Greetings from Tyler,
The “Christian” world is geared up for what they consider the holiest time of year. It’s a shame that their attempts to include and educate children about the meaning of this season are corrupted with the symbols of fertility, and chances are good that most well-meaning adults don’t even realize it. The reasoning put forth in Catholic doctrine is so lamely pedantic as to defy logic. And they call this doctrinal scholarship? We haven’t revisited the actual verbiage put forth in the Catholic Encyclopedia to explain what rabbits and eggs have to do with the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ in some time.
The admissions made in the “doctrinal text” of this reference are staggering, and ironically, they give absolute credence to the absolute paganism that saturates the observance that most well-meaning “Christians” will be celebrating on Sunday. The reference to the use of the term Easter in the Catholic Encyclopedia begins, “The English term, according to the Venerable Bede relates to Estre, a Teutonic goddess of the rising light of day and spring…” which they go on to say is an unknown deity before they go into various translations of the term in different languages and cultures. It goes on to admit the connection with the Passover, and says it is the “link” between the Old and New Testament, before burying the reader in variations of the practice of Easter by societies through the ages.
But the best, most scholarly (cough, choke) explanation of all has to be the one about the rabbit and the eggs. Here it is, and remember, this is DOCTRINE devised by the greatest minds the Catholics could assemble, and accepted wholesale by every Protestant denomination, printed in the pages of the Catholic Encyclopedia. “The Easter Rabbit lays the eggs, for which reason they are hidden in a nest or in a garden. The rabbit is a pagan symbol and has always been an emblem of fertility.” How many people know that is there, right in their doctrinal statement?
But there it is. Can you imagine a more forthright admission? You may, if you dare, confidently explain to anybody you wish that the observance of EASTER in the “Christian” tradition of Catholics and Protestants alike is admittedly, conclusively PAGAN! It’s right there, and the information is readily available in the palm of every hand holding a smartphone.
But, rather than observing the Lord’s Supper according to Jesus’ instruction, or the Feast of Unleavened Bread, they attend a sunrise service and indulge their children in the fantasy of rabbits laying eggs (which of course they do not), and finding those eggs hidden in the shrubbery. It surely must be a delight to small children to be praised and congratulated for locating the pastel-colored eggs, as if they’ve unearthed some hidden treasure. But what does it teach them in terms of the actual meaning of Jesus’ death and resurrection?
Instead, it teaches the myth that rabbits lay colored eggs and hide them for children to find! How old must a child get before that nonsense gets straightened out? Presumably the truth comes out around the same time the little dears figure out that there is no Santa Clause! By that time, they’re old enough to realize that these “Christian” beliefs and practices are a bunch of tall tales with no basis in reality. No wonder so many reject the whole belief system in young adulthood.
We celebrated the Passover (Lord’s Supper) last Sunday night, and the night to be remembered Monday evening, and the first Day of Unleavened Bread on Tuesday, according to the dates of the sacred calendar. We will observe the last Day of Unleavened Bread this coming Monday, as it is an annual High Day.
Several visitors have already arrived in Tyler for the Sabbath and various planned activities, concluding with the service on Monday, which will no doubt be observed by thousands of members of numerous congregations of the Church of God.
To conclude all the discussion above, I’m reminded of a catchy question my Dad used to ask, and one that he used on his television program. It goes like this, “Is your religion any good if you can understand it?” That’s particularly good in the discussion of the practice of Easter, where the vast majority have no idea what they’re doing, or why. Aren’t you glad the truth makes perfect sense?
Mark Armstrong
http://www.garnertedarmstrong.org/pubs/godsseas.htm
Read about God’s annual Holy Day seasons online (above) or write for a free copy of the booklet titled, “How Seasonal Holy Days Reveal God’s Plan”. God has a plan. Here it is laid out for all to understand.
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