Weird religious rituals

[NERVUN]

Of course not, Paganism back then, and in some respect still is a tribal religion. However, my point still stands.

Right so the fact that some of these things have been introduced through Germany means nothing, and half of your point is debunked anyway, Easter has always been set around Passover.

No, the death and resurrection of Christ may have been, that I am willing to concede. However, the Easter celebration, the Easter Rabbit, the Easter Egg were "borrowed" from Fertility ritual and celebrations of the local area. The only difference between the Pagan fertility celebration and the Christian Easter is that you have the reanimation of a dead Jewish Zombie.

1. Resurrection is not the same as reanimation, stop attempting to be insulting. And two, I'm sure you can tell me just WHAT is taken from this then: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter#Wes ... stianity_2

[NERVUN]

The pre-Christian Saxons had a spring goddess called Eostre, whose feast was held on the Vernal Equinox, around 21 March. Her animal was the spring hare. Some believe that Ēostre was associated with eggs and hares,[3] and the rebirth of the land in spring was symbolised by the egg. Ēostre is known from the writings of Bede Venerabilis, a seventh-century Benedictine monk. Bede describes the pagan worship of Ēostre among the Anglo-Saxons as having died out before he wrote about it. Bede's De temporum ratione attributes her name to the festival, but does not mention eggs at all.[4]

Ahem:

The egg is widely used as a symbol of the start of new life, just as new life emerges from an egg when the chick hatches out.

The ancient Persians painted eggs for Nowrooz, their New Year celebration, which falls on the Spring equinox. The Nawrooz tradition has existed for at least 2,500 years. The decorated eggs are one of the core items to be placed on the Haft Seen, the Persian New Year display. The sculptures on the walls of Persepolis show people carrying eggs for Nowrooz to the king.

At the Jewish Passover Seder, a hard-boiled egg dipped in salt water symbolizes the festival sacrifice offered at the Temple in Jerusalem

.
You REALLY didn't bother to read it. Did you.

[Wilgrove]

1. Resurrection is not the same as reanimation, stop attempting to be insulting. And two, I'm sure you can tell me just WHAT is taken from this then: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter#Wes ... stianity_2

All I read was how the Western World and Eastern World celebrated Easter. Doesn't really refute my own links to Ēostre.

[NERVUN]

1. Resurrection is not the same as reanimation, stop attempting to be insulting. And two, I'm sure you can tell me just WHAT is taken from this then: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter#Wes ... stianity_2

All I read was how the Western World and Eastern World celebrated Easter. Doesn't really refute my own links to Ēostre.

You said that the Easter celebration was cribbed from the Pagan rituals for Eoster (Which is incredibly funny given that Eoster has a single paragraph talking about her in a book written by a monk in the Middle Ages, so tell me, out of the religious observations of the Eastern and Western branches of Christianity, just what was taken?

[Wilgrove]

-snippy snip-

Easter was originally formed by The First Council of Nicaea, which was formed in 325 AD. Until then, the Early Christians have been using the Jewish calender and been going off of the Passover. However they did not like that since Passover move around from year to year.

By the later 3rd century, however, some Christians began to express dissatisfaction with what they took to be the disorderly state of the Jewish calendar.

The controversy between those who argued for independent computations, and those who argued for continued reliance on the Jewish calendar, was formally resolved by the Council, which endorsed the independent procedure that had been in use for some time at Rome and Alexandria. Easter was henceforward to be a Sunday in a lunar month chosen according to Christian criteria--in effect, a Christian Nisan-- not in the month of Nisan as defined by Jews. Those who argued for continued reliance on the Jewish calendar (called "protopaschites" by later historians) were urged to come around to the majority position. That they did not all immediately do so is revealed by the existence of sermons,[27] canons,[28] and tracts[29] written against the protopaschite practice in the later 4th century.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Coun ... h_calendar

You apparently also suck at reading your own sources.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter#Ref ... _of_Easter

Just take a look at the Chart.

http://www.religioustolerance.org/easter1.htm

[NERVUN]

-snippy snip-

Easter was originally formed by The First Council of Nicaea, which was formed in 325 AD. Until then, the Early Christians have been using the Jewish calender and been going off of the Passover. However they did not like that since Passover move around from year to year.

