As a
conservative I am a big fan of capitalism and commercialism, but as a spiritual
person, I am troubled at our society’s view of certain holidays that are
celebrated in America that shouldn’t be commercialized. The collaboration of
capitalism in connection with the Christian faith really bothers me. The idea
that Christmas isn’t here until Santa Clause makes and appearance or that it’s
not Easter until the Easter Bunny shows up is truly disturbing.
One of the biggest issues with America’s
connection with the holidays is money. Christianity is supposed to be about
love, brotherhood and friendship, not about the depths of ones pockets. To some
it may be the way they choose to celebrate a few of the more popular holliday,
however, the reasons for the major holidays come from the Christian faith.
I am well aware that seasonal icons
like Santa Clause and the Easter Bunny, while may be an Americanize way of
celebrating, did not originate in America. Unfortunately, corporations have
chosen to embrace these characters and use them on the children to make their
parents buy more material items that they probably don’t need.
What does the Christian celebration
of Easter and the Easter Bunny have in common?
It has very little in common, indeed. Spring is supposed to be the
season of new life and a new beginning, hence the Easter egg. Spring is the
time when Jesus was resurrected from his tomb, and that’s about all the
connection is. According to discovery.com the bridge between the new life in
Christ and the hiding of eggs first made the appearance in 15th
century Germany, while the first documented account of an “Easter” bunny was in
the 1500s and brought to Pennsylvania in the 1700s. However you look at it,
there is no real connection between Easter as the retail stores like to see it
and Easter as it was intended to be. Unfortunately, I believe the celebration
of Easter today in the commercial since is what some want who may not be
Christian.
It seems that some people who may
not choose Christianity as a faith still want to reap the benefits of the
Christian holidays by not necessarily celebrating Easter or even Christmas, but
the icons that are associated with them. Not that this kind of celebration is a
bad thing, it just seems a little odd that these people want the benefits
without having the faith system.
Just in case you are not familiar with
the Christian story of Easter, it can be reference from Matthew 28:1-20; Mark
16:1-20; Luke 24:1-49; John 20:1-21:25 in the New Testament of the Bible. After Jesus was crucified his
body was placed in his own tomb. A large stone covered the entrance of the tomb
and was sealed. Soldiers guarded the tomb, but on the third day, a Sunday,
several women, including Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James and others
witnessed a violent earthquake as an angel from heaven rolled the sealed stone
from the entrance. The guards shook in fear as the angel, dressed in bright
white, sat upon the stone. The angel announced to the women that Jesus, who was
crucified, was no longer in the tomb, "He is risen, just as he said."
This is the traditional story according to christianity.about.com.
I understand that some people who
may not agree with the Biblical scriptures may still want their children to
know the joy of the holiday, but candy corporations are riding on the back of
the Easter Bunny all the way to the bank. We learn from www.infoplease.com/spot/eastercandy
that Easter is in second place for candy consumption and Americans have
consumed 7 billion pounds of candy in 2011, according to the National
Confectioner's Association. In 2012, Americans spent nearly $2.1 billion on
Easter candy. I’m not truly sure, but I don’t think Jesus would approve of the holiday
as is it celebrated today by many Americans. There is one good thing about the
Easter Bunny, it reminds us of the Easter season, and maybe why we celebrate.
Easter holiday traditionally has
brought the biggest boost in attendance for many U.S. churches and is arguably
the most important Christian holiday, as it marks the resurrection of Jesus
Christ three days after his death by crucifixion, as described in the New
Testament of the Bible according to www.christianpost.com.
I
know that not everyone believes as Christians do and probably don’t have a
problem with contributing to the American economy for the sake of a Christian
holiday, but do ask all non-believers to not make it difficult for those who do
believe. If you see a cross, crucifix, people dressed up as angels or in
Biblical garb, please don’t cause a still. Let Christians celebrate the holliday
their way, in peace. After all, to many Christians, the holliday only lasts a
short time, despite what the marketing executives at Wal-Mart and Target tell
you.
Please
be tolerant and respectful to Christians during this holy time of Easter when
we celebrate the rising from the dead and into Heaven of our savior, Jesus
Christ.
Dkhummel.com,
dkhummel.blogspot.com
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