Easter no longer celebrated by some Protestants?

[MrStain]

It seems to be a trajectory within some sects of Protestantism that continues to lead to a smaller & smaller Christianity. With every new brake-away denomination they seem to throw away more and more of our rich faith. In this case, Easter is tossed aside by some who are blinded by Catholic bigotry & ignorance.

As a convert to Catholicism I’m beginning to better understand what is meant by the statement Fullness of the Truth. In my journey, I felt I went from a slim-downed faith to a super-sized faith with lots of substance.

 

[Miserissima]

All my life, as a Catholic in the Bible Following that she went on about it and another two people piped in on it, and then the anti-Catholic stuff started and I am embarassed to say, that I just grabbed my buggy and walked away because I had no come back I really did not know how to repond, That is why I am here asking you all what do I say next time?

Next time, giggle like you know something they don’t.
I know it sounds funny, but I am totally serious. Way Serious.

Exctact yourself from the conversation as politely as you can, like Miss Manners would, In the midst of the gaggle, say something like, “I hope you have a nice morning/afternon/evening.” With a pleasant smile like the cat who just ate the bird…and leave gently.

 

[kim3260]

What they are implying is that just because we have a holiday to commemorate Jesus’ resurrection then we don’t remember him on other days. Do I forget my children because I set a day aside for their birthday? Do I forget God because I only go to church a certain number of days? Really when you think it through, their logic is faulty.

By the way, you might ask why they don’t push to change the days of the week, after all weren’t some of them named after pagan Gods?

The birthday is a great comeback for these folks. You’s right, their logic is faulty at best.
The problem is when they come up with this loco stuff I am just floored and shut-mouth because I can’t believe they actually believe this stuff.
I never knew days of the week are pagan gods, learn something new each day
I guess they can’t celebrate “Monday” either

 

[kim3260]

Next time, giggle like you know something they don’t.
I know it sounds funny, but I am totally serious. Way Serious.

Exctact yourself from the conversation as politely as you can, like Miss Manners would, In the midst of the gaggle, say something like, “I hope you have a nice morning/afternon/evening.” With a pleasant smile like the cat who just ate the bird…and leave gently.

I like that, make them as uncomfortable as I am.

 

[jblake]

kim3260;:

I understand when the atheist with their refusal to celebrate Christian Holidays, but when Christians do this, I am at a loss.

The logic is that since there are neither commandments nor examples in the NT to observe them, doing so is a sin. (If you want to discombobulate such individuals, ask them if they observe the Holy Days that are commanded to them to observe, that are in the Tanakh.)

The church I attended as a child celebrated Ascension Day, but not Easter. That logic was predicated upon “The Risen Lord”, not “The Resurrected Lord”. “The Resurrected Lord” was remembered in each Sunday.

xan

jonathon

 

[rtconstant]

Whether we like it or not, most people of European ancestry are completely unaware that that ancestry is in reality Indo European and that at one point the gods and godesses of classical mythology were all one 5,000 + years ago. If you look at the languages spoken by Indo European peoples you will probably be able to understand things like numbers and the words for mother and father. Thus Eostre is Anglo-Saxon, Ostara is Germanic, Astarte is Middle Eastern. It sorely vexes me that our protestant bretheren cannot do the basic research which shows this to be the most likely explanation. There are volumes upon volumes about what the Indo European peoples believed 5,000+ years ago. There are volumes which compare the gods of the Hindus to the gods of the Greeks and the Romans to the gods of the Norse and Anglo-Saxons or the Irish. Right now here in Louisiana we have elected an Indian governor who is a Catholic. The media insists upon treating him as of some other race but he is as Caucasian as anyone else had anyone else done the research to note that Indians are Caucasians. Indo-Europeans.

How weak is your faith if you have to look for pagan or occult roots of every Christian holiday? HMC used the tool of religious syncretism wisely. That means where beliefs were similar, she co-opted them into the faith. St. Patrick used this concept and converted a people who brought Christianity back to the European continent.

Ultimately Easter is linked to Passover. How can you watch the Ten Commandments on TV and say that was pagan?

