Which holiday more important to Christians

[czygvtwkr]

As a Christian which holiday is more important Christmas or Easter?

Christmas gets the PR due to the secular greedfest associated with it, but is Easter the most important day to christians?

 

[camily]

As a Christian which holiday is more important Christmas or Easter?

Christmas gets the PR due to the secular greedfest associated with it, but is Easter the most important day to christians?

I say Easter. JMO.

 

[aps45819]

Which one of your kids is more important to you?

 

[Agee]

As a Christian which holiday is more important Christmas or Easter?

Christmas gets the PR due to the secular greedfest associated with it, but is Easter the most important day to christians?

Chicken or the Egg...


BTW, all Christian Holidays, hell any holiday, has become a "secular greedfest" !

JM2cents


~airout~

 

[Mikeinsmd]

National NASCAR Day!!

 

[ocean733]

Which one of your kids is more important to you?

Perfect response

 

[Club'nBabySeals]

As a Christian which holiday is more important Christmas or Easter?

Christmas gets the PR due to the secular greedfest associated with it, but is Easter the most important day to christians?

Historically and religiously speaking, the Lenten season leading up to and culminating with Easter is the most important Holy time for Christians; but in recent decades as Western religion fallen into the commerciality of a highly secularized lifestyle, Christmas has come to the forefront. Christmas represents the time of a miraculous birth--which is great and all--but the week of the Passion and Easter are so much more intrinsically important to the overall message of Christianity; that God sacrificed his only son to save humanity, and resurrected him three days later to ascend to Heaven and take his place in the eternal afterlife. These are core parts of Christian ideology, and infinitely more relevant to the religion than a virgin birth.....but when free toys from a jolly fat man aren't part of the equation, modern Christians don't want much to do with it.

I'm not sure whether it's got more to do with the fact that we now have to have a Hallmark entity (a-la Easter Bunny) to represent religious holidays and detract from the theological purpose, or the growing movement of Protestants toward a 'casual' edge where traditional observances go unrecognized.

If 85% of Americans identify themselves as Christians, I would wager at least half of those couldn't tell you the Biblical significance of Good Friday---while I'm certain every last one could point out a picture of Santa Claus.

 

[ocean733]

National NASCAR Day!!

You would!

 

[ocean733]

If 85% of Americans identify themselves as Christians, I would wager at least half of those couldn't tell you the Biblical significance of Good Friday---while I'm certain every last one could point out a picture of Santa Claus.

It's unfortunate, but true. I went to Catholic school from K-High School. When I was in the younger grades, all I knew was that I had off from school. For a lot of years, I thought I had off from school the day after Easter so that we could eat our candy.

 

[Mikeinsmd]

You would!

 

[czygvtwkr]

Historically and religiously speaking, the Lenten season leading up to and culminating with Easter is the most important Holy time for Christians; but in recent decades as Western religion fallen into the commerciality of a highly secularized lifestyle, Christmas has come to the forefront. Christmas represents the time of a miraculous birth--which is great and all--but the week of the Passion and Easter are so much more intrinsically important to the overall message of Christianity; that God sacrificed his only son to save humanity, and resurrected him three days later to ascend to Heaven and take his place in the eternal afterlife. These are core parts of Christian ideology, and infinitely more relevant to the religion than a virgin birth.....but when free toys from a jolly fat man aren't part of the equation, modern Christians don't want much to do with it.

I'm not sure whether it's got more to do with the fact that we now have to have a Hallmark entity (a-la Easter Bunny) to represent religious holidays and detract from the theological purpose, or the growing movement of Protestants toward a 'casual' edge where traditional observances go unrecognized.

If 85% of Americans identify themselves as Christians, I would wager at least half of those couldn't tell you the Biblical significance of Good Friday---while I'm certain every last one could point out a picture of Santa Claus.

This is exactly the reason I ask the question.

Wasn't Christmas actually first celebrated as a replacement of a Pagan holiday around the same time of year? And not celebrated for a few hundred years after the birth of Christ?

 

[Mikeinsmd]

It's unfortunate, but true. I went to Catholic school from K-High School. When I was in the younger grades, all I knew was that I had off from school. For a lot of years, I thought I had off from school the day after Easter so that we could eat our candy.

I was an alter boy.

 

[MMDad]

As a Christian which holiday is more important Christmas or Easter?

Christmas gets the PR due to the secular greedfest associated with it, but is Easter the most important day to christians?

I've read some of your previous posts. Why would you, a Scientologist, pretend to be a Christian?

 

[czygvtwkr]

I am not a scientologist

 

[Club'nBabySeals]

Wasn't Christmas actually first celebrated as a replacement of a Pagan holiday around the same time of year? And not celebrated for a few hundred years after the birth of Christ?

Not really a replacement so much as an inclusion. For all that the Romans are villified in modern canon, their policy with regard to conquered peoples involved integration of culture and beliefs--rarely were conquered people persecuted for such things. Having assimilated much of Northern Europe into the Empire by the time the growing cult of Christianity started gaining any real power in the Middle East, many Romans were already celebrating the traditional winter solstice and yule season. It stands to reason that most Christian converts had celebrated these holidays for most of their lives, and so it was a logical and convenient progression that an important time in Christian observance would fall during this time.

