‘If Jesus died on the cross, why does the Easter bunny bring me eggs?

You take them by the hand and say, the story of Jesus dying has little to do with the actual Easter Bunny. When I was you age I believed in the Easter Bunny too, but the reality is it doesn't exist, and we, your parents, buy the eggs and color them and pretend its the Easter bunny, its just a game we adults play with our children to bring some fun on the holiday.

Something like that anyway..

you tell them the truth
I gave my kids a truth book,,when they were old enough to ask,/understandthen they should be told the truth~ the real reason for Easter,Jesus, and a renewal of life..

it is fun to create make believe,but it is also a time to tell the reason~

runawayhorses wrote:You take them by the hand and say, the story of Jesus dying has little to do with the actual Easter Bunny. When I was you age I believed in the Easter Bunny too, but the reality is it doesn't exist, and we, your parents, buy the eggs and color them and pretend its the Easter bunny, its just a game we adults play with our children to bring some fun on the holiday.

Something like that anyway..

Tyler that is a good post and good explanation~at the age of six, I knew there were not these fantasies~ of Santa/Easter Bunny or the Great pumpkin~ lol

I knew at a young age also, but would never admit it, I didn't want the magic of anticipation to leave.

plus our parents didn't want us to expose,, it also created a fun for us,.
arents never intend it to harm it was for fun,,as long as we instilled true meaning,I think it was ok, some go over board on that theory, I think God/Jesus understands,we were made up of many theories,all instilled by one creator

yes ssc Magic,I think we all need tha~

The question was "How does a parent answer this one ?" The question made no mention of the 'age" of the child asking the question, as far as the actually question goes the person could be a teenager.

I hated the day when my kids leaned the truth of all the fictional holidays, it sure was good leverage for years.

In the article I read with that question the child was 4

God gave us that mentality,.. thank about it,where did we get our humor,

logi,c sexual feelings ,all others, does anyone have those answers? or just theories~ I don't.. it is interesting though,,.. thank about it~

who was the brain for us??

I just don't see a mythical being in the same class as Santa doing any thinking for me , The only reason children believe in a God is because they are brain washed by parents and clergy, intimidated into believing.Remember we created Santa,the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy, so what not create a mythical being to try and control the masses.

runawayhorses wrote:The question was "How does a parent answer this one ?" The question made no mention of the 'age" of the child asking the question, as far as the actually question goes the person could be a teenager.

as a parent we wait ,unless your a parent, u will not understand,, but I understand your questions~

Ever stopped to wonder how bunnies, eggs and scavenger hunts are related to Easter's religious celebration of Jesus dying on the cross and rising again? Strange bedfellows they are. I never had any idea as a kid. No one seemed to question the whole odd mix: why would a rabbit have a basket of eggs in the first place, and how that tied in to crucifixion and resurrection was another matter. Let's explore some Easter myths while popping a few chocolate Cadbury treats, shall we?

I grew up in a vaguely Christian family, and today am sort of a floating generalist. Our kids celebrate Jewish and Christian holidays, and are exposed to Buddhism, Hinduism and Native American practices. God has many names to us and we are not members of a church.

It seems I am not alone in that vague religious category. According to John Meacham- in his Newsweek article, "The Decline of Christian America" :

"the percentage of people who say they are unaffiliated with any particular faith has doubled in recent years, to 16 percent; in terms of voting, this group grew from 5 percent in 1988 to 12 percent in 2008--roughly the same percentage of the electorate as African-Americans. (Seventy-five percent of unaffiliated voters chose Barack Obama, a Christian.) Meanwhile, the number of people willing to describe themselves as atheist or agnostic has increased about fourfold from 1990 to 2009, from 1 million to about 3.6 million. (That is about double the number of, say, Episcopalians in the United States.)"

This article was the subject of a hot debate on Hardball with Christopher Hitchens and Kenneth Blackwell and featured on Friday at the Huff Po. For me, the depth of our faith is a highly personal matter, and can change in its form and intensity as life takes its often bumpy course. Yet, what about the depth and quality of our holidays? So many have become empty- devoid of meaning and filled with consumerism.

