Today we Celebrate the Moon god

I don't think I've ever done this before... Today, I am actually going to recant my last post. Friday, I posted on how using the word Easter was a horrible thing to do, and how that everyone that does it is dying and going to Hell. Ok, maybe I didn't say it that strong, but you get the point.

Anyway, I was thinking on it some more over the weekend, and I have to come to you today with a different perspective. Today, is the celebration of the "moon god." Did you know that? Tomorrow it's not the moon, but a god associated with Mars. The next day, it's not as certain, but probably a god associated with Mercury. The next day (which will probably give away what I'm saying) is the celebration of the god Thor. Yup, that day is "Thor's day." If you don't get it yet, so that real fast 10 times: "Thor's day."

Yeah, the names of our days are actually named after pagan gods in English. They actually come from the 'gods' of the same people where we get 'Eastre.' Yet, I have no problem calling this moon day, Monday. When Friday comes around, and I call it that, I am not celebrating Frigga, the Germanic goddess of married love. Saturday, I will not even be thinking about Saturn at all. Nor will I put much thought into the sun on Sunday - unless it's sunny out, then I might.

So, here's what I'm saying. The Venerable Bede, an Old English Christian around 700AD, was the historian that tied "Eastre" with the time of the celebration of Christ's resurrection. Most other languages use Pascha or something like that (the word translated Passover normally in the KJV). What he wrote was this: "Eostur-month, which is now interpreted as the paschal month, was formerly named after the goddess Eostre, and has given its name to the festival." At his time (1300 years ago), the month was formerly named after that goddess.

So, 1300 years ago, the Old Old English word for that season was Easter. In fact, if you look at pre-1611 English translations of the Bible, the word "Easter" is used when talking about the Passover almost exclusively. It wasn't until the 1611 when Pascha was translated Passover instead of Easter (with 1 exception). You know what, like Mike and Matt said in comments yesterday, when someone says "Easter," they're really not thinking about any gods whatsoever - only the God of gods. I'm still not sold on the idea of the eggs and bunnies, but maybe I could be persuaded on that as well... who knows?

So, anyway, enjoy your celebration of the Moon god, and we'll talk to you again on Tyr's Day.

Just a thought...

Happy "Easter"?

This post may be controversial... but since when has that stopped me from posting?!

I want to avoid a long post like yesterday's, so that hopefully people will actually read it. So, to the point: Is it ok for Christians to refer to this coming Sunday as "Easter"? Also, is it ok for Christians to practice the traditional "Easter" activities, like coloring eggs, chilling with the Easter Bunny, and stuff like that? I am going to try to answer these quickly, and if you have any disagreements or discussion points, I would answer more thoroughly in comments.

Ok, the name "Easter" comes from an Anglo-Saxon word "Eastre." This was the name of an Anglo-Saxon goddess during the Spring time. The tradition has it that this goddess was either another name for, or simply a similar goddess to Queen Semiramis. This queen is supposedly the wife of Nimrod. God says:

Exodus 23:13 And in all things that I have said unto you be circumspect: and make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth.

I know, I know... that's Old Testament. However, we look at what God says in the Old Testament and we learn about Him. We learn from that verse that He does not like people talking about other gods, even mentioning their name. I can not believe that God is happy when people call the day, in which His Son rose from the dead, conquering death and hell, after the name of a pagan goddess. I just can't accept that. So, No, we Christians should not call this Sunday "Easter." How about we use "Resurrection Sunday" instead? Say that to your lost acquaintances, and you'll have opportunity to start a spiritual discussion - be prepared!

Ok, how about the practices associated with Easter? I mean, yeah, Eastre is recognized by Christians and non-Christians as the fertility goddess. The rabbit is known for its exceptional breeding capabilities, and the egg is also a symbol for fertility in pagan religions. So, we talk about the Easter Bunny, and we color eggs - both symbols associated with the goddess Eastre, which we already learned we're not supposed to even talk about... I really just have a hard time believing that God would be pleased when Christians participate in those activities.

Let me answer the first argument that will be made against me: "But, Andy, you celebrate Christmas, and that's all associated with Santa Clause, and the date used is the date of a pagan festival..." First of all, it still is called "Christmas" meaning "the birth of Christ." Christ is preached whether in pretence or not, so I'll rejoice (Philippians 1:18). And I understand that the date we celebrate is the date of a pagan festival. But, we don't know the date He was born, so why not try to compete with a pagan festival to try to get it to disappear (by the way, it seems to have worked!). And, Santa Clause... Unlike some zealous preachers would say, Santa is not just "Satan" with the letters mixed around. Santa actually means Saint in most languages, and Santa Clause specifically comes from the Dutch: Sinterklaas, which means Saint Nicholas. I have no problems with Nick. I understand the Roman Catholics have made more of him than he would have of himself, but historically, he seems like a pretty nice guy - so do Valentine and Patrick by the way.

So, I don't think I'm being two-faced about "Easter" vs. Christmas. I just think it would be well-pleasing to the Lord if we were to put away the pagan name for the day that Christ rose from the dead -- the Gospel of Jesus Christ -- and truly call it something that is at least Christian.

I failed... I made this longer than I wanted to... sorry!

Just a thought...