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Rather than rehash the classics like Bertrand Russel or post links to the hundreds of anti-easter websites, lets talk about the reality of what I actually saw
Easter was this "Special day at church" that as a little kid, I did not understand
I later came to be told that god created all men, that man fell, god required a sacrifice and Jesus death was somehow that sacrifice, so now people can go to heaven with god. Made no sense, if god was such a nasty egotistical being, why would I bother? And since all the people around me at church claimed they were going to heaven, and heaven was eternal, then the though of spending eternity around these people whom I dreaded seeing for 2 or 3 hours a week was unthinkable.
As I got older, I learned the truth. Humans are an evolved species, there was never a time when man "fell from god" and a loving and enlightened deity would not be limited by a human ego requiring sacrifice and worship. Easter became meaningless as a religious holiday.
Something I noticed though. On Easter, more people came out of the woodwork to attend church. The place was full on Easter, only barely half full on any other day. In Sunday school, we were taught that we were the only ones who worshiped and believed "the right way." SO what does that make all those hundreds of people who came out only on Easter? hypocrites?
Phony Christians?
Well, one Methodist pastor took it too far. One Easter, as a young adult, he said "It is a shame that so many people come out here only on Easter. " He continued to berate the flock for being "hypocrites" and failed to remember that half of the audience was there regularly. (I never went back when he was speaking after that, and left later on altogether.) But this is the thinking......many people gathering to say "Look look at me. I have on expensive clothes and I am a real Christian" ...vs "No I am a real Christian and you are not"
Which leads me to the two final visits I ever made to a church on Easter, over 25 years ago
The speaker was former B-Movie actor Donald Curtis, whose training as an actor allowed him to present sermons in a way that was neither boring nor demeaning. Donald Curtis Home Page - Biography and Book Listings
He closed with saying "So why do you hate Easter? Why are you convinced that you are some low life, some 'worm' who is not worthy of God's Love? It is because generations of churches have relied on such teachings to maintain their flock, out of fear, out of necessity, but never out of love and acceptance"
That was, and remains the only positive message I have seen or experienced on Easter.
SO a year later I went back. Donald Curtis senility had advanced some, and he was less the motivational and inspirational speaker that he had been the Easter before. And his church, while well meaning, was in a city not known for friendliness or humanism, and his church members were as cold, superficial, and unpleasant as all the others, just under a different name. SO I decided not to ever go back.
I see no evidence of a God that requires a resurrected demigod to appease his grand ego. I see no advantage in putting of living in this life for the hope of some afterlife, which all scientific evidence so far denies. I also see no reason to spend a few hours around phony, superficial people whom I have no desire to know anyway.
As Spock would say, " I see no practical use for it"
There was a lot of traffic for a Sunday today. I could tell by driving by that the local Catholic church had an overflow crowd, more cars parked on the side of the road than I can ever recall seeing before. As I drove past I shook my head in disgust.
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He continued to berate the flock for being "hypocrites" and failed to remember that half of the audience was there regularly.
I recall similar. I also remember a priest scolding the parishioners for not giving enough money the week before. Bottom line is that is what it comes down to - they want your money. I can't think of a worse way to make a living. I view people like this with contempt, not put on some kind of pedestal that so many do.
I used to never attend palm or Easter Sunday for the reason it was for amateurs, those who hasn't shown their face in a year. Then I just didn't attend period. Now I have a belief. 1 does not need religion to have morals, if you have a religion does not mean you're nice/upright/moral good standing character. You're just a person with a religion. I also don't see a problem with Jesus teaching of charity being the greatest of them all, followed by don't judge. But I don't believe the bible to be written by God or the OT to be anyway factual. But if being nice was a religion then that would be the I belong to.
for me it's time to sit around with family and to wish people good luck. No matter who they are. I agree its sad I need a day to do that. Guess I am just like everybody else.
religions come and go. Holidays change. I don't care what they are really. Unless of course the person is still alive. That's where I draw the line
I recall similar. I also remember a priest scolding the parishioners for not giving enough money the week before. Bottom line is that is what it comes down to - they want your money. I can't think of a worse way to make a living. I view people like this with contempt, not put on some kind of pedestal that so many do.
Oddly, my particular denomination didn't push Easter all that much ... at least it didn't make much of in impression on me. A much bigger deal was made about Christmas. I do recall a (sparsely attended) Good Friday service, which was out-of-band with our normal twice-Sunday and once Wednesday meetings, and an effort to deck the place out more than usual on Easter Sunday (and occasionally Palm Sunday). When I got older I was actually kind of surprised at the Big Deal made of Easter by the mainline denominations. Perhaps we were abreacting to being too "traditional" and perhaps our flogging of Jesus dying for us all year just made Easter "not that different from usual".
One thing that became a family story was a communion service on Easter when I was probably 6. The "wine" was actually grape juice and the bread was little cubes of white bread, not unleavened bread or anything special; it was probably Wonder Bread. When the plate of bread came by, I roused from whatever childish reverie I was in the middle of and proclaimed "Oh boy! Popcorn!!" much to my parent's embarrassment and the amusement of everyone else.
Have you ever heard of something called "biblical archeology"? The OT was never meant to be a precise, all-encompassing "historical" document, but it does contain information that has led to "discoveries" and have been verified by archeology. It's interesting how in one fell swoop you can dismiss the work of tens of thousands of highly qualified academics.
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Originally Posted by 50plus1961
I used to never attend palm or Easter Sunday for the reason it was for amateurs, those who hasn't shown their face in a year. Then I just didn't attend period. Now I have a belief. 1 does not need religion to have morals, if you have a religion does not mean you're nice/upright/moral good standing character. You're just a person with a religion. I also don't see a problem with Jesus teaching of charity being the greatest of them all, followed by don't judge. But I don't believe the bible to be written by God or the OT to be anyway factual. But if being nice was a religion then that would be the I belong to.
Which begs the question how can you be so critical and opposed to something you clearly understand?
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Originally Posted by LargeKingCat
I see no evidence of a God that requires a resurrected demigod to appease his grand ego. I see no advantage in putting of living in this life for the hope of some afterlife, which all scientific evidence so far denies. I also see no reason to spend a few hours around phony, superficial people whom I have no desire to know anyway.
As Spock would say, " I see no practical use for it"
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