Easter is a Scam

originally posted by: BO XIAN
a reply to: windword

imho, Your assumptions will crash and burn in due course.

The Creator of all that is

IS CERTAINLY well able to back up His Word . . . and has done so persistently for millenia.

Of course . . . He chooses to give sufficient provision for faith FOR THOSE SERIOUSLY SEEKING HIM OUT OF A GOOD FAITH HEART

while insuring plenty of . . . 'justification' for doubt

FOR THOSE seeking their own way, their own arrogance, their own rebellion, etc. against His ways, priorities, laws . .

There are over 7 Billion people on this planet. If there was a God don't you think he would protect all of his creations? Regardless of whether they worship him or not? And why didn't he stop all his followers from getting slaughtered in all those power changing and resource grabbing wars? I see no sufficient provision for faith when being slaughtered for Oil!

I think your just a little bit out there BO XIAN and not firing on all thrusters!

a reply to: BO XIAN

I did not insist other narratives did not exist.

No, but you insist that the stories of Christ are true.

I do insist that your assumptions about the origins of the Christian narrative and documents are worse than flawed.

Well, then I think we'd best just agree to disagree. This is known, factual, historical, documented information. The Christian faith was built on older myths, and there is no proof that any of it actually happened. Those are the facts, BO, whether you want to acknowledge them or not.

Perhaps some further study into comparative religions and deep research into the context, cultures, and customs of other faith-based systems would help you to relax about it.


/shrug

a reply to: BuzzyWigs

This is a pointless discussion, Buzz, and you know it. Better to just let it go. Easter is over, we all had a good time, and there's no need to start (or participate in) arguments no one is going to win. With that said, this thread is coming off of my subscriptions list because I'm tired of it. Happy Easter, everybody. And I do mean everybody. Because we are all humans, and we all appreciate life. And that's all that matters.

AI out.

originally posted by: AfterInfinity
a reply to: BO XIAN

It is my understanding that you are labeling all pagan traditions and accounts from which Christianity has borrowed as false and demonic, while at the same time declaring them sacred and holy exclusively in the context of Christianity. If I am misunderstanding, please correct me.

1. I do not believe that Christianity derived from pagan sources.

2. It is AT LEAST AS plausible that any similarities are due to

A) a more foundational common source. e.g. Moses serpent in the wilderness was a 'foreshadowing' . . . a 'type' of Christ on the Cross.

Isaiah and David both accurately predicted Christ on the Cross centuries before crucifixion was even invented.

B) &/or deliberate muddying the waters by the Great Deceiver.

The Great Deceiver has been throwing rocks at God; God's Truth; God's Word ever since the fall. God's Word will endure long after this "Heaven, earth and multiverse" have long ceased to exist and been replaced by the new such.

The Biblical narrative; Holy Spirit and my life experiences with the dance, dialogue and Relationship [vs RELIGION] with God convinces me that:

There are not a lot of options.

There is only:

1. Salvation by faith in God . . . in Christ's redemptive Blood etc.

or

2. Pretend salvation by works . . . dead works . . . as wonderful as used Kotex in Biblical terms . . . resulting in eternal death.

There are no other options.

It doesn't matter the labels or the pretend origins or the degrees of deception involved. There are no other options.

ALL the other -isms are some variation on man being his own god . . . or at least in charge of his own salvation-by-works; by ritual, by wishful thinking . . . .

Which is another variation on pulling one's self up out of the muck of one's polluted nature into perfection by one's own brilliance, cleverness, majesty.

Which . . . is not all that . . . logical by a huge stretch.

The Resurrection Sonday pollution by consumerism and pagan distortions and distractions is but business as usual by the Great Deceiver.

Sure, early Christians may well have found it more convenient and/or much safer to hide their celebrations of The Resurrection within standard pagan celebrations of the geography and era. They knew in their hearts what their focus was and so did God.

Nevertheless, for myself, I don't usually use the term "Easter" when I can avoid it.

Ishtar was and remains a stooge of the Great Deceiver.

a reply to: Dorrell

Thanks for your gratuitous personally assaultive insult to my sanity/intelligence.

I'm sure thousands hereon silently cheered your slap.

1. I don't think any of us have much of a clue HOW MUCH God protects even His enemies on a routine basis.

www.angelsonassignment.org...

Has some description of the degree of God's affection for all the individuals on the planet.

2. Nevertheless . . . IF CHOICE MEANS

ANYTHING AT ALL

THEN

IT MUST AT LEAST MEAN

THAT

REAL CHOICES HAVE REAL CONSEQUENCES.

