Easter or Resurrection

[JimiSurvivor]

Yes the "gods" names and festivals were co-opted and used to attract the local people who had been pagan. Whether that was good P.R. or not is of no interest to me when I consider what the origin of their festivals and deities were. God already gave us festivals rooted in Biblical history and in the word. We call them the Jewish festivals now but originally Christians were considered Jews also. Of course, you all are free to hold celebrations to any god past or present but to assert that it was a Christian day all along goes beyond truth and honesty as far as I am concerned. Easter (the secular mythological version of it) along with the symbols that have accumulated around it have no relevance spiritually any more than the story of Frosty the Snow Man.

On Passover, Jewish children are encouraged to participate by asking four specific questions to which the senior adult present gives answers based upon historic events and Biblical truth. A child asks essentially what the events at Passover mean. The adult giving the response does not have to make something up. The events are recorded in the Bible and the answers are scripted and very simple. If we composed questions to be asked at our modern Easter the answers to that would be vague, unclear or irrelevant because they originate in ancient times There is no direct connection between modern Western celebrations and those which occur at modern Easter.

 

[JimiSurvivor]

The names of the Planets are after gods too:

Pluto when it was a planet was named after the god of the underworld
Neptune is the god of the seas
Uranus is the Sky god
Saturn the Sun god
Jupiter the King of the gods
Mars the god of war (Baal in the Bible)
Venus the goddess of love
Mercury the god that flew to close to the sun

Intriguingly only Earth, our planet, is not named as pagan gods, it simply comes from an Old English word eorþe which means soil or ground.

We do not burn incense to the Days of the Week, though and as for Planet Earth MANY people who belong to New Age Religion do pay homage to "Mother Gaia." I am not saying merely using those words is idolatry but I think we should be aware of the times we live in. When I was in the Baptist Church I knew people in the Church who kept up with their horoscopes. They thought it was harmless fun and if all words and practices are now neutral then a case could be made for that. Having been in the occult as a child and having learned how to read horoscopes myself I saw it for what it was - divination.

 

[JimiSurvivor]

Its a bunny and eggs. Your right, all they know is they are having fun.

Many children and adults do not know what Halloween is about either. Does that make it right for them or anyone to dress up as spirits and demons? After everyone understands that they are just playing dress-up and having fun

 

[Maori_Aussie]

Many children and adults do not know what Halloween is about either. Does that make it right for them or anyone to dress up as spirits and demons? After everyone understands that they are just playing dress-up and having fun

I will spell it out that basically all East Asian and Native American pre-Christian cultures had a time in their calendar to pay respects to the departed ancestors, sweep and clean tombs, offer libations to their spirits, package and re-inter cleaned bones etc etc.
The Catholic Church typically evangelised these cultures first, and invented All Souls Day, before All Saints Day, to direct these ancient traditional cultural practices into the Christian calendar. IMHO it worked out really well. Credit to them!

 

[DeanM]

Many children and adults do not know what Halloween is about either. Does that make it right for them or anyone to dress up as spirits and demons? After everyone understands that they are just playing dress-up and having fun

My kids did all this "horrible" stuff. Dressed up on halloween, got easter baskets and we even had a Christmas tree. They also went to church on Sunday before the wife and I started going. One is married to a preacher. Boy we dodged a bullet.

 

[JimiSurvivor]

The real question is not whether we individually happen to "dodge the bullet" The question is whether or not what we are doing honors God. I notice you did not take exception even when I posed the example of a child wearing the mask of a Satan who is deemed as real by Jesus and the Apostles. Like I said, some people in one Church I attended read their horoscopes. Is this another one of those harmless practices you disregard as meaningless? Do you even believe we have a real spiritual adversary who seeks to devour us or is he just a mythological figure like Santa (or Crampus) who serves as a mere allegory of HUMAN evil someone who, like Santa, keeps the names of bad children in order to punish them when the omnipresent Saint Nick visits them on December 25? When they are older you have to disabuse them of all these lies while reassuring them that what you said about Jesus was true. I am just pointing out the lies we teach them and the deceptive traditions passed on to us by our culture divert us from focusing on the real events that occurred.. Obviously other influences - such as a close relationship with a believer can counteract the myths but why not teach them the truth from the outset? Instead of "Happy Easter" why not say " Χριστός Ανέστη! (Christós Anésti!)
"

 

[JimiSurvivor]

I will spell it out that basically all East Asian and Native American pre-Christian cultures had a time in their calendar to pay respects to the departed ancestors, sweep and clean tombs, offer libations to their spirits, package and re-inter cleaned bones etc etc.
The Catholic Church typically evangelised these cultures first, and invented All Souls Day, before All Saints Day, to direct these ancient traditional cultural practices into the Christian calendar. IMHO it worked out really well. Credit to them!

