Chili

His disciples were taken into the upper room where heaven is at. So don't feel sorry for his disciples either.

vanessas

Thanks gstafleu and everybody here;

Finally, I found people i can relate to ...
The Posts are clear and well-written and i love reading them.

Infidels :notworthy:

cajela

As a long time atheist in a mostly secular society I love Easter.

Two days off work, and lots of chocolate. Yay!!!! I'm told there is some traditional religious connection underlying it. A goddess Ishtar or something.

credoconsolans

Germanic goddess Ostara wasn't it? Saxons gave her name - as Eostre - to Easter. Yet another fertility goddess who gets it on this time of year. We should all be so lucky.

Random Evil Guy

i like easter. chilling, drinking, chocalate, skiing etc. can it get any better? who gives a shit about jesus mcboring...

SkepticBoyLee

So when Jesus rolls back the stone if he sees his own shadow we get 6 more weks of winter right?

Astreja

I have reason to suspect that Ishtar and Ostara are one and the same. (Along with Usha, Astarte, Ashtoreth and a few others.) AFAIK the goddess and her traditions first appeared somewhere between India and Mesopotamia. The trail subsequently wanders through the Mediterranean region and then up into central Europe, and finally goes cold somewhere in Scandinavia.

cajela

And there was some thing about her bloke dying and coming back to life again, yes? Like John Barleycorn? And he is beaten and killed, and we should eat his flesh and drink his blood...

There was three kings into the east,
Three kings both great and high,
And they hae sworn a solemn oath
John Barleycorn should die.

They took a plough and plough'd him down,
Put clods upon his head,
And they hae sworn a solemn oath
John Barleycorn was dead.

But the cheerful Spring came kindly on,
And show'rs began to fall;
John Barleycorn got up again,
And sore surpris'd them all.

The sultry suns of Summer came,
And he grew thick and strong,
His head weel arm'd wi' pointed spears,
That no one should him wrong.

The sober Autumn enter'd mild,
When he grew wan and pale;
His bending joints and drooping head
Show'd he began to fail.

His coulour sicken'd more and more,
He faded into age;
And then his enemies began
To show their deadly rage.

They've taen a weapon, long and sharp,
And cut him by the knee;
Then ty'd him fast upon a cart,
Like a rogue for forgerie.

They laid him down upon his back,
And cudgell'd him full sore;
They hung him up before the storm,
And turn'd him o'er and o'er.

They filled up a darksome pit
With water to the brim,
They heaved in John Barleycorn,
There let him sink or swim.

They laid him out upon the floor,
To work him farther woe,
And still, as signs of life appear'd,
They toss'd him to and fro.

They wasted, o'er a scorching flame,
The marrow of his bones;
But a Miller us'd him worst of all,
For he crush'd him between two stones.

And they hae taen his very heart's blood,
And drank it round and round;
And still the more and more they drank,
Their joy did more abound.

John Barleycorn was a hero bold,
Of noble enterprise,
For if you do but taste his blood,
'Twill make your courage rise.

'Twill make a man forget his woe;
'Twill heighten all his joy:
'Twill make the widow's heart to sing,
Tho' the tear were in her eye.

Then let us toast John Barleycorn,
Each man a glass in hand;
And may his great posterity
Ne'er fail in old Scotland!

Astreja

Yup, a standard fertility rite. And one that provides a nice tie-in with the slain mythological figures who predated Jesus... Osiris and Dionysus and Dumuzi, to name just three of the many.

And now ye've got me wantin' a bottle of a good single malt Scooooch.

cajela

Today I am drinking Guinness and Isle of Jura "Superstition". (Not in the same glass, that would be blasphemy.) And I intend to do this while listening to the "Jews Brothers". Cool band name or what? Kind of klezmer-folk-jazz. It's folk festival time here, so I'm in the mood.