Easter: Where Did We Get the Eggs and Bunnies?

Millions of Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ every year on a holiday known as "Easter". However, the roots of this "holiday" began several centuries before the birth of Christ.

In Genesis chapter 6 we read about God's initial plans to destroy the world with The Great Flood. Noah and his family were saved, and in Genesis 10 we read about Noah's grandson, Nimrod. Nimrod was a wicked man who built up several cities notorious for their abominations against God, namely, Nineveh, Asshur, Babel and Calah.

A tract produced by Last Trumpet Ministries entitled, "The Pagan Roots of Easter" states, in part:

"Nimrod became a god-man to the people and Semiramis(also known as Astarte), his wife and mother, became the powerful Queen of ancient Babylon. Nimrod was eventually killed by an enemy, and his body was cut in pieces and sent to various parts of his kingdom. Semiramis had all of the parts gathered, except for one part that could not be found. That missing part was his reproductive organ.

"Semiramis claimed that Nimrod could not come back to life without it and told the people of Babylon that Nimrod had ascended to the sun and was now to be called "Baal", the sun god. Semiramis was creating a mystery religion, and with the help of Satan, she set herself up as a goddess. Semiramis claimed that she was immaculately conceived. She taught that the moon was a goddess that went through a 28 day cycle and ovulated when full. She further claimed that she came down from the moon in a giant moon egg that fell into the Euphrates River. This was to have happened at the time of the first full moon after the spring equinox. Semiramis became known as "Ishtar" which is pronounced "Easter", and her moon egg became known as "Ishtar's" egg."

"Ishtar soon became pregnant and claimed that it was the rays of the sun-god Baal that caused her to conceive. The son that she brought forth was named Tammuz. Tammuz was noted to be especially fond of rabbits, and they became sacred in the ancient religion, because Tammuz was believed to be the son of the sun-god, Baal. Tammuz, like his supposed father, became a hunter. The day came when Tammuz was killed by a wild pig. Queen Ishtar told the people that Tammuz was now ascended to his father, Baal, and that the two of them would be with the worshipers in the sacred candle or lamp flame as Father, Son and Spirit.

"Ishtar, who was now worshiped as the "Mother of God and Queen of Heaven", continued to build her mystery religion. The queen told the worshipers that when Tammuz was killed by the wild pig, some of his blood fell on the stump of an evergreen tree, and the stump grew into a full new tree overnight. This made the evergreen tree sacred by the blood of Tammuz. She also proclaimed a forty day period of time of sorrow each year prior to the anniversary of the death of Tammuz. During this time, no meat was to be eaten. Worshipers were to meditate upon the sacred mysteries of Baal and Tammuz, and to make the sign of the "T" in front of their hearts as they worshiped. They also ate sacred cakes with the marking of a "T" or cross on the top. Every year, on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox, a celebration was made. It was Ishtar's Sunday and was celebrated with rabbits and eggs."

With this recounting of the history of Ishtar, we can clearly see the pagan symbols steeped into the "Christian" holiday of Easter. While I am a dedicated Christian who celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, I do not deny the satanic and cultic roots at the center of many Christian church observances. However, I do alter my personal practices so that I do not combine the pagan rituals of Ishtar with the Christian celebration of Christ's resurrection.

Why is the word "Easter" in the King James Version of the Bible? Again, I refer to the tract quoted above:

"Some have wondered why the word "Easter" is in the the King James Bible. It is because Acts, chapter 12, tells us that it was the evil King Herod, who was planning to celebrate Easter, and not the Christians. The true Passover and pagan Easter sometimes coincide, but in some years, they are a great distance apart."

Note that Christ's resurrection should rightfully be celebrated in accordance with the Jewish Passover each year.

Origin of symbols:

The Rabbit
What does the rabbit have to do with Jesus' resurrection? By understanding the pagan roots of Easter, we can easily see that the rabbit symbolizes the fertility of the pagan goddess, Astarte. There is absolutely no Biblical connection between rabbits and Jesus.

The Changing Date of Easter
If Easter was simply a celebration of Christ's resurrection, we would have a fixed day each year in which Christians celebrated. Instead, the date shifts every year to fall on the first Sunday after the full moon or vernal equinox. The connection between the moon and the fertility goddess is clear.

Eggs
The egg was a sacred symbol to the Babylonians. It is also a symbol of fertility, and reminiscent of how the giant egg who bore Semiramis supposedly came down from the moon.

Lent
Lent perfectly coincides with the forty day period proclaimed by Semiramis in which her followers were to abstain from meat.

Though Jesus Christ did indeed rise from the dead, and Christians should celebrate and magnify this fact, the heathen festival of "Ishtar" or Easter, must be considered a completely separate event. The symbols of eggs, rabbits and even the idea of Lent is completely steeped in paganism. Knowledgeable Christians should, instead, celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ in accordance with the Jewish passover and detach it from the influences of paganism. Christian observances of Christ's resurrection should be referred to biblically as "Resurrection Sunday" and not tied to "Easter".