By the later 3rd century, however, some Christians began to express dissatisfaction with what they took to be the disorderly state of the Jewish calendar.

The controversy between those who argued for independent computations, and those who argued for continued reliance on the Jewish calendar, was formally resolved by the Council, which endorsed the independent procedure that had been in use for some time at Rome and Alexandria. Easter was henceforward to be a Sunday in a lunar month chosen according to Christian criteria--in effect, a Christian Nisan-- not in the month of Nisan as defined by Jews. Those who argued for continued reliance on the Jewish calendar (called "protopaschites" by later historians) were urged to come around to the majority position. That they did not all immediately do so is revealed by the existence of sermons,[27] canons,[28] and tracts[29] written against the protopaschite practice in the later 4th century.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Coun ... h_calendar

You apparently also suck at reading your own sources.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter#Ref ... _of_Easter

Just take a look at the Chart.

http://www.religioustolerance.org/easter1.htm

God you're really bad at this. How does any of the above show what you claimed? Yes, Easter was moved in the third century to AFTER the equinox (Hence AFTER, remember that Wilgrove, AFTER the Equinox. Need I repeat? One more time AFTER the Equnox), which would still be a damned silly thing to do if you were trying to tie your date to some pagan goddess's feast date that happened ON Equinox. The original date of Easter was, indeed, tied to Passover and was not created out of thin air like Christmas was.

And as for religious tolerance.org, that site does next to nothing, sorry, it does nothing, to bolster your claim that the Easter celebration is pagan (Which you STILL have not told me what, out of that Wiki article, is pagan). Eoster's whole existance is this: Eosturmonath has a name which is now translated "Paschal month", and which was once called after a goddess of theirs named Eostre, in whose honour feasts were celebrated in that month. Now they designate that Paschal season by her name, calling the joys of the new rite by the time-honoured name of the old observance." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eostre and a whole lotta speculation.

My statements that the date for Easter has nothing to do with pagan beliefs are quite true as well as there is considerable debate about just where the Easter egg and Easter Bunny came from. I never claimed that Christians thought it all up, just that we honestly don't know.

[DogDoo 7]

Aren't there any people who are knowledgeable of Voudun or African animism who will comment in this thread? Or is this just going to turn into a ZOMG Xtians LOLOOLOLOLLOLOLOL? Nervun's drunk god throwing ritual was pretty weird though.

[Dazchan]

No it's not, Yule is still being celebrated. The Winter Solstice is still being celebrated.

Irrelevant to the fact that putting up a Christmas tree is a Christmas tradition in the present day.

Ostara (Vernal Equinox) is still being celebrated as well.

See above.

The only reason Christianity has Yule and Vernal Equinox traditions and celebrations is because the Church wanted to recruit as many Pagans as possible, so they moved Jesus's birthday and resurrection close to the Winter Solstice and the Sunday after a full moony after the Spring Equinox.

So you agree that "Christianity has Yule and Vernal Equinox traditions", yet you disagree with me calling them Christian traditions?

[Blouman Empire]

No, the death and resurrection of Christ may have been, that I am willing to concede. However, the Easter celebration, the Easter Rabbit, the Easter Egg were "borrowed" from Fertility ritual and celebrations of the local area. The only difference between the Pagan fertility celebration and the Christian Easter is that you have the reanimation of a dead Jewish Zombie.

Which has nothing to do with what you originally said.

[NERVUN]

Aren't there any people who are knowledgeable of Voudun or African animism who will comment in this thread? Or is this just going to turn into a ZOMG Xtians LOLOOLOLOLLOLOLOL? Nervun's drunk god throwing ritual was pretty weird though.

Oh the god isn't drunk. WE'RE the ones who are drunk!

[Lunatic Goofballs]

Wouldn't it be awesome if holidays could just be fun instead of trying to analyze the hidden meanings?

