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Dear David,
This is what you wrote:
But when I think what my motives were for celebrating “easter” the way everyone does, they were:
1. Peer pressure (dont' want to be different, do we? It's just easier to go with the crowd.)
2. Fun
3. TraditionMy motives for deciding Christmas (and easter customs) weren't for me were:
1. A determination to represent the truth.
2. What does God want; or would God be offended?I write:
My motives for celebrating easter and christmas are:
1. To celebrate the birth and resurrection of Christ with the community of family and other believers and hopefully even unbelievers.
2. To join in with many others to testify that the birth and resurrection of Christ truly happened by making a bigger deal of it.
3. To develop and celebrate our own family traditions that bring attention to the birth and resurrection of Christ with special family devotions for the purpose of exalting God as a family.By the way, my children were never taught that the easter bunny was real or that it layed colored eggs. They were never taught that santa claus was real either.
Hi LU,
Most who celebrate these things have nothing to celebrate.
The birth, death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus has not impacted on their lives.
They follow religion and have not stepped apart from the crowd to follow him into rebirth in his name.
Perhaps they should rather weep for themselves and their children.
Let the dead bury the dead.Quote Does anyone actually believe –cato.
Yes, many do believe and your question somewhat annoys me.
And it reminds me of the # 1 movtive for keeping with these things:
Quote 1. Peer pressure (dont' want to be different, do we? It's just easier to go with the crowd.) The join the crowd fallacy (because the crowd is always right) is ridiculous.
The advice given at Exodus 23:2 thus serves as a good general rule of conduct: “You must not follow after the crowd for evil ends.”
Quote Does anyone actually believe that a being capable of creating the entire universe, an all-powerful, all-knowing God can actually be capable of jealousy much less hate, over the remnent (name) of a figment of a small group of inferior beings imagination (Astarte) that no one even knows of or acknowledges today? I suggest your read the Hebrew scriptures.
Quote With all the problems facing humanity I don't think Astarte and traditions of Spring worthy of concern.
Jehovah is not worried about the “problems facing humanity” right now. If he were, they'd be solved. He is worthy with what you, yes, you, do.
If your friend hates something, wouldn't you want to avoid that thing, just because of this?Quote My motives for celebrating easter and christmas are:
1. To celebrate the birth and resurrection of Christ with the community of family and other believers and hopefully even unbelievers.
2. To join in with many others to testify that the birth and resurrection of Christ truly happened by making a bigger deal of it.
3. To develop and celebrate our own family traditions that bring attention to the birth and resurrection of Christ with special family devotions for the purpose of exalting God as a family.By the way, my children were never taught that the easter bunny was real or that it layed colored eggs. They were never taught that santa claus was real either.
I realize you actually believe these things. But ask yourself how things would go if you stopped celebrating easter (Ishtar)? I've read that the biggest motivating factors in peoples lives are often avoidence of pain, rather than moving towards good. What would happen to you if you stopped with the symbols of fertility? Would not people look at you very oddly, thinking you're strange? Would you not become somewhat of an outcast, an oddball?
If your motives are simply “To celebrate the birth and resurrection of Christ” then why the connect to ancient paganism? These things would not be needed if your motives were just that simple.
You do mention tradition, and that is certainly a big part of why people in general do things. They do them because their parents did, and their parents before them did.For a long time, I celebrated easter. To a lot of kids, I'm pretty sure it's mostly about the chocolate. That's what I remember the most. The chocolate bunnies.
I still think this is a really good motive for doing most everything:
2. What does God want; or would God be offended?
If you want to follow God one should do what God wants us to do. If God hates something do you think you should do it? If I know that my friend hates Cigarette Smoke I do not smoke in front of Him. Would you? You see what I am trying to say here. So does David.
And because it is God who hates these days, we as Christrian should try very hard to please God and do away with them. I know it is not easy, but the road is steep and few will find it, remember that.Peace and Love Mrs.
Hello David,
You write:
I realize you actually believe these things. But ask yourself how things would go if you stopped celebrating easter (Ishtar)?ME: Well, David, I know that I have alot to learn about everything. During my whole life I have accepted that easter was about celebrating the resurrection of Christ. I never even heard of Ishtar. So I certainly haven't been celebrating Ishtar. No one I have ever known celebrates Ishtar on easter or any other day. Easter has more than one definition in the Webster's Dictionary. I celebrate it in a way that I think that God would be pleased. Maybe He will show me differently someday. I do not have to ever give another egg hunt or dye another egg, that isn't important to me. That was never part of my worship. My kids when they were young used to think that it was fun but now the oldest ones don't participate. My youngest (11 year old) has seemed to have lost interest too. However, she hasn't lost interest in focusing on the meaning of the day, the meaning we go by that is.
