LETTER OF THE DAY - Easter bears no association with Jesus Christ
Published:Monday | March 25, 2013 | 12:00 AM
The EDITOR, Sir:
Jehovah's Witnesses and the so called 'Armstrongites' can be likened to Dr Suess' character Grinch, that spoils and dampens people pleasure in Christmas and Easter, which both sects deem as idolatrous. We will not consider their opinion, what they preach and teach about these festivals. We can find whatever is the truth from secular sources.
We are in the throes of Easter, a time of revelry and solemnity, bun and cheese, church services marking the death and resurrection of one called Messiah. Many sources are available at the click of a mouse. We did not choose publications of the faiths mentioned. Instead, fact-check one of several sources, choosing the Encyclopedia of Religion (EOR) in the study on Easter.
Under subtitle Sex Rites in Ancient Culture we read, "Ancient fertility rites revolved around overt sexual immorality and perversion". Note the subject matter is Easter. The EOR continues: "The Babylonian and Assyrian fertility goddess was Ishtar, from which came the names Astarte and Ashtoreth, the Anglo-Saxon Eostre or Germanic Ostara, goddess of spring, the origin of the (English) word Easter, which in turn gave rise to the word East, the direction of the sunrise".
Female deity
Ishtar (Easter) symbolised Mother Earth in the natural cycles of fertility on earth. According to the encyclopedia, many myths grew up around this female deity. She was, it says, the goddess of love, and the practice of ritual prostitution became widespread in the fertility cult dedicated to her (Easter).
'Temples to Ishtar (Easter) had many priestesses, or sacred prostitutes, who symbolically acted out the fertility rites of the cycle of nature.' Conclusion, Easter, its fertility rites, rabbit eggs, hot cross bun, sunrise service, bears no association with the One who established the New Testament Passover, that was hung up on the cross or tortured stake and was resurrected after three days.
CLAUDE WILSON