why do Christians celebrate Easter?

[Hiroshi]

Speaking for as a Christian, I can confirm that my celebration of Jesus' resurrection has no relation to paganism and has it's origin in what believe to a historical truth -- that Jesus was crucified, died, and was buried, and that he then was resurrected from the dead.As to Resurrection Sunday being commonly called Easter Sunday in the English speaking world, I recognize that the origin of the term Easter is from the the Old English word Ēastre or Ēostre and that this name refers to Eostur-monath, a month of the Germanic calendar during which Jesus resurrection would most likely occured and that for this reason the celebration of it became associated with the name of the month even though the month was itself named after the goddess Ēostre of Anglo-Saxon paganism. Despite that connection, I assert that whether called Domingo de Resurrección, Ostern, Pasen, Pasqua, Páscoa, Pâques, Πάσχα, פסחא , عيد الفصح ,Pääsiäinen, Påsk, Påske, Wielkanoc, Paşti, Húsvét, Пасхальный, Paskalya, 復活節, อีสเตอร์ , 부활절, Lễ Phục Sinh, Pasko ng Pagkabuhay, Paskah, Pak, or Easter that what Christians are celebrating has nothing to do with any pagan goddess, but is a celebration of Jesus' resurrection from the dead.

Why then do we have at Easter time the chocolate eggs, rabbits and hot cross buns -- all relics of pagan worship?

 

[Grace Seeker]

In your celebration of Easter, if Good Friday was truly good, why are Christians mad at the Jews for supposedly crucifying Jesus (as) on that day?

If Jesus (as) was dead and buried, then who resurrected him?

If the Father resurrected him, doesn't that show that the Father and Jesus are 2 beings and not one?

If Jesus (as) ascended to sit at the right hand of the Father, does that not again demonstrate 2 beings and not one? I can talk to myself, but I can't sit beside myself.

I've highlighted the above section that seems to most relate to the original question and have attempted below to provide an answer based on Christian scriptures:

John 21
9 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” 20 They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” 21 But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.

 

[Grace Seeker]

Why then do we have at Easter time the chocolate eggs, rabbits and hot cross buns -- all relics of pagan worship?

There is no good reason for it. Such things are not a part of a celebration of the resurrection; they are little more than people trying to satiate their own human appetites even as they claim to be celebrating a work of God. That it leads to the sort of question you ask is evidence that they are more of a distraction from than a celebration of the resurrection.

 

[Ramadhan]

There is no good reason for it. Such things are not a part of a celebration of the resurrection; they are little more than people trying to satiate their own human appetites even as they claim to be celebrating a work of God. That it leads to the sort of question you ask is evidence that they are more of a distraction from than a celebration of the resurrection

You must be in the minority.

I haven't heard church establishments condemning eggs, rabbits and buns as parts and parcels of the easter celebration.
Just like christmas.
Tell me if major church establishments have condemned the use of trees, santas, and deers?

To me, it seems the churches are quite happy to get christianity popular, no matter how far the ways and methods are from the actual teachings of jesus (pbuh).
Talk about irony!

 

[Hiroshi]

John 21
9 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”

Jesus did not resurrect himself. Acts 2:27 NIV says: "because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay." God did not abandon Jesus to the grave. But, by implication, if God had abandoned Jesus there then Jesus would still lie helpless in his tomb. Galatians 1:1 says clearly that the Father resurrected Jesus.

John 2:19 can be understood in the light of other scriptures. On one occasion a woman was miraculously healed and Jesus said to her "Your faith has made you well" (Matthew 9:22; Mark 5:34). So then, did she heal herself? No. It was power from God that healed her because she had faith. Similarly, in the case of Jesus, because of the obedience and faithfulness on his part, God had every reason and justification to resurrect him from the dead. Jesus' actions gave him that assurance so Jesus could speak of it as if he would raise himself.

 

[Hiroshi]

There is no good reason for it. Such things are not a part of a celebration of the resurrection; they are little more than people trying to satiate their own human appetites even as they claim to be celebrating a work of God. That it leads to the sort of question you ask is evidence that they are more of a distraction from than a celebration of the resurrection.

Jesus gave a clear command to celebrate his death (1 Corinthians 11:23-25) with unleavened bread and red wine. But nowhere are we commanded to celebrate his resurrection.

 

[YusufNoor]

Quote Originally Posted by Grace Seeker View Post
John 21
9 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”

IF you could "raise yourself from the dead," then you weren't dead. if you are dead, you can't do anything, so if you were in a state in which you COULD do something, you weren't dead, you had life.

so IF you claim Jesus "raised himself from the dead," then he couldn't have been dead. ergo NO sacrifice! you can't have it both ways. you can't be BOTH dead and alive at the same time.

