Is Easter Pagan?

[Dredge]

(08-01-2010 10:36 AM)truth pick Wrote:  

(07-31-2010 12:55 PM)Dredge Wrote:  If I were on Jeopardy and given the answers in this post I would say the question is "Is Easter for Christians?".

To a pagan Easter is pagan. I once overheard a statement from a pagan saying he wished Christians would just leave their holidays alone.

To the discussion I would like to add this Scripture:

1Co 2:2
For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

Many have said it is a matter of the heart and if Jesus Christ is glorified, which could also be used by those who choose to remember using a modified Passover. To them I add this Scripture:

John 15:10
If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.

I think Christians know Christ crucified and glorify Him on His Resurrection. Just because they label it as Easter I am not sure why you think it's pagan? Easter means springtime

I have kind of weird question though. How is "modifying" Passover keeping God's commandments?

Yes, most Christians know Christ crucified and glorify Him on His resurrection, but are only Christians viewing this? I merely
wanted to point out that Christ's death and resurrection was the most important thing, thus the Scripture:

1Co 2:2
For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

I never said what I thought of Easter, I only commented what a pagan said, trying to show that Easter means different things to different people.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary definds Easter as:

\Eas"ter\, n. [AS. e['a]ster, e['a]stran, paschal feast,
Easter; akin to G. ostern; fr. AS. E['a]stre, a goddess of
light or spring, in honor of whom a festival was celebrated
in April; whence this month was called in AS.
E['a]sterm[=o]na[eth]. From the root of E. east. See {East}.]

It goes on to say:

An annual church festival commemorating Christ's
resurrection, and occurring on Sunday, the second day
after Good Friday. It corresponds to the pasha or passover
of the Jews, and most nations still give it this name
under the various forms of pascha, pasque, p[^a]que, or
pask.

With this note:

Note: Easter day, on which the rest of the movable feasts
depend, is always the first Sunday after the fourteenth
day of the calendar moon which (fourteenth day) falls
on, or next after, the 21st of March, according to the
rules laid down for the construction of the calendar;
so that if the fourteenth day happen on a Sunday,
Easter day is the Sunday after.

Easton Bible Dictionary gives this definition

originally a Saxon word (Eostre), denoting a goddess of the Saxons, in honour of whom sacrifices were offered
about the time of the Passover. Hence the name came to be given to the festival of the Resurrection of Christ,
which occured at the time of the Passover. In the early English versions this word was frequently used as the
translation of the Greek pascha (the Passover). When the Authorized Version (1611) was formed, the word
"passover" was used in all passages in which this word pascha occurred, except in Act 12:4. In the Revised
Version the proper word, "passover," is always used.

Easter was Christianized when it was set on a specific day of the week (Sunday) instead of a set time after the new moon
which would put it on a different weekday each year just as Passover is today.

Sorry for being vague on the last part of my statement. There are those who state keeping the holidays are a matter of the heart
and Christ being glorified. To them I ask why it that different from those who keep the feasts for the same reason.

I used "modified" passover because the passover cannot be kept as originally given.

I added this Scripture for those who keep the feasts:

John 15:10
If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments,
and abide in his love.

To me states that thru Christ's keeping of the Father's commandments of the Mosaic covenant I am given the lighter yoke of keeping Christ's
commandments of the new covenant.