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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

This is a load of piffle, isn't it?

78 replies

Psipsina · 03/04/2015 18:11

We got handed a religious magazine for children yesterday by a fairly fierce looking woman.

It was nice of her to give us one however the copy is terrible, I don't know who writes it - think it's published by the Salvation Army.

This paragraph for a start:

'Chomping chocolate eggs is fun, but did you know there's a serious side to Easter eggs too? The chocolate eggshell is a symbol of the tomb where Jesus was placed after he died. Breaking through the chocolate egg represents the stone being rolled away from Jesus' tomb Hmm. And the eggs-tra treat we find inside reminds us of the joy Jesus' followers experienced when they discovered the tomb was empty,HmmHmm because Jesus had been brought back to life.'

That's patently not the case, or is it? I must have missed some significant bits of my religious education if it is.

OP posts:
lollipop28 · 03/04/2015 18:12

hmmm I thought it was because an egg symbolises new life?

Ratfinkandbobo · 03/04/2015 18:14

IMHO never accept any religious magazines/leaflets from scary looking religious typesEaster Grin

BaronessBomburst · 03/04/2015 18:15

I thought it was pagan. Confused

Original poster
Psipsina · 03/04/2015 18:16

I know. I thought the eggs were about new life too. And spring and reproduction and erm, have I lost my way somewhere there?

OP posts:
CloserToFiftyThanTwenty · 03/04/2015 18:17

If they want to make that analogy, I don't see the problem

CloserToFiftyThanTwenty · 03/04/2015 18:18

I meant to say - personally I think all religion is piffle, so not bothered about this particular bit!

RoganJosh · 03/04/2015 18:18

Wiki says the same as the leaflet. I had never heard it.

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_egg

FirstWeTakeManhattan · 03/04/2015 18:19

Crap. Show me which bit of the Bible that's in. There is nothing about chocolate in there. Apart from that chapter about Double Deckers, obv.

Original poster
Psipsina · 03/04/2015 18:19

It doesn't make sense though. You can't have the joy of finding the empty tomb being symbolised by the joy of finding stuff in your egg. It's a bit of a false analogy. It ought to mean we have empty eggs. And be happy about that, which no child ever is.

OP posts:
43cupsoftea · 03/04/2015 18:20

I'm not at all religious, but I do have a lot of respect for the Salvation Army. I think it's fine for a religious organisation to help people understand the link between the giving of chocolate eggs and the Easter story.

MangoJuggler · 03/04/2015 18:20

Gah. They have piggybacked eggy loveliness onto their message.

TendonQueen · 03/04/2015 18:20

I'm not sure it would be the Salvation Army. I get their Easter communications and they are very different in tone. As for 'is it true?', well, it's a symbolic interpretation of what the egg means, so it's plausible if you find it so. It's not insisted on as doctrine.

Original poster
Psipsina · 03/04/2015 18:21

Oh wow, well I never knew. Bit tenuous though isn't it?

OP posts:
Lifesalemon · 03/04/2015 18:22

One of the kids where I work had obviously been reading the same somewhere as he asked the teacher a question about the egg shaped stone at the entrance to the tomb. I didn't wait around to hear her answer, just thought 'I'm glad he didn't ask me' Blush

Original poster
Psipsina · 03/04/2015 18:22

Says SA on the back in tiny print.

OP posts:
Eigg · 03/04/2015 18:22

The eggs (and bunnies) stem from the Pagan worship associated with Spring and fertility.

The co-opting into 'symbolising' the tomb bit just makes participating in an ancient pagan festival a bit more comfortable.

(I am a church attending Christian by the way)

Original poster
Psipsina · 03/04/2015 18:24

We also have the slightly disturbing content regarding the preservatives for Jesus' body (which conjures up images of ingredients labels if I am honest, probably a good thing wrt the children) and the puzzle involving clues such as 'bodily organ', 'regular practice that is hard to give up' and 'spill' (Genesis 38 anyone) which had my eldest child unable to speak with laughter. Blush

I think it is wonderful that they produce this magazine and give it away for nothing, but I really think they could do with better content. It doesn't do them any favours Sad I approve of the Sally Army generally. But this isn't inspiring my children to think about God.

OP posts:
lagartaroja · 03/04/2015 18:25

Another example of a traditional pre-Christian symbol/practice being adopted by Christians to encourage the heathens of yesteryear to celebrate this new and relatively fun free religion.

BaronessBomburst · 03/04/2015 18:26

Just because it's on Wikipedia, doesn't mean it's correct.
I read on Wikipedia that Chitty Chitty Bang was written by Roald Dahl.

TondelayoSchwarzkopf · 03/04/2015 18:28

That's funny cos Ian Fleming wrote Chitty and Roald Dahl wrote a Bond.

Eigg is obviously right about the pagan origins of eggs, bunnies and chicks.

Lifesalemon · 03/04/2015 18:38

I thought that Roald Dahl wrote the script for the film chitty chitty bang bang based on the book.

SilverBirch2015 · 03/04/2015 18:43

I have always been disappointed there is nothing inside Easter Eggs. Putting the extra chocs somewhere else is a cop out. When I was a child thought it was because my mum bought bargain eggs. Maybe I had been misled by some religious missive aimed at children?

lagartaroja · 03/04/2015 18:51

I was always disappointed they were hollow and not solid chocolate!

MrsTerryPratchett · 03/04/2015 18:53

It's utter bullshit. Which I don't really care about EXCEPT when Christians tell atheists and pagans they can't celebrate at midwinter and spring because those are Christian festivals. Eggs, bunnies and so on are about SEX and new life and fertility. Evergreens in the house, candles and food at Christmas is about returning of the light and sympathetic magic.

If we are going to divvy up these things based on religious affiliation, I'm happy for us to keep those things and Christians to keep lent, Simnel cake, carols and the nativity. Oh and palms.

The only real link between Easter and eggs for Christians would surely be the end of Lent and therefore feasting on rich food.

TondelayoSchwarzkopf · 03/04/2015 18:55

Yeah you're right lifesalemon - the child snatched is so Dahl-ish