As a Jehovah's Witness, I do not celebrate Easter with it's strange pagan symbols of rabbits and eggs. The mention of "Easter" at Acts 12:4 in the King James Version is a gross mistranslation. The word there should be rendered: "Passover".

if you check the margin in the King James, you will see the word Passover. the translators of the King James were purposefully trying to erase the "Judaism" of the early church because logic would tell you that Christians should then follow the Judaism of the early church. [a Jehovah Witness showed me that over 40 years ago.]

makes one wonder why JWs don't keep kosher. [ i know they don't eat forbidden foods, but they DON'T "avoid foods sacrificed to other gods."]

:wa:

 

[Hiroshi]

if you check the margin in the King James, you will see the word Passover. the translators of the King James were purposefully trying to erase the "Judaism" of the early church because logic would tell you that Christians should then follow the Judaism of the early church. [a Jehovah Witness showed me that over 40 years ago.]

makes one wonder why JWs don't keep kosher. [ i know they don't eat forbidden foods, but they DON'T "avoid foods sacrificed to other gods."]

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 8:4 "So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that “An idol is nothing at all in the world”". Because of this he goes on to say in verse 8: "food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do."

I believe that in Corinth, if you went to the meat market, it would be difficult to buy meat that had not been sacrificed to idols due to the prevalence of idolatry in that city. Paul is pointing out that really meat is just meat. It doesn't change or become defiled because of an idol since an idol is really powerless. However, Paul goes on to point out that some newly converted Christians who were formerly idol worshippers might find such eating of meat objectionable. Paul concludes in verse 13 that he would rather never eat meat at all than offend a fellow Christian.

So it seems that there is nothing wrong with eating foods sacrificed to other gods as long as it doesn't offend someone else. The command at Acts 15:29 is more to be understood as avoiding idolatry itself than the food associated with it.

 

[Hiroshi]

makes one wonder why JWs don't keep kosher.

I thing that Jews go beyond what is required in the Mosaic Law in their insistence on what must be kosher. We do not have to go to such lengths to follow their example as long as the animal has been properly bled.

 

[MustafaMc]

IF you could "raise yourself from the dead," then you weren't dead. if you are dead, you can't do anything, so if you were in a state in which you COULD do something, you weren't dead, you had life.

so IF you claim Jesus "raised himself from the dead," then he couldn't have been dead. ergo NO sacrifice! you can't have it both ways. you can't be BOTH dead and alive at the same time.

This is exactly what I was thinking.

 

[Woodrow]

Just slightly remembering my Catholic years. Easter is the oldest holiday in the Catholic Church according to tradition first celebrated sometime between 65-70 AD until sometime in the 4th Century only 2 holidays were celebrated Easter and Pentecost Sunday. Easter being the more important celebration. During the early years none of the familiar symbols used today were known. It was basically a day of fast and dedicated to prayer.

The Easter egg has an interesting history. Eggs were forbidden to be eaten by Catholics during lent as was meat. To preserve the eggs laid during lent they were boiled, they became a main part of the Easter food on Easter Sunday when lent ended. This eventually got wrapped around and mixed up with the pagan beliefs about eggs being a symbol of fertility and rebirth. this eventually worked it's way into becoming a quasi religious symbol with the Eggs representing the resurrection of Jesus(as). It was some time in the middle ages decorating them came into use. The first chocolate Easter egg was made in the 1870s by Cadburys. Prior to that some were made possibly as early as the late 1700s, but milk chordate had not come into production so the chocolate then was grainy and not very sweet. Not as popular as the Chocolate of today.

 

[Grace Seeker]

Jesus gave a clear command to celebrate his death (1 Corinthians 11:23-25) with unleavened bread and red wine. But nowhere are we commanded to celebrate his resurrection.

Yet, Peter's sermon at Pentecost itself includes a celebration of Jesus' resurrection. But you are right, no one is under compulsion to celebrate it on one special day for in fact every Sunday service is a celebration of "the Lord's Day", so named because of belief that Sunday was the day of his resurrection. Still, in light of what the Resurrection accomplished, seems rather strange to me to not remember the anniversary of Jesus' rising from the dead. Of course, I've already argued above that I don't think chocolate rabbits have much to do with remembering Jesus' resurrection. Easter eggs would have once made sense (see Woodrow's post), but many have turned even these into distractions rather than means to remember. For me THAT we celebrate the Resurrection seems a no brainer. The question of HOW we go about celebrating it, I think, could use some better discernment.

 

[MustafaMc]

The 2 primary Christian holidays, Christmas and Easter, celebrate the birth and supposed death of their god that they worship. In contrast, the 2 primary Islamic holidays, E'id Al-Fitr and E'id Al-Adha, celebrate the completion of the month of fasting and the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son in obedience to Allah. Our holidays clearly distinguish our religions.