I'm not sure what I find more annoying; people trying to prove that a holiday is christian in origin, or people trying to prove it isn't. Just let me eat my chocolate bunny in peace of I'll pummel you with pies!

[Ifreann]

While the date of Jesus death and resurrection may have to do more with Passover than the Spring Equinox, the Christians still stole the Bunny and Eggs.

It's amusing that you use words like "stole" like the image was somehow pagan proprietary symbolism, or something.

Pagans have long regretted their lack of intellectual property laws.

[Lunatic Goofballs]

While the date of Jesus death and resurrection may have to do more with Passover than the Spring Equinox, the Christians still stole the Bunny and Eggs.

It's amusing that you use words like "stole" like the image was somehow pagan proprietary symbolism, or something.

Pagans have long regretted their lack of intellectual property laws.

[Ifreann]

It's amusing that you use words like "stole" like the image was somehow pagan proprietary symbolism, or something.

Pagans have long regretted their lack of intellectual property laws.

And now I'm covered in mud. ¬.¬

[Lunatic Goofballs]

Pagans have long regretted their lack of intellectual property laws.

And now I'm covered in mud. ¬.¬

It's a weird religious ritual. *nod*

[Brijesnica]

Scholars say that jeuses was born in the spring,and that 25 dec. (roman sun god born) not jeuses

[Lunatic Goofballs]

Scholars say that jeuses was born in the spring,and that 25 dec. (roman sun god born) not jeuses

This Jeuses dude you refer to ought to check his birth certificate.

[Galloism]

Scholars say that jeuses was born in the spring,and that 25 dec. (roman sun god born) not jeuses

This Jeuses dude you refer to ought to check his birth certificate.

Interestingly, Catholic tradition states that the conception of Mary took place on... December 8th, if memory serves. Therefore, If Jesus was born in December 25th, as the Catholics claim, it had to be either the easiest pregnancy in history, or the hardest.

[Lunatic Goofballs]

Scholars say that jeuses was born in the spring,and that 25 dec. (roman sun god born) not jeuses

This Jeuses dude you refer to ought to check his birth certificate.

Interestingly, Catholic tradition states that the conception of Mary took place on... December 8th, if memory serves. Therefore, If Jesus was born in December 25th, as the Catholics claim, it had to be either the easiest pregnancy in history, or the hardest.

If you think it was hard on Mary, just think about poor Joseph.

[Blouman Empire]

Interestingly, Catholic tradition states that the conception of Mary took place on... December 8th, if memory serves. Therefore, If Jesus was born in December 25th, as the Catholics claim, it had to be either the easiest pregnancy in history, or the hardest.

Does it? where?

[Ifreann]

Interestingly, Catholic tradition states that the conception of Mary took place on... December 8th, if memory serves. Therefore, If Jesus was born in December 25th, as the Catholics claim, it had to be either the easiest pregnancy in history, or the hardest.

Does it? where?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8th_Decemb ... bservances

[The Ophelias]

Scholars say that jeuses was born in the spring,and that 25 dec. (roman sun god born) not jeuses

This Jeuses dude you refer to ought to check his birth certificate.

Interestingly, Catholic tradition states that the conception of Mary took place on... December 8th, if memory serves. Therefore, If Jesus was born in December 25th, as the Catholics claim, it had to be either the easiest pregnancy in history, or the hardest.

Some sources state that Jesus was born in Summer. That would explain the Star over the nativity. *shrugs*
Catholic tradition celebartes the birth in Winter, December 25th, day of the Soles Invitcus. Funny, Constantine was a devout member of this cult.

[Bears Armed]

Interestingly, Catholic tradition states that the conception of Mary took place on... December 8th, if memory serves. Therefore, If Jesus was born in December 25th, as the Catholics claim, it had to be either the easiest pregnancy in history, or the hardest.

Does it? where?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8th_Decemb ... bservances

That's the conception of Mary herself, which Catholicism holds to have also been "Immaculate", not the conception of Jesus by Mary...
What you're looking for is 'The Feast of the Annunciation', which falls on the 25th of March...