The Pagan Origin Of Easter

[Lewis]

Tell me what you think ?

The Pagan Origin Of Easter

Easter is a day that is honered by nearly all of contemporary Christianity and is used to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The holiday often involves a church service at sunrise, a feast which includes an "Easter Ham", decorated eggs and stories about rabbits.

Those who love truth learn to ask questions, and many questions must be asked regarding the holiday of Easter.

Is it truly the day when Jesus arose from the dead? Where did all of the strange customs come from, which have nothing to do with the resurrection of our Saviour?

The purpose of this tract is to help answer those questions, and to help those who seek truth to draw their own conclusions.

The first thing we must understand is that professing Christians were not the only ones who celebrated a festival called "Easter."

"Ishtar", which is pronounced "Easter" was a day that commemorated the resurrection of one of their gods that they called "Tammuz", who was believed to be the only begotten son of the moon-goddess and the sun-god.

In those ancient times, there was a man named Nimrod, who was the grandson of one of Noah's son named Ham.

Ham had a son named Cush who married a woman named Semiramis.Cush and Semiramis then had a son named him "Nimrod."

After the death of his father, Nimrod married his own mother and became a powerful King.

The Bible tells of of this man, Nimrod, in Genesis 10:8-10 as follows: "And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord: wherefore it is said, even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord. And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad,and Calneh, in the land of Shinar."

Nimrod became a god-man to the people and Semiramis, his wife and mother, became the powerful Queen of ancient Babylon.

Nimrod was eventually killed by an enemy, and his body was cut in pieces and sent to various parts of his kingdom.

Semiramis had all of the parts gathered, except for one part that could not be found.

That missing part was his reproductive organ. Semiramis claimed that Nimrod could not come back to life without it and told the people of Babylon that Nimrod had ascended to the sun and was now to be called "Baal", the sun god.

Queen Semiramis also proclaimed that Baal would be present on earth in the form of a flame, whether candle or lamp, when used in worship.

Semiramis was creating a mystery religion, and with the help of Satan, she set herself up as a goddess.

Semiramis claimed that she was immaculately conceived.

She taught that the moon was a goddess that went through a 28 day cycle and ovulated when full.

She further claimed that she came down from the moon in a giant moon egg that fell into the Euphrates River.

This was to have happened at the time of the first full moon after the spring equinox.

Semiramis became known as "Ishtar" which is pronounced "Easter", and her moon egg became known as "Ishtar's" egg."

Ishtar soon became pregnant and claimed that it was the rays of the sun-god Baal that caused her to conceive.

The son that she brought forth was named Tammuz.

Tammuz was noted to be especially fond of rabbits, and they became sacred in the ancient religion, because Tammuz was believed to be the son of the sun-god, Baal. Tammuz, like his supposed father, became a hunter.

The day came when Tammuz was killed by a wild pig.

Queen Ishtar told the people that Tammuz was now ascended to his father, Baal, and that the two of them would be with the worshippers in the sacred candle or lamp flame as Father, Son and Spirit.

Ishtar, who was now worshipped as the "Mother of God and Queen of Heaven", continued to build her mystery religion.

The queen told the worshippers that when Tammuz was killed by the wild pig, some of his blood fell on the stump of an evergreen tree, and the stump grew into a full new tree overnight. This made the evergreen tree sacred by the blood of Tammuz.

She also proclaimed a forty day period of time of sorrow each year prior to the anniversary of the death of Tammuz.

During this time, no meat was to be eaten.

Worshippers were to meditate upon the sacred mysteries of Baal and Tammuz, and to make the sign of the "T" in front of their hearts as they worshipped.

They also ate sacred cakes with the marking of a "T" or cross on the top.

Every year, on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox, a celebration was made.

It was Ishtar's Sunday and was celebrated with rabbits and eggs.

Ishtar also proclaimed that because Tammuz was killed by a pig, that a pig must be eaten on that Sunday.

By now, the readers of this tract should have made the connection that paganism has infiltrated the contemporary "Christian" churches, and further study indicates that this paganism came in by way of the Roman Catholic System.

The truth is that Easter has nothing whatsoever to do with the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We also know that Easter can be as much as three weeks away from the Passover, because the pagan holiday is always set as the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox.

