It was never kept in the bible. And as the article points out, it wasn't settled officially until 325 AD that Easter was to be kept by Christians.
All the other stuff came later.
All the other stuff came long before. Fertility rites, pagan symbols and such long predated Christ.
Celebrating spring isn't Easter. Acknowledging the anniversary of Jesus' death, burial and resurrection are. And that's all I will say on this stupid concept.
Jesus commanded us how to remember his death. His death was the most important thing. I don't think the resurrection was unimportant, but without his sin free life and his atoning death the resurrection would have been meaningless. That's why we are told to remember his death, not his resurrection and that's the reason God created the Passover.
>> It was never kept in the bible. And as the article points out, it wasn't settled officially until 325 AD that Easter was to be kept by Christians. <<
False. Prior to 325 AD, there were differences in how to set the date of Easter. Do you celebrate it March 28th (3 days after March 25th, the date Jesus was crucified)? Do you wait for the following Sunday? Do you use the Julian calendar, or the Hebrew calendar?
But the celebration of Easter was celebrated since the first century.
>> All the other stuff came long before. Fertility rites, pagan symbols and such long predated Christ. <<
Yes, but these particular practices were unknown to Christians who established the recognition of Easter, so it is ridiculous to say that Easter stems from those practices. Suppose I asked you, "How could Thomas Jefferson have killed JFK? He was dead long before JFK was shot?" and you answered, "Murder, and treachery, and treason have been around since long before Jefferson or Kennedy!" It's true, but nonsensical as a response.
>> Jesus commanded us how to remember his death. His death was the most important thing. I don't think the resurrection was unimportant, but without his sin free life and his atoning death the resurrection would have been meaningless. That's why we are told to remember his death, not his resurrection and that's the reason God created the Passover. <<
He commanded his followers that God died? Of course not! the good news is that through his death, Christ conquered death, and established that there is life afterward! Look to the examples of the apostles! Did they preach that Christ died, or did they preach that he died and was resurrected? Where did their hope lie? In his death, or in his resurrection? For without the resurrection, his death is mere tragedy; Paul says we'd have to be fools to practice Christianity without remembering his resurrection!
We most do both.
In reality, the holiest day of the Early Christians was considered Pentecost, for Easter and Good Friday were celebrated every week.