So...how come bunnies & eggs?

"I CHOOSE to give Easter the meanings of renewal, spring, new life and metaphorical rebirth. My Beautiful wife and I had our first date and were later married on Easter "
I agree completely. My wife and I got engaged just as the sun was setting at 4pm on the winter solstice. We were exchanging holiday gifts. She says she thought her gift was going to be batteries (seriously), and didn't know I was going to ask her to get married at that moment. We got married on the summer solstice. We shoudl all choose our own holiday meanings.

There are a number of believers in mystical religions on this forum who at least think freedom is a good thing.

I was raised Catholic, so I get the religious connotations. However, I fell away from the church in the 70's and 80's, so I only go for weddings and funerals now as all my relatives are older than me. As for me, it is renewal, a sign of the awakening of nature after a long winter hibernation. A forewarning of the oncoming spring, for those of us in the northern reaches of this world.

And Easter egg hunts?? And how does this Jesus character dying on a cross pay forward for unknown future sins? if people turned out to especially good later or particularly bad.

Lots of myth and history behind Easter. Christianity has to be an example of salesmanship of epic proportions. The Spring equinox has long been associated with the rebirth (resurrection, if you will) of life that disappeared through Winter, and many earlier religions created ceremonies rejoicing in nature's life cycle. The symbolism of these holidays was more powerful than the everyday rituals of the various faiths.

The exact dates of Christ's birth and death are difficult to determine, since the Bible makes little helpful date reference, but the early Christians were quick to fit their scripture's message to popular established culture. The story of the crucifixion and resurrection fit naturally into the equinox rebirth celebration.

The bunnies and gifts of candy are a leftover from the pagan rebirth celebration, which emphasized the end of want and the arrival of plenty. I've left out a lot of information about the many reborn savior myths that predated Christ, but most involved a Spring equinox festival.

If you think about it, where do the Easter eggs come in. Rabbits don't lay eggs !!!

I thought the bunny was of pagan origin. A familiar of a pagan god of spring or something, adopted when the church lined up Easter, like Xmas with pagan rituals to co-opt larger populations. X-mas being the harvest ending Sarurnalia, and Easter being the spring Bacchus/Dionysus Certamen (sp?).

Amen, Babe

A disgusting reminder, but it's yours, and hopefully you won't remember it next year,
keeping it in your memory storehouse. I know,
I don't have to read it but who amongst us hasn't made such a stupid mistake? Ugh!

If you can find a copy, read "The Passover Plot".

You know...catholic mysticism's and their penchant for combining other pagan practices are bewildering...but at the heart of it, first the sacrifice, (good Friday) which is forgiveness for our past bicameral ways as we would hopefully appreciate as we became aware of them (consciousness) [That's what Jesus was preparing us for] then easter (his Resurrection-immortal identity-(which is quantum physics) demonstrates for us an identity beyond our brains, our bodies or egos and a connection to creation through the ether...A mystic would explain it bicamerally...I explain it quantum physically....the easter bunny? that's not quantum physical...laughing.

Yours is the most decent read on "What is
Easter" compared to the 'bad taste left
in the mouth' of the others. Happy (Easter)
Anniversary to you and your beautiful wife!

I love the "Easter Challenge" that came out many years ago as to which "Easter Story" of the three in the bible is the "real" one. The challenge offered $1,000 to anyone who can reconcile the three stories. If you haven't seen it find it. I even took it, and put it into a three-column sheet with the quotations so there is no excuse not to answer. I usually send it out to my christian friends each year, but I forgot to do it this year or to bring it with me on my travels.

Here is the stand I take on this matter:

I refuse to give anyone (especially those I disrespect or with whom I disagree) the power to define for me or hijack the meaning of holidays or any concepts of personal significance to me.

I CHOOSE to give Easter the meanings of renewal, spring, new life and metaphorical rebirth. My Beautiful wife and I had our first date and were later married on Easter - and for 25 years have celebrated our anniversary on Easter as a time of recommitment and renewal of our love and life together.

Screw the rest of that stuff. I am content to leave others free to do what they will with the occasion, but they WILL NOT rain on my parade!!!

I have a DVD of that movie.

It's Good Friday when Jesus dies a hideous death on the cross.
On Easter Jesus rose from the dead.
You have the free will to believe it or not.
People being people have done all kinds a goofy stuff with what was supposed to be basically simple.
Kinda makes me think of things done to our USA government.

I'm reminded of the old Sam Kinison bit. He was like "I've read the bible, there's Jesus on the cross, 20-30 Christians standing around him crying 'it's a shame he has to die', and Jesus is up there 'Someone'd get a ladder and a pair of pliers, I wouldn't have to!!'"

easter used to be the pagan spring celebration of the corn king...rebirth of life (planting crops)...religion co-opted it....then commercial food processing co-opted that...and so on...

Hi, JB
An image from Monty Python and the Holy Grail comes to mind. Religion gives the peon a reason to carry on even though he's all "covered in shit."

Religion wouldn't be half so bad if it wasn't for the silly stories, starting with Eden and going forward. As to death being the complete end...who knows? We don't really know what consciousness is. I'll not ponder it, since it is inevitable and unknowable -- at least for now.

That's so true. Even a negative celebration like Halloween is turned into an excuse for a costume party and an child's activity. Although, I have noticed an increase in young adult beggars last year. I was tempted to hand out medications.

It always seemed so incongruous to me. But then, I'm for anything that gives little kids a fun activity.

Yes, that too but the lure of life after death is so great that mankind forsakes reason in the desperate hope it is true. Once making that choice the morality of being a moocher and second-hander is easy. I used to think that you could be an Objectivist and still be religious but I do not think so any more. As long as you are religious, you believe in mysticism and accept altruism as moral and cannot accept the primacy of the individual and that your moral purpose is to seek your own happiness. It is our fear of death that denies us the full enjoyment of the life we have. I want to look in the mirror every day and love the person I see more than anything and be proud that he tries his utmost to enjoy his own life while doing nothing to prevent others from doing likewise. (Those that are unhappy because I will not let them prevent my enjoyment are not my responsibility.) When the day comes that I see everything going permanently black, I will be satisfied if I can maintain this sense even if this happens when I am in chains, in a cold, dark dungeon.