Some have wondered why the word "Easter" is in the the King James Bible.

It is because Acts, chapter 12, tells us that it was the evil King Herod, who was planning to celebrate Easter, and not the Christians.

The true Passover and pagan Easter sometimes coincide, but in some years, they are a great distance apart.

So much more could be said, and we have much more information for you, if you are a seeker of the truth.

We know that the Bible tells us in John 4:24, "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth."

The truth is that the forty days of Lent, eggs, rabbits,hot cross buns and the Easter ham have everything to do with the ancient pagan religion of Mystery Babylon.These are all antichrist activities!

Satan is a master deceiver, and has filled the lives of well-meaning, professing Christians with idolatry.

These things bring the wrath of God upon children of disobedience, who try to make pagan customs of Baal worship Christian.

You must answer for your activities and for what you teach your children.

These customs of Easter honor Baal, who is also Satan, and is still worshipped as the "Rising Sun" and his house is the "House of the Rising Sun."

How many churches have "sunrise services" on Ishtar's day and face the rising sun in the East?

How many will use colored eggs and rabbit stories, as they did in ancient Babylon.

These things are no joke, any more than Judgement day is a joke.

I pray to God that this tract will cause you to search for more truth.

We will be glad to help you by providing more information and by praying for you.

These are the last days, and it is time to repent, come out and be separate.

David J. Meyer

Last Trumpet Ministries International
PO Box 806
Beaver Dam, WI 53916

 

[Guest]

It benefits the believer to draw a distinction between the symbol and the meaning. The symbol is neutral. The meaning may or may not be neutral.

To exemplify this notion, consider the following symbol found in the United States and Brazil. The agent stretches out three fingers and simultaneously creates a circle with the thumb and first, or pointing, finger. Within the American culture, this symbol carries the meaning of "okay." Within the Brazilian culture, this symbol is roughly equivalent to flipping bird or giving the middle finger. This is the same symbol, but it carries two different meanings based on the culture context in which it was applied.

The believer need not concern himself or herself with how the symbol was derived, but rather what the symbol means within one's own culture.

 

[cyberjosh]

I would agree about the symbol being neutral.

You can forget about any kind of guilt trip it may try to put on you about Easter, although just like the extraneous traditions attached onto Christmas, we actually know what the true core of Easter is all about. And actually we can be quite exact about the day of Jesus' ressurection since we know Jesus was crucified on Passover. Although interestingly enough other translations (more accurately) translate pascha as "Passover" rather than Easter, thus a celebration of Passover (Easter) would be to commemorate Jesus' sacrifice it would seem. That's always confused me, but there you have it. Maybe Easter became associated with his death and ressurection as a whole time period.

Look at this here and click on the image and PDF links that compare the differences in translation between the KJV and the Geneva Bible in how they translated the word. The Geneva Bible was undoubtedly more accurate with "Passover". As for where the "English" word Easter came from, perhaps it was pagan in origin, I don't really know. But it is no conspiracy, as the translators of the 1611 KJV would have been more concientious if they thought it was promoting a pagan holiday. It seems to have been used more neutrally, when using these "loaded" words, than we consider them as meaning today, just like how the KJV also uses the words "unicorn" and "satyrs" which are both taken to be mythological figures today, whereas the translation was probably meant in the most literal way possible: "unicorn" being a reference to a bull which when commonly depicted on 2-dimensional surfaces appeared to have only one horn, and satyrs actually refered to what the NASB more accurately translated as "goat-demons" or (in the few instances where I think the NIV gets it better than other translations) "goat idols". None-the-less, one should not read in foreign pagan ideas into the Biblical observance of Easter, regardless of the word's origin.

Alot of that I just spouted off from the top of my head and it has been a long time since I researched this matter, although I had in depth at one time. If I erred in anything it is probably due to a faulty memory, but I believe that I gave a correct characterization of how the word "Easter" is used, or atleast the general sense in which it might have been used.

God Bless,

~Josh

 

[Imagican]

Hey, hey. "let's create a holiday honoring Jesus". "ok, but what will we do?" Ah, how about, ah, LET'S decorate some chicken eggs". "what do chicken eggs have to do with Jesus?" "Well then, we can HIDE them''.

