Happy Easter!

I am a Catholic and I think I can consider myself practicing my faith. We've been observing Easters and Passovers and whenever I am asked about this observance of the Holy Week I fell short of a credible answer so I thought I would research about it.

As I've re-discovered the meaning of lent, let me share to you my findings. This is taken (unedited) from a Christian site called givingananswer.org. Please take some time to read.


MUSLIMS ASK . . .

WHY DO CHRISTIANS CELEBRATE EASTER?
What is Easter? And why do Christians celebrate it? What does the Easter Bunny have to do with Easter? And isn’t Easter a Pagan holiday? All of these valid questions should and need to be answered by the Christian Community. After all, Easter is the greatest of all Christian holy days and needs to be properly explained by the Christian so it may be properly understood by the non-Christian. After briefly discussing what Easter is not, we will then answer the much more important question of what Easter is and why Christians celebrate Easter? In answering these questions we will cite the Bible (Taurat, Zabur and Injeel) as well as the Quran and Hadith.



WHAT EASTER IS NOT



The derivation of the word “Easter” is unsure and has been debated for many years. The word is not found in the Greek biblical texts and so has been borrowed from other cultures and applied to the Christian commemoration of the death, burial and especially the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Historically, there have been many religious and cultural festivals that gravitate towards the vernal equinox in the Spring of the year. There can be little doubt that over many years the traditions of these non-Christian observances have affected the popular observance of Easter today. The Easter Bunny and the giving and hunting for
eggs are cultural traditions that have long existed and been adopted by many who celebrate Easter. Unfortunately, for many in America Easter is equated with Bunnies and eggs. This phenomenon is not unlike the secularization of Christmas. Instead of celebrating Jesus birth, many Americans are celebrating Santa Claus and the Christmas Tree. And yet, there remains a significant minority of the America, those who are true Christians, which have not forgotten the true meaning of these holy days, and they spend them with Godly reverence and prayer.

So then, we see that the popular observance of Easter today which emphasizes these non-Christian elements (i.e. Easter Bunny, dyeing eggs etc.) has virtually nothing to do with the true meaning of Easter which has been celebrated (although not always in that name) since the 1st Century AD. The fact that non-Christian elements have crept in to what is known as the popular observance of Easter in no way nullifies or taints the true meaning and significance of Easter or the event that it commemorates. To disagree with this line of reasoning would imperil the Kabba in Mecca which would need to be discarded since it was the center of prolific idol worship before the time of Muhammad. The Kabba itself held 360 pagan idols but is today the very focal point of the prayers and pilgrimages of Muslims all around the world. No, it would be foolish to assert that the Christian observance of Easter is wrong or tainted by paganism that has influenced its popular observance after its institution, and not say the very same thing or worse about the Kabba which was the center of idol worship before Islam adopted it as there focal point of prayer. So we see then that to discount or denigrate Easter because of how it has been misrepresented or syncretized by the secular world does not deal at all with its true meaning and significance to true Christians the world over. So then, what is the true meaning and significance of Easter to authentic Christianity? We will now endeavor by God’s grace to answer that question for our reader.


THE TRUE MEANING AND SIGNIFICANCE
OF EASTER (RESURRECTION DAY)


To even begin to understand the true meaning of Easter (or “Resurrection Day” as not to confuse you by a title which is disputed) one must understand the history of the Jewish holy time of Passover. We must explain this because Christians believe that Jesus Christ is our Passover and that the original Passover of the Jews was to point directly towards the coming Messiah the true and final Passover (1Corinthians 5:7). It often amazes Christians to learn that Islam, the Quran, the Hadith, and most Muslims know nothing about the Passover ceremony, and more importantly the miraculous event that it commemorates. One can never understand the purpose and meaning for Jesus Christ’s death (and thus Easter) without understanding the meaning and significance of the Passover.

If you have questions or for more information, you send them an email at Muslimsletstalk@yahoo.com. They also have a P.O. Box address so if you would like to write them, you can send your mails to:

Muslims Ask
PO Box 633
Cherryville, NC 28021


I haven't tried sending them letters though but that's their mailing address according to the website, i just copied them in case someone is interested. You can also visit their website for further readings.

Happy Holidays and God Bless!

1 comments:

April 12, 2009 at 10:52 AM Eddie Garcia said...

Reading passages like 1 Cor. 11:23-26 will tell us why we should observe Christ's resurrection. If one searches the scriptures further, they will discover that the early Christians observed His resurrection weekly, Acts 20:7. It makes sense to do it weekly rather than yearly due to its true significance to the Christian. If we would do all things in accordance to God's will and plan we would not be caught up in such yearly observances as Easter. Thanks for the post!

Friends 4 Life!
Eddie Garcia
eddiegarcia08@gmail.com

Post a Comment

 

© READ FOR LIFE!
Revolution Elements by Blozard. Original WP theme by Jason Schuller | Distributed by Deluxe Templates

ss_blog_claim=3b79db4271f1540e09b906c1e514a490