Thank you Brotherhrolf for your intelligent post. It is rare that people understand that the peoples of India, europe and Iran are a single racial group. It is not even hard to see how very much alike our cultures and old religious values were.

Also, I’ve never understood why people don’t see the connection as to why it is so easy to sync the old Indo-European beliefs to Christianity. To me it seems plane that the old god-man legends of the pagans are directly linked to our ancestral understanding that there would be a god-man.

 

[Syele]

I never knew days of the week are pagan gods, learn something new each day
I guess they can’t celebrate “Monday” either

http://www.colonization.biz/old_gods.htm:

The following Days of the Week are after Greeco-Roman, Norse, and Germanic Gods:

• Sunday – Day of the Sun.
• Monday – Day of the Moon.
• Tuesday - Tyr or Tiw was the Norse God of War. Also known as Martius Roman God of War.
• Wednesday - Mercury the messenger God. Also known as the Norse God Odin, and Woden or Wotan to the Germanic Tribes.
• Thursday - Thor was the Norse God of Thunder. And Jupiter also chief of the Gods.
• Friday - Frigga Norse God (in this case a goddess). She was believed to be the wife of Odin and was the goddess of marriage and the hearth. The Roman’s had named this day for Venus their goddess of beauty.
• Saturday - Saturn Roman God of Time and the Harvest.

 

[Pani_Rose]

It is funny since the Protestants were the ones that began calling it Easter here in the US, today many prefer ‘Ressurection Sunday’. The correct greeting throughout most of the world, except for the US, is Pascha and it’s various spellings.

Easter is the ‘Christianization’ of the pegan godess ‘easter’. The name “Easter” has its roots in ancient polytheistic religions (paganism).

The noun form of Paschal from the Middle English, in turn taken from the Old French “pasche”, taken from the Late Latin word
“pascha” meaning “Passover or Easter”. The Late Latin word was taken from the Late Greek word “paskha” derived from the
Old Hebrew word “pesah”.

Jewish passover was a preparation for the Christian pascha or passover, and Christ was/is the fulfillment of Pascha. He has become our passage: from death into life.
** St. Paul said, “Christ [is] our Pascha,
sacrificed for us (1 Cor. 5:7).”**

 

[bengal_fan]

???

Easter originally a pagan holiday???

yes, it was originally a pagan holiday. just like Christmas adopted much of the roman holiday saturnalia (celebrated in december by decorating trees and giving gifts).

So. where is it, or was it ever pagan.

it was a celebration of fertility and birth. hence rabbits (amazingly fertile) and eggs (symbol for birth).

1. Holy week occurs in conjunction with Passover…

in the orthodox churches… yes. in roman catholic and other western churches… no. it is based on the lunar calendar just like the original pagan holiday it is named after. the orthodox do place their celebration of easter during passover.

1. Holy Thursday is specifically to remember the last super, the garden, etc
2. Good Friday is the day he gets crucified
3. Resurrection Sunday remembers, well, his resurrection

correct.

the time of year s known, unlike Christmas…
The events surrounding are know…

yep, we do know the time of year of Christ’s resurrection, but the date is decided by the lunar calendar in the same way the original pagan holiday was (at least in the west).

It’s like saying July the 4th is a pagan Egyptian holiday because… well because… No evidence…

not the same.

If you want to complain about easter bunnies and egg hunts… ok fine whatever… but to say Easter was at one point pagan???

it was at one point pagan. the bunny and the eggs are leftovers from that pagan holiday.

I’m in complete shock… and at the same time terribly saddened groups of Christians actually believe…

The closest I have ever heard is that there was a god from an old religion named something LIKE easter…

goddess i believe actually.

terribly sad…

dishearteningly sad…

i agree.

here is what i say to those people who have a problem with the fact that Christianity absorbed many pagan holidays and re-worked them. Christ came to redeem that which was lost. we were once broken and only faint images of the Creator. as bernard of clairvaux said, “we still have His image but have lost His likeness.” but God came and redeemed us. He made us and continues to make us into His image fully. every religion has some element of truth to it. Christianity is the complete fullness of that truth but every world religion has some nugget that we can grab onto. these festivals had some truth to them as well. saturnalia (where we get some of the traditions of Christmas) gave the great example of giving rather than receiving. the original easter celebrated new life (especially the birth and “re-birth” as the religion taught that the things and ones that die are raised up through the ground into the new life that springs forth from the earth). Christianity took these holidays and clung to the elements of truth (or God image) that existed and sought to redeem the rest (just like God does with us). it is a great parallel to our own redemption and eventual resurrection.

