Posted on 04/23/2011 10:25:07 AM PDT by patlin
As we come to the final days of Passover when we celebrate the Risen Christ and as I journey into a deeper study of the Christian faith, I find myself learning many eye opening truths that were never taught to me by my church leaders since youth. Truths that I did not teach my children & have not taught grandchildren because I failed to explore Christian doctrine outside of the church teachings.
For the 1st time in my life, I did not decorate for the Christmas season last December & for the 1st time, I am not decorating nor celebrating an Easter,"Estore", season either. Why? Well, let's start with the words of Martin Luther ...
"The world at the present time is sagaciously discussing how to quell the controversy and strife over doctrine and faith, and how to effect a compromise between the Church and the Papacy. Let the learned, the wise, it is said, bishops, emperor and princes, arbitrate. Each side can easily yield something, and it is better to concede some things which can be construed according to individual interpretation, than that so much persecution, bloodshed, war, and terrible, endless dissension and destruction be permitted.
"Here is lack of understanding, for understanding proves by the Word that such patchwork is not according to God's will, but that doctrine, faith and worship must be preserved pure and unadulterated; there must be no mingling with human nonsense, human opinions or wisdom." "Estore" is a sun goddess worshipped by the pagans during the spring equinox. Bunnies & eggs are her signs of the fertility of mother earth. So the questions begged to be answered are, why did the Roman Catholic Papacy use the name of a pagan god to define one of Christianity's most important events? Why are Christians all over the globe today still celebrating this pagan event at home & in the Church when God rebuled these pagan religious traditions?
When Judeo-Christian monks worked mendaciously to gain followers by destroying pagan history and defaming the elder gods as demons, they had no weapons to deface the innocence of Eostre. Instead, they adopted her holiday and attempted to graft their values onto it. As the Judeo-Christians could offer nothing better, they simply claimed what existed as their own, changed the story slightly, and then tried to cover up and break people's connection to the past.
"Ostara, Eostre seems therefore to have been a divinity of the radiant dawn, of upspringing light, a spectacle that brings joy and blessing, whose meaning could be easily adapted to the resurrection-day of the christian's God. - Jacob Grimm, "Teutonic Mythology" 2 Corinthians 6: 14-16 tells us ...
"Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, "I will dwell in them and walk among them; And I will be their God, and they shall be My people." The resurrection is about baptism, the immersion into the waters, as a sign of renewel & rebirth the life of Christ. The Bible no where speaks of bunnies & eggs. The Lord told us that many will come, but few will enter His gates ...
"Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it" When the Pilgrims first settled in American, these pagan customs were banned. These celebrations were deemed unlawful. The Christian Pligrims had fled Europe for a land in which they could establish Christian communites based on the biblical teaching of Jesus Christ. They wished to shred every heresy & pagan doctrine forced upon them by the Roman Catholic Papacy & the English Church who had become nothing more than Religious Political & Military entities that ruled with an iron fist & who kept their people under oppression. In Constantine's plight to rid the world of paganism, instead of banishing these pagan cutoms, he adopted them as Christian theocracy thinking that he could rid the worls of them by giving them a Christian definition that had no roots in Biblical Christianity. In 2 Corinthians 6: 17, we here this command...
" Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE," says the Lord."AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN; And I will welcome you" Now, what does this say of modern Christianity when these so-called Christians still cling to pagan traitiditions? It says that paganism is alive and well in the churches of all religions across the globe. The message it sends to me is that Christian churches must cling fast to pagan traditions in order to fill the pews so that they can keep their political & religious military alive. So that they can keep their monetary coffers filled to the brim.
If the Christian churches wished to truly celebrate Passover & Eternal Life through the resurrection of Christ, a more befitting celebration would be to usher in a season of global Baptism. A season of renewl & rebirth through cleansing. The washing away of the old so that one may arise with the new.
How glorious a sight would that be, to see thousands Baptized the same way they did during the times of Christ. This is what Passover & Pentecost is about. Isn't it about time Christians start standing for the truth instead of continuing to partake in pagan customs? The Scriptures give us the rule in no uncertain terms in Acts 5: 29 ...
'We must obey God rather than men' So, as you gather tomorrow with family & friends to celebrate, ask yourselves ... what are you celebrating & how are you celebrating it?
