I think someone up there has been looking after me.
I should have gotten killed a long time ago.
"Spirit In The Sky" is one of my favorite songs.
I also dig "Knocking On Heaven's Door."
Ain't I just freaking terrible here?

In many cases the golden rule has been distorted to say, "Do unto others, then get out." Want proof? 2008.

I consider myself to be a libertarian Constitutional conservative. I'll also admit that I'm into Objectivism Lite.
I'm not about to become an atheist to make myself pleasing to anyone.
I like the Gulch because I can learn a lot here (I don't at all mind finding out I've been wrong about this or that) and stuff even about myself. I also like to sound off when am so moved. If what I believe negates what I say to some--so be it.
I yam who I yam. "Know thyself" the mystical Apollo said. (Still dug that scene in "Troy" when Brad Pitt's Achilles chopped that idol's head off).
One thing very wrong with this world is that there are too many people in it more than willing to live a lie to ge by instead of being true to oneself.

RE: " If you're a person of faith, you celebrate the rebirth and hope." Only if you're a person of a particular faith. If you're a person of another faith, such a celebration might indicate that you're an infidel.

I've had many unexplained experiences. Possibly the result of a fevered brain. They do not guide my life, however.

To many, a belif in religion negates anything else that can be said. I suppose you can't truly call yourself an Objectivist and be religious too. Perhaps we should start a new category: Objectivism Lite. Or is that Libertarianism? Anyhow, I enjoy your contributions and you rarely piss me off. I know that I piss off a few now and then. But, I look forward to it. Actually, I look forward to it when I find I'm wrong. Another item in the learning column.

OK
I give up.
One thing we have in common (probably more) is that we both love listening. Makes me want to dance even though I no longer can. Makes me want to pick up the trombone and start playing again even though my lip would say, "no-can-do."

I didn't give a negative description of New Orleans jazz, I contrasted it with dixieland. That particular band from 1958 is specifically British N.O. revival, which is a distinctive sub-style (and not well known today). The N.O. style is very different from dixieland and is very difficult to capture for musicians formally trained. Yes the better bands of either style have their own unique sound; most of the dixieland bands today don't; detailed differences in set patterns don't change the sound much. As a professional musician you were lucky to play with the better bands.

Amazing, the variety of comments here, ranging from pagans to astronomy to religious delusions to politics and myths and faith and dark matter, wow.

The question of what is Easter has a multi-stage answer. Let me give it a try:

Humans' minds are genetically programmed for information acquisition. Not being ready to question every detail, children accept what they are told, although by age 3 their most frequent word is "Why." Nevertheless, beliefs are set in place on acceptance of authority. A side branch of acceptance is what later becomes full-blown unquestioning faith.

Among the oldest memes is the anticipation of the return of the Sun after months of dark and cold. Primitive peoples who had migrated to northern lands and got caught in colder seasons adapted, or became nomads. Equatorial populations didn’t have to deal with severe climate changes, so had no need for adaptive skills nor a need to placate imagined gods to bring back the Sun.

Primitive man had a sense of nature’s powers to which humans were subject, so ascribed those powers to some larger, stronger, even invisible entities that needed to be placated with offerings and sacrifices similar to making deals with bigger and stronger human bullies.

The striving for survival, growth, continuity, replication is an aspect of living things that applies both to their physical form and the mental/emotional programs that animate it. A healthy, fit creature lives as one with the laws of nature and the conditions of reality, learning how to provide sustenance and safety for itself and its offspring. Its experiences accumulate a lore that becomes part of the science and culture of a growing society and is passed on to every generation in what we call memes.

The sickest, most twisted, demented meme of all is the notion of an imaginary ruler who must be worshipped, who demands sacrifices, and who judges the people on their slightest transgressions and sends his son to be killed so as to redeem all of mankind for all their sins.

Perhaps at some point in societies like Abraham’s descendants the people had to be ruled through fear of punishment and through the promise of a Savior, a messiah who would come to save them. This sicko notion goes back to the myth of the first man created, Adam, who sinned by discovering sex, and since all humans are the products of sex, their original sin is already attached to them when they are born, though the baptismal font will wash it off. Should a baby die before being baptized, it will go straight to Hell, so the belief goes.

We are also to believe that a man named Jesus was actually the son of God and had to be born so he could choose to be sacrificed to placate God about the sins of mankind and thus liberate all the souls in hell and purgatory and win forgiveness for all future sins.

