Easter Sunday: Chocolate eggs and bunnies, jelly beans, an Easter Bunny delivering eggs from chickens, gifts nestled in plastic-grass baskets, hunts for eggs, Hallmark cards, a few pastel “Christmas lights” in town…oh, and celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. How did it come to this? Did the bunny roll away the stone and leave some Jelly Bellies in the tomb?
The answer is not as simple as one might hope. There are so many ideas about where this idea of a magical bunny that hops around leaving eggs in people’s homes that it will probably never be fully understood. The answer to the question of how it all came to be intertwined with the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus is equally as difficult to pin down, but not so difficult to understand.
When we consider every religious holiday or celebration, we find a secular element has been introduced. If a people are not involved in religious activities like attending church, they will find substitutes for those activities with which they are more comfortable. Instead of attending a Christmas cantata or midnight Christmas Eve service, they will decorate their homes, have their pictures taken with Santa, and give each other presents. Instead of attending a sunrise service, they will hunt for pretty eggs.
Commercialism has certainly added to the separation from religiously oriented themes. Companies can make a lot of money if their greeting cards, sweets and decorations appeal to the large number of people who do not celebrate the religious aspects of holidays once solely religious in nature. Did a huge number of people have a letter writing or phone campaign to coerce companies into making secular decorations, including orange “Christmas-like” lights for Halloween? No. Some marketing folks saw the interest in secularizing the holiday and persuaded the masses they needed these, and a great number of other things, to celebrate without having to even think about the religious significance of the day.
The public school system must bear some of the blame as well. Children used to get at least an objective presentation of the meaning behind religious holidays that are a part of our society and culture. Now they may not be presented with any indication that Christmas (a national holiday in this country) has anything at all to do with God. The schools are not totally at fault. Educational content is dictated by school boards that are ultimately controlled by the state and influenced by anti-religious bigots from around the country who pressure the few textbook publishers that exist, and by judges who think they have the right to make laws instead of interpreting them. Regardless, the result is an extreme lack of education concerning religion and religious history in this country.
What is the old saying about “when you point a finger at someone there are three more fingers pointing back at you”? How much of the blame for the secularization of religious holidays must we religious folks bear? Tomorrow I will attend a sunrise service, a church breakfast and two morning services. Then I will go home and hide eggs for my grandchildren to find. At least one church in town is sponsoring an Easter eggs hunt after their service. Are we encouraging the increased focus on secular aspects of a solely religious celebration? A more important question: Will my wife understand why I did not get her a chocolate bunny, a Hallmark card or See’s candy?
Very good points. I feel the same way at times. I came to the conclusion that as long as my kids know the real meaning of Easter (and Christmas), and understand they're not *entitled* to anything just because it's a holiday, we're good to go. I love experience fun holiday traditions with the kids, but I agree that it's important to be conscious of where the focus is during those times! How was your time with the grandkids?
ReplyDeleteYour wife does understand why I didn't get those things. :)
ReplyDelete