 

[kim3260]

It is funny since the Protestants were the ones that began calling it Easter here in the US, today many prefer ‘Ressurection Sunday’. The correct greeting throughout most of the world, except for the US, is Pascha and it’s various spellings.

Easter is the ‘Christianization’ of the pegan godess ‘easter’. The name “Easter” has its roots in ancient polytheistic religions (paganism).

The noun form of Paschal from the Middle English, in turn taken from the Old French “pasche”, taken from the Late Latin word
“pascha” meaning “Passover or Easter”. The Late Latin word was taken from the Late Greek word “paskha” derived from the
Old Hebrew word “pesah”.

Jewish passover was a preparation for the Christian pascha or passover, and Christ was/is the fulfillment of Pascha. He has become our passage: from death into life.
**St. Paul said, “Christ [is] our Pascha, **
sacrificed for us (1 Cor. 5:7).”

That would make perfect sense.
again everyone you all been a real help. Thank You very much!
I’ll be prepared next year
Now if they can get off my back about my outdoor light-up Nativity Scene/Christmas decorations still on after the 26th
It has to be a new radical group of so-called “Christians” because we have never really had this problem in the past. It was the one of the few things both Catholics and Protestants agreed on.

 

[Miserissima]

Next time, giggle like you know something they don’t.
I know it sounds funny, but I am totally serious. Way Serious.

Exctact yourself from the conversation as politely as you can, like Miss Manners would, In the midst of the gaggle, say something like, “I hope you have a nice morning/afternon/evening.” With a pleasant smile like the cat who just ate the bird…and leave gently.

*All my life, as a Catholic in the Bible Following that she went on about it and another two people piped in on it, and then the anti-Catholic stuff started and I am embarassed to say, that I just grabbed my buggy and walked away because I had no come back I really did not know how to repond, That is why I am here asking you all what do I say *

Dear Kim,

Just a note of support from a transplanted Yankee that you did well in your Easter conversation. Thi issue has been on my mind since I read it and posted a few days ago. Pelase let me add a few more words.

Some people here believe the roots are pagan, others do not. I see that argument as besides the point of your original question. [Not the point of celebrating Easter,or debating the roots of Easter, but the point of the conversation that Kim3260 had,ok?)]

but when Christians do this, I am at a loss.

The point is Christians attacked - not questioned - but attacked your belief system as if you were…someone who needed to be taught a lesson. They weren’t trying to evangelize, they were trying to convince you that they were right.

And…(HUZZAH TO YOU!) they did nothing in the process to question your faith. Instead, you came to CAF/CAL looking for answers. Thank God for people like you who come looking for ansers tather than abandoning Catholicism altogether because your “faith” was challenged. Your solid grounding in the faith amazes me, and I am happy to have met you on these boards.

Next time you get into a situation like that, open a thread and PM me so I know you’ve started a thread. I would love to give my two cents worth. Until then, my advice is to still “act like a lady.” Smile courteously and extract yourself as best you can while wishing them a good day. Let them talk about Easter being pagan or not amongst themselves. You know the truth in your heart, and do not need to respond to them.

You mentioned that you were embarrassed that you didn’t have an immediate answer. Look, we’re not all apologists who can answer from Sacred Scripture or the CCC from the hip. (What were you supposed to do, tell them to wait a minute, run home and print something by Jimmy Akin or Karl Keating and bring it back to them?)

So take it easy on yourself.

Obviously, they do not attend Mass with you, but are these people you have over to tea? Do they bring you a casserole when a family member has passed on? Do they watch your children or walk your dog while you run to the grocery store? Are they your friends in the truest sense?

Christ said that [paraphrasing here]: “There will be those who are hated in my name.” You just got that firsthand and passed with flying colors. Offer it up for [specificlly them] our separated bretheren and let it go.

