Should Rabbits and Eggs Be Part of Easter?

[catlover]

We had pork steaks at my house instead of sausage.

And Paska (easter bread).

What about the Kielbasa, horse radish, and hard boiled eggs?

 

[Melethiel]

What about the Kielbasa, horse radish, and hard boiled eggs?

Hey, this is the most proper Easter dinner we've had in a while...though now that you mention it, I do want some horseradish...

*mentally makes a note to add that to the grocery list*

 

[WAB]

Does anyone else enjoy coloring eggs and the chocolate rabbits?

We know Easter is about The Resurrection, but should we even celebrate Easter with eggs and rabbits?

Sure... there is no problem with either one, as long as the rabbit is barbecued, and the eggs are not raw...

Shalom... WAB

 

[catlover]

Sure... there is no problem with either one, as long as the rabbit is barbecued, and the eggs are not raw...

Shalom... WAB

The poor wittle bunny.

 

[revrobor]

Obviously you did not read what Iakovos said...

You still didn't explain how there were Elder's who were the appointed leaders in these community's if everyone "home churched themselves". Nowhere have I said anything like this. I said there is a growing home church movement around the world. People are disassociating themselves from the religious institution. What you fail to comprehend is that the EOC IS this Body you are speaking of. There may be members on the Body attending the EOC but the EOC itself is a religious organization and, in the U.S., it is a religious, non-profit corporation. It is not an institution like you think it is. Just because it has structure and orginization (just like the Church in Acts) does not mean it is not the Body of Christ. We do not pledge allegiance to an "originization" but we pledge our allegience to Christ through His Body, just like the way He gave it to us. Do you think that Orthodox and Catholics don't worship Christ, Some may, some may not just like members of any other religious organization. or that Christ is not the central point of our entire worship, being and existance? There are things done in a "worship service" of any religious organization that are nothing more than that organizations traditions and have little or nothing to do with Christ.

I think maybe you should learn about these "orginizations" before you slander, and stop "bearing false witness". You really have no idea what you are talking about. I have spent 58 years in many churches of many denominations. Go to an Orthodox Liturgy one day, a service by the way that was writtten by a Church Father, St. John Chrysostom, and has been the same for 1700 years. It is a shorter variation of the Liturgy of St. James the Apostle...and see if our loyalty is not in Jesus Christ.. I have been in Roman Catholic and Lutheran liturgical services and few there seem to know what the service is about because they have memorized it and rotely repeat it. If you church is using a 1700 year old service I'm sure it's no different. You've just had more time to memorize it.

Hopefully you and these other new age non denominational "home churched" people will one day wake up and see the Church is not what you want it to be, nor does Scripture say what you want it to..and return to the Body of Christ you think you belong to now...And as I have said, perhaps some day you and others like you, will realize that being a member of the Body Jesus call out and being a member of a religious organization are not the same thing.

And what do you make of this? If you have nobody to answer within your "body"...who would you go to in this situation? We answer to each other and we all answer to God. In other words, Jesus is telling the Apostles that if someone faults you, tell him so that you can reconcile, if he doesn't listen to you, get some witnesses, and if they don't listen to the witnesses, tell the Church. So in other words, who or what is the Church that you would go to to solve this problem?

Matthew 18:
15Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.

16But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.

17And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.

18Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Your post is a perfect example of "institutionalization". You attempt to defend the Eastern Orthodox Church when your devotion should be to Jesus Christ.

 

[Iollain]

venerations of Mary don't really bother me. My father came from a strict Polish Catholic family~most of my relatives houses had large Rosaries hanging on the wall. It honestly doesn't cause an issue for me. It's not for me, but it's interesting.

Uh....this is a whole different ball field than veneration

I suppose if you owned a pig back then, it meant you and your family would eat for a year.

I was wondering why there is Easter ham when Jesus would have never eaten that. So ends my wondering! Thank-you, Iollian.

Y'elcome.

http://www.phancypages.com/newsletter/ZNewsletter2599.htm

..another good site here.

 

[revrobor]

Yet how can we separate Christ from His Body . . . ? Christ is the Church.

God Bless

You don't seperate Christ from His Body. You just understand the difference between His Body (His followers, the "Church") and the religious organization (the "church").

 

[Asinner]

You don't seperate Christ from His Body. You just understand the difference between His Body (His followers, the "Church") and the religious organization (the "church").

The difference? The Church is not of this world; therefore, cannot be described in earthly secular terms like "organization" and "institution". Her attributes are those of Christ's . . .
http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/general/attributes.aspx

God Bless

 

[Rdr Iakovos]

You don't seperate Christ from His Body. You just understand the difference between His Body (His followers, the "Church") and the religious organization (the "church").

Simply calling a unit of people an 'institution' does not make it so- nor does such a designation lessen the centrality and power of that unit.

By way of example, the family is known as an institution. Some today feel that it is an artifice, and they have a "distaste" for it (meaning the so-called nuclear family with ma, pa, and kids+ extended family).

Same goes for those who embrace 'the reinvention of 'church.' Much like Aaron made a calf to appeal to the people, the leaders of these groups invent a form that appeals to the Baby Boomer/post modern ethos. This means that they will appeal to egalitarianism, simultaneously decrying the entrenched powers that be. (think Castro).
"The problem" they say "is the institutional authority."

While ostensibly rejecting institutional authority, they reinstitute and reconstitute that self-same authority in the hands of a few guys who call themselves pastors/teachers/elders/reverend.

It really is a question of what authority you trust.

