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Why do the twice-a-year attendees pick these two dates to go to church?

They are both based on pagan religious beliefs....Christmas is a Mithras birthday....sun god.....Easter was a fertility holiday , hence the bunnies and little chicks hatching........It merged with Christianity in the early 3rd century, I think........bringing in the pagans.......

And of course they are the two most important dates on the Christian calander with the whole Jesus mythos, so I guess people think that they can miss the rest, but try to get to those two, and everything is alright...

Christmas is the celebration of the savior of the world Jesus not Santa Claus and easter is the celebration of his death and resurrection.

here it is xmas, easter the churces is not packed at all here. Here it has to do with tradition more than anything else

It's big here......Get this.....they even have Easter egg hunts at church and someone dresses up like a bunny.....a Easter Bunny that is....

who came up with the easter bunny anyway?

Originally posted by FeceMan
Why do the twice-a-year attendees pick these two dates to go to church?

Arnt those the most imposrtant holidays? Maybe thats why, dunno.

Originally posted by cking
who came up with the easter bunny anyway?

Pagans. Easter bunny represents spring and reproduction.

yeah shagging like rabbits

Originally posted by cking
who came up with the easter bunny anyway?



PAGAN PAGAN PAGAN.....just like Christmas......

Easter was a fertility day........know what that means?

easter isn't pagan, it is only the easter bunny that is and Santa Claus, it was never about the holiday, but only about the money and that is why I don't want Christmas to come because of the holiday rush and if their never was then Christmas would celebrated better.

christian picked xmas at that time of the year to compete with Winter solstice /and make the transaction for the pagans easier since they allready celebrated things then

Origin of Easter - Its Pagan Roots
The origin of Easter dates back to ancient times, not long after the global Flood recorded in Genesis 6-9 of the Bible. Nimrod, a grandson of Noah, had turned from following his grandfather's God and had become a tyrannical ruler. According to the biblical record, as king, Nimrod created Babel, Ninevah, Asshur, Calla and other cities, all known for lifestyles that promoted unspeakable evil and perversion. When Nimrod died, his wife, Queen Semiramis, deified him as the Sun-god, or Life Giver. Later he would become known as Baal, and those who followed the religion Semiramis created in his name would be called Baal worshippers. They became associated with idolatry, demon worship, human sacrifice and other practices regarded as evil.

The origin of Easter involves the birth of Semiramis' illegitimate son, Tammuz. Somehow, Semiramis convinced the people that Tammuz was actually Nimrod reborn. Since people had been looking for the promised savior since the beginning of mankind (see Genesis 3:15), they were persuaded by Semiramis to believe that Tammuz was that savior, even that he had been supernaturally conceived. Before long, in addition to worshipping Tammuz (or Nimrod reborn), the people also worshipped Semiramis herself as the goddess of fertility. In other cultures, she has been called Ishtar, Ashtur and yes, Easter.

The origin of Easter goes back to the springtime ritual instituted by Semiramis following the death of Tammuz, who, according to tradition, was killed by a wild boar. Legend has it that through the power of his mother's tears, Tammuz was "resurrected" in the form of the new vegetation that appeared on the earth.

According to the Bible, it was in the city of Babel that the people created a tower in order to defy God. Up until that time, all the people on the earth spoke one language. The building of the tower led God, as recorded in Genesis 11:7, to confuse their tongues to keep them from being further unified in their false beliefs. As the people moved into other lands, many of them took their pagan practices with them.

Contemporary traditions such as the Easter Bunny and the Easter egg can also be traced back to the practices established by Semiramis. Because of their prolific nature, rabbits have long been associated with fertility and its goddess, Ishtar. Ancient Babylonians believed in a fable about an egg that fell into the Euphrates River from heaven and from which Queen Astarte (another name for Ishtar or Semiramis) was "hatched."


THE WORD EASTER

Queen Astarte (another name for Ishtar)

maybe it shouldn't be called easter but the death and resurrection of Jesus day.

to me they can call it party for 3 days switching between march and april holiday

This isn't the point of the thread...

Why do non-Christians come to church on Christmas and Easter?

So far we've got 'tradition'. Any more?

Originally posted by finti
to me they can call it party for 3 days switching between march and april holiday

You should try being a little more tolerant of other beliefs and not have to preach to us every bloody post about how you aren't a believer in any sort of higher power. Isn't it tolerance the thing you have been telling religious people to practice?