God bless you with all my heart,

Rose

 

[latin_rite]

Easter is the ‘Christianization’ of the pegan godess ‘easter’. The name “Easter” has its roots in ancient polytheistic religions (paganism).

Every time around Easter I see pagans coming on line saying how we stole Easter or copied it. What the confusion is about Easter for pagans is simple. To them Easter sounds like ishtar. They seem to think Easter is some English variant of the word ishtar. Easter is a English translation of the old Germanic of ester which basically means resurrection . In fact Germany and English speaking countries are the only two places where the word Easter is commonly used. In most languages the word for Easter is exactly the same as the word for Passover, so the relationship between the feast of Passover and the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is directly linked. A few examples are; Latin Pascha, French PⱵes, Italian Pasqua, and Dutch Pasen. All these words mean both Easter and Passover, only the context formulates the difference. With the exception of English and German, all other European languages do not have a separate word for Easter and Passover, but simply use a single term derived from Pesach, the Hebrew word for Passover. When the bible was being translated into the Latin language in the fourth century, when translating the word Pascha, which can mean both Passover and Easter, Jerome simply used the same Greek word without creating a new Latin word in its place, thus the word Pascha was basically un-translated. In fact wasn’t until Tyndale gave us the word Easter in his translation and then also inventing the term Passover. Ultimately this gave us two separate words for two distinct occasions. It must be noted that the term Ester (later Easter) was used much more frequently in common literature to denote the Passover and the celebration of the resurrection than Pask ever was. I could go on and on about how Easter and ishtar have nothing in common. So remember this
ishtar= pagan “god”
easter= ester= old germanic word for resurection.

 

[jblake]

kim3260;:

year
Now if they can get off my back about my outdoor light-up Nativity Scene/Christmas decorations still on after the 26th

Are there any communities in the US where one can leave a tree up until 12th night, and not passed the date that the local municipality trash pickup service will pick the tree up?

And whatever happened to putting up Christmas trees on Christmas eve?

xan

jonathon

 

[strngrnrth]

People have to remember that regardless of cultural links and regardless of what a people celebrate, the activities and themes of holidays are pretty nearly inevitable because of the timing.
In the Northern Hemisphere, feasting makes sense in autumn, eating sweets (preserved foods) in winter and spring, and dancing when the weather gets nice. Giving gifts in winter and spring is logical because that’s when we have stored foods, need extra clothes, etc. Romance makes sense in spring and summer because that’s when animals choose mates and that’s when we look our best and the sweet smells of the trees and fowers inspire us. Autmn celebrations involved looking intot he future in some areas because the deepening darkness made it scary and people felt uncertain about the fuure. As for burning logs/lighting trees in winter, if that’s hard to figure out, you live in a tropical climate. It’s necessary. You need more heat and light, so you save up for enough to have a party and you celebrate. The colors are also ased on what is abundant in each season.
Spring brings eggs, milk and baby animals, especially rabbits, who are good at haing babies. It’s a good time for gathering, too. To turn that fact into “a pagan holiday” is like saying I’m a made-over version of a woman who lived on my block ten years before I was born because we both walked to the same river. No, we’re unrelated, we just live under similar physical circumstances.

 

[strngrnrth]

BTW, “Easter” and “east” both come from PIE “AWES”, “to shine” by way of Proto-Germanic “AUST-”, “the direction of the sunrise” (The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Indo-European root index).
If my last post was confusing because of long sentences, I apologize. It’s a habit of mine.

 

[ibkc]

Every time around Easter I see pagans coming on line saying how we stole Easter or copied it. What the confusion is about Easter for pagans is simple. To them Easter sounds like ishtar. They seem to think Easter is some English variant of the word ishtar.

Well, no - there was a Germanic goddess named Eostre. Someone earlier stated that Eostre and Ishtar were related, but I do not think that they come from the same cultural/linguistic root (Indo-European.) That a goddess named Eostre was worshiped by some old northern European tribes is beyond question, though.

 

[strngrnrth]

That a goddess named Eostre was worshiped by some old northern European tribes is beyond question, though.

But historians do still debate this point. It’s not beyond question.

