Any other Christians annoyed at what society has turned Easter into?

[Opol]

I’m resigned that the same has been done to Christmas. But for me that is “only” the birth of Christ.

As a Roman Catholic, Easter is of far more importance to me. For me, God’s love for humanity meant he sacrificed his only son. Jesus’ resurrection is literally the embodiment of the victory of light over darkness, good over evil etc.

I don’t wish to gate keep but seeing it reduced to Easter baskets and chocolate rabbits is unpleasant to witness. I’m more annoyed at society making everything hollow and superficial via consumerism and over consumption.

Her faith hasn't been overtaken by anything though. Faith is your relationship between you and God. So while she might find it all a bit distasteful, it takes nothing from her faith.

PS, yes, obviously most cultures celebrated the Spring equinox - here's a symbol of that that way pre-dates Passover or Exodus, and is right here in Ireland.

https://twitter.com/TuathaIreland/status/1770509358692188547

Why does the date of Easter move around? - BBC Bitesize

As I said, from the Bible, we know that the Thursday before Easter Sunday was the Jewish Passover, as that was the Last Supper. So although the time of the year that Christmas should be isn't known (I believe the best evidence would put it close to Easter) the Resurrection is the Sunday after Passover.

As non-believers we don't do anything for Easter. Christmas is harder to avoid since almost everyone does it, but if that stopped tomorrow I don't think I'd be too upset either.

That said, I do find the "Ackshually it's just the Xtians hijacking a pagan festival" argument a bit weak. If you want to celebrate the arrival of spring then do it on 1 March for meteorological spring or 21 March (20 in a leap year) for astronomical spring. Choosing to have your Jesus-free bunny/chocolate related fun on a day that varies with the phases of the moon and depends on a historical assortment of bits of theology doesn't feel very secular or pagan.

YABU you can celebrate Easter in whichever way you want as can everyone else
You can still go to church then come home for quiet contemplation.
Me eating my chocolate and watching football has no impact on that whatsoever

Fanaticism is distasteful to me. I don't celebrate Easter but am in no way minded to concern myself with other people's celebrations. Live and let live.

Where other people's actions don't affect you, stop trying to bend them to your will. There are too many religions that do just that and they don't deserve respect.

Thankyou ImInTheBath re menhirs, that’s really interesting

Eh? Paganism heavily involves the phases of the moon.

I have noticed a lot of posts on here today/recently, bemoaning the materialism that is linked to special occasions (Easter, Valentine's day and so on).

We are too materialistic as a society, and it's killing the planet. But the celebrations surrounding these special events are really a tiny drop in the ocean.

If the people opposing this celebratory materialism genuinely lead completely non-materialistic lives, in which they endeavour in all ways to minimise their consumption (extremely rare and hard to do), then fair play, crack on with your judgement.

But if not, then please don't judge others just because their brand of consumerism isn't the particular one you favour. People who have difficult lives, and don't have very much, are often keen to add a bit of sparkle by celebrating days like Valentine's and Easter with a few treats, decorations, gifts.....

Those whose lives are comfortable and easy every day tend to feel less need to (I am generalising obviously and there will be many exceptions).

Unless you consider yourself perfect, and unless you know the struggles faced by those choosing to celebrate in the way you so disapprove of, then stop pissing on people's bonfires - it's nasty, small-minded and a bit bigoted to be quite honest.

And the Gospels strongly suggest that Christ was all in favour of a celebration......

I don’t know why posters are so keen to reference pagan origins of Easter. OP is talking about what’s happening to the modern day Easter now, not what happened 2000 years ago!

I agree with you that consumerism has gone crazy and I don’t subscribe to it at all.

for me easter is the start of new beginnings and I always feel hopeful at this time of year.

however, I’m not religious so any Easter celebration I partake in is due to the timing and not thinking about Jesus.

As an atheist I am so tired of religions claiming the holidays - Christmas is not the birth of Christ for instance, it was originally a pagan festival that was butchered into Christianity. Christmas today has nothing to do with Christianity nor paganism.

As opposed to the Easter that the op wants to celebrate which is based on a story set around what time, exactly?

My vicar didn't give us chocolates. The cheeky git. I will be having words!

Back to OP's original thought though. I don't get offended. I would be offended if Easter disappeared. But it hasn't. It's being celebrated all over the world, in lots of different ways.

Christians took over pagen festivals. Celebrations and Xmas and Easter predate Christianity and it's Christianity which is responsible for changing the names when marketing the religion. I think you have to just let people celebrate as they see fit and do the same yourself.

Didn’t call you a Russian bot. Asked you if you are one. I’ve just been reading that Russia are purposefully trying to create division in the UK by flooding SM with controversial views. Your views are pretty out there and seem to be designed to create controversy. Valid question.

….But OP celebrates Easter because of what she believes happened 2000 years ago?

So your post makes no sense. If what happened 2000 years ago didn’t matter she and others wouldn’t celebrate Easter at all.

No, Easter is not Passover. Passover is a much older festival - it is only associated with Easter because in Christian tradition, the last supper was held on Passover.

okay. The Crucifixion happened at Passover, between the Passover meal and sunset. The Resurrection was noted 3 days later. All the first Christians, who were Jews, continued to celebrate Easter at Passover, and in the Letter to the Corinthians Christ is referred to as 'Our Passover' because his sacrifice was regarded by them as replacing the earlier tradition. Obviously non-Christian Jews did not agree at all. But the date of Easter depends on the tradition, established during the Babylonian exile or before, of what happened when Moses led the people out of Egypt.

The dates of Easter and the date of Passover are calculated in a similar way - though eastern and western Christians and Jews very rarely all agree on exactly when to mark the vernal equinox, so the celebrations get scattered over several dates..

An invented rabbit vs an invented “god”. Battle of the imaginary beings. Just enjoy the chocolate.

I guess because we’re celebrating spring, new life and new growth, with flowers and chocolate eggs. Not pagans, but we enjoy celebrating the changing seasons. Why now? Because, pragmatically, this is when we get the long weekend, so easier to get family & friends together

Really. For me it's about making my DS happy. It's the same for most people. Sharing joy with those they love by marking a special day to celebrate in spring. It's not consumerist, it's about making a bit of extra fuss during a too short childhood.

I thought easter was an Anglo-Saxon celebration of Eostre, the goddess of spring, and a sacred festival to honour the season?

That's how we've always celebrated it, since childhood (although we don't do much around the goddess except to mention her! I mean, we celebrate the coming of spring and themes of new life and renewal) and why we have chicks and eggs, surely?

I get that Christians decided to place the idea of Jesus coming back to life at the same time of year, because it fits in well with our original festival, but it's them who put their version on top!

The notion of original sin is a disgusting story. The over consumption of chocolate is far more appealing to me.

Seriously, OP, just celebrate Easter how you want to and leave everyone else alone to celebrate how they want. I love the opportunity to spend time with the family at Easter, eat some chocolate, go on an egg hunt. If that's what you call consumerism then so be it, but I don't have to apologise to you for it. Live and let live. Happy new beginnings, here comes the Spring!

And some of us keep referencing it because other religions are being attacked by Christians trying to convert the . It’s happening today. To people who So for some to understand that Christianity did the same thing as the Op is complaining about can actually get some people to see that they don’t get to say what celebrations should be about and how others should celebrate it.