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Nathan Toronga
While it is very easy, and comfortable even, to accept the status quo, and convince ouselves that there is nothing wrong, we must get direction from Scripture. Deut 12:30-32 (NIV) 30 and after they have been destroyed before you, be careful not to be ENSNARED by inquiring about their gods, saying, "How do these nations serve their gods? WE WILL DO THE SAME." 31 You MUST NOT WORSHIP JEHOVAH your God in THEIR WAY, because in worshiping their gods, they do all kinds of detestable things JEHOVAH hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods. 32 See that you do all I command you; do not add to it or take away from it. This appears to be straight forward, that OUR God does NOT accept 'modified' pagan worship. He has His own way, which He made known in the Scriptues. Deut 18:9 (NIV) When you enter the land JEHOVAH your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Any worship whose ORIGINS can't be traced to Scripture - especially when it actually has pagan origins - cannot be acceptable before God. We can't honour Him using pagan methods. So easter, Christmas, halloween etcetera where 'Christians' think they are 'thanking' or 'honouring' God, are events that are an abomination before our God. Look into it, and you'll find that NO Christian ever celebrated these pagan events in the whole bible. Bless.
S. Michael Houdmann
Supporter
It is commonly thought that the word Easter comes from a pagan figure called Eastre (or Eostre) who was celebrated as the goddess of spring by the Saxons of Northern Europe. The only problem with t...
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Wambui Mburu
Shalom The Lord came to save and redeem sinners, not to redeem customs and traditions of men, especially not as Nathan Toranga has stated those things which grieve the Lord and bring condemnation on the those who do them. Titus 2:13-14 (NKJV) Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. The Easter bunny and eggs originated from and belong in pagan worship. Easter who goes by other names, including Ashtaroth, the queen of heaven is a pagan deity. As is recorded in Judges below any connection with them is forsaking the Lord our God and is considered evil in His sight. Judges 10:6 - And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the LORD, and served not him. As we see from the Word of the God: 1 Chronicles 16:26 For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the Lord made the heavens. We through His amazing grace and mercy have turned to Him and are called to worship the Lord our God and serve Him only. 1 Thessalonians 1:9 For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, I believe the Lord's heart is we teach the truth and walk in the truth. Ezekiel 44:23 “And they shall teach My people the difference between the holy and the unholy, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean The mixture and especially that which most of us found 'Christianized' in the church way before we were born, is one of the enemy's ploys to keep people away from the Lord and His fullness. 1 John 5:21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen
JEAN KABUYA
Greetings brother; The biblical Passover has to do with the Lamb of God being killed for our sins–and early Christians kept that, not Easter. Easter, which is named after the pagan goddess Ishtar/Astarte/Eostre, has to do with a fertility festival involving rabbits and looking to the east in early morning as pagans did. Here is one legend about the Easter egg and Easter: According to ancient Babylonian legend, it is claimed that Ishtar caused the fish-goddess Atargatis to cause a great egg to fall in the Euphrates river where fish pushed it to shore and Semĩramis was miraculously born. The Easter egg – Ishtar egg – does not represent the stone rolled away from the tomb like the medieval church said it did. Notice another view about Easter eggs: According to Babylonian legend, a huge egg fell from heaven, landing in the Euphrates river. The goddess Ishtar broke out of this egg. Later the feature of “egg nesting” was introduced–a nest were the egg could be incubated until it hatched. A “wicker” or reed basket was used to nest the Ishtar egg (hence the Easter egg basket.) The Easter egg hunt is based on the notion that if anyone found Ishtar’s egg while she was being “reborn,”she would bestow a blessing upon that lucky person. Because this was a joyous Spring festival, eggs were colored in bright Spring (pastel) colors. The Easter Bunny: Among the Celts, custom dictated that “the goddess” totem would lay eggs for the good children to eat. Eostre’s hare was the shape that the Celts imagined on the surface of the full moon. Since Ishtar or Eostre, was a goddess of fertility–and because rabbits procreate quickly–the rabbit became associated with the sexual act, and the egg became a symbol of “birth” and “renewal.” (Chapman TL. God’s Law of Love: The Perfect Law of Liberty Jehovah’s Ten Commands Still Apply Today. IUniverse, 2010, p. 133) As there are various legends (including the idea that Ishtar was reborn every Spring from an egg) and ideas, the reality is that the Easter egg has a non-Christian origin. Easter eggs: The custom may have its origin in paganism, for a great many pagan customs, celebrating the return of spring, gravitated to Easter. The Easter rabbit The Easter Rabbit lays the eggs, for which reason they are hidden in a nest or in the garden. The rabbit is a pagan symbol and has always been an emblem of fertility (Simrock, Mythologie, 551). On Easter Monday the women had a right to strike their husbands, on Tuesday the men struck their wives. In the Neumark (Germany) on Easter Day the men servants whip the maid servants with switches; on Monday the maids whip the men. They secure their release with Easter eggs. These customs are probably of pre-Christian origin (Reinsberg-Düringsfeld, Das festliche Jahr, 118). The Easter fire: The Easter Fire is lit on the top of mountains (Easter mountain, Osterberg) and must be kindled from new fire, drawn from wood by friction (nodfyr); this is a custom of pagan origin in vogue all over Europe, signifying the victory of spring over winter. The bishops issued severe edicts against the sacrilegious Easter fires (Conc. Germanicum, a. 742, c.v.; Council of Lestines, a. 743, n. 15), but did not succeed in abolishing them everywhere. The Church adopted the observance into the Easter ceremonies. Thus, the Romans admit that the name Easter is the name of a pagan goddess, many of its practices are of pagan origin, and that the churches in Asia Minor (which they call the Orient) continued to observe Passover on the date that the Jews did, Nisan 14. The Church of Rome adopted many of the customs of Easter, and considered the eggs as the emblem of the resurrection, but the Bible gives no such teachings about the use of eggs. Easter was not just a sunrise goddess: Ishtar, she was both fertility and a war goddess. Easter or Astarte is in effect the same worship of an old Babylonian sex cult instituted by Semiramis the warrior queen who had a lust for blood. Blessings
Jeffrey Fuhrer
“One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord.” Romans 14:5-6 NIV I agree you do not have to celebrate Easter or Christmas, but if you do, do it unto the Lord. Hebrews chapter 8 & 9 explains how we are under a new covenant. Following Deuteronomy is following the old covenant.
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