Date of the Resurrection

[probinson]

Hi There

If you believe Jesus wasn't born on 25 December, yet celebrate his birthday then..................it's lunacy.

Why?

Would you celebrate your mother's birthday six months away from when it actually is? How would that make her feel?

Actually, we've done that, albeit not 6 months, but about 2 months early, because someone in our family was leaving town and we wanted to celebrate with them. See, we understood that sharing the celebration with these people was far more important than honoring the actual date.

This year, we will celebrate my parent's 50th anniversary nearly one month earlier, because my brother is going to be out of town on the actual anniversary date. No one has any problem with this.

And that's kind of my point. The reason for the celebration far outweighs the date of the celebration.

 

[SpiritPsalmist]

It doesn't. It's just another thing for people to disagree about.

JESUS LIVES! HE IS RISEN! HE DIED AND ROSE AGAIN ALL BECAUSE OF HIS LOVE FOR US!

That is what is important about the resurrection. Any debate on when or how we should celebrate that is simply one giant distraction from the entire purpose of our celebration in the first place, IMO.

I'm not debating, I'm posing a question as to why are we followers only and not leaders in the celebrations of our faith?

 

[lismore]

Why?

Because it's already the celebration of another deity.

Let's say there are two religions. A state ruler has the idea, for reasons of his own to combine the two religions. Some aspects of the two are combined and a hybrid religion is formed........

 

[probinson]

Because it's already the celebration of another deity.

And...?

Unless I'm mistaken, greater is He that is in me than He that is in this world. It doesn't really matter to me what the original intent was for Easter, nor what deity is celebrated by others. For me, it is a celebration of the triumphant resurrection of my Savior.

I have the same thoughts about Halloween. People can give you all the gory details behind "trick or treat" and why we hand out candy. But you know what? It doesn't matter! What more powerful way to demonstrate the awesome power of the Greater One who abides inside us than to take away what Satan intended for evil and instead use it for good. Isn't that what God does?

I feel the same way about Easter; I could care less what insignificant and inferior "deity" the day was created to celebrate. For me, it is a celebration of the amazing and unparalleled display of selfless Love by the One True God.

 

[Markus6]

There were a couple of changes that happened.

Firstly, while some of the early Christians still celebrated the resurrection on the 14th of Nisan (the date of the passover) some celebrated it on the Sunday after the 14th of Nisan as Jesus rose on a Sunday and Sunday had become the major day in Christian worship. In the end those who celebrated it on the Sunday won out.

Secondly, there came a desire to detach the celebration from the date of the passover calculated by the Jewish people. There were a number of reasons put out for this: one being that the Jewish people made mistakes in the calculation; another was to counter act Jewish boasting that the Christian's relied on them to fix the date - certainly some anti-semitism played a part.

It's still calculated on a luni-solar calendar (similar to the Hebrew calendar) so most of the time the date will be very close - every so often it's about a month off though.

To suggest the change in date is to do with pagan influences though is completely baseless.

Hi There

If you believe Jesus wasn't born on 25 December, yet celebrate his birthday then..................it's lunacy.

Would you celebrate your mother's birthday six months away from when it actually is? How would that make her feel?

In England we officially celebrate the Queen's birthday on the first, second or third Saturday in June. However, her birthday is actually on the 21st of April!

 

[SpiritPsalmist]

I'm reminded of the time when the office I worked in had a secret pal exchange. I filled out the form with my likes and dislikes and in bold letters wrote "no candy". The first gift I got was candy. The second gift I got was candy.

I did not wish to come across as ungrateful but I commented aloud that I had put on my form "no candy". I thought that would take care of it. However, the next gift I got was again candy.

At the end of the time period of the secret pal exchange the person who was my secret pal revealed herself to me and said, "I know you did not want candy, but that is what I wanted to give you".

 

[lismore]

And...?

Why put tomato ketchup on the walls and red paint on hot dogs?

It could just as easily be done right.

The amount of energy that is expended defending an indefensible tradition we could just as easily follow the bible and have an end to it.

 

[probinson]

Why put tomato ketchup on the walls and red paint on hot dogs?

It could just as easily be done right.

The amount of energy that is expended defending an indefensible tradition we could just as easily follow the bible and have an end to it.

I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree then, as this dismissive analogy makes absolutely no sense and doesn't even begin to address the things I've said.

So how about this; you celebrate the resurrection of Christ when and how you want to, and I'll do the same.

 

[probinson]

I'm reminded of the time when the office I worked in had a secret pal exchange. I filled out the form with my likes and dislikes and in bold letters wrote "no candy". The first gift I got was candy. The second gift I got was candy.

I did not wish to come across as ungrateful but I commented aloud that I had put on my form "no candy". I thought that would take care of it. However, the next gift I got was again candy.

At the end of the time period of the secret pal exchange the person who was my secret pal revealed herself to me and said, "I know you did not want candy, but that is what I wanted to give you".

Are you suggesting that when I celebrate the resurrection of my Savior, and thank Him for His selfless sacrifice on "the wrong date", that He is displeased with that? That somehow my gift of praise and worship is not what God wants from me since it's on "the wrong date" and would prefer something else?

