Fri 14 Apr 2006
The Reverend’s Easter Message
Posted by anaglyph under Religion
[13] Comments
Once upon a time a very long time ago, there was a man who may or may not have been real, but who stood for good things and went through some hard times.
Over many years, the legend of this man has grown and grown until today when many millions of people are unable (or unwilling) to think rationally about what this man’s real place in history might have been, and if his philosophies and actions do indeed have any relevance to today’s world.
Much has been written about this man and indeed, many major motion pictures have been made about his story, some of them quite controversial indeed.
This weekend many people stop to reflect on the life of this man and his loyal followers, fugitives all, who fled the law of the day and lived in great risk in order to bring light into the lives of common people.
Yes, I am of course talking about Robin Hood.
Well, the chocolate bunnies and eggs WOULD MAKE A LOT MORE SENSE IF I WAS!
Now c’mon you Christians, explain the bunnies & eggs. Without recourse to pagan fertility symbolism. I dare you.
Out of curiosity I did a Google search for “chocolate crucifix” as research for this post, and found that, well, there just aren’t that many options. It seems that while Christians are quite willing to accept chocolate pagan symbols into their festival, Jesus and the crucifixion don’t make the grade. This seems extremely peculiar, given the level of other Christian tack available out there…
I googled for “chocolate jesus” instead
jedimacfan, thankyou with all my heart for Chocolate Jesus. I wasn’t even paying attention to Easter, but now I revel in the enjoyment those chocolate images have brought me.
Pil, I offer you my catch phrase:
“It’s okay, I’m with the government and I’m here to help”
Intrducin chocklit in cnnection wit th Body of Christ mite have th faithful goin back fer seckons at Cmmunion.
The Christian beliefs celebrated on/as Easter I understand, but bunnies and eggs…? You mean it’s *not* a Hallmark-devised placeholder between Valentine’s and Mother’s Day?
Damn. I was hoping to learn more about Robin Hood.
It would be cooler if Robin Hood brought eggs and candy instead of a rabbit.
Yes, well of course I did Google chocolate Jesus as well, but I emphasize my point – it’s not that there aren’t any hits, it’s that there aren’t many. And what offerings are there are pretty meagre.
You try searching on chocolate eggs or chocolate bunnies and do a comparison…
Anaglyph: You wouldn’t be so angry if you would just let Christ into your heart. A nice, big, chocolate Christ, that is…
This explains why, here in Italy, Disney’s “Robin Hood” was aired on Easter…
Coincidence? You be the judge…
Bam!
Bam?
I think your fuse is a little damp, Dr Knowitall, despite your help from Wikipedia.
While there is much speculation about exactly how eggs and bunnies got to be associated with the Christian festival of Easter, it seems like a coincidence of massive proportion that Christians didn’t do what they did with all other pagan festivals and simply assimilate them.
Eggs and rabbits as fertility symbols have been around a lot longer than Christianity. Easter is close to the beginning of Spring (in the Northern Hemisphere). It would have been a natural acquisition.
When I was a boy going to church in the little country town where I grew up, the priest used to hand out little chocolate eggs to everyone with the apothegm ‘Christ is risen’. I asked him about it, and he told me that the egg was a symbol of rebirth. This is of course nonsensical – there is no element of rebirth in an egg, just birth. It’s a fertility symbol, plain and simple.
My point is that symbols frequently transcend their anachronistic usage. The Wikipedia claim that eggs were forbidden at Lent, hence abundance afterward doesn’t explain why the symbol for Easter isn’t a loaf of bread, a fish or a glass of wine, all of which were eschewed at Lent and any of which would surely make a much more convincing Christian symbol…
Next you’ll be telling me that Christmas trees and ornaments aren’t pagan, and that Halloween has nothing to do with Samhain…