 

[Grace Seeker]

The 2 primary Christian holidays, Christmas and Easter, celebrate the birth and supposed death of their god that they worship. In contrast, the 2 primary Islamic holidays, E'id Al-Fitr and E'id Al-Adha, celebrate the completion of the month of fasting and the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son in obedience to Allah. Our holidays clearly distinguish our religions.

Christmas does celebrate Jesus' his birth, though even more specifically it celebrates his incarnation.

But a correction with regard to your comments about Easter. Easter does NOT celebrate Jesus' death at all. Easter is the celebration of his resurrection, his rising from the grave, the victory over death.


Also, it should be noted that despite the world generally recognizing Christmas and Easter as "the 2 primary Christian holidays", there are actually 3. Every bit as important to us as those two Holy days is the celebration of Pentecost, God's pouring out of his Spirit on Jesus' followers and the birthday of the Church. However, Hallmark has yet to start selling Pentecost cards. And I haven't seen a giant dove used to advertise car sales, so non-Christians or nominal Christians may not have noticed it yet.

 

[glo]

Also, it should be noted that despite the world generally recognizing Christmas and Easter as "the 2 primary Christian holidays", there are actually 3. Every bit as important to us as those two Holy days is the celebration of Pentecost, God's pouring out of his Spirit on Jesus' followers and the birthday of the Church. However, Hallmark has yet to start selling Pentecost cards. And I haven't seen a giant dove used to advertise car sales, so non-Christians or nominal Christians may not have noticed it yet.

Shhhh, Grace Seeker ... let's keep this one quiet! :nervous:

 

[MustafaMc]

Christmas does celebrate Jesus' his birth, though even more specifically it celebrates his incarnation.

Oh yes, when your god entered a human body. As he now sits at the right hand of God the Father what form does he have? I assume the one when he was transfigured before the disciples.

But a correction with regard to your comments about Easter. Easter does NOT celebrate Jesus' death at all. Easter is the celebration of his resurrection, his rising from the grave, the victory over death.

You're right, Good Friday was when he died and he resurrected himself on Easter Sunday, but didn't his raising Lazarus from the dead bring victory over death?

Also, it should be noted that despite the world generally recognizing Christmas and Easter as "the 2 primary Christian holidays", there are actually 3. Every bit as important to us as those two Holy days is the celebration of Pentecost, God's pouring out of his Spirit on Jesus' followers and the birthday of the Church. However, Hallmark has yet to start selling Pentecost cards. And I haven't seen a giant dove used to advertise car sales, so non-Christians or nominal Christians may not have noticed it yet.

Funny that I never heard of a holiday celebrating Pentecost when I was a Baptist. I guess I was just one of those "nominal Christians" like my preacher. What day of the year does Pentecost fall on and what is it called? How do you celebrate it in your church?

 

[MustafaMc]

Shhhh, Grace Seeker ... let's keep this one quiet! :nervous:

How and when do you celebrate Pentecost in England?

 

[glo]

How and when do you celebrate Pentecost in England?

In the traditional church calendar Pentecost is celebrated 50 days after Easter, remembering when the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples who had gathered together.

For me personally Pentecost is the time to remember that God speaks to us directly and calls us personally. Many Christians would have had that sense of 'calling' when they came to faith. I know I did.

 

[MustafaMc]

In the traditional church calendar Pentecost is celebrated 50 days after Easter, remembering when the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples who had gathered together.

For me personally Pentecost is the time to remember that God speaks to us directly and calls us personally. Many Christians would have had that sense of 'calling' when they came to faith. I know I did.

Please, forgive my ignorance. I learned something today as it was never mentioned when I was a Baptist or member of the Church of Christ. In what way do you remember the day as being special? I assume in your thoughts and prayers.

 

[MustafaMc]

In the traditional church calendar Pentecost is celebrated 50 days after Easter, remembering when the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples who had gathered together.

Wouldn't 50 days after Easter mean that Pentecost occured on Monday also known as Whit Monday, "one of the major annual holidays in Pennsylvania Dutch country in the United States".

What do people do (on Whit Monday)?

There are a number of customs associated with Whit Monday. Cheese rolling and throwing competitions are held in some parts of England. In other parts of the country, Whit walks, which are parades led by local brass bands, clergy, dignitaries and local organizations, are held. The walks are often concluded by various activities that include competitions, dancing and food.

In the United States some churches organize Whit Monday prayer rallies, which include prayers and street marches. In France it is a holiday that is respected by many citizens. In 2005 millions of workers stayed at home during Whit Monday, despite the government's cancellation of the holiday, causing a halt in public transport and the closure of many municipal offices. The French government recently reinstated Whit Monday as a public holiday, while retaining a more flexible Day of Solidarity.

http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/common/whit-monday

I had never heard of Whit Monday before this google search on Pentecost. Learned something new again!