Of course, everyone wants to think their ancestors live on and they invent rituals to reinforce this. Those practices are part of paganism not Christianity. Are you proposing that we should adopt these practices and rites to reach out to unbelievers. Personally I think what the Catholics did in this regard was misleading. Paul could have gathered a crowd and appealed to people using eloquence and his powers of reasoning but he did not want their faith to rest on those things:

1When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. 2For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 3I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. 4My message and my preaching were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, 5so that your faith would not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power. (1 Corinthians 2:1-5)

 

[DeanM]

I dont know what kids you know but all 6 of mine outgrew halloween costumes, santa claus and the easter bunny and know it was make believe. They stll like Christmas trees though.

 

[Blade]

Lol.. I don't remember the movie but something he said "your really not catching me at my best". Why not focus on something good they did? Sure I can focus on the local Christian Radio Station where on Easter she was going to find the eggs after Church with the kids I believe or how one guy said "Halloween" is his best holiday or on Christmas.. pfft all play worldly music as in "Santa Claws is coming to town" . We need short break. I posted a song that's playing now "Jesus is coming back so don't you give up Jesus is coming back Jesus is coming back. And when the world gets complicated gonna keep on celebrating"

We all have these moments. What part of your life does Christ focus on? Its what He wants you to focus on. Think about the Churches in Rev Christ talked about. Out of everything in their life what did He focus on? So even though I do not do any of these things I posted I have to focus on the good they do for Christ and oh that outweighs the bad. As He said to me many times when I am not at my best.. my life is not based on this one moment in time when I fall fail miss it or get some silly doctrine wrong.

Now when I was a kid .. yeah we did these things and we didn't know any better and seems He still shines in my life even brighter every day because He started it and will finish it.. He can't lie.

 

[Sipsey]

1. Jewish Roots: Pascha (Passover)
The word “Pascha” (πάσχα) is the Greek form of the Hebrew “Pesach” (פֶּסַח), meaning Passover. It refers to the Jewish feast commemorating the deliverance from Egypt.

Early Christians, especially Jewish believers, observed Pascha in connection with Jesus’ death and resurrection, which occurred during Passover week. They saw Christ as the Paschal Lamb, referencing passages like:

“Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.” — 1 Corinthians 5:7

2. Early Christian Usage of “Pascha”

For the first few centuries, Christians referred to the celebration of Christ’s death and resurrection as Pascha, retaining the Jewish term. They observed it either:

• On 14 Nisan (the Jewish date of Passover, known as Quartodeciman practice), or
• On the following Sunday, depending on the community.

3. Shift to “Easter” in the West
The term “Easter” has Germanic roots, not Greek or Hebrew. It likely derives from:

• Ēostre (or Ostara), a springtime goddess in Anglo-Saxon pagan tradition, or
• A more neutral Old High German word “ōstar”, meaning dawn or east, symbolizing new light and resurrection.

When Christianity spread into the Germanic and Anglo-Saxon world, the celebration of the Paschal feast was still intact — but the name Easter gradually replaced “Pascha” in English-speaking regions.


4. Modern Usage of the Terms

• In Greek, Latin, Romance, and many Slavic languages, the name for Easter still derives from Pascha:
• • Greek: Pascha
  • Spanish: Pascua
  • Italian: Pasqua
  • Russian: Paskha
• In English and German: the word “Easter” or “Ostern” is used, showing Germanic influence.

5. Theological Connection
Despite the name change in some regions, the theological connection remains:

• Jesus’ crucifixion occurred during Passover.
• Jesus is portrayed as the Passover Lamb, fulfilling its symbolism.
• The resurrection is viewed as the firstfruits of new life, just as Passover celebrates deliverance and new beginnings.

In Summary:

• “Pascha” originally meant Passover and was used by early Christians to refer to both the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ.
• “Easter” is a later term from Anglo-Saxon/Germanic origins.
• Most of the world still uses a form of Pascha to refer to the holiday.
• The KJV’s use of “Easter” in Acts 12:4 is a historical translation choice, not a reflection of the original Greek.