posted March 30, 2013 09:57 AM            

The day Western Christians celebrate Christ's resurrection upon the third day. The Eastern (meaning E Europe south to MidEast through Russia) Orthodox celebrate on a different day.

Anyway, if one wants to see a "KJV that's the one for me" Christian come unglued point out that "Easter" appears in the Bible.

The reality is, the proper name is "Ishtar" a middle eastern fertility deity and the various rituals and symbols we all know, Rabbits, Egg Rolling etc, are Paganic in origin. KJV only types simply cannot stand that is happening.

As pragmatist, I realize the Gregorian Calendar is gakked, we really have no true, firm idea, when the Resurrection happened only that it did actually happen sometime after the Passover celebration in the early 30's AD.

Enjoy it, as the Orthodox tradition on that day is to greet with "He is Risen" replied with "He is Risen indeed".

posted March 30, 2013 10:17 AM            

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Anyway, if one wants to see a "KJV that's the one for me" Christian come unglued point out that "Easter" appears in the Bible.

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posted March 30, 2013 10:34 AM            

"King James Bible (Cambridge Ed.)
And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people."

Newer versions changed it to "passover" the problem being is the Bible is based on manuscripts in Chaldean and Koine Greek, and they do say "Ishtar".

Meaning Bible Thumpers have a bit of a problem in that "word by word and precept upon precept" then runs into a celebration of Eostere/Ashterath/Ishtar.

posted March 30, 2013 10:47 AM            

So as Paul once said '..when amongst the Jews I became a Jew, when among the Greeks, I became a Greek.."

posted March 30, 2013 10:56 AM            

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Originally posted by doommlord:
I guess that was one of the reasons christianity got so powerfull compared to more docile religions, other than the crusades and the rest.....

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Actually, that is backwards, many forget that the Middle East, from Turkey to Tunisa was Christian until Islam then became the new boss so to speak.

The Crusades literally have nothing to do with it. In fact the Crusades were pretty much a massive failure in any meaningful sense.

IMO, what helped Christianity to grow was a mixture of Truth and Literacy, the message is true, for centuries the Priesthood was only body of literate people in most of the West. Toss in the RCC was effectively the only govt in huge swaths of Europe during the post Roman fall to the rise of Kings.

posted March 30, 2013 11:14 AM            

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Originally posted by Padre35:
Actually, that is backwards, many forget that the Middle East, from Turkey to Tunisa was Christian until Islam then became the new boss so to speak.

The Crusades literally have nothing to do with it. In fact the Crusades were pretty much a massive failure in any meaningful sense.

IMO, what helped Christianity to grow was a mixture of Truth and Literacy, the message is true, for centuries the Priesthood was only body of literate people in most of the West. Toss in the RCC was effectively the only govt in huge swaths of Europe during the post Roman fall to the rise of Kings.

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posted March 30, 2013 11:31 AM            

Crusades themselves were partly driven by the reality that the 2nd oldest sons got -0- inheritance, this created a large pool of well trained youths with literally nothing to lose and much to gain by fighting for loot under the guise of "God Wills it!"

For lasting impression, aside from a talking point in the west (a anti Christian one) and sort of historic beef in the East, it really had no effect.

posted March 30, 2013 01:43 PM            

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Originally posted by Padre35:

The actual name is "Ishtar" in the underlying manuscripts Shura, basically "..were celebrating a pagan deity"

"King James Bible (Cambridge Ed.)
And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people."

Newer versions changed it to "passover" the problem being is the Bible is based on manuscripts in Chaldean and Koine Greek, and they do say "Ishtar".

Meaning Bible Thumpers have a bit of a problem in that "word by word and precept upon precept" then runs into a celebration of Eostere/Ashterath/Ishtar.

And they are not exactly thrilled with it.

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Thank you, padre. It was the "KJV that's the one for me" that I pondered. All religions have their ... shall we say, not yet open minded adherents. I have had few personal experiences with these sorts.

Not thrilled, you say? Shame. Many pagan seers foresaw the coming manifestation of Logos. Christ fulfilled the prophecies of many more tribes than the Jews alone.

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So as Paul once said '..when amongst the Jews I became a Jew, when among the Greeks, I became a Greek.."

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Yes! an enlightened man may swim safely and comfortably throughout all spiritual streams. Once the core truth of any one religion has been accessed, recognizing the same in all others becomes a happy task. In fact, you might say that one sign of the initiated is his abilty to pass as a native equally well in a Islamic Mosque, a Hindu Temple, a pagan grove, a Christian Church, etc.

Gentle Now, Doves of the Thornberry and Moringa Thicket - Ibn Arabi

A white-blazed gazelle
is an amazing sight,
red-dye signalling,
eyelids hinting,

Pasture between breastbones
and innards.
Marvel,
a garden among the flames!

My heart can take on
any form:
a meadow for gazelles,
a cloister for monks,

For the idols, sacred ground,
Ka'ba for the circling pilgrim,
the tables of the Torah,
the scrolls of the Quran.

I profess the religion of love;
wherever its caravan turns along the way,
that is the belief,
the faith I keep.

adînu hi dîni l-hubb

posted March 30, 2013 01:58 PM            

That came in on purpose as many of the churches have replacement Theology. They wanted to say God was done with the Jews and hence many such practices came to be. God can NEVER abrogate His promises to the Jews. If He breaks his promise to the Jews, He will break his promises to anyone and everyone. Replacement Theology is a cancer within many mainline denominations.

