiday?

First of all, let's examine the roots of the word "holiday". If something is a "holiday", it is literally a holy day. Keep in mind that when you call something a "holiday", you are calling it holy.

Now, Easter. Celebration of the resurrection of Jesus, correct? Well, only partially. You see, "Easter" is the English form of "Eostre" or "Ostara", the name of the Germanic goddess of fertility and prostitution. Curiously enough, this goddess is honoured and worshiped during the month of April with a large celebration on a specific day: Easter Sunday. Followers of Ostara/Eostre use rabbits and eggs, symbols of fertility, in their celebration for her.

Remember that old Roman Empire? Well, in 313 Roman Emperor Constantine I issued a declaration known as an edict of toleration, halting almost all persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire. His successor, Emperor Theodosius I, established Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire on February 27, 380. Constantine, who was himself a pagan, desired to convert to Christianity but was unwilling to put aside his pagan practices, as was Theodosius I and his successors. So what they began doing was incorporating their pagan practices while slapping Jesus on them to make them "acceptable" in the eyes of God.

Coincidence? I don't think so. The celebration of Easter is a wholly pagan celebration with Jesus' face on it. You cannot serve two masters.

Now, do a complete turn around and check out this other celebration: Passover. Here's the fascinating thing about Passover. It was the last meal Jesus had before he died, and he took great care to make sure it was so. What is Passover?

Passover is a celebration of when God delivered the Israelites from bondage. The angel of death passed over their houses if they had the blood of a perfect lamb on their doorposts.

Sound familiar? It should. The resurrection of Jesus is a celebration where death has passed over US because the Blood of Jesus, the perfect lamb, has been put on the doorposts of our hearts and so we are delivered by God from the bondage of sin.

Cool, right? There is a whole lot more about Passover that directly ties into the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. It'll take a bit, so I'll just leave it here for now. But if you would like, I can show you the rest of Passover and how it directly ties into the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus

I see the very good points you make here as well. But one could say that Theodosius did not serve two masters, he had only one because he did not accept Jesus as the son of God in flesh and believe unto him.
If he had ,there would still be only one master, Jesus. Then he would have been convicted in faith, thus free from the conviction of sin or any pagen ritual.
The rest of your post is wonderful, I like so much that Jesus's last meal was passover.
It is cool! I like the message you shared and again bringing the Ot and Nt together and confreming.
Thankyou for this post.
God bless, pickles