 

[revrobor]

The difference? The Church is not of this world; therefore, cannot be described in earthly secular terms like "organization" and "institution". Her attributes are those of Christ's . . .
http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/general/attributes.aspx

God Bless

In the United States religious organizations such as the Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Southern Baptist, Presbyterian Church USA, United Methodist even non-denominational churches are non-profit religious corporations authorized by the Internal Revenue Service to operate without paying taxes and, as such, have a board of directors to oversee its operation. They are just like any other corporation, except in purpose, and are operated under the laws of the United States. You can't get any more worldly than that.

 

[Rdr Iakovos]

In the United States religious organizations such as the Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Southern Baptist, Presbyterian Church USA, United Methodist even non-denominational churches are non-profit religious corporations authorized by the Internal Revenue Service to operate without paying taxes and, as such, have a board of directors to oversee its operation. They are just like any other corporation, except in purpose, and are operated under the laws of the United States. You can't get any more worldly than that.

All that a 501 c3 exempt status does is bring a church into some degree of financial and operational accountability. That accountability is with and to the members and board. Not sure how or why that it is a bad thing.

 

[revrobor]

All that a 501 c3 exempt status does is bring a church into some degree of financial and operational accountability. That accountability is with and to the members and board. Not sure how or why that it is a bad thing.

That accountability is to the IRS which also prohibits a religious corporation from endorsing political candidates or issues. So the religious corporations yield to the IRS to keep their tax-exempt status so most of their members will continue to give and get a tax deduction. And the religious organizations are required to have a board because they are corporations under the tax laws which is different from the Body of Believers, something a few here failed to understand.

But the issue here is the fact that there is a difference between the Body of Believers and the religious corporation. One may participate in the other but they are not the same.

Actually the original issue is rabbits and eggs at Easter.

 

[revrobor]

Edited for duplication.

 

[JCrawf]

It's not that I don't comprehend your statement- quite the opposite- I recognize it for what it is: polemics. It's essentially a large scale ad hominem.

Indeed.

Scripture does not bear out that the churches which met in homes were self-governing edifices. Quite the opposite- each city had elders, each congregation had presbyters, and all of these answered to the Apostles and their representatives.

Yeah, I don't know of any Scripture that says that Christians only met in fellow Christian houses. It does note that they went to the synagogues.

The so-called home church movement in America is nothing more than Congregationalism with a smaller building budget. It is fundamentally unbiblical

It actually started with John Wesly and the Methodist movement in Britain first. Though, some might also consider the "societies of the just" that came out of the radical reformers, but, from what I understand, the Methodists were the ones that brought it over from Britian. About the time of the Revolutionary War, the English and American Methodists broke due to differences of interests - primarily because John Wesley remained loyal to the king, and essentially the Anglican Church. Not to mention that John Wesley himself never meant for the Methodist societies to be separate from the Anglican Church.

I realize that those involved in the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic denominations have sold out and pledged their allegiance to those religious organizations and have been so indoctrinated that they cannot comprehend anything other than what they have been taught.

Who taught you that?

That's not taught, that is spoon-fed polemic propoganda that has no rhym or reason. Therefore, because this person has nothing better to say, he just rambles on like a broken record the same old nonsense. It's sad really.

You've used the expression 'religious organization' in three consecutive posts.

He doesn't know how to say anything else.

To me this post in toto reads like an exit statement on the part of someone who has been found by means of confrontation to have no substanitive argument.

Agreed!

Pax Tecum,

John

 

[JCrawf]

Edited for duplication.

You could revise all your posts with that comment, being that is all your argument is is one long "duplication."

Pax Tecum,

John

 

[JCrawf]

I'm talking about for instance, the RCC belief that Mary is the Mediatrix of Grace, now when i talk to RC's about here, they say it means that Mary is called so because she gave birth to Jesus who is the Giver of all Grace, then i look online at what other RCC and the Popes have said, they actually believe that Mary right now has all the grace and it is her decision where it goes. But the RCC will deny it is so........but then you look around and see differently.

Have any statements and documantation to back that up?

Pax Tecum,

John

 

[JCrawf]

Venerations of Mary don't really bother me. My father came from a strict Polish Catholic family~most of my relatives houses had large Rosaries hanging on the wall. It honestly doesn't cause an issue for me. It's not for me, but it's interesting.

Cool.

Pax Tecum,

John

 

[Little_Angel_of_Yahweh]

I don't agree with the whole easter thing....
I do passover!!

 

[Iollain]

http://www.ewtn.com/faith/teachings/marya4a.htm

 

[Rdr Iakovos]

That accountability is to the IRS which also prohibits a religious corporation from endorsing political candidates or issues.

And for those churches that do endorse political candidates- "you can't get much more worldly than that."

As for issues, we are quite free to preach on each and any as we see fit.

So the religious corporations yield to the IRS to keep their tax-exempt status so most of their members will continue to give and get a tax deduction.

I fail to see where taking a tax exemption for offerings is unethical or unspiritual.

And the religious organizations are required to have a board because they are corporations under the tax laws which is different from the Body of Believers, something a few here failed to understand.

No, I'm pretty sure everybody understands the importance of fiscal accountability. 501c3 regulations are actually quite helpful inasmuch as they prod churches into developing finiancial stewardship and consolodated vision (by laws).

But the issue here is the fact that there is a difference between the Body of Believers and the religious corporation. One may participate in the other but they are not the same.

Correction: they are not necessarily the same.
Of course, a group of people meeting in a house isn't necessarily a church, either.

Actually the original issue is rabbits and eggs at Easter.

Yes, it is, and I understand that I could deduct my donation to the chocolate bunny fund.