Ester Is An Old Ladies Name

Look at the determination on that kids face. It says, "I'm a gonna git me some chocolate, MOMMY.

If peeps want to believe, symbolically, in a new beginning (resurrection), then I have no problem with that. New beginnings are OK by me and if a person needs to reinvent themselves, if peeps want to improve on their own particular human condition, if they are seeking to better themselves, I'm all for that. But, and there is a but...if you want to diss. all knowledge about how the physical world works, and your belief is the one true belief (and they all say that) and you are intolerant of other peeps beliefs (or lack of) then that is when I go all New Atheist on you. That is what the spring sphere controversy is. First, howz about some background info.

Even conservative religious scholars admit to the hijacking of resurrection myths predating Christianity; but it is the lay believers that stubbornly cling to the idea of  their "one true" philosophy. Dying and rising Gods (resurrection) were common back in the day and so was celebrating the Spring Equinox. Associated with Pagans, the spring harvest, the giving of thanks to the sun and the bounty (food) that it brings, and it's celebrations were common in many cultures over the world. It was not until later that Christians appeared then hijacked Spring Solstice and named it after an old lady, Easter.

I Goggled Rave Bunny and this fertility Goddess came up. Hello, my name is Kriss.

 The great mother Goddess of the Saxons, Eostre, represented fertility and so did Osture, Ostara, Eostre, Ausos and the coolest sounding one, Austron. The spring time is a new beginning. You are emerging from the depths of winter (symbolic death) and moving into the light (life) and the new season of bounty (food).


Gerald L. Berry, author of "Religions of the World," wrote:

"About 200 B.C. mystery cults began to appear in Rome just as they had earlier in Greece. Most notable was the Cybele cult centered on Vatican hill ...Associated with the Cybele cult was that of her lover, Attis (the older Tammuz, Osiris, Dionysus, or Orpheus under a new name). He was a god of ever-reviving vegetation. Born of a virgin, he died and was reborn annually. The festival began as a day of blood on Black Friday and culminated after three days in a day of rejoicing over the resurrection." ₃

Wherever Christian worship of Jesus and Pagan worship of Attis were active in the same geographical area in ancient times, Christians:

"... used to celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus on the same date; and pagans and Christians used to quarrel bitterly about which of their gods was the true prototype and which the imitation (Religious Tolerance Dot Org)."

Man, that Attis is the man with his veggie revival, virgin born-ing, resurrection and all (and he was such a "G" he hooked up with a straight up Goddess-even I can't do that). This is one example of Christian hijacking of previous myths: dying rising Gawds and resurrection. It is also an opportunity for lay believers to tell us that very irrational, childlike, unbelievable and unreasonable answer Satan did this to trick us/you/me (another one is dinosaur fossils planted by Satan to fool and trick us).

"Many religious historians and liberal theologians believe that the death and resurrection legends were first associated with Attis, many centuries before the birth of Jesus. They were simply grafted onto stories of Jesus' life in order to make Christian theology more acceptable to Pagans. Others suggest that many of the events in Jesus' life that were recorded in the gospels were lifted from the life of Krishna, the second person of the Hindu Trinity. Ancient Christians had an alternative explanation; they claimed that Satan had created counterfeit deities in advance of the coming of Christ in order to confuse humanity. ₄ Modern-day Christians generally regard the Attis legend as being a Pagan myth of little value with no connection to Jesus. They regard Jesus' death and resurrection account as being true, and unrelated to the earlier tradition (RTO)."

Really, I like going to Raves to dance. Really.

Sheez. if you are gonna borrow an already perfectly good myth from a religion and culture that predates yours...then at least admit to it. We see this every year with Christmas (Pagan origins) and the super awesome Atheist Blogosphere steps up to the debunking plate; Easter, not so much. Until now...

This reporter went all unbelief-y at the recent attempt in Seattle to be secular, politically correct and awesome. She then unloads a blast made of straw (logical fallacy) when she says, "If you don't want to participate in Easter, then don't." Ouch and wrong. She answered, or responded, a claim or question that was never stated, and she's wrong. We hear this same complaint during the xmas with the happy holiday controversy.



So some peeps in Seattle wanted to include everyone and attempted to change Easter Eggs to Spring Spheres, which if you ask me, is a pretty noble and OK attempt at change for the better. What the reporter wants us to believe, and believes herself, is that if you don't say what I say, or believe what I believe, then you don't want to "participate." We see this kind of thinking all the time. Happy Holidays (to me) is better than Merry Christmas because it includes everyone-holidays are for everyone and JC didn't invent holidays.

This thinking is not restricted to holidays. If you are anti war and love the troops so much that you just want them to come home soon and safe, then you don't love America. If you are on Team Atheist, then according to Bush Jr and Chuck Norris, you are not patriotic. You want to relieve peeps of suffering and believe that everyone should have health care, whether they can afford it or not, then you are socialist. If you believe that people should be allowed to migrate to this country, then you hate white people and want to destroy Caucasian culture. If you want to say Spring Sphere, which is harmless and includes everyone of all cultures and beliefs, then you don't want to "participate."

Christians didn't even invent Easter, eggs, spring solstice, celebrations or bunnies (I just threw that last one in there). They have hijacked spring and winter solstice, two events that belonged to lovers and observers of the original goddess-nature. I cringe when privileged believers are up in arms over something that they believe is their right and their tradition. When I see vids. like this one, I shake my head and then put my nose to the grindstone. There is much work still to do...so let's do it.

* This cannot be confirmed, but let's say I went, no not me a hypothetical me, to a three day music festival and in the wee hours (3-4am-ish which is always when the real party gets going), someone fo sho not me, acquires glo sticks, necklaces', grass skirts and the always awesome, bunny ears to wear. It's the uniform.

* The quotes were copy/pasted so the links (prob.) don't work. But if ya go to RTO then you can read it fer yer sef.

* Rave Bunny

* Origin of the word, Easter

* Attis, the original "G"