Blessings,

MEC

 

[LostSoul]

Hey, hey. "let's create a holiday honoring Jesus". "ok, but what will we do?" Ah, how about, ah, LET'S decorate some chicken eggs". "what do chicken eggs have to do with Jesus?" "Well then, we can HIDE them''.

Blessings,

MEC

It is understandable that such an act would be questionable. Especially in terms of relation to the history or original pagan practices of the Holiday. A question though that rises each time I see responses such as these is....are we wrong to encourage children to have imaginations? That is where indeed a great deal of a person's creativity, if not all, seems to come from.

Not to say in the least that a believer should give in to society and abandon God's laws or seek no more to try to live a Christ like life....on the contrary we should. Just this really does pose the question where do we draw the line?

I apologize for any offense caused. None was meant.

May God Bless You

Danielle

 

[Lewis]

Hey, hey. "let's create a holiday honoring Jesus". "ok, but what will we do?" Ah, how about, ah, LET'S decorate some chicken eggs". "what do chicken eggs have to do with Jesus?" "Well then, we can HIDE them''.

Blessings,

MEC

It is understandable that such an act would be questionable. Especially in terms of relation to the history or original pagan practices of the Holiday. A question though that rises each time I see responses such as these is....are we wrong to encourage children to have imaginations? That is where indeed a great deal of a person's creativity, if not all, seems to come from.

Not to say in the least that a believer should give in to society and abandon God's laws or seek no more to try to live a Christ like life....on the contrary we should. Just this really does pose the question where do we draw the line?

I apologize for any offense caused. None was meant.

May God Bless You

Danielle

Well yes the kids have fun on Easter, with the eggs and candy and dressing up and all, I know I did, but they should know the truth. I did not learn the truth about Easter, meaning the orgins of Easter, until I was about 40 and I am 54 now. So I went through all those years not knowing the truth.

 

[Imagican]

Danielle,

My question would be: Does this offer BENEFIT to the children to which you refer?

In a SECULAR sense, it certainly 'blends them in'. But in a Christian perspective, what MESSAGE do children get with 'fairy tales' such as 'Easter Bunnies' and 'Santa Clauses'?

To ME it seems that the 'fairy tale', to children, becomes MORE important than He who SHOULD be the focus of such celebrations.

While I am WELL aware of how the 'world has changed', my understanding is that God is the SAME today as 'in the beginning'.

How MUCH compromise SHOULD we endure in order to MAINTAIN a 'positive walk'?

And, Danielle, you need NOTapologize or even worry that offense is taken to your posts. You are very articulate in your messages and have yet to offer ANYTHING that ANY should 'take offense to'.

Blessings,

MEC

 

[Photosmith]

What man intended for evil, the Lord has used for good. What a success story for the Lord to have taken over a pagan holiday to use as a time to glorify Christ! All things will bow down to Him who is Lord, even their pagan holidays cannot win.

 

[Guest]

What man intended for evil, the Lord has used for good.

Did man truly intend the pagan practices in question for evil?

 

[Captain Sarcastic]

To avoid confusion, Christians should refer to Christ's Resurrection Day as Paschal. We can use "Easter" for the fun involving the bunny and Easter eggs.

 

[Lewis]

What man intended for evil, the Lord has used for good. What a success story for the Lord to have taken over a pagan holiday to use as a time to glorify Christ! All things will bow down to Him who is Lord, even their pagan holidays cannot win.

You know I have never looked at it like that.

 

[Paidion]

The resurrection of Christ (unlike His birth) was celebrated in early Christianity. It began with the first Christians (who were all Jews) celebrating Passover (Pascha) as all good Jews celebrated the death angel passing over the Israelites when he brought destruction on the Egyptians. The early Christians gradually began celebrating the resurrection of Christ at Passover. So Passover took on a new meaning. It was only much later that this celebration began to be associated with the heathen goddess Oestre, and all the fertility symbols such as eggs and bunnies.