In graduate school I studied the historical progression of religion from the first Sumerian myths over 3,000 years ago, and explored the impact on our collective psyche. It is interesting to note many Christian holidays blend together with more ancient or "pagan" holidays celebrated for thousands of years prior. Before Moses was around to have the first Seder, or Jesus walked the Earth, we celebrated the rites of Spring at this time of year, with the perfect balance of light and darkness, called the Vernal Equinox.

I love learning about these ancient celebrations, and exposing them to my children. They do not interfere with any specific religious faith, but add a broader context and history to the occasion. The Vernal Equinox is on March 21st and on that day, there is an equal amount of light and darkness.
As an adult, thinking about balance during the Spring is highly appealing to me. A time to quiet down, toss out what is weighing me down and center myself for the rising energy of Spring. How motivating to know from that day forward there will be a little more light outside than the day before. Regardless of your faith, this is a practice of worthy note.

It turns out the celebrations of modern Easter's egg-toting-rabbit evolves from a mythic German goddess named Ostara, (Oestre / Eastre) who was the Germanic Goddess of Springtime. According to the Encycolopedia Mythica:

"In ancient Anglo-Saxon myth, Ostara is the personification of the rising sun. In that capacity she is associated with the spring and is considered to be a fertility goddess. She is the friend of all children and to amuse then she changed her pet bird into a rabbit. This rabbit brought forth brightly colored eggs, which the goddess gave to the children as gifts. From her name and rites the festival of Easter is derived."

All other European words for "Easter" derive from the Hebrew word "pasah," to pass over, thus reflecting the Christian holiday's Biblical connection with the Jewish Passover. I find it ironic the holiest day in the Christian faith, dedicated to celebrating the Son of God, is named after a goddess.
According to www.godchecker.com: Ostara was very popular with the Anglo-Saxon people, who worshiped her under the name Eostre.

Yet there is something odd about how little there is written about her; the myth only resides in one area, and is recorded to exist for a fairly short period of time. Most Sumerian, Greek and Egyptian figures like Isis, Kali, and Demeter were widely worshiped for thousands of years, and many of the stories had moral components or attributes to emulate. What's the moral element of the Easter bunny? Something about it just doesn't fit with other myths.

Was it all a joke?

Recent research suggests that the Ostara myth was potentially invented during a mischievous moment by the Venerable Bede. This well-known monk mentioned her in connection with the pagan festival Eosturmonath in a book written in 750 A.D. -- but extensive research has failed to find a trace of her prior to that. Talk about the "stickiness factor" of Malcom Gladwell's book The Tipping Point. Imagine: a famous monk makes up a weird story about a goddess who never existed who turns a bird into a rabbit that lays colored eggs; and it morphs into a mega-watt holiday celebrated the modern world over.

Wow. Bet that gets your bonnet in a tizzy. Imagine the irony in making up a goddess myth, which becomes linked with the "greatest story ever told," and simultaneously serves as a mecca of commerce for Hershey's, hat makers and basket weavers. For those who are devoted Christians: does this affect the power of His word and His teachings? No, but come on; it is a pretty darn good story.

A little food for thought this holiday weekend! Whatever you celebrate: Happy Passover, Happy Spring and Happy Easter to everyone. Enjoy the sweet balance you find with your family, friends and the emergence of Light. And please save some of those marshmallow chicks for me!
www.Huffingtonpost.com

I'm glad you can read the Huufington post;I can't stomach it. And for a purely totally subjective,personal reason. I cannot stand the sight and sound of Alexandra {?} Huffington and I always recall those when I just see her name. I think it was when she ran for guv/Calif. Yukkk. A phony loudmoth bitch. A good article, though. Never forget yer boots when visiting.

SSC wrote:I hated the day when my kids leaned the truth of all the fictional holidays, it sure was good leverage for years.

about santa, my mom always went above and beyond for a good christmas for me and my sister, we could not sleep which im sure made santa very tired, lol, i remember asking, and my mom just said there will always be a santa as long as u believe there is one.

I agree Rosco thanks for the memories,we all have similiar, and some have different''I love my memories