Day 5 - Hossenfeffer Is Served This Easter

The Easter Bunny

What about the Easter bunny? Yes, the cute, cuddly, child-like creature which hops its way into your homes to deliver brightly colored eggs and goodies to your little children on Easter is pagan as well. Here are two quotes from Francis Weiser (Handbook of Christian Feasts and Customs) about the origin of the “Easter bunny”: “In Germany and Austria little nests containing eggs, pastry and candy are placed in hidden spots, and the children believe that the Easter bunny, so popular in this country, too, had laid the eggs and brought the candy” (p. 235) and “The Easter bunny had its origin in pre-Christian fertility lore…The Easter bunny has never had religious symbolism bestowed on its festive usage…However, the bunny has acquired a cherished role in the celebration of Easter as the legendary producer of Easter eggs for children in many countries” (p. 236).

“The Easter bunny is not a true Christian symbol” (John Bradner, Symbols of Church Seasons and Days, p. 52), and “Although adopted in a number of Christian cultures, the Easter bunny has never received any specific Christian interpretation” (Mirsea Eliade, The Encyclopedia of Religion, p. 558).

Consider this last quote: “The hare, the symbol of fertility in ancient Egypt, a symbol that was kept later in Europe…Its place has been taken by the Easter rabbit” (Encyclopedia Britannica, 1991 ed., Vol. 4, p. 333).

From a pagan, “Easter eggs and the Easter Bunny were both featured in the spring festivals of Ostara, which were initially held during the feasts of the goddess Ishtar, Inanna. Eggs are an obvious symbol of fertility, and the newborn chicks an adorable representation of new growth. Brightly colored eggs, chicks, and bunnies were all used at festival time to express appreciation for Ostara's gift of abundance.

 “Feeling guilty about arriving late one spring, the Goddess Ostara saved the life of a poor bird whose wings had been frozen by the snow. She made him her pet or, as some versions have it, her lover. Filled with compassion for him since he could no longer fly (in some versions, it was because she wished to amuse a group of young children), Ostara turned him into a snow hare and gave him the gift of being able to run with incredible speed so he could protect himself from hunters.

“In remembrance of his earlier form as a bird, she also gave him the ability to lay eggs (in all the colors of the rainbow, no less), but only on one day out of each year.

“Eventually the hare managed to anger the goddess Ostara, and she cast him into the skies where he would remain as the constellation Lepus (The Hare) forever positioned under the feet of the constellation Orion (the Hunter). He was allowed to return to earth once each year, but only to give away his eggs to the children attending the Ostara festivals that were held each spring. The tradition of the Easter bunny had begun.”

A Pagan Resurrection

From a pagan, “Ishtar, goddess of romance, procreation, and war in ancient Babylon, was also worshipped as the Sumerian goddess Inanna. One of the great goddesses, or "mother goddesses", the stories of her descent to the Underworld and the resurrection that follows are contained in the oldest writings that have ever been discovered. . . the Babylonian creation myth Enuma Elish and the story of Gilgamesh. Scholars believed that they were based on the oral mythology of the region and were recorded about 2,100 B.C.E.

“The most famous of the myths of Ishtar tell of her descent into the realm of the dead to rescue her young lover, Tammuz, a Vegetation god forced to live half the year in the Underworld. Ishtar approached the gates of the Underworld, which was ruled by her twin sister Eresh-kigel, the goddess of death and infertility. She was refused admission.

“Similar to the Greek myths of Demeter and Persephone that came later, during Ishtar's absence the earth grew barren since all acts of procreation ceased while she was away. Ishtar screamed and ranted that she would break down the gates and release all of the dead to overwhelm the world and compete with the living for the remaining food unless she was allowed to enter and plead her case with her twin.

“Needless to say, she won admission. But the guard, following standard protocol, refused to let her pass through the first gate unless she removed her crown. At the next gate, she had to remove her earrings, then her necklace at the next, removing her garments and proud finery until she stood humbled and naked after passing through the seventh (and last) gate.

“In one version, she was held captive and died but was brought back to life when her servant sprinkled her with the "water of life". In the more widely known version of the myth, Ishtar's request was granted and she regained all of her attire and possessions as she slowly re-emerged through the gates of darkness.

“Upon her return, Tammuz and the earth returned to life. Annual celebrations of this "Day of Joy", were held each year around the time of the vernal equinox. These celebrations became the forerunners of the Ostara festivals that welcomed Oestre and the arrival of spring.”

From Christians P. Taylor and R. Woodrow, “Nimrod (the grandson of Ham, son of Noah) built and organized major cities. The Bible notes that these included Babel, Asshur, Nineveh and Calah (Genesis 10:10-12)….these were cities of great, almost unimaginable practices and perversion.

“When Nimrod eventually died, the Babylonian mystery religion in which he figured prominently continued on. His wife (and apparent mother) Queen Semiramis saw to that. Once he was dead, she deified him as the Sun-god. In various cultures he later became known as Baal, the Great Life Giver, the god of fire, Baalim, Bel, Molech, etc.

“Later, when this adulterous and idolatrous woman gave birth to an illegitimate son, she claimed that this son, Tammuz by name, was ‘Nimrod reborn.’[In his reincarnated form (Nimrod/Tammuz), has been known as Horus (Egypt), Attis (Italy), Crishna or Iswara (India), Deoius (Asia Minor), Janus (Rome), etc.] Semiramis ‘claimed that her son was supernaturally conceived [no human father] and that he was the promised seed, the 'savior'’ - promised by God (as) in Genesis 3:15. ‘However, not only was the child worshipped, but the woman, the MOTHER, was also worshipped as much (or more) than the son!’ Nimrod was deified as the god of the sun and father of creation. Semiramis became the goddess of the moon, fertility, etc.
"In the old fables of the Mystery cults, their 'savior' Tammuz, was worshipped with various rites at the Spring season. According to the legends, after he was slain [killed by a wild boar], he went into the underworld. But through the weeping of his mother… he mystically revived in the springing forth of the vegetation - in Spring! Each year a spring festival dramatically represented this supposed 'resurrection' from the underworld.[The resurrection of Tammuz [Nimrod] through Ishtar's grief [Semiramis] was dramatically represented annually in order to insure the success of the crops and the fertility of the people… Each year men and women had to grieve with Ishtar over the death of Tammuz and celebrate the god's return, in order to win anew her favor and her benefits!]

“Thus, a terrible false religion developed with its sun and moon worship, priests, astrology, demonic worship, worship of stars associated with their gods, idolatry, mysterious rites, human sacrifice, and more….”

In closing these postings on the pagan holiday of Easter, I must comment as to how sad it is to see how far Christians have strayed from God through their compromising with things pagan. No excuse for these actions is justifiable, even if the outcome results in saved souls. The ends never justify the means. One Christian has commented that it is like they have compartmentalized their lives. Some parts of their lives are Christian while other parts are “do as thy wilt,” something which occultist Aleister Crowley widely taught to his followers, one of whom was Anton LaVey, founder and high priest of the Church of Satan. The choice is a clear one. Which choice, though, will people make?

Whatever the choice, we can all rest assured that Jesus Christ did resurrect from the grave. He is risen! He lives! Praise be to God!