I agree that Christians should have no part in the heathen symbols and could call the celebration of Christ's resurrection "Pascha" once again --- with the understanding that it is not a "Passover" celebration, a celebration of God's protection of the Israelites just prior to their flight from Egypt.

 

[rcorlew]

The early Christians gradually began celebrating the resurrection of Christ at Passover. So Passover took on a new meaning. It was only much later that this celebration began to be associated with the heathen goddess Oestre, and all the fertility symbols such as eggs and bunnies.

This is almost the same posts that pop up around Christmas time about how Christians are actually celebrating a pagan holiday because it is widely understood that Dec. 25th is known to be the birthday of the Persian god Mythra. This is not the case for Christmas, like Paidion correctly stated that other religions began to borrow Jewish and later Christian holidays for their own purposes.

I do not believe that Dec 25th is the actual birthday of Jesus, but the fact that people take part of the Truth and try to claim it for their own, just like with Easter, should not come as a surprise.

It is like saying He is God and not El, Eloheim, Jehovah, Yahweh as well as any other proper name we are given for Him being our God. He searches the hearts and minds, not the calendars and Rolodexes. He knows us, and we must worship with or lives not our lips.

 

[francisdesales]

The resurrection of Christ (unlike His birth) was celebrated in early Christianity. It began with the first Christians (who were all Jews) celebrating Passover (Pascha) as all good Jews celebrated the death angel passing over the Israelites when he brought destruction on the Egyptians. The early Christians gradually began celebrating the resurrection of Christ at Passover. So Passover took on a new meaning. It was only much later that this celebration began to be associated with the heathen goddess Oestre, and all the fertility symbols such as eggs and bunnies.

I agree that Christians should have no part in the heathen symbols and could call the celebration of Christ's resurrection "Pascha" once again --- with the understanding that it is not a "Passover" celebration, a celebration of God's protection of the Israelites just prior to their flight from Egypt.

The wonderful thing about Christianity is how it inculturates. It changes the symbols of supposedly pagan things and applies Christian meaning.

Who remembers or knows that eggs and the bunny are associated with Oestre and fertility? Here in the US, these things are associated with Easter and the Resurrection of the Christ. Symbols change in meaning to different cultures, and in the US, these symbols have a particular meaning. Truly, it is harmless. This idea that we are "hiding the truth" from our kids is quite a strange stance...

Eggs and rabbits can mean whatever we want them to mean.

Regards

 

[Lewis]

The name “Easter†has its roots in ancient polytheistic religions (paganism). On this, all scholars agree. This name is never used in the original Scriptures, nor is it ever associated biblically with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. For these reasons, we prefer to use the term “Resurrection Sunday†rather than “Easter†when referring to the annual Christian remembrance of Christ's resurrection.
Ancient origin

Most reference books say that the name “Easter†derived from the Eastre, the Teutonic goddess of Spring. Although this relationship exists, in reality, the origin of the name and the goddess are far more ancient - going all the way back to the Tower of Babel. The origin begins not long after the biblical Flood.

Copyright, Eden Communications. All rights reserved. Photographer: Paul S. Taylor. The Flood was a divine judgment sent on mankind after evil had become all pervasive and all people everywhere were totally unresponsive to God. The Bible says that "the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (Genesis 6:5, NKJV). It is not difficult to imagine that life must have been almost unbearable at this time in history. God gave humankind a second chance by preserving the righteous man Noah and his family (a total of 8 people).

After the Flood, Noah had a talented, but evil, great-grandson named Nimrod (Genesis 10:6-10) who rebelled greatly against God. The Bible says that he was “a mighty oneâ€Â[1] Jewish tradition indicates that Nimrod was a tyrant "who made all of the people rebellious against God."[2] It is evident from history that Nimrod was not only a political leader, but also the lead priest of a form of occultic worship.[3]
King Nimrod, Queen Semiramis (Easter), and Tammuz (the “reincarnated†Nimrod)
Nimrod built and organized major cities. The Bible notes that these included Babel, Asshur, Nineveh and Calah (Genesis 10:10-12). If you know anything about ancient history, the mention of these places may send shivers up your spine. For 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 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.â€Â[4] Semiramis “claimed that her son was supernaturally conceived [no human father] and that he was the promised seed, the 'savior'†- promised by God 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!â€Â[5] Nimrod 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.[6]

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. Frankly, the practices which went on were so horrible that it is not fitting for me to speak of them here.