 

[lismore]

doesn't even begin to address the things I've said.

I don't think those things needed to be addressed. I don't think you would find a Christian who would believe that the resurrection was not central to the faith. We can take it as accompli. It's not the issue. I agree with the importance of the resurrection.

What I'm saying, perhaps I have not yet said it clearly enough.

There are two dates. One scriptural, one from paganism.

It would not take any extra cash or effort to move all celebrations to the given scriptural date. I cant see any reason for anyone resisting the biblical date, apart from being deliberately obtuse.

I'm not saying that people who celebrate an off the wall date are any less CHristian. I'm just saying it would be better to celebrate these things on the date God has given. You could do the same things on the right date as you could on the wrong date.

To use an analogy. Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. You might say you have freedom in Christ and say that he rode into Jerusalem on a seal. The most important thing being that he rode in, not what he rode in on.

Would it not just be as easy to go along with the bible?

 

[probinson]

Would it not just be as easy to go along with the bible?

Is there something stopping you from celebrating the resurrection of Christ on the "right" date?

 

[SpiritPsalmist]

Are you suggesting that when I celebrate the resurrection of my Savior, and thank Him for His selfless sacrifice on "the wrong date", that He is displeased with that? That somehow my gift of praise and worship is not what God wants from me since it's on "the wrong date" and would prefer something else?

No.

PS However, are you suggesting that when God says "I do not want you to mix the worship of the pagans with worship of ME" that's it's ok to continue doing it?

 

[cyberlizard]

currently day 11 of the omer count.


Steve

 

[Yitzchak]

Are you suggesting that when I celebrate the resurrection of my Savior, and thank Him for His selfless sacrifice on "the wrong date", that He is displeased with that? That somehow my gift of praise and worship is not what God wants from me since it's on "the wrong date" and would prefer something else?

The scripture teaches that some worship is accepted by God and some is not. I think the answer to your question is it is certainly possible.

Man made tradition in the area of religion has a bad track record. The way I read the Bible , one of the main distinction that God makes is man made does it his way and the worship that God accepts is on his terms.

Why was Cain's sacrifice of worship not accepted ? Why was Esau's repentance not accepted ? Why was Ananias and Saphira's offering not accepted ?

One thing I have learned in studying the scripture and in my walk with The Lord is that is frequently surprises me the things that matter to God. God is quite often surprising the religious people with the unexpected.

In the end. we cannot say one way or the other. God looks at the heart and who really knows what God will accept and not accept ? The only real source we have for an answer to that is the Bible. And this entire discussion is about something outside of the Bible.

What we do know is that God accepts some worship and rejects other worship. Since you have no scripture to back up celebrating Easter or even celebrating the resurection, for that matter. then why would we want to speculate ?

 

[lismore]

Is there something stopping you from celebrating the resurrection of Christ on the "right" date?

Is there something stopping you from celebrating the resurrection on the date given in the bible?

 

[Markus6]

There are two dates. One scriptural, one from paganism.

You have not shown that the current calculation of the date of Easter is based on paganism. At all. Take a look at the table below:

2011: Passover: April 18-26 Easter: April 24

2012: Passover: April 6-14 Easter: April 8

2013: Passover: March 25-April 2 Easter: March 31

2014: Passover: April 14-22 Easter: April 20


Notice that the date for Easter is typically less than a week after the start of Passover - i.e. the Sunday after the first day of Passover. What you need to do now - if you wish to continue accusing us of marking a pagan celebration - is show us a table for which ever pagan deity's day we are celebrating that coincides better with the date for Easter. Until then PLEASE drop the accusations of paganism (at least in the date setting).

 

[probinson]

No.

Then what's the problem, and why the whole analogy about receiving a gift that you didn't want?

PS However, are you suggesting that when God says "I do not want you to mix the worship of the pagans with worship of ME" that's it's ok to continue doing it?

I'm not mixing the worship of pagans with the worship of God. I'm not celebrating God and pagans. I'm celebrating everything my Savior alone has done for me. Period.

 

[probinson]

Is there something stopping you from celebrating the resurrection on the date given in the bible?

I have no issue with the date I celebrate the resurrection where you obviously do.

Seriously. For those of you who want to celebrate Easter on the "right" date, I say knock yourself out. There's absolutely nothing stopping you from doing so.

 

[probinson]

The scripture teaches that some worship is accepted by God and some is not. I think the answer to your question is it is certainly possible.

We know from scripture that God wants us to worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. That, I believe, is the litmus test to whether our worship is accepted by God.

In the end. we cannot say one way or the other. God looks at the heart and who really knows what God will accept and not accept ? The only real source we have for an answer to that is the Bible. And this entire discussion is about something outside of the Bible.

I disagree that this entire discussion is outside of the Bible. This scripture seems pretty relevant;

Romans 14:5 (NIV)
One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind.
​

 

[Usernametaken]

Another equally important question would be how many angels can sit on the head of a pin.