And debbiejo; I don't think a paganistic spin on these holidays have anything to do with church attendance.

Yes Feceman, tradition would be one. Maybe it is because some people feel guilty that they haven't had much 'religion' in their lives so they figure they will honour the birth and death of Christ Jesus.

Christmas's is the biggest holiday of the year. a big money holiday, so always expect the churches to be filled and stuff like that.

Originally posted by Echuu


And debbiejo; I don't think a paganistic spin on these holidays have anything to do with church attendance.

Yes Feceman, tradition would be one. Maybe it is because some people feel guilty that they haven't had much 'religion' in their lives so they figure they will honour the birth and death of Christ Jesus.

That's because the vast majority of the church attendees don't know the facts behind Easter and Christmas. There is no record indicating when Jesus was born. As a matter of fact, we don't even know which *season* he was born in.

"Tradition" doesn't necessarily mean it's accurate and correct especially in this case. Far from it really.

By the way, "Jesus" is not even his real name. And the word "Christ" is derived from the Greek word "Christos" which is often used in Greek polythiestic mythology.

Originally posted by Echuu

And debbiejo; I don't think a paganistic spin on these holidays have anything to do with church attendance.

.


I was answering another's questions, but your right....People pack the churches on Christmas and Easter because of tradition and they want to honor God....They want to bring the feel and closeness of being with friends and family, dinners and gifts, and fun....They want it the way it used to be with all the good memories....Families seem to be able to get together around special holidays and these are the 2 biggest.....

Originally posted by CosmicSurfer
As a matter of fact, we don't even know which *season* he was born in.

"Tradition" doesn't necessarily mean it's accurate and correct especially in this case. Far from it really.

Yup

actually his name is Emanuel which is translated "god is with us."

Originally posted by cking
actually his name is Emanuel which is translated "god is with us."

I believe it's Yeshua Ben Nazareth.

oh but it is ok for you lot to preach about your bloody belief in a higher power in every bloody post??????have to balance out the christian preaching and their belief that they have the rigth to do stuff people of other beliefs doesnt, and I think Im a bit more tolerant to others beliefs than the christian lot are,,,,,,,,,,,,,,oh and you should train yourself in the skill of telling a mocking post from one of real seriousness. Hence the post of mine you quoted

Originally posted by finti
oh but it is ok for you lot to preach about your bloody belief in a higher power in every bloody post??????have to balance out the christian preaching and their belief that they have the rigth to do stuff people of other beliefs doesnt, and I think Im a bit more tolerant to others beliefs than the christian lot are,,,,,,,,,,,,,,oh and you should train yourself in the skill of telling a mocking post from one of real seriousness. Hence the post of mine you quoted

You are always bringing up the issue of whether or not God exists in threads that have nothing to do with it.
But regardless, I'll just shut up now. I've been in a pissy mood lately. Sorry.

Originally posted by CosmicSurfer
I believe it's Yeshua Ben Nazareth.


We get Jesus from the Greek Iesous which is translated in Hebrew as Joshua.


Joshua Ben Nun of the book Exodus shares the same name with Jesus.

Joshua Be Nun translates as Jesus Son of the Fish.

a fishy carpenter then

http://www.crystalinks.com/eye.html

Sacred symbols......the fish and Jesus.

Originally posted by finti
a fishy carpenter then

It's so "Crappy"....It's given me a "Haddock"....

i have heard that while jesus birthday is celebrated on december 25, he wasnt even born this day! so why go to church then?


and if easter is meant to be the day that he supposedly came back alive, why do we have easter on a different day each year? if he came back alive on say, the 6th of march, why dont we have easter every year on the same date, instead we have it in march, then the year after it is april, then march again...

Originally posted by Evanescence
i have heard that while jesus birthday is celebrated on december 25, he wasnt even born this day! so why go to church then?


and if easter is meant to be the day that he supposedly came back alive, why do we have easter on a different day each year? if he came back alive on say, the 6th of march, why dont we have easter every year on the same date, instead we have it in march, then the year after it is april, then march again...

