Is Easter 'pagan'?

[historia]

In an earlier thread back in December I asked whether Christmas was 'pagan'. And while participants in that thread supplied a few references to non-experts repeating 19th Century speculation that Christmas celebrations are based in pagan practices, no one provided any historical evidence or contemporary scholarship to substantiate those claims.

With Lent nearly upon us, let me ask the same question about Easter:

Questions for debate:

(1) Is Easter 'pagan'?

(2) Should Christians celebrate Easter?

[bjs1]

What does Christ have to do with eggs, chickies and rabbits?

I'm glad you asked.

Eggs are connected to Lent.... The hare -- in America it became a rabbit -- was a symbol for the Virgin Mary

oK, so now all we need is proof the above is connection to Christ as in, credited documentation of his commanding, endorsing or participation in a religious rite that involved the above during his earthly ministry.

It depends on what you mean by “need.”

Is this something we need for the poster JehovahsWitness to accept rabbits as a part of an Easter celebration? Yes, credited documentation of Jesus commanding, endorsing or participating in a religious rite is needed.

Is this something we need to establish that associating rabbits with Easter is NOT pagan? No, being able to trace the origin of the rabbit tradition to Lent and its association with the Virgin Mary is sufficient evidence to say that this tradition is not pagan.

The fact that Jesus did not mention a specific symbol does not make that symbol pagan.

That tradition of the rabbits being extremely fertile and in association with the Virgin Mary is exactly why we can see that Easter is pagan. How can Jesus be associated with such balderdash? It is not only slapping Jesus in the face, but Mary is dishonored by this as well.

You will have to explain this. On the surface it seems like non-sense. Within the Roman Catholic Church during the Middle Ages, the hare became a symbolic represntation of the Virgin Mary. What specific part of that is pagan? I can understand not accepting the symbolic association. However, unless you are using a non-standard definition of the word, I am not sure why you think it is pagan.

[rstrats]

[Replying to placebofactor in post #3]

You have a question directed to you in post #18.

[bjs1]

Originally it was a festival of the Christian church, observed in commemoration of our Savior's resurrection. It occurs on a Sunday, the third day after Good Friday.

What would the first day after Good Friday be?

Jesus died on Good Friday, stayed dead on Holy Saturday, and rose to life on Easter Sunday.

There are a variety of ways to express this. Try not to get tripped up by semantics.

[rstrats]

There are a variety of ways to express this. Try not to get tripped up by semantics.

And the way placebofactor chose to express it was by saying that the resurrection "occurs on a Sunday, the third day after Good Friday". And expressing it that way means the third day after Good Friday has to be Monday. So, no semantics involved.

[onewithhim]

I'm glad you asked.

Eggs are connected to Lent.... The hare -- in America it became a rabbit -- was a symbol for the Virgin Mary

oK, so now all we need is proof the above is connection to Christ as in, credited documentation of his commanding, endorsing or participation in a religious rite that involved the above during his earthly ministry.

It depends on what you mean by “need.”

Is this something we need for the poster JehovahsWitness to accept rabbits as a part of an Easter celebration? Yes, credited documentation of Jesus commanding, endorsing or participating in a religious rite is needed.

Is this something we need to establish that associating rabbits with Easter is NOT pagan? No, being able to trace the origin of the rabbit tradition to Lent and its association with the Virgin Mary is sufficient evidence to say that this tradition is not pagan.

The fact that Jesus did not mention a specific symbol does not make that symbol pagan.

That tradition of the rabbits being extremely fertile and in association with the Virgin Mary is exactly why we can see that Easter is pagan. How can Jesus be associated with such balderdash? It is not only slapping Jesus in the face, but Mary is dishonored by this as well.

You will have to explain this. On the surface it seems like non-sense. Within the Roman Catholic Church during the Middle Ages, the hare became a symbolic represntation of the Virgin Mary. What specific part of that is pagan? I can understand not accepting the symbolic association. However, unless you are using a non-standard definition of the word, I am not sure why you think it is pagan.

Apparently you haven't read the preceding posts on this thread. I think I have explained why I think Easter and its bunnies and eggs are pagan. It all has to do with the fertility rites of pagans. I doubt that Jesus would associate himself with fertility rites. To associate Mary, as well, with rabbits is insulting to her. Mary is like a rabbit?? Just because rabbits multiply so fast and plentifully? I don't think Mary looks kindly on that. I don't understand, really, how anyone could come up with that association.