You wrote:
I've read that the biggest motivating factors in peoples lives are often avoidence of pain, rather than moving towards good. What would happen to you if you stopped with the symbols of fertility? Would not people look at you very oddly, thinking you're strange? Would you not become somewhat of an outcast, an oddball?I write: That is probably very true for some people regarding how the fear of pain would keep them from changing towards good. I don't particularly like to be different but at the same time I do not let that stop me. I have better people around me than those that would treat me as an outcast. Now, I don't know if you read that I have homeschooled five kids…that is what some people think is strange but mostly people are very supportive. God has been faithful towards us in that also. My oldest three will be in college in the fall and are doing fine. So, my point is, I'm over worrying about feeling different. Also, I am a non-trinitarian living in the “trinity buckle” of the Bible belt. Yes, I am different there too.
I think David that you are trying to enlighten me and have even softened your tone abit so I am thankful. I just have a different perspective than you. I'm sure that some people celebrate easter in a very unfullfilling way and are as lost as a post. I am hoping that my family and I can encourage those people to find Christ in whatever means it takes whether it be through the gospel presented at an easter egg hunt or something else.
God bless!
So people are going to worship fat men in Red suits on the day the Lamb of GOD was born?
And, worship bunnies on the day he paid the ultimate price for every sin you ever did or thought about doing or will do…before you ever did them?
What is wrong with this picture?
Luke 22:44
And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.Do you know that you can actually get to a level of stress to where you actually sweat blood?
http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/edn-t018.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hematidrosis
So Jesus is sweating blood and we are eating chocolate bunnies.
Oh GOD please forgive us even of our sins…Lord for we know not what we do.Quote (Samuel @ Mar. 25 2008,17:47) So people are going to worship fat men in Red suits on the day the Lamb of GOD was born? And, worship bunnies on the day he paid the ultimate price for every sin you ever did or thought about doing or will do…before you ever did them?
What is wrong with this picture?
Luke 22:44
And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.Do you know that you can actually get to a level of stress to where you actually sweat blood?
http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/edn-t018.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hematidrosis
So Jesus is sweating blood and we are eating chocolate bunnies.
Oh GOD please forgive us even of our sins…Lord for we know not what we do.
Samuel We live in a crazy society, don't we? Jesus never told us to celebrate His resurrection, but what He did say; Whenever you eat my flesh and drink my blood do it in memory of me. Nothing about His dead or His resurrection. People just go by tradition, which God said not to do either. Come out ot Her my people. When will we listen?Peace and Love Mrs.
Hello to all,
I don't know if anyone is getting what I am writing about. But, I will try again.
I have celebrated the resurrection day and Christ's birth all my life and it has always been centered on Christ. Santa Claus used to have an important part in the celebration as well as the easter bunny but not the emphasis. They really do not need an important part in this at all so when my husband and I began our own family, we did not promote those ideas to our children as sooooo important. They learned about them as fiction to enjoy the stories knowing that they weren't anymore real than Mickey Mouse. I do believe that as Christians we can really turn off non-christians with our self-righteousness. I am not interested in turning off non-christians. I would rather meet them where they are in order to be a light in their life. I would never join anyone in there worship of anything other than the Most High God and Christ, and, in my experience, I have never been to an easter egg hunt where bunnies were promoted as objects of worship. Never! I have participated in giving easter baskets, egg hunts, and giving chocolate bunnies but never in a way to promote worship of such things. NEVER! I think that many of you are blowing this out of porportion. Am I to be judged by you if I eat and enjoy chocolate that is in the shape of a log or a tree? How far do ya'll take these ideas of yours?
I would like ya'll to see that these activities can be bridges to meet non-christians on and draw them to your light so that they will receive the light of the world. That is really what is going on at churches all over the place. The gospel is the focus and the egg hunts are the vehicle by which the churches draw the people from the community. This is where my kids can bring their friends that do not know Christ in a less threatening way than bringing them to church. It provides an environment which makes it easier to teach what God has done for us through His Son. Really!
1 Cor 10:31-33
31 Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 32 Give no offense either to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God; 33 just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit but the profit of the many, so that they may be saved.
NASUIf you do not wish to celebrate the birth of Christ or the resurrection of Christ on the same day as most other people then don't, but don't bash those that do. I don't believe that bashing these holidays are really effective towards “pleasing men in all things” “so that they may be saved”. Once again, I believe that we need to meet people closer to where they are. We need to go to the Samaritan woman at the well and not expect her to come to us to be filled. Christmas and easter celebrations can be tools of evangelism. So many of you all seem to miss that.
Is anybody out there that can “hear” this???
Am I wasting my time here?
