What is Easter? Easter is
a pagan religious holiday. Easter
is nothing but the name "Astarte" or "Ishtar," one of the
many names of the Babylonian goddess, Semeramis.
What is the origin of Easter? Vine's
Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words notes:
"The term 'Easter' is not of Christian origin. It
is another form of Astarte, one of the titles of the Chaldean
[Babylonian] goddess, the queen of heaven. . . the pagan festival of
'Easter' was quite distinct and was introduced into the apostate Western
religion, as part of the attempt to adapt pagan festivals to
Christianity" (W.E. Vine, 1985, "Easter").
Easter can be traced back to various pagan rituals.
Also associated with Easter are the 40 days of Lent.
Lent is also of pagan origin. The
40 days of Lent was celebrated by the pagans in commemoration of the death
and resurrection of Tammyz who was a chief Babylonian pagan god and husband
of the goddess Ishtar. The pagan
worship of Tammyz had even spread to
Jerusalem
in about 600 BC as we read in Ezekiel 8:12-18.
God calls this pagan worship an abomination, which is disgusting to
Him.
God’s word says, “But
then, indeed, when you did not know God, you served those which by nature
are not gods. But now after you
have known God, or rather are known by God, how is
it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which
you desire again to be in bondage? You
observe days and months and seasons and years.
I am afraid for you, lest I have labored for you in vain”
(Galatians 4:8-11).
Easter and Lent, with all their pagan symbols, were adopted by the
Catholic Church centuries after Christ's ascension.
Those who observe Easter and Lent are in reality worshipping false
gods. This false worship is
abhorrent to the one God of Heaven. Easter
and Lent are pagan traditions of men and are actually frauds pawned off on
unsuspecting and well-intentioned people. God
commands us to worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24).
Only the Bible contains the truth of God's word. Simply claiming that something is Christian and is done to honor
Christ doesn't make it acceptable to God.
One dishonors God in observing these ancient idolatrous practices, in
violating God’s explicit commands in Deuteronomy 12:29-32; 2 Corinthians
6:14-18; 7:1. Easter doesn’t
represent the resurrection of Jesus Christ, but honors the pagan god, “Astarte”.
In worshipping idols our worship becomes vain and useless for Jesus says, “And in vain
they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” (Mark
7:7). One will lose his soul in
the vain worship of false gods.