Giving constant "do-overs" in a football, basketball, golf, Olympic game would result in an entirely DIFFERENT "reality."

CHOOSING LESS THAN LIFE AND ETERNAL LIFE

MUST SOMEHOW, TO SOME DEGREE

result in

LESS THAN LIFE AND ETERNAL LIFE CONSEQUENCES.

Otherwise God and reality are all a farce and I may as well blast someone away as feed them. NOTHING would make ANY difference.

God either knows what He's doing in His infinite Wisdom, or there is no hope whatsoever.

He has declared that

'HE THAT EARNESTLY, PERSISTENTLY, AUTHENTICALLY-OUT-OF-A-GOOD-FAITH-HEART TRULY SEEKS ME SHALL FIND ME.'

And for more than 60 years, I've observed that to be so.

There are many millions of personal rationalizations for doing one's own thing vs God's thing.

Naturally . . . doing one's own thing has it's own consequences.

That's just reality.

Otherwise it's nihlistic chaos.

Given the enduring nature of the multiverse, it must not be chaos. As Spock declared so astutely in the alternate multiverse episode . . . such a multiverse would collapse into oblivion.

a reply to: BuzzyWigs

No. Those are not the facts.

Those are your interpretations of various sorts of 'evidence.'

For there to be an authentic degree of free will with authentic consequences . . . there must be some rough SEEMING balance between the choice options.

It is quite plausible that "A" and "B" derrived from a more foundational source.

It is quite plausible that the Great Deceiver has muddied the waters with such similarities--given his working on such deceptions for millenia since his being cast out of "Heaven."

its time like this i contemplate the working cross in my AV
and the proven history and symbolism that comes with it
and just shake my head...
sadly

originally posted by: BABYBULL24
When did Jesus getting gored on Friday by a Lance after being Crucified, dying on Saturday & resurrected on Sunday turn into Good Friday and Candy & Easter Bunny's on Sunday?

Would suspect the Devil...not making a joke - it's a made up Pagan Holiday that shifts with a Pagan calendar.

You are correct, but I do it.

Not all Christian denomination do the Easter thingy though.

Spring,Bunnies and eggs and fertility, OH MY.

originally posted by: Mister_Bit
Eggs apparently came from when the Monks fasted for lent, giving up food they would use all their fresh eggs so not to waste them before the fast.

OH neat, I didn't know that.

originally posted by: ketsuko
So, I'm flipping through my usual web sites this morning, and everyone has nice remarks about Easter and all that, some with bunnies, some with He Is Risen. A few even have some very nice interfaith dialogue and well-wishing. Naturally, I come here and get "Easter Is a Scam!" Lol. Well played ATS.

Happens on all Christian holidays.

It is stuff I learned many moons ago, everything is connected, in one form or another.

a reply to: BO XIAN


The Cross was a Pagan symbol.

The use of the cross as a religious symbol in pre-Christian times, and among non-Christian peoples, may probably be regarded as almost universal, and in very many cases it was connected with some form of nature worship.

The Persians, Greeks, and Hindus looked upon the cross as a symbol of the equinoxes and the solstices, in the belief that at certain seasons of the year the sun was symbolically crucified upon these imaginary celestial angles. The fact that so many nations have regarded their Savior as a personification of the sun globe is convincing evidence that the cross must exist as an astronomical element in pagan allegory. Augustus Le Plongeon believed that the veneration for the cross was partly due to the rising of a constellation called the Southern Cross, which immediately preceded the annual rains, and as the natives of those latitudes relied wholly upon these rains to raise their crops, they viewed the cross as an annual promise of the approaching storms, which to them meant life.

(Pagan Sun Worship)

THE CRUCIFIXION = A COSMIC ALLEGORY

There's a lot more info in the link! Sorry for going sightly off topic!

The Cross and the Crucifixion

a reply to: BABYBULL24

Fraud is a better word for it and it applies to just about everything you know about reality in every subject.


It is what it is and most will continue to get dumber unless they can finally get to this realization.

originally posted by: snarfbot
every time i go to the store there is always an aisle dedicated to holiday candy. doesnt matter what time of the year it is, theres always some holiday approaching that is now synonymous with candy. different colored wrappers.

makes me sick.

I know, but families get together, yesterday my brother in law showed up, he recently lost his wife, had a heart attack, and several of his toes removed, he would have had no place to go, or no place to share dinner and the Easter egg hunt.

Now people that make these things have jobs, the people that sell these things have jobs.