Jesus never told us that we were or WEREN'T to celebrate His resurrection did He?! Maybe He wanted to give us more freedom in our ways than binding us up in laws that lead to guilt and death. How many non-believers celebrate Yom Kippur? None that I know of except probably Jews. So therefore, Yom Kippur would not be a celebration to draw the community towards would it because there is no common ground, unless you were in a Jewish community? Let's take advantage of EVERY opportunity while it is still day. Night is coming when no one can reach out to the unsaved in the community surrounding us.
The Christ centered easter egg hunts are not against anyone but for the purpose of leading others to Christ.
Christ has said:
Mark 9:40-41
40 ” For he who is not against us is for us.
NASU
Let it be, please.I'll tell you what you do…
Here is a litte experiment you can do at your home town…
Go out on the corner of a busy street and do a survey.
Start asking people what Christmas reminds them of …or What do they think of when someone says Christmas.Then do the same for Easter…
What does Easter or the word Easter remind you of?
Let me know how many say Jesus.
I'm not trying to beat you up…or anyone else up. However these false GODS that have taken the place of things in our life…is one day going to be the death of us indeed.
These things are all fleshly lusts…James 1:15
Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.Alot of churches have just dismissed a lot of things altogather.
Like I was in a church that said a prayer and ever one bowed their heads silently and then everyone was saved!Thats not how it works.
Maybe you don't have to have a shouting fit…but you have to confess your own sins and accept Jesus Christ with your own mouth. Someone else can't do it for you.
I'll have you know that I'm the most hard-headed person around probably. And I fought with a lot of this stuff.
I'm not saying that it is going to send any one to hell …who knows maybe it will …maybe it won't I'm not sure any more.
But for me…In my heart…
I don't serve Easter Bunnies and Santa Clauses.
Christmas and Easter I do celebrate…but the Reason I Celebrate them is because they involve my Saviour.I gave up World of Warcraft for the very same reason…
Its a fake story…its not of GOD…its Pagen…Its not real…Its a tool of Satan to get your mind off the mark.Just like Peter…he took his eyes off Jesus and started sinking…thats what happenes when we get side tracked.
You have to find your own way…seek your own truth. And find the Kingdom of Heaven for yourself. If its cool with you then fine.
But you asked me what I thought and what I did…thats what I think and thats what I do.
Thats what I personally feel like the Lord would have me do.
Maybe he would have you do something different…You'll have to ask him.Hi Samuel,
If we are joined with Christ should we celebrate his so called birthday or easter?
Did Jesus, the one we follow, celebrate any birthdays?These are the whore's imitation of the Jewish feasts.
They still matter in God's eyes but who notes them?
Satan has distracted men from the ways of God.Satan decives as many as he can with whatever people will listen to him about.
You can't please everybody…thats why I try not to…however I do find myself trying to make everyone I can happy…thats just my nature….I'm a Blue, everything is based off emotion for me.
There is only one that we should be worried about pleasing.
I think Easter is a good deal though actually…There are millions of people that other wise would not ever go to church or hear GODS word except that one day a year…That might be the time they submit to the Holy Ghost and walk from that day forth for Christ.I know that i….well let me just put it to you like this.
I used to play this game called World of Warcraft…
I was a Warlock…some people say its just a game.
Can you see a christian playing a warlock? How deciveing is that? Same deal.Its bad news. And I don't think we should be even assoiated with evil spirits like that…They are not your friends.
Hi Samuel,
It is about realigning your mind from the ways of the world to be according to the Spirit of God.Hi Samuel,
You wrote it well when you said:
I don't serve Easter Bunnies and Santa Clauses.
Christmas and Easter I do celebrate…but the Reason I Celebrate them is because
they involve my Saviour.I agree and that sums it up for me too!
Hi Nick,
Where does it say in the Bible that celebrating birthdays are the whore's imitation of the Jewish feasts? I can't find it.Also, I was wondering if you celebrate high school or college graduations? It doesn't say to in the Bible so does that mean that we can't or we will be joining with a whore?
The bible says be in the world…well…lol thats a given…we sure aren't going anywhere else …at least till Jesus Comes back.
But to be not of the World.
You can take any statement and make it mean what ever you want it to mean.
I would suggest taking the statements in the bible for what they are …the truth.
Samuel and Lightenup! I have a question for you. Do you both know that Christmas and Easter started with the pagans? I know that they have. God said that He hates thos3e Holidays? So are we then to like them? As far as I am concerned, I don't think so. It has nothing to do with Christianity. It was all invented by a man called Quintus Septimus Florence Tertullian.
The one thing that Jesus said to do is to partake of the last Super or Passover. Very few are doing so.
Easter eggs and X-mas Trees etc. have nothing to do with Gods ways. God tell us to come out of Her my people. So why have you not?Peace and Love Mrs.
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