Copyright, Eden Communications. All rights reserved. Artist: Paul S. Taylor. It was at Nimrod's city of Babel that a towering structure was first built in defiance of God as part of their Satanic religion. Archaeological evidence indicates that this was a spectacular pyramid-shaped structure (ziggurat). The Bible tells us that at this time there was only one language in the world and that most of the world's population centered in this area and participated in this religion. It was evident to God that all mankind would soon degenerate into a level of evil that would parallel that of the pre-Flood world. For humanity's sake, something had to be done to slow and frustrate this organization of an evil one world, tyrannical government.

God confused their language, so that they could not understand each other (Genesis 11:7). (This is the ultimate source of the world's many languages.) As a result, many people moved away from the area in groups according to their particular new language. Most, if not all, of these people carried their evil Sun-God-based religion with them. They continued to worship the stars and practice all the other ungodly rituals of their religion. Some also continued to build pyramids reminiscent of the Tower of Babel as part of this mystery religion. Today, we can still find remnants of these throughout the world (e.g., Iraq, South America, Central America, Egypt, Burma).

Babel was the origin of an idolatrous system that swept the world. The Bible says of her, “Babylon… the nations drank her wine; Therefore the nations are deranged†(Jeremiah 51:7). The Bible often speaks of the Satanic religions which came from her. The ancient Greek historian Herodotus "witnessed the Mystery religion and its rites in numerous countries and mentions how Babylon was the primeval source from which ALL systems of idolatry flowed.[7] Austen Layard said “that we have the united testimony of sacred and profane history that idolatry originated in the area of Babylonia - the most ancient of religious systems.â€Â[8]

Basically, almost every vile, profane and idolatrous practice you can think of originated at Babel with Queen Semiramis, the Mother Goddess and Nimrod. As the people scattered from Babel with their different languages, they, of course, used different names for Nimrod (Tammuz) and Semiramis. Some called the Mother Goddess “ISHTAR†(originally pronounced “Easterâ€Â).[9] In other lands, she was called Eostre, Astarte, Ostera, and Eastre. Other names for Semiramis, the Mother Goddess include: Wife of Baal, Ashtaroth or Ashtoreth, and Queen of Heaven.[10] The Mother goddess was frequently worshipped as the goddess of fertility - and as a sort of Mother Nature and goddess of Spring and sexual love and birth. She was also worshipped as a mediator between god and man. Sexual orgies and temple prostitutes were often used in her worship and in attempting to gain her favor.
The Easter Rabbit or Hare

Easter Bunny and EggsThe rabbit is well known as a sexual symbol of fertility. In various parts of the world, religions which developed from Babel also associate the rabbit with periodicity, both human and lunar (Egypt, China, etc.). As you may remember, the Mother Goddess Semiramis (Easter) is associated with the Moon. In other words, the Easter bunny symbolizes the Mother Goddess. Annual Spring time fertility rituals are associated worship of the Mother Goddess and Tammuz, the reincarnation of her husband Nimrod.
The Easter Egg

Most children and families who color or hide Easter eggs as part of their Resurrection Sunday tradition have no knowledge of the origin of these traditions. Easter egg activities have become a part of Western culture. Many would be surprised and even dismayed to learn where the traditions originated.

“The egg was a sacred symbol among the Babylonians. They believed an old fable about an egg of wondrous size which was supposed to have fallen from heaven into the Euphrates River. From this marvelous egg - according to the ancient story - the Goddess Astarte (Easter) [Semiramis], was hatched. And so the egg came to symbolize the Goddess Easter.â€Â[11]

The idea of a mystic egg spread from Babylon to many parts of the world.[12] In Rome, the mystic egg preceded processions in honor of the Mother Goddess Roman. The egg was part of the sacred ceremonies of the Mysteries of Bacchus. The Druids used the egg as their sacred emblem. In Northern Europe, China and Japan the eggs were colored for their sacred festivals.[13]

The egg was also a symbol of fertility; Semiramis (Easter) was the goddess of Fertility. The Easter egg is a symbol of the pagan Mother Goddess, and it even bears one of her names.
Summary and Conclusion

“Easter†is simply one of the names of a woman who mightily deceived the world and whose religion has caused untold suffering and misery.[14] She was clearly an enemy of Christianity, and her son Tammuz was an anti-Christ, a false messiah that ultimately deceived millions.

