Christians Who Don't Celebrate Easter: What Do They Know?

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[–]hennaojichan 3 insightful - 2 fun3 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 2 fun -  (16 children)

Jehovah's Witnesses for one. They get a bad rep but in fact are very reasonable Christians. I am not a member but am close to someone who is. I do not understand the details but they apparently celebrate the death of Jesus but not his alleged rebirth.

[–]News 5 insightful - 2 fun5 insightful - 1 fun6 insightful - 2 fun -  (2 children)

JW's aren't Christian.

[–]hennaojichan 3 insightful - 2 fun3 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 2 fun -  (1 child)

What would you call them then? They actively study the Bible and believe every word. There seems to be some prejudice against this group but I'm not sure why.

[–]News 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I would call them misguided. The core tenant of Christianity is Jesus Christ as the only begotten Son of God. Even if JW's believed every word of the Bible, other than Jesus's deity and resurrection, then they (by definition) would not be Christian. However, I disagree with your claim that they do believe every word of the Bible; they reject Jesus' deity and the Holy Trinity, when they could read John 1:1-18 to dispel those false teachings.

In case it's of interest, this playlist is a great (albeit long) watch, and goes into much greater detail about false religions such as JW - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjnwldgqN8c&list=PLZ3iRMLYFlHuhA0RPKZFHVcjIMN_-F596

[–]jet199 4 insightful - 2 fun4 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 2 fun -  (1 child)

So reasonable they set the definite date for the end of the world about a hundred times before they gave up.

[–]hennaojichan 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

I've not heard about that. In 1914 there was an announcement of the beginning of The Great Tribulation but as far as I know, no exact date was announced.

[–]Node[S] 3 insightful - 2 fun3 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 2 fun -  (10 children)

I'm not sure when you would celebrate his rebirth. The Easter that's celebrated now is essentially a repurposed pagan holiday.

"At Easter, popular customs reflect many ancient pagan survivals—in this instance, connected with spring fertility rites, such as the symbols of the Easter egg and the Easter hare or rabbit"

And,

...the desire to bring heathens into the Catholic Church without forcing them to surrender their idolatrous celebrations "may have led the ecclesiastical authorities to assimilate the Easter festival of the death and resurrection of their Lord to the festival of the death and resurrection of another Asiatic god which fell at the same season . . . the Church may have consciously adapted the new festival [of Easter] to its heathen predecessor for the sake of winning souls to Christ"

I had never questioned Easter, and this is pretty revealing.

[–]hennaojichan 3 insightful - 2 fun3 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 2 fun -  (9 children)

Yes. Easter, though the date moves a bit, is a celebration of the March 21 equinox, a signal for farmers to get ready for planting. Thousands of megaliths around the world, including the Pyramids and Stonehenge, were positioned to indicate sunrise on March 21. Christmas is celebrated just after the winter solstice on December 22 as was Saturnalia, an ancient Roman holiday. There is nothing in the Bible saying that Christ was born in December. I am interested in comparing religions but would not call myself a Christian. I hope you don't mind my dropping in.

[–]Node[S] 3 insightful - 2 fun3 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 2 fun -  (8 children)

Not at all. This may actually be my first post and comments in this sub.

[–]hennaojichan 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (7 children)

Thank you. I am now talking to a novice JW so this is my understanding of JW beliefs: on March 27th of this year they commemorated the death of Christ with wine and unleavened bread. On days after that, including Easter Sunday, there is no other commemoration. or ceremony. I do not fully understand all of this. Luke 22:19 He took a loaf, broke it, gave it to them, saying, "This means my body, which is to be given in your behalf. Keep doing this in remembrance of me."

This is taken literally by JWs and so they commemorate only that day—Nisan 14 in the Hebrew calendar. But I'm getting far away from my main point which was that most "new" religions bring some parts of a previous religion(s) into their beliefs. This can be seen in the fact that when you see photos of the Pope, somewhere near him you will see a plaque with the letters IHS standing for Isis, Horus, Seth, all gods of ancient Egypt. I find this and similar examples, fascinating.

[–]Node[S] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

Fascinating is a good word for it. It's because of things like this that I would separate the few 'actual Christians' from the 99%+ who are simply modern Christians.

“Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”

[–]hennaojichan 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

It's interesting to me that JWs do not believe in anything supernatural. That word, when you think of it, is a contradiction in terms—all events are natural...or made up. When you get close to them, they are very kind and accepting people. I grew up in a family of Southern Baptists and found them, as a group to be full of hypocrites. I quit going to church at twelve because of that realization.

[–]Node[S] 3 insightful - 2 fun3 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 2 fun -  (1 child)

It just means beyond our current understanding of the natural laws.

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. - Arthur C. Clarke

[–]hennaojichan 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Mr. Clarke was a well-known pedophile who liked young boys but it IS a good quote.

[–]Vulptex 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

somewhere near him you will see a plaque with the letters IHS standing for Isis, Horus, Seth, all gods of ancient Egypt.

IHS is just an abbreviation for Jesus, the Greek being spelled ΙΗΣΟΥΣ which was usually shortened to ΙΗΣ or ΙΣ in reverence, which is usually copied as Ihs or Is in Latin.

[–]hennaojichan 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (1 child)

All right, I will check on that and thanks.

[–]hennaojichan 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Yes, your explanation is correct as far as Christianity is concerned. I got the Isis, Horace, Seth interpretation from those people who insist that Christianity is at least partly a continuation of the ancient religion of Egypt. There are many parallels between the two. For example the stories of Horace and Moses as babies are very similar. Horace's mother, to save him from death, put him in a small boat and put it in the Nile to float to freedom. The boat was found among bullrushes just like in the Moses story. Those people who believe this see the new religion as having parts of the old religion woven into the new story and its symbology is hidden to many or has a deliberate double meaning like IHS.