So Easter is when Jesus supposedly rose from the dead, symbolizing that human life also does not end with death, since that is counter to the growth and continuity directive of living things. Thus at Easter humans reinforce their palliative against the certitude of death with complex symbolic ceremonies and feasts and sweet treats to celebrate that the long, hungry fasting of winter is over and the fertile earth once again provides sustenance and rebirth.

A more rational approach to the knowledge that life has its cycles, and that consciousness is attached only to a living form, would be to celebrate Life while we have it and make the most of it, build as good and beneficial a physical existence as we can for ourselves and our progeny, on a planet whose resources need to be managed wisely and through ever-growing technology that may someday free us to seek other planets to preserve our genes and memes.

The only parts of our consciousness that will survive us is what we pass on through ideas, which is why ideas also have a life of their own and seek to preserve themselves by occupying as many minds as possible and resisting being changed or eliminated. Hence all the wars, all the disputes and animosities among people with differing ideas: meme warfare leading to physical annihilation.

And these demented folk still want to believe that someday a savior will come to rescue them and prove them right and judge them righteous, no matter how many other people they have slaughtered in the name of their god. There. That’s Easter.

Looks like I failed to keep her talking.
Shame. I kinda of like a few Christians around.
Maybe I should go back to church.
I'm a retired corrections officer with 21 years experience.
So you just gotta know I've got a thick skin.
I spent a few days butting heads with one Gulcher who outspokenly wanted me thrown outta here.
It was over that Davis lady who got arrested for refusing to issue same sex marriage licenses.
Later on he seemed to warm up to me for whatever the reason.
He initiated an exchange of a few civil words on somebody else's post.
I've reason to believe there may be a few Christian lurkers who keep quiet.
One contacted me via a PM back before Christmas.

I gather that would be extremely few.
Doubt that few would care to admit it here.
Maybe someone would admit to a UFO.
I never saw one of those save for on videos available to all on TV and Youtube.

Actually, who are the pagans? Is there any substantial difference in all beliefs based on faith?

There are many more.
As to Rand, she once had a discussion with a famous conservative who was also an outspoken Catholic, and tried to get him to admit that he really didn't believe.

There's a new topic. How many Gulchers have had an experience that cannot be rationally explained.

Already have one. I will settle for a crème Easter egg which I'll buy for myself in your name.

Peeps.

Most of the folks in the Gulch do not believe in God let alone a son of God. If you have read many of the posts you might note rational explanations of the origins of Easter and its relation to previous pagan holidays. Within the Objectivist "family" you cannot expect respect or reverence for what most here consider to be mythical. Therefore, fodder for satire or jokes. I think that you are taking something personally that was never meant to be, but you have stepped into a land concurrent with your non religious beliefs but opposite your religious beliefs. It may be too hot in the kitchen for you. Sorry if you choose to go, because I enjoy perspectives as varied as possible, but that doesn't mean that I may not be disrespectful . I argue with many people when I think they come off track, but I hope they have a thick enough skin to give as much as they get.

This may be Objectivenist land.
But people are still gonna be all sorts of people.
Don't let the nasty ones get you down.
Stick to those parting words and you'll be okay.

This explains all to perfection. And funny. If this is your first "Mr. Deity" show prepare to be addicted.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Dzuxyq3...

But for a different take on what happened at the first Easter, check out "The Passion of Judas" :-)
http://tinyurl.com/judasrc

Like many Christian festivals including Christmas, Easter had pagan origins or equivalents. In the case of Easter it directly derives from the Jewish Passover because according to the Bible, Jesus was killed during Passover. However Passover itself is a Spring festival and has many fertility-related cousins in other agricultural societies, hence the fertility symbols of eggs and bunnies, which have nothing to do with Easter in the Bible. They came from pagan festivals celebrated around the same time.

Gosh, allosaur, this was so well said. However, the "zombie" remark, even if said in jest, really got to me. I don't seem to be able to get over it and find it hard to believe that some in the Gulch found it funny. You have been in the Gulch for quite a while and contributed to it a great deal. I admire you for that. I, too, have enjoyed being in the Gulch, but these last couple of days have made my heart sad. Someday, all this will play out and won't those in the Gulch be surprised. I just wanted to personally say good-by to you. My parting words to you come from St. Paul in 2 Timothy, "Fight the good fight, finish the race, and keep the faith."