The pagan roots of Easter-Noting How Many Pagan Rituals Christianity Adopted As Its Own
In the last week or so, we've seen a spate of religious based arguments, as we see quite often here in the Gulch. Although I've known of the Christian adoption of all things Pagan for some time, this article lays out some of the most egregious such as Christmas, Easter, Black Friday, the death and rebirth of the son (sun) and others. The impact of knowledge like this points to hypocracy of religions as really power players in society. Enjoy:
"Easter is a pagan festival. If Easter isn't really about Jesus, then what is it about? Today, we see a secular culture celebrating the spring equinox, whilst religious culture celebrates the resurrection. However, early Christianity made a pragmatic acceptance of ancient pagan practises, most of which we enjoy today at Easter. The general symbolic story of the death of the son (sun) on a cross (the constellation of the Southern Cross) and his rebirth, overcoming the powers of darkness, was a well worn story in the ancient world. There were plenty of parallel, rival resurrected saviours too."
"Easter is a pagan festival. If Easter isn't really about Jesus, then what is it about? Today, we see a secular culture celebrating the spring equinox, whilst religious culture celebrates the resurrection. However, early Christianity made a pragmatic acceptance of ancient pagan practises, most of which we enjoy today at Easter. The general symbolic story of the death of the son (sun) on a cross (the constellation of the Southern Cross) and his rebirth, overcoming the powers of darkness, was a well worn story in the ancient world. There were plenty of parallel, rival resurrected saviours too."
Yes!
I have been pointing this out to church going friends for decades, and many reluctantly have agreed.
Thanks for posting, Zen! My best friend will enjoy reading this article.
Even the ONE holiday Christians are "commanded" to celebrate has been co-opted by pagan "Easter"
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topi...
"The English word Easter, which parallels the German word Ostern, is of uncertain origin. One view, expounded by the Venerable Bede in the 8th century, was that it derived from Eostre, or Eostrae, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring and fertility. "
http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/17597617
http://news.discovery.com/history/what-d...
http://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-leg...
The origins of Easter customs
The most widely-practiced customs on Easter Sunday relate to the symbol of the rabbit (‘Easter bunny’) and the egg. As outlined previously, the rabbit was a symbol associated with Eostre, representing the beginning of Springtime. Likewise, the egg has come to represent Spring, fertility and renewal. In Germanic mythology, it is said that Ostara healed a wounded bird she found in the woods by changing it into a hare. Still partially a bird, the hare showed its gratitude to the goddess by laying eggs as gifts.
The Encyclopedia Britannica clearly explains the pagan traditions associated with the egg: “The egg as a symbol of fertility and of renewed life goes back to the ancient Egyptians and Persians, who had also the custom of colouring and eating eggs during their spring festival.” In ancient Egypt, an egg symbolized the sun, while for the Babylonians, the egg represents the hatching of the Venus Ishtar, who fell from heaven to the Euphrates.