If you are Christian, it is not difficult to discern the bizarre deception and confusion that Satan has successfully orchestrated. For example, notice the embarrassing irony in these traditions which are practiced innocently by most people. They are repeated year after year, because they have become traditional and their origin is unknown to many.

* On the day commemorating Christ's resurrection, Americans roll decorated eggs on the White House lawn and pretend the Easter rabbit hid them. The same ritual is practiced at some Christian churches.
* “In Lancashire [England] on Easter eve boys and men have been in the habit of touring the towns and villages as 'Pace-eggers' begging for eggs before performing the 'Pace-Egging' or Pasch (i.e., Easter) play.â€Â[15]
* In Greece each person in a group bangs his red EASTER EGG [not knowing that it is symbol of the Goddess] against the eggs of all the others present in turn, saying 'Christ is risen,' and receives the reply 'He is risen indeed.'"[16]

The seductive symbols of ancient ungodly religions inspired by Satan have been incorporated into people's everyday lives, even to this day - continuing to obscure the truth of God .

One might wonder if there is a better way for Christians to celebrate Jesus Christ's resurrection, the most important of all Christian holy days. In retrospect, it seems obvious that it would have been a better witness to the world if Christians had not attempted to “Christianize†pagan celebrations - adopting the name “Easter†(Ishtar/Semiramis) in remembrance of Christ. Jesus has been obscured by painted eggs and bunnies. Attention has been shifted away from spiritual truth and toward materialism (clothing, products and candies with the wrong symbolism). Stores merchandise the name of Easter (not “Resurrection Sundayâ€Â) and sell goods that have nothing to do with Christ's death and resurrection. Christians naively use symbols and practices that unknowingly perpetuate ancient anti-Christ traditions - symbolic customs followed by the same religious cults that inspired the destruction of great numbers of Christians and Jews. Is the Devil laughing at us?

Many church bodies recognize the problem and make every effort to keep the focus of Resurrection Sunday totally on Jesus Christ and the Good News that He brought.http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/edn-t020.html

 

[follower of Christ]

Tell me what you think ?

I think its great to turn things around and make Easter a day we observe the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

 

[Lee100]

I think that God does not like for us to involve ourselves with pagan holidays. We need to ask ourselves a serious question. If we know that it would offend God to do this or that would we still do it. The whole observance of Easter is out in my book. Easter is just like another day. I honor Jesus every day of the year. I do not need a special Holiday to honor or worship My Savior Jesus. He saves me every day I live for him. Lee

 

[Guest]

I think that God does not like for us to involve ourselves with pagan holidays.

I can eat meat sacrificed to idols with a clear conscious because symbols are assigned meaning by humans and lack an innate or natural meaning. If one cannot find a God-honoring meaning within a particular symbol, then it is best for that individual to refrain from partaking.

 

[francisdesales]

The name “Easter†has its roots in ancient polytheistic religions (paganism). On this, all scholars agree. This name is never used in the original Scriptures, nor is it ever associated biblically with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. For these reasons, we prefer to use the term “Resurrection Sunday†rather than “Easter†when referring to the annual Christian remembrance of Christ's resurrection.
Ancient origin

Most reference books say that the name “Easter†derived from the Eastre, the Teutonic goddess of Spring. Although this relationship exists, in reality, the origin of the name and the goddess are far more ancient - going all the way back to the Tower of Babel. The origin begins not long after the biblical Flood.

Copyright, Eden Communications. All rights reserved. Photographer: Paul S. Taylor. The Flood was a divine judgment sent on mankind after evil had become all pervasive and all people everywhere were totally unresponsive to God. The Bible says that "the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (Genesis 6:5, NKJV). It is not difficult to imagine that life must have been almost unbearable at this time in history. God gave humankind a second chance by preserving the righteous man Noah and his family (a total of 8 people).