 

[kim3260]

Dear Kim,

Just a note of support from a transplanted Yankee that you did well in your Easter conversation. Thi issue has been on my mind since I read it and posted a few days ago. Pelase let me add a few more words.

Some people here believe the roots are pagan, others do not. I see that argument as besides the point of your original question. [Not the point of celebrating Easter,or debating the roots of Easter, but the point of the conversation that Kim3260 had,ok?)]

The point is Christians attacked - not questioned - but attacked your belief system as if you were…someone who needed to be taught a lesson. They weren’t trying to evangelize, they were trying to convince you that they were right.

And…(HUZZAH TO YOU!) they did nothing in the process to question your faith. Instead, you came to CAF/CAL looking for answers. Thank God for people like you who come looking for ansers tather than abandoning Catholicism altogether because your “faith” was challenged. Your solid grounding in the faith amazes me, and I am happy to have met you on these boards.

Next time you get into a situation like that, open a thread and PM me so I know you’ve started a thread. I would love to give my two cents worth. Until then, my advice is to still “act like a lady.” Smile courteously and extract yourself as best you can while wishing them a good day. Let them talk about Easter being pagan or not amongst themselves. You know the truth in your heart, and do not need to respond to them.

You mentioned that you were embarrassed that you didn’t have an immediate answer. Look, we’re not all apologists who can answer from Sacred Scripture or the CCC from the hip. (What were you supposed to do, tell them to wait a minute, run home and print something by Jimmy Akin or Karl Keating and bring it back to them?)

So take it easy on yourself.

Obviously, they do not attend Mass with you, but are these people you have over to tea? Do they bring you a casserole when a family member has passed on? Do they watch your children or walk your dog while you run to the grocery store? Are they your friends in the truest sense?

Christ said that [paraphrasing here]: “There will be those who are hated in my name.” You just got that firsthand and passed with flying colors. Offer it up for [specificlly them] our separated bretheren and let it go.

God bless you with all my heart,

Rose

Thank you Rose!
I will keep doing as I am doing, also taking a lot of great advice with me.
But I have to give credit where credit is due, I know the Protestants have always in the past kinda treated me strangely, but I never minded. In fact I have to say they did come to my assistance several years ago when my husband was severly injured. But now this new breed especially under 35 group. They reject everything! They even “protest” the Prostestants to even talk to a Catholic is like a mortal sin to them.

I like what my brother said once to someone at work:
When asked if he found Jesus, my brother replied, “I don’t need to find Him, for I never lost Him, He has always been with me”

I will always come here when I have a questions, it’s a wonderful site! I look on the forums or check the great info they got on Catholic Answers. In fact my brother told me of this site

Kim

 

[latin_rite]

Well, no - there was a Germanic goddess named Eostre. Someone earlier stated that Eostre and Ishtar were related, but I do not think that they come from the same cultural/linguistic root (Indo-European.) That a goddess named Eostre was worshiped by some old northern European tribes is beyond question, though.

Well, I was using ishtar as one example. Eostreis another example of what i was saying. it doesn’t change a thing. easter is not evolved from ishtar or eostreis. it comes from the old germanic word ester. which means resurection.

 

[peary]

All my life, as a Catholic in the Bible Belt, I thought I heard it all.
But this one tops them all.
Last week I nicely wished a store person a “Have a Happy Easter” I was informed that she does not celebrate a that pagan holiday, that everyday is Resurection Day for her. Following that she went on about it and another two people piped in on it, and then the anti-Catholic stuff started and I am embarassed to say, that I just grabbed my buggy and walked away because I had no come back I really did not know how to repond, That is why I am here asking you all what do I say next time?
When this this happen? I notice still many of the Baptist churches, which this person is, had a sunrise service, the Methodist and Espiscolian as well had its services, so not all believe this.
I understand when the atheist with their refusal to celebrate Christian Holidays, but when Christians do this, I am at a loss.

Fundamentalists have this obsession with the term “Easter.” They believe that those Christians who use this ‘E’ word are worshipping and following a pagan holiday and are not celebrating the Resurrection of the Lord. This just reveals to you the level of ignorance that exists in the minds of some.