Happy Easter

[wdlove]

May I be among the first to wish you a Happy Easter!

A present from me to my friends here.

The real reason is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. A time to look forward to his second coming.

http://i.flowgo.com/greetings/rapeasterbunny/rapeasterbunny.swf

[Vader]

Have a great Easter everyone!

[vouder17]

I thought it was cos it was the transition from winter to spring...hence all the little easter bunnies and eggs and chicks..etc. Well whatever your belief.Happy easter

DjVoTeZ

[iSaint]

Alleluia! The Lord is Risen!

Just returned from Easter Vigil and Baptisms!

[KC9AIC]

Easter is such a great celebration. Thank God for new life in both spring and through his Son.

[yoda13]

Yes, Happy Easter to everyone. Thanks for the reminder of the real reason for the day. God Bless. :)

[SilentPanda]

Happy Easter!

Here's some of my favorite songs to listen to on Easter (okay so there's not much that I can think of right this second...)

Third Day - Thief (http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playlistId=2627531&selectedItemId=2627510)
Third Day - Love Song (http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playlistId=2627531&selectedItemId=2627525)
Nicole C. Mullen - Redeemer (http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playlistId=4510593&selectedItemId=4510545)
Jars of Clay - Worlds Apart (http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playlistId=16193734&selectedItemId=16193340) (I like the live version (http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playlistId=1500861&selectedItemId=1500831) better but you have to buy the whole album to get that...)
Shaun Groves - Abba Father (http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playlistId=6554136&selectedItemId=6554130)

I suppose there are others but... time for bed!

Have a GREAT Easter!

[Platform]

Happy easter everyone :D

Too bad though that easter seems to be going more and more down ranked in the world :o

[Blue Velvet]

Thanks for the reminder of the real reason for the day.

The name Easter comes from an ancient European goddess of the dawn called Eostre by the Anglo-Saxons and Ostara by the Germanic peoples. She is also known as Eostra, Eostrae, Eostar, Eastre, Easter, Estre, Eástre, and Austra by various European peoples. Her name means "movement towards the rising sun" and is related to the Indo-European root word Aus which means "to shine". The English words estrus and estrogen are also derived from her name. She was considered the goddess of the growing light and spring, associated with fertility and celebrated with a festival of rebirth. One story has her entertaining children by performing a trick that changed her pet bird into a rabbit. This rabbit then laid colored eggs that she gave to the children. Given the history of these ideas which date back to at least 2000 years before the Christian era, it should be no surprise that the original symbols and practices of Easter persist today, just as our ancestors once celebrated them.

Who was Eostre?

When Judeo-Christian monks worked mendaciously to gain followers by destroying pagan history and defaming the elder gods as demons, they had no weapons to deface the innocence of Eostre. Instead, they adopted her holiday and attempted to graft their values onto it.

The blessings of spring were personified in the goddess Ostara, whose festival of Easter, is dear to the Germans after the long cold winters in the forest, is still called after her name, though the God of the Christians claims the worship once accorded to the spring. Ostara's favorite animal was the hare, which to this day still brings the Easter eggs to the little children.
- Thomas Bulfinch, "The Golden Age of Myth & Legend"

As the Judeo-Christians could offer nothing better, they simply claimed what existed as their own, changed the story slightly, and then tried to cover up and break people's connection to the past.

Ostara, Eostre seems therefore to have been a divinity of the radiant dawn, of upspringing light, a spectacle that brings joy and blessing, whose meaning could be easily adapted to the resurrection-day of the christian's God.
- Jacob Grimm, "Teutonic Mythology"

http://www.datejesus.com/sermons/easter/

[Mechcozmo]

Thanks for the reminder of the real reason for the day. God Bless. :)

You mean, it isn't to bite the ears off of chocolate rabbits?

:eek:

;)

Happy Easter to those that celebrate it and have a good Sunday to those that don't.

[skunk]

The name Easter comes from an ancient European goddess of the dawn called Eostre by the Anglo-Saxons and Ostara by the Germanic peoples. She is also known as Eostra, Eostrae, Eostar, Eastre, Easter, Estre, Eástre, and Austra by various European peoples.
Not forgetting, of course, the Homeric goddess of the "rosy-fingered dawn", Eos.

[iGary]

Happy Easter everyone!

No church for Gary - off for a 30-mile run. :eek:

Big Sur Marathon coming up. :p

[mad jew]

The name Easter

Thanks Blue, cool post. :) It's always good to learn something like that although, being a Pagan myself, I kinda knew some of the details anyway.

Whatever the origin of this holiday, have a great and safe weekend everyone. And iGary, you're crazy! :eek: ;)

[Blue Velvet]

Thanks Blue, cool post. :)

Don't thank me. It was just an excerpt from the site that was linked to at the bottom of the post... in other words, copied 'cos I felt lazy.

Just wanted to remind people that the real meaning of Easter predates christian teachings by a few years or so... ;)

[Fredstar]

Happy Easter everyone, Don't eat too much chocolate ;)

[EGT]

Happy Easter everyone :)

[SilentPanda]

Don't thank me. It was just an excerpt from the site that was linked to at the bottom of the post... in other words, copied 'cos I felt lazy.

Just wanted to remind people that the real meaning of Easter predates christian teachings by a few years or so... ;)

Without reading most of your earlier post I know you're right (the early church had a tendancy to suck up pagan holidays to make the transition more comfortable) but couldn't you have a found a *slightly* more reputable looking site? :D

Either way... I know what Easter means for myself and for many other Christians around the world...

Oh! Foxtrot (http://www.foxtrot.com/) is good today (although it is most days).

[CorvusCamenarum]

And let's not forget to all go to Wal-Mart tomorrow (or past midnight if you're awake) and load up on cheap Easter candy. Chocolate bunnies for 10¢ :D