After the Flood, Noah had a talented, but evil, great-grandson named Nimrod (Genesis 10:6-10) who rebelled greatly against God. The Bible says that he was “a mighty oneâ€Â[1] Jewish tradition indicates that Nimrod was a tyrant "who made all of the people rebellious against God."[2] It is evident from history that Nimrod was not only a political leader, but also the lead priest of a form of occultic worship.[3]
King Nimrod, Queen Semiramis (Easter), and Tammuz (the “reincarnated†Nimrod)
Nimrod built and organized major cities. The Bible notes that these included Babel, Asshur, Nineveh and Calah (Genesis 10:10-12). If you know anything about ancient history, the mention of these places may send shivers up your spine. For 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 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.â€Â[4] Semiramis “claimed that her son was supernaturally conceived [no human father] and that he was the promised seed, the 'savior'†- promised by God 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!â€Â[5] Nimrod 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.[6]

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. Frankly, the practices which went on were so horrible that it is not fitting for me to speak of them here.

Copyright, Eden Communications. All rights reserved. Artist: Paul S. Taylor. It was at Nimrod's city of Babel that a towering structure was first built in defiance of God as part of their Satanic religion. Archaeological evidence indicates that this was a spectacular pyramid-shaped structure (ziggurat). The Bible tells us that at this time there was only one language in the world and that most of the world's population centered in this area and participated in this religion. It was evident to God that all mankind would soon degenerate into a level of evil that would parallel that of the pre-Flood world. For humanity's sake, something had to be done to slow and frustrate this organization of an evil one world, tyrannical government.

God confused their language, so that they could not understand each other (Genesis 11:7). (This is the ultimate source of the world's many languages.) As a result, many people moved away from the area in groups according to their particular new language. Most, if not all, of these people carried their evil Sun-God-based religion with them. They continued to worship the stars and practice all the other ungodly rituals of their religion. Some also continued to build pyramids reminiscent of the Tower of Babel as part of this mystery religion. Today, we can still find remnants of these throughout the world (e.g., Iraq, South America, Central America, Egypt, Burma).

Babel was the origin of an idolatrous system that swept the world. The Bible says of her, “Babylon… the nations drank her wine; Therefore the nations are deranged†(Jeremiah 51:7). The Bible often speaks of the Satanic religions which came from her. The ancient Greek historian Herodotus "witnessed the Mystery religion and its rites in numerous countries and mentions how Babylon was the primeval source from which ALL systems of idolatry flowed.[7] Austen Layard said “that we have the united testimony of sacred and profane history that idolatry originated in the area of Babylonia - the most ancient of religious systems.â€Â[8]

Basically, almost every vile, profane and idolatrous practice you can think of originated at Babel with Queen Semiramis, the Mother Goddess and Nimrod. As the people scattered from Babel with their different languages, they, of course, used different names for Nimrod (Tammuz) and Semiramis. Some called the Mother Goddess “ISHTAR†(originally pronounced “Easterâ€Â).[9] In other lands, she was called Eostre, Astarte, Ostera, and Eastre. Other names for Semiramis, the Mother Goddess include: Wife of Baal, Ashtaroth or Ashtoreth, and Queen of Heaven.[10] The Mother goddess was frequently worshipped as the goddess of fertility - and as a sort of Mother Nature and goddess of Spring and sexual love and birth. She was also worshipped as a mediator between god and man. Sexual orgies and temple prostitutes were often used in her worship and in attempting to gain her favor.
The Easter Rabbit or Hare

Easter Bunny and EggsThe rabbit is well known as a sexual symbol of fertility. In various parts of the world, religions which developed from Babel also associate the rabbit with periodicity, both human and lunar (Egypt, China, etc.). As you may remember, the Mother Goddess Semiramis (Easter) is associated with the Moon. In other words, the Easter bunny symbolizes the Mother Goddess. Annual Spring time fertility rituals are associated worship of the Mother Goddess and Tammuz, the reincarnation of her husband Nimrod.
The Easter Egg

Most children and families who color or hide Easter eggs as part of their Resurrection Sunday tradition have no knowledge of the origin of these traditions. Easter egg activities have become a part of Western culture. Many would be surprised and even dismayed to learn where the traditions originated.

