Honest Answers Poll #4 – What Does Easter Really Mean to You?
Well, Easter’s just round the corner, so what I’d like to know is what Easter really means to you. That’s what this poll is all about.
Now please understand – I’m not asking you to tell me what you think it should mean, but rather what your actual experience of Easter has been. (Don’t worry, the poll is totally anonymous. I can’t even tell who’s responded, let alone how someone’s answered.)
In putting a poll like this together, it’s impossible to create selections that will always exactly match what you feel – so please choose the one that most closely represents your true experience of Easter.
And one last thing – the more the merrier …. so please publicise the poll and get your friends to respond too. I’ll be releasing my analysis of the results before Good Friday.
Thanks for joining in …
Sadly this year I realised I didn’t get to embrace Easter….. I was too busy with the Easter Holiday Club that the actual point of the whole thing rather passed me by. Note to self……
John Lu – The bible may not say the word EASTER but it does tell us of our Lord’s Death and Resurrection and is that not what Christians are celebrating with the term Easter. We could change the name of celebration to Death and Resurrection but its still the same thing in our hearts and if we don’t embrace his death and Resurrection we have nothing
Easter to me is a time of celebration of victory of Jesus death on the cross. A time of celebration of victory over sin and shame, freedom from the bondage of sin.
After reading all the comments…
I’d like to point out a few Key things…
Some people say it’s pagan, and you have to agree…, it is pagan, chocolate eggs, bunnies, East shows, cross buns, etc???
How do any of these things relate to what Jesus did for us???
It’s important to remember and be thankful for what Jesus did for us, but why Easter in particular? and not every single day of your Christian lives?
As Christians, We SHOULD honor GOD the way HE wants us to honor him.
“THE WAY HE WANTS US TO DO” and not “our way”.
And the way “HE WANTS US TO DO IT” it’s through the Bible, and not through some random date chosen by us to celebrate his resurrection or birth.
Let me say this again, THERE IS NOT 1 MENTION IN THE BIBLE ABOUT EASTER.
But it says..
Jeremiah 10:2-4
2 This is what the LORD says:
“Do not learn the ways of the nations
or be terrified by signs in the heavens,
though the nations are terrified by them.
3 For the practices of the peoples are worthless;
they cut a tree out of the forest,
and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel.
4 They adorn it with silver and gold;
they fasten it with hammer and nails
so it will not totter.
The Christianization of Pagan holidays began about the fourth century A.D. when the Roman Emperor Constantine, became (or feigned becoming) a Christian. In order to consolidate his rule, he incorporated the Pagan holidays and festivals into the church ritual – attracting the Pagans, but he gave the holidays and festivals new “Christian” names and identities – thus appeasing the Christians. Over the centuries, this practice has continued until the present time where we find the two systems, Paganism and Christianity, almost indistinguishable.
This is the Adversary’s clever deception – Paganism dressed up in Christian clothes! It’s still nothing more than Paganism, but the Christian churches have wholeheartedly embraced this deception.
Bernie, to me Easter is a time when I can focus my thoughts more directly on what our Lord did for me. Not the Resurrection but the pain and suffering on the cross (In my place). The Resurrection is the proof of victory in Christ, but it is the suffering on the cross that I focus on at Easter. (Praise God)!!
Easter is a time to, once again, as a family of Christ; remember what Jesus did for us. To think we spend eternity with Father….. Because of His sacrifice, cannot say enough thanks.
And to some of those who say it is pagan etc. One Christmas I was fed up with all the junk that is past for His birth; as I was shopping the carols were playing and in some shops there were nativities and I realized that if we don’t celebrate, evil wins. Keep proclaiming, Jesus lives!
Unfortunately the remeberence of Christ’s death and resurrection last easter has been spoiled by what a Baptist Minister did to me at and since that time. I now have even less respect for men and women of the cloth because so often I have found that they are not interested in pastoral work but are more interested in playing ppower games for their own benefit regardless of how much deep hurt they cause in the lives of people they are supposed to be encouraging to uae their individual gifts to extend God’s kibgdom in this world. You asked for honesty and truth – there it is.