 

[MMDad]

I am not a scientologist

You spout whacko scientologist theory, yet you claim not to be one? Go back to your spaceship, freak.

 

[supersurfer]

Ahhh Easter.

Christians celebrate Jesus’ resurrection. It never occured to Christians that it’s scientifically impossible for a corpse to come back to life after it has been dead for more than 60 hours . How could billions of people possibly believe something that is clearly ludicrous?

The answer is the Bible. For Christians, The Bible offers absolute truth, and must not ever be questioned. The Bible is the crutch upon which Christians lean when they declare their belief in Noah’s Ark, Adam and Eve, creationism, miracles and all other such nonsense.

 

[czygvtwkr]

You spout whacko scientologist theory, yet you claim not to be one? Go back to your spaceship, freak.

Wacko theory that chemicals not normally in the body might be bad for you. Where do you get your views, Phillip Morris?

 

[2ndAmendment]

Ahhh Easter.

Christians celebrate Jesus’ resurrection. It never occured to Christians that it’s scientifically impossible for a corpse to come back to life after it has been dead for more than 60 hours . How could billions of people possibly believe something that is clearly ludicrous?

The answer is the Bible. For Christians, The Bible offers absolute truth, and must not ever be questioned. The Bible is the crutch upon which Christians lean when they declare their belief in Noah’s Ark, Adam and Eve, creationism, miracles and all other such nonsense.

Hi slotted. This was a question asked of Christians. You responded, why? But thanks. You have given me an opportunity to bring the account of the resurrection to the forefront.

Let's see, I am pretty sure I read that Marco Polo, an accepted historical figure, wrote of visiting the Ark as did one of the Caesars, Julius I think but I'm not sure.

And of course you are imposing man's puny knowledge and limits on the Creator of all energy and matter in the physical realm. That is what is ludicrous. Humans trying to impose their own limits on God, a being of pure spirit.

But I digress.

The resurrection of Jesus was witnessed by many of people. Thomas said he wouldn't believe until he put his fingers in the holes in Jesus' hand and his fist in Jesus' side, but when he was given the opportunity by Jesus, Thomas immediately recognized Jesus.

John 20:19-29

19So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, "Peace be with you."

20And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

21So Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you."

22And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.

23"If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained."

24But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.

25So the other disciples were saying to him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he said to them, "Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe."

26After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, "Peace be with you."

27Then He said to Thomas, "Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing."

28Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!"

29Jesus said to him, "Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed."

John 21:1-14

1After these things Jesus manifested Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and He manifested Himself in this way.

2Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together.

3Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We will also come with you." They went out and got into the boat; and that night they caught nothing.

4But when the day was now breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.

5So Jesus said to them, "Children, you do not have any fish, do you?" They answered Him, "No."

6And He said to them, "Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat and you will find a catch." So they cast, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish.

7Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord." So when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put his outer garment on (for he was stripped for work), and threw himself into the sea.

8But the other disciples came in the little boat, for they were not far from the land, but about one hundred yards away, dragging the net full of fish.

9So when they got out on the land, they saw a charcoal fire already laid and fish placed on it, and bread.

10Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish which you have now caught."

11Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not torn.
Jesus Provides
12Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." None of the disciples ventured to question Him, "Who are You?" knowing that it was the Lord.

13Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and the fish likewise.

14This is now the third time that Jesus was manifested to the disciples, after He was raised from the dead.

The remaining 11 disciples of Jesus made the choice to proclaim the Truth of the gospel rather than be quiet. They went all over testifying to the resurrection of Jesus even though they were under the threat of death. All they had to do was stop and everything would have been cool.

• Peter was crucified upside down because he thought he was not worthy to be crucified in the same fashion as Jesus.
• Andrew was crucified at Patras in Achaia.
• James, the brother of John, was beheaded.
• Philip was martyred in Turkey at Hieropolis.
• Bartholomew met his death by being flayed or skinned alive, and then beheaded.
• Matthew was possibly martyred in Ethiopia or Persia.
• Thomas was speared to death near Madras on the east coast of India.
• James the Less met martyrdom in Egypt.
• Jude and Simon the Zealot were in Persia and killed by either crucifixion or being hacked to death.
• The disciple John was boiled in oil and did not die. He was finally exiled to the island of Patmos between 95 and 97 AD. He was subsequently freed and died a natural death at Ephesus c AD100.

The disciples chose torture, exile, and death rather than deny Jesus and His resurrection from the dead. Heck, if Jesus had not risen from the dead, it would have been easy for Peter to deny Jesus; he had already done it three times. The disciples no longer feared death. They had seen the risen Jesus.

Jesus is alive. He loves all of man kind. All He asks is you believe in Him and follow Him in His ways.

 

[2ndAmendment]

Now to the question of the thread. The early Christians did not celebrate either one. I like them both.

I celebrate Christmas and Easter equally because God blessed all of man by choosing to be born for the sole purpose of dieing and being resurrected as the only sacrifice for our sins and the promise of eternal life.

Death, where is thy sting? Because Jesus lives so will I.