“The egg was a sacred symbol among the Babylonians. They believed an old fable about an egg of wondrous size which was supposed to have fallen from heaven into the Euphrates River. From this marvelous egg - according to the ancient story - the Goddess Astarte (Easter) [Semiramis], was hatched. And so the egg came to symbolize the Goddess Easter.â€Â[11]

The idea of a mystic egg spread from Babylon to many parts of the world.[12] In Rome, the mystic egg preceded processions in honor of the Mother Goddess Roman. The egg was part of the sacred ceremonies of the Mysteries of Bacchus. The Druids used the egg as their sacred emblem. In Northern Europe, China and Japan the eggs were colored for their sacred festivals.[13]

The egg was also a symbol of fertility; Semiramis (Easter) was the goddess of Fertility. The Easter egg is a symbol of the pagan Mother Goddess, and it even bears one of her names.
Summary and Conclusion

“Easter†is simply one of the names of a woman who mightily deceived the world and whose religion has caused untold suffering and misery.[14] She was clearly an enemy of Christianity, and her son Tammuz was an anti-Christ, a false messiah that ultimately deceived millions.

If you are Christian, it is not difficult to discern the bizarre deception and confusion that Satan has successfully orchestrated. For example, notice the embarrassing irony in these traditions which are practiced innocently by most people. They are repeated year after year, because they have become traditional and their origin is unknown to many.

* On the day commemorating Christ's resurrection, Americans roll decorated eggs on the White House lawn and pretend the Easter rabbit hid them. The same ritual is practiced at some Christian churches.
* “In Lancashire [England] on Easter eve boys and men have been in the habit of touring the towns and villages as 'Pace-eggers' begging for eggs before performing the 'Pace-Egging' or Pasch (i.e., Easter) play.â€Â[15]
* In Greece each person in a group bangs his red EASTER EGG [not knowing that it is symbol of the Goddess] against the eggs of all the others present in turn, saying 'Christ is risen,' and receives the reply 'He is risen indeed.'"[16]

The seductive symbols of ancient ungodly religions inspired by Satan have been incorporated into people's everyday lives, even to this day - continuing to obscure the truth of God .

One might wonder if there is a better way for Christians to celebrate Jesus Christ's resurrection, the most important of all Christian holy days. In retrospect, it seems obvious that it would have been a better witness to the world if Christians had not attempted to “Christianize†pagan celebrations - adopting the name “Easter†(Ishtar/Semiramis) in remembrance of Christ. Jesus has been obscured by painted eggs and bunnies. Attention has been shifted away from spiritual truth and toward materialism (clothing, products and candies with the wrong symbolism). Stores merchandise the name of Easter (not “Resurrection Sundayâ€Â) and sell goods that have nothing to do with Christ's death and resurrection. Christians naively use symbols and practices that unknowingly perpetuate ancient anti-Christ traditions - symbolic customs followed by the same religious cults that inspired the destruction of great numbers of Christians and Jews. Is the Devil laughing at us?

Many church bodies recognize the problem and make every effort to keep the focus of Resurrection Sunday totally on Jesus Christ and the Good News that He brought.http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/edn-t020.html

Lewis,

All of this is interesting as an historical study. However, it has little meaning to the way people think today about easter eggs or bunnies. To hang your hat on this "satanic deception" as to the reason Christians are not as zealous for Christ as they could be is to miss the fact that no one CARES about Egyptian polytheism today. Not a single child in the US has any inkling about such things, unless you choose to "tell them the truth"...

Symbols can mean anything we want them to mean. Just as eating sacrificed meat was scandalous to the Jews, if taking part in Easter egg hunts is scandalous to you, then don't do them. However, to the typical child/parent who is Christian, it has no pagan meaning anymore.

These are my opinions. I don't see the harm in any of it, as long as a fellow Christian is not scandalized, I see no point in worrying about it.

Regards

 

[Lewis]

So you think that the origins of something is not important ? And even though a lot of people today, do not view Easter as pagan, does that make them right ? If our unchanging God viewed it as pagan then, wouldn't He view it as pagan now ? Being that He says I am the Lord I change not.