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Passion, Lust, Desire. Check out my journal

posted March 30, 2013 02:16 PM            

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Originally posted by Ami Anne:
[b]I also find it a bit amusing that the tradition is to eat Ham in honor of a Jewish Rabbi on that day.

That came in on purpose as many of the churches have replacement Theology. They wanted to say God was done with the Jews and hence many such practices came to be. God can NEVER abrogate His promises to the Jews. If He breaks his promise to the Jews, He will break his promises to anyone and everyone. Replacement Theology is a cancer within many mainline denominations.

[/B]

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Interesting, what of the Servants in the vineyard? Who beat the messengers and killed the Son?

posted March 31, 2013 06:30 PM            

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The name of the Akkadian deity Ishtar sounds a bit like Easter, so they're related? What about the German word for the holiday, Ostern? How is that related to Ishtar? Why do most other European languages use a completely different word for the holiday? (Italian Pasqua, Swedish påsk, Welsh Pasg, Greek Πάσχα, etc, all borrowed from Hebrew פֶּסַח pesakh)

The truth is that Easter is related to east. It's from Old English Ēastran, probably from Proto-Germanic *austrōn- "dawn", whence German Ostern, Old Dutch ōstermānōth "Easter-month", Old Saxon ōstarfrisking "paschal lamb".

east is from Proto-Germanic *aust-. Both *aust- and *austrōn- are from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eus- "to shine" (the form is written a few different ways; this is how it's cited in Fortson's Indo-European Language and Culture).

Austria is related; it seems to be a Latinized form of German Österreich "Eastern Kingdom".

*h₂eus- also became Latin aurōra, Vedic uṣas, Avestan ušah-, Greek ἠώς (ēōs), Irish Gaelic fàir, Welsh gwawr, Lithuanian aušrà, all meaning "dawn". In Germanic languages it came to mean "east", since that's where the dawn is.

Another idea that gets circulated about Easter is that there was a deity named Eostre who was worshipped by the Anglo-Saxons at the vernal equinox.

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More details, short & sweet:
http://rationalblogs.org/rationalwiki/2013/03/31/no-its-not-all-about-ishtar-some-mythbusting-easter-facts-from-your-friendly-pagan-sceptic/

And for the tl;dr version that goes into detail:
http://bellejarblog.wordpress.com/2013/03/28/easter-is-not-n amed-after-ishtar-and-other-truths-i-have-to-tell-you/

posted March 31, 2013 08:16 PM            

Spring Equinox is the mid-point of the Waxing Year, the nights and days are balanced. Western culture proclaims it the first day of Spring. The spark of light that was born at Winter Solstice has reached maturity, and from this point forward, the days grow longer than the nights.

This is the time that is often seen as the time of Kore’s return from the Underworld, where She (as Persephone) has ruled throughout the Winter.

Older traditions called it Ostara, as it was the time of the festivals of the Grecian Goddess, Eostre, and the Germanic Ostara, both fertility Goddesses of Dawn.
(It is from these goddesses that the modern Easter holiday takes its name)

as the Earth bursts forth with new greenery from sleeping seeds. Metaphorically we too plant our own seeds at this time, seeds of our future goals and future projects

Decorated eggs have always been symbols of fertility. In Europe in the past, gifts of decorated eggs were given to new brides, in hopes they would bear many children or bowls full of eggs were given to the field-workers by the farmer’s wife, to insure a rich harvest. Many cultures see the egg as a symbol of Life, or the actual home of the soul. The egg is the symbol of all good fortune in Russia and decorated eggs are still given as gifts to loved ones and buried in graves to insure rebirth.
In the Ukraine each color applied to the decorated eggs had meaning to villagers.Decorating these eggs, called Pysansky, was a women’s ritual. Eggs, given as gifts, conveyed particular wishes. Meanings varied from village to village, but to the left are some examples.

The eggs were gathered only from hens who lived near a rooster, as a non-fertile egg meant there would be no fertility in the home. No one was allowed to watch the women work as they transferred the goodness of the household to the designs on the eggs and thus kept evil away. Secret family recipes were use for mixing the dyes and the women placed special blessings on each egg.

posted March 31, 2013 08:24 PM            

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Originally posted by Ami Anne:
I also find it a bit amusing that the tradition is to eat Ham in honor of a Jewish Rabbi on that day.

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From The Gospel of Thomas

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Jesus said to them, "If you fast, you will give rise to sin for yourselves; and if you pray, you will be condemned; and if you give alms, you will do harm to your spirits. When you go into any land and walk about in the districts, if they receive you, eat what they will set before you, and heal the sick among them. For what goes into your mouth will not defile you, but that which issues from your mouth - it is that which will defile you."

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posted April 01, 2013 09:55 AM            

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Additionally he broke most of the Jewish laws ..

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posted April 01, 2013 11:49 PM            

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Originally posted by katatonic:
There is a school of thought that believes jesus was the SUN of god, ie he was a metaphor for the sun in many ways...not being a scholar iof ancient languages, i don't know how far fetched that is, but christmas coincides basically with the turning from shortest day to the lengthening days, the druids and other religions "accompanied" the spirits through the darkest hour...

Easter is likewise associated with the equal - and again lengthening days, as lexx pointed out . All saints sees in the shortening days as well.
Adopting these "pagan" ritual/feasts made the churx

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Mal.4
[1] For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

[2] But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings;

and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.
[3] And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts.
[4] Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.
[5] Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:
[6] And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

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Rather nasty to say the least and insane sounding to boot.
However this line;

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Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings

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