David, I’m sorry to hear that…
But remember that as Christians we only follow Jesus, and his teachings ..”bible”…
Ministers & Pastors are humans beings like you and me, and so they are sinners like you and me, you should NEVER put on faith on them, but ONLY ON THE LORD.
Having put this point forward, are you really surprised that a minister/pastor can also sin?
You are right brother, what religion r u?
Christian
The death & resurrection of Christ is so important to me & I reflect on it daily by the fact that only because of it am I set free to be a child of God & able to walk in fellowship with Him.
Having a special time (a memorial) so to speak is good. We should all build memorials (in our lives) to remember the special times God has done special things for us. Scripture calls us to “Remember” often
Easter:- a time to remember Christ’s dearth and resurrection, and that he paid the ultimate price for our sins, that through him, we can have a everlasting life. It’s also a buss time for me, with the church setup for Good Friday, Woman’s Rally, and Sunday Services We rent a hall for our services, and have to leave it as we find it when packing up afterwards. Thanks to Jesus
This is my second Easter since giving myself to Christ Jesus and having a believers baptism. My attitude has completely changed but I cannot say I have looked forward to it all year or even that I have been reflecting on it deeply for the last few weeks. I am reflecting more this week and hope my heart grows stronger in the love and realisation of just how powerful this time is, and that as my Christian walk progresses, I appreciate more and more what God did for us. John. 3:16
Can’t answer poll sorry because I believe that Easter and Xmas are Christianized pagan festivals and even the church goes along with all the pagan stuff like rabbits and eggs and the kids are more interested in chocolate than the death of Christ.
I have a sneaking sympathy with your view, Jeni…But after pondering the same thing over lots of years, I’ve decided to treat those festivals as I do communion…a time to remember, reflect and give gratitude and thanks…I am a forgetful human and regular opportunity for remembrance is necessary for me to keep firmly in mind how much Christ did for us when he came into this world and died for it. Giving thanks is never a waste of time.
A time of reflection and remembrance … lets not forget ..
But also a time of fun and chocolate!
Let’s Celebrate what He Has Finished and Done for us!
New Life in abundance.
Thanks Jesus.
Hi Berni,
You could say that I try to be a devoted Christian…, and I’m quite advance into bible study…
From the answers to your question above, the only answer I found out to be close to what Easter means to me is the last one..”Easter’s a time for fun and chocolate for the kids … and a long weekend. I enjoy the break. ”
I struggle to find the word “Easter” anywhere in the bible, If it is not in the bible…, then we invented “Easter”, the same way we invented Christmas..and so what meaning does it have?
I don’t see the point of picking 1 weekend a year to remember Jesus Resurrection…, Every single day of a Christian life, we should know and celebrate what Jesus did for us and his promise of Resurrection.
So I just see Easter and Christmas as any other holidays… in the sense of…God didn’t request us to celebrate his Birth or Resurrection. In fact 25th of December is a fake date anyways.
So yes, Easter is a fun time with bunnies and chocolate, I don’t see any point of linking Easter to our Christian faith.
Hi Bernie, I couldnt be honest and say I think about the Easter Season all year round looking farward to it as such but I do think about what my Lord has done for me all the time and love him. When the Easter season is here though it is a time I do feel it burn in my heart more though, a deeper devotion I guess. To John Lu I think as humans we do need a focus point or we can get lost easy and it is a time to give thanks and come together as all Gods childen. It doesnt have to be exact days of when it really happened. God wants our worship and what better time to choose than his birth, death and resurection if you wanted to choose a special time 🙂
I agree Betty, we all know they are not the real dates but to change His birthday celebration to September and Easter (not sure of time) would cause confusion to non Christians, then again maybe they would see we are serious in what we are celebrating and just for fun I do like easter eggs