I’ll be celebrating the resurrection, as I do every first day of the week, by taking communion with my fellow believers.
Easter is, indeed, a man-made holiday, but it’s more legit than Christmas in that it does fall near the Passover, which is when Christ was crucified and resurrected. No harm in recognizing that, but there is hypocrisy in the many who proclaim their faith only two times a year.
“So the questions begged to be answered are, why did the Roman Catholic Papacy use the name of a pagan god to define one of Christianity’s most important events?”
It didn’t you ignorant moron. Easter is a term used only in Germanic language speaking countries - whether Catholic or Protestant. The Catholic Church used the term “Pasch” = Passover.
The real hypocrisy here is that a sciolist moron is trying to pass herself off as somewhat learned when she is not.
“Why are Christians all over the globe today still celebrating this pagan event at home & in the Church when God rebuled these pagan religious traditions?”
Only a moron would suggest celebrating the resurrection of Christ is pagan.
The early church didn’t borrow Easter from pagans. Here go read and be enlightened:
http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/2011/04/12/easter-date-pagan
Geez! Bad enough we get the holiday buzzkills at Christmas, now Easter, too?
You’re not going to hell if you enjoy a few jelly beans and chocolate bunnies.
“Estore” is a sun goddess worshipped by the pagans during the spring equinox.
I did not know this before I read this post, however, I have heard of Easter.
Does the author realize that it seems that Christianity has taken this pagan ritual and changed it into good?
Wasn’t Santa some kind of pagan god or something in the past and now he is a jolly old fat man.
My point is hardly no one knows of estore (pagan), yet almost everone has heard of Easter (Christian).
“The date we celebrate today is a reasonable approximation of the Resurrection of Christ with no connection to pagan festivals. During this season, let us focus our attention on Christ and His completed work attested to by His Resurrection, knowing He is the author and finisher of our faith.”
That is from the article. It is the “short answer”. I will do tomorrow what I always do on Sunday, thanking God for all His goodness to me, a worm underserving.
IE. We can not become our own doctors or lawyers, or teachers, unless we choose it do it as profession.
Father, thou knows exactly what we need and how to help us, Inspire us to right action and thought, and allow us not to be deceived. God help us in our time, in Jesus name,amen
everone = everyone, sorry
I celebrate Christ every day.
1 Corinthians 10:23
23All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable All things are lawful, but not all things edify.
The early Church referred to Easter week as “hebdomada alba” (“white week”), from the white garments worn by the newly baptized. Some mistranslated the word to mean “the shining light of day” or “the shining dawn,” and therefore used the Teutonic root eostarun, the Old German plural for dawn, as the basis for the German Ostern and for the English equivalent Easter. In early English translations of the Bible made by Tyndale and Coverdale, the word Easter was substituted for the word Passover, in some verses.
I will be celebrating the Solemnity of the Resurrection of My Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ.
did this reader NOT read God’s words?
I celebrate Christ every day also, but that was not whom I specifically named...I named the “Risen Christ”
Substitution has no basis in the law of biblical interpretation of the context of His teachings. Substitution is cover-up of the truth and that is what this article is about. The cover-up to usher in oppressive Theocracy Rule of man, not God to merely gain body count for the Ruling Theocracy.
I think the AIG link clarified the issue quite well. But I think a key point should be made at this juncture -
Are we worshiping “Estore” today? Clearly the answer is no but that the term has carried down since Nicea ‘fixed’ the date according to the lunar/solar calendar in existence at the time. Coincidence that the celebration of “Estore” occurred at the same time? Deliberate - history says otherwise.
I and my family don’t do the easter eggs and bunny thing for many reasons - primarily because it detracts from the fact of the resurrection in today’s world imho. But since we are not worshipping “Estore” we have grace - just like Paul granted grace to the gentiles who ate meat offered to idols - idols being nothing, but some with weaker faith in that arena we were to avoid offending - and vice versa.
Have a Cadbury egg and rejoice that the Lord - He is risen, He is risen indeed.
Great link. Judging by the nonresponse, evidently the thread poster is choosing to remain unenlightened.
In parlance they´re ¨C and E´ers¨ who show up only on Christmas and Easter and take all the best seats or pews.
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