Christians Annually Worship Paganism
Ignorantly Claiming to Worship Christ
I allowed myself to be talked into attending an Easter sunrise service this year. It was pretty much as I expected. Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) praising each other for praising Jesus, attendance cards to gather more people into the mega-church holding the function and a sermon designed to bring converts into the church via a simplistic, feel-good message of salvation. Since it was a cloudless day I received an added bonus: sun shining directly into my eyes so I could not see very much. Though I was blinded by the sun, it saddened me to think how many people were being blinded by the service into thinking they were worshiping the risen Christ when in fact they were actually worship Satan (1Co 10:19-22).
Christ did not rise at dawn. I know, facts are inconvenient. If we just ignored them we could be happy in our own little made-up belief systems. However, since most denominations claim to follow the Bible that also means adhering to the facts of the Bible. The women who went to anoint Jesus’ body arrived before sunrise, in the pre-dawn light according to Luke (Lk 24:1-2). Guess what? The stone was already rolled away; ergo, Christ rose before dawn! Thus, on its face sunrise worship of the resurrection assumes Christ rose at dawn. Therefore, even the basis of a sunrise service is not based on the Bible. If it is not based on the Bible then there is only one other option: worship of Satan disguised as worship of Jesus.
This is one theory of the etymology of Easter
Comes from ancient fertility goddess: Ishtar
There are various theories concerning the word, Easter. However, if we let the etymology of the word speak for itself we can follow the word trail. “Old English Easterdæg, from Eastre (Northumbrian Eostre), from Proto-Germanic *austron-, “dawn,” also the name of a goddess of fertility and spring, perhaps originally of sunrise, whose feast was celebrated at the spring equinox, from *aust- “east, toward the sunrise” (compare east), from PIE root *aus- (1) “to shine,” especially of the dawn.” (Easter (n.)). This is our current understanding which may change if addition information is discovered. Though there is not a direct link to Ishtar, there is a definite link to a fertility goddess.
Actually, this is Artemis (Diana) of Ephesus
Asian Fertility Goddess (Ac 19:23-41)
As Christians who believe in the Bible, we are tied to the facts of the Bible. There is nothing new under the sun; i.e., all beliefs can be traced back to an original source even if we do not know all the links today (Ecc 1:9-11). Therefore, all belief systems can be traced back to the first documented pagan worship system postdiluvian: Nimrod at Babel (Ge 10:8-10; 11:1-9). Those who have a low view of the Bible, most of Christendom {those who claim to be based on the Bible but are not} and the lost will not find this very convincing. This does not make it any less true since truth is not determined by a majority or even so-called authorities that deny the veracity of Scripture {Logical Fallacy: Appeal to…}. What it does communicate to those who have a high view of Scripture is that all false belief systems are interconnected. Thus, while the word Easter may not derive directly from Ishtar, its practices and beliefs certainly have commonality; i.e., fertility.
Eggs: Symbols of Pagan Fertility
Churches inculcate Children into Paganism
While I am seated at this sunrise service, one of their many pastors, this one the Connection Pastor I believe, was bragging how the church sponsored an Easter Egg Hunt the previous day for all children attendees. The current Easter Egg practice was in place by 1825 and probably came into England and thus America from the Germanic peoples. Colored eggs were used long before Christ and continue to be used in many non-Christian cultures (Easter – Its Ancient Origins). “…an ancient Babylonian family—2,000 years before Christ—honoring the resurrection of their god, Tammuz, who was brought back from the underworld by his mother/wife, Ishtar (after whom the festival was named). As Ishtar was actually pronounced “Easter” in most Semitic dialects, it could be said that the event portrayed here is, in a sense, Easter.”
But, let me advance a more rational explanation or at least result of observing this childhood hunt for fertility. When parents and churches, and yes even governments, send children to hunt Easter Eggs they send a message to the children: hunt for fertile eggs. This may appear harmless but the unintended consequence: these children become hormone infused teenagers urged in music, television, books and movies to seek self-expression in various physical liaisons. Thus, boys and men go hunting for fertile eggs {girls and women} to fertilize; the main point for finding the eggs: celebrate fertility of man and woman. Legitimizing pagan rituals under the auspices of religion does not strengthen faith in God and Christ; but, faith in self and ultimately, in Satan leading to death.
Easter Bunnies are made to appear “cute”
However, at their core is paganism and death
Easter bunnies became popular about 1900. “Indeed, some folklorists have suggested that the Easter Bunny derives from an ancient Anglo-Saxon myth, concerning the fertility goddess Ostara. The Encyclopedia Mythica explains that: Ostara is the personification of the rising sun. In that capacity she is associated with the spring and is considered a fertility goddess. She is the friend of all children and to amuse them she changed her pet bird into a rabbit. This rabbit brought forth brightly coloured eggs, which the Greek goddess gave to children as gifts. From her name and rites the festival of Easter is derived“(The Very Strange History of the Easter Bunny). Now we know that what does not bring life, must bring death according to Scripture; there is no third option {Law of Excluded Middle}. The Easter Bunny is a purveyor of death which churches and parents legitimize to their children from very early age.
I was saddened to see so much time, talent, expense and emotion expended in a pursuit of death while supposedly celebrating life. At its core was not Christ, though He was oft mentioned. At its core was the fundamental error that began with the first sin: rejection of God and the substitution of man, though in reality Satan is the core of all sin. How did this come to be so? Truth is suppressed for myth because “we all mean well”. Or, it becomes an evangelic method to bring in the lost and expose them to the truth; sort of a “bait and switch” tactic. But at its core is the truth of the Bible, “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons” (1Ti 4:1). The belief that Easter is harmless fun is not found in the Bible. Anything that substitutes lie for truth is not harmless fun (Ro 1:24-25). It leads to ever increasing immorality and violence. People who participate in such practices have the appearance of godliness but deny the power of God’s Gospel of salvation (2Ti 3:1-5). They demonstrate the truth that those who turn from listening to truth will wander after myths and find false teachers who will agree with their myths (2Ti 4:3-4).
God has no pleasure in those who seek to gratify themselves in error for He says, “…my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him” (He 10:35-39). God empowers His people to discern and reject error so they are not led astray. But those rejecting God’s truth embrace Satan’s Lie; finding pleasure in unrighteousness (2Th 2:9-12). In this day it is harder to find Christians, and thus churches, who reject the myths and fables of the world and live in the truth of the Scriptures. Many want to be liked by the world making them enemies with God (Ja 4:4). I implore you not to be of that number.