For those of us that are well-informed, educated and bold about the truth on matters like this, I'd say don't make a big deal out of it. It's perfectly fine not attending either one since they're both nothing more than commercial holidays with hardly supporting any shred of evidence of anything to do with the true history of Jesus(Yeshua/Jesu -- his real name in his native Aramaic tongue).

aint it fun????? now lets have a 3 days drinking galore instead, feast with the beast

Originally posted by debbiejo
They are both based on pagan religious beliefs....Christmas is a Mithras birthday....sun god.....Easter was a fertility holiday , hence the bunnies and little chicks hatching........It merged with Christianity in the early 3rd century, I think........bringing in the pagans.......

NO, Christmas id the celebration of christs birth, and easter is the celebration of Christ's resurection.

agree

Originally posted by cking
agree

WRONG again....Christmas is the sun gods birthday, and easter is Astarte (fertility goddess) day....why do you thing it's associated with chicks and bunnies.

I celebrate the true christmas, not santa claus, or the easter bunny, but jesus himself.

Originally posted by cking
I celebrate the true christmas, not santa claus, or the easter bunny, but jesus himself.

You should celebrate goodness all the time...not on spiecial gift giving pagan days....though I do Loooove gifts...

There was a time when I really struggled about whether to celebrate these days.....but came to the conclusion....that fun is fun...I'll celebrate Mithra and Ishtar

History shows that the Roman State religion was one of sun-worship (Mithraism) at first, then Constantine enforced a blended form of Christianity and Mithraism on the empire. He out-lawed the true Sabbath, and enforced Sun-day worship under penalty of death. He established Catholicism (Latin meaning: Universalism) by setting the dates for observing the weekly "sabbath" as Sun-day, and Easter for the empire. (Easter was already one of several vital Pagan observances, originally "Ishtar", commemorating the impregnation of the Earth-Mother nine months prior to the winter solstice!).

Haven't you ever wondered why many days are celebrated around the Solstice....Winter-Jesus birth, spring-easter

Originally posted by JLRTENJAC
NO, Christmas id the celebration of christs birth, and easter is the celebration of Christ's resurection.

You're wrong.

No one knows when Jesus was born. The only thing remotely related to Jesus in Christmas comes from the gospels of Luke and Matthew. And neither don't know when he was born.

And you know the funny thing is, what debbiejo said was no big secret at all. And it isn't outlandish either. It's even stated in the encyclopedia about the history of Christmas. Go ahead, look it up.

Originally posted by FeceMan
Why do the twice-a-year attendees pick these two dates to go to church?

Easily the greatest (or one of the greatest) questions ever asked. I surmise that people do it for "religious reasons. Not because they love God. Religion is humanity's attempt to relate to God. But Jesus is God's attempt to have a relationship with us. Religion of not God's plan for us "relationship" with each of us is God's desire.

Originally posted by JesusIsAlive
Easily the greatest (or one of the greatest) questions ever asked. I surmise that people do it for "religious reasons. Not because they love God. Religion is humanity's attempt to relate to God. But Jesus is God's attempt to have a relationship with us. Religion of not God's plan for us "relationship" with each of us is God's desire.

Or maybe it is simply because there are far more lax, liberal Christians these days who feel attendance on the two most important dates on the "Christian" calender are all that is required?

Then there are less then once a year Christians - they only attend Churches for funerals, weddings and Christenings.

In recent years, even these services result in churches far from full.

Easter cause that Jebus dude was reborn...kinda like ...someone that was reborn I guess.....people dig Sci Fi stories....and well the Christmas thing..I don't know....people like Birthday parties?

Originally posted by FeceMan
Why do the twice-a-year attendees pick these two dates to go to church?

Easter caquse that Jebus

Back in the day, we always called those people "two-timers" because of the double meaning.

Silly, but amusing to me and my family for some reason.

Originally posted by FeceMan
Why do the twice-a-year attendees pick these two dates to go to church?

To make themselves look more religious.

Originally posted by Quiero Mota
To make themselves look more religious.

Originally posted by debbiejo
They are both based on pagan religious beliefs....Christmas is a Mithras birthday....sun god.....Easter was a fertility holiday , hence the bunnies and little chicks hatching........It merged with Christianity in the early 3rd century, I think........bringing in the pagans.......

That has NOTHING to do with the question.

Congratulations for making an amazingly annoying post and managing to make it completely irrelevant. Good job.

On to the topic!

I find that most of the twice-a-year people felt bad for not going to church all year, and they shouldn't miss the birth and reessurection of Christ, at the very least. It's also their chance to say the donated to charity, seeing as they don't donate anything the rest of the year.