It's that time again

[litlover12]

Seems like I see some version of this conversation play out in social media every year:

Atheists: "Hey, you Christians! Your big holiday is named after a fertility goddess! And it has pagan traditions!"

Christians: "Um, yeah, we know."

The next year:

Atheists: "Hey, you Christians! Your big holiday is named after a fertility goddess! And it has pagan traditions!"

Christians: "Yep, we still know."

Some people have very short memories. 

Comments

[prester-scott.livejournal.com]

Actually, that's not even true. In most of the world it's called Pascha, after Hebrew "Pesach" a.k.a. Passover. It's only called "Easter" in English-speaking countries, because of an association with the Germanic goddess of spring and the dawn, Eostre, probably in the course of missionary activity.

If anything, it's an example of how Christianity totally defeated and plundered paganism.

[litlover12.livejournal.com]

Well, you know that, and I know that, but for some reason the atheists think it's this big conclusive argument against faith. :-)

[prester-scott.livejournal.com]

Then to those who can only function on that level, you can say, "Jesus beat your goddess so bad, he stole her name for his holy day."

[litlover12.livejournal.com]

Hee! I like that one!

[mosinging1986.livejournal.com]

That's how it needs to be done!

[arkadelos.livejournal.com]

as a native English-speaker and Christian who celebrates Passover... is it really still called Pesach/Passover in all the non-English Christian countries?

[prester-scott.livejournal.com]

Pascha (from the Greek) or variations thereof.

[mary-j-59.livejournal.com]

No, it's not. In German, it is "Ostern", which has the same derivation as Easter. I'm afraid I can't remember the French, but all the Germanic languages, including English, take the name of the feast from the pagan goddess.

As to to the other thing, I never saw it as a defeat of Paganism by Christianity, but rather (as Tolkien and Lewis would say), it's Christianity recognizing, transforming, and elevating the truths of Paganism - thus bringing them into a higher truth. I've most often heard this argument from modern Pagans, btw. It makes some sense coming from them, but it's a very odd and counterproductive argument for atheists to make.

[prester-scott.livejournal.com]

I see I was mistaken about the English thing.

The term that is often used is that Christianity has "baptized" pagan culture. However, it is not quite so gentle as all that. To baptize something doesn't merely mean to assimilate it; per St. Paul, it means to conquer, kill, resurrect, and repurpose it. The Church Fathers, who were the ones in close contact with pagans every day, had not a hint of universalism in their works concerning pagan gods or practices. And the pagans of the time were certainly not keen on the Christians fleshing out the higher truths in their religions or what have you.

[birdienl.livejournal.com]

It's called Pasen in Dutch (and Peaske in Frisian, just for the die-hard language nerds...)

[middlegirl.livejournal.com]

It's called Ostern in German, which, if I hazard a guess, is also connected with Eostre. :)

[mary-j-59.livejournal.com]

Okay - I stand corrected! Not all the Germanic languages, then. I'll have to ask my sister or our singing teacher what it is in Swedish. :) But it's certainly "Ostern" in German.

[mosinging1986.livejournal.com]

I vote for the Breitbart approach:

"So?"

After they stop sputtering, you can ask, "Even if this was true, what does it have to do with whether or not the resurrection of Christ occurred?"

At which point they will likely bursts into flame. Or, y'know scream and swear and then run off.

Good times for all!

[goldvermilion87.livejournal.com]

Dawn was a fertility goddess?

[goldvermilion87.livejournal.com]

Well, I've checked my facts, and you can tell the Atheists that it's hogwash. Easter is _NOT_ named after a fertility goddess. The name comes from "Dawn" in Greek. Obviously the bunnies and eggs come from somewhere, and there are plain old Spring-y aspects. But Ishtar has nothing to do with it.