It aint all bad.

originally posted by: Stormdancer777

originally posted by: snarfbot
every time i go to the store there is always an aisle dedicated to holiday candy. doesnt matter what time of the year it is, theres always some holiday approaching that is now synonymous with candy. different colored wrappers.

makes me sick.

I know, but families get together, yesterday my brother in law showed up, he recently lost his wife, had a heart attack, and several of his toes removed, he would have had no place to go, or no place to share dinner and the Easter egg hunt.

Now people that make these things have jobs, the people that sell these things have jobs.

It aint all bad.

Yes very true. The Christian / Pagan holidays may be based on a load of Sun symbolism but they do get families together.

Easter, which celebrates Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead, is Christianity’s most important holiday. It has been called a moveable feast because it doesn’t fall on a set date every year, as most holidays do. Instead, Christian churches in the West celebrate Easter on the first Sunday following the full moon after the vernal equinox on March 21.

Here is a little more on the meaning of Easter if you are Christian

The exact origins of this religious feast day’s name are unknown. Some sources claim the word Easter is derived from Eostre, a Teutonic goddess of spring and fertility. Other accounts trace Easter to the Latin term hebdomada alba, or white week, an ancient reference to Easter week and the white clothing donned by people who were baptized during that time. Through a translation error, the term later appeared as esostarum in Old High German, which eventually became Easter in English. In Spanish, Easter is known as Pascua; in French, Paques. These words are derived from the Greek and Latin Pascha or Pasch, for Passover. Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection occurred after he went to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover (or Pesach in Hebrew), the Jewish festival commemorating the ancient Israelites’ exodus from slavery in Egypt. Pascha eventually came to mean Easter.

Whatever Easter means to you, celebrate and be at peace with each other. For me, it is a time when I remember most, what Jesus did for me! His crucifixion, His death, and His Resurrection...He lives so we will have Eternal Life.

This article explains the Religious aspects of Easter as well as the commercial!

history.com

OP I think this proves that Easter is not a "scam". It is a holiday celebrated throughout most of the Western World.
Do not look for reasons to tear each other down. Look for ways to build one another up!

Pax

a reply to: Dorrell

Soooooo?

1. It is entirely plausible that the great deceiver muddied the waters ahead of time seeding crosses far and wide.

2. It is entirely plausible that given two lines to make symbols with . . . folks would come up with a cross as a common symbol of something early on.

3. The essential issue about THE CROSS is that it and the empty tomb are the fulcrum of all history and all Creation. Denial of that fact is . . . unwise to ignorant, imho.

originally posted by: BO XIAN
a reply to: Dorrell

Denial of that fact is . . . unwise to ignorant, imho.

Denial of that fact? And unwise to ignorant?

Denial of the fact that Christianity is Pagan with fantasy stories thrown in is unwise and ignorant!

The fact of the matter is BO. There is no proof of God and or Jesus. There are early Pagan symbols that have been stolen and renamed to suit the Christian Bible. Denial of your God is not unwise as nothing will happen. The Sun doesn't have to power to punish deniers!

Easter is not what the bible says it is. It's old Babylonian myths changed to suit the Roman Christian control system. Same with Xmas. The Emperor Constantine couldn't think of symbols to make for the Christian Church so instead hijacked them from the Pagan belief system and renamed them and made up silly stories about them. End of.

And denying that fact will not make a blind bit of difference to your life!

I adopted a little girl last year and she asked me what God was. I told her God is the Sun! She's happy with that.

a reply to: BO XIAN
While your faith is a comfort and an inspiration to you, is it really imperative that everyone else share your belief? Is it not enough that others follow their moral compasses and lead good lives based upon their own beliefs...or lack of them? One's faith ought to serve as an example...not as a bludgeon.

Easter may be an excuse to buy candy and pack the churches, I'm just glad the stores were open and I could do what I needed to get done.

a reply to: JohnnyCanuck

Don't desire to be a bludgeon.

Also don't want to minimize the import of eternal values and issues.

How loving would it be to sort of casually, slowly barely whisper that a runaway locomotive was headed for one's loved one?

In my experience . . . it's the genuine Christians who are GREATLY MORE on the receiving end of the bludgeons by a huge order of magnitude.

And that's regardless of the tone or gentleness involved on the part of the Christians, usually.

The gestalt of most posters on this thread is hostility to the authentic Christian perspective on Resurrection Sonday.

Anyone who dares to assert a different perspective is ridiculed to shouted down wholesale.

Yet the Christian is the one accused of bludgeoning.

LOL.

Sigh.