Easter: The Greatest Love Story Ever Told

[Phatscotty]

Many of us grew up celebrating Easter as the holiday where a cute little bunny rabbit brought chocolate and other delicious treats for everyone to eat. All we had to do was look diligently for the eggs hidden around the house and eventually it would lead us to the only thing we cared about: that giant basket of goodies.

Many are still celebrating Easter in a similar fashion. It’s become tradition – it’s just what we do. This year I have a radical suggestion: start a new tradition. Something that goes much, much deeper than a furry rabbit & candy.

Now don’t get me wrong – I’d be lying if I told you there was no chocolate involved in my Easter weekend. I’d also be lying if I told you there were no Peeps or other marshmallow-y related food products. Or jelly beans. Or Twizzlers. There’s nothing wrong with having a little egg hunt & candy at Easter – it’s fun. But there is something wrong when Easter becomes all about the bunnies and the eggs and the chocolate.

Easter is actually the greatest love story ever told – yet mankind has managed to water it down to an opportunity to devour a few extra M&M’s and are actually ‘offended’ when they hear it. How could that be? What’s offensive about this: The very first Easter weekend – three days that changed the world forever – took place over 2,000 years ago. Mankind was lost, floundering – headed for destruction. But because God so loved the world, He gave his one and only Son, so that whoever believes in him will never die & have eternal life. And like the good Shepherd, Jesus laid down His life for the flock – and suffered greatly in doing so. He didn’t have to – but He did. That is why we celebrate.

And that is why we need to start a new tradition this Easter – whether you’re Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Wiccan, still thinking about it (come on already!), etc – because the holiday has nothing to do with chocolate. It’s about showing love. Instead of just pounding some creme eggs & jelly beans – reach out to a friend or neighbor or total stranger. Get to know them – and look for ways you can help them. Donate your time. Donate some food. Whatever it is, just find a way to help someone in need.

America’s woes are easily solvable with that one, powerful, incredible word: love. That is why we are gathering this summer for Restoring Love – to remind people of our greater purpose and stir us to action. It’s also why I have great hope – because I know the American people & what we are capable of when we put our minds, and more importantly our hearts, to something.

I look forward to hearing about your new Easter tradition – one that I believe will save the country.

[luns101]

Thanks Scotty, I enjoyed reading that.

[Haggis_McMutton]

[army of nobunaga]

Mankind was lost, floundering – headed for destruction. But because God so loved the world, He gave his one and only Son, so that whoever believes in him will never die & have eternal life. And like the good Shepherd, Jesus laid down His life for the flock – and suffered greatly in doing so.

disagree.. Easter has occurred because of a wondering reverend that had a huge following was betrayed and killed. Christians then became the "cool" "hidden" cult. Some Roman leaders were converted. 300 years after his death the council of Naccine (sp) decided to make one book.

That book has lead to more deaths than all other books created combined... peace, love... tell that to the indigenous populations around the world historically as "civilized" "christians" systematically annihilated and subverted each culture.

Peace , love and chocolate... awesome for you, just do not expect the average intelligent person to buy into your crap.

[Phatscotty]

Mankind was lost, floundering – headed for destruction. But because God so loved the world, He gave his one and only Son, so that whoever believes in him will never die & have eternal life. And like the good Shepherd, Jesus laid down His life for the flock – and suffered greatly in doing so.

disagree.. Easter has occurred because of a wondering reverend that had a huge following was betrayed and killed. Christians then became the "cool" "hidden" cult. Some Roman leaders were converted. 300 years after his death the council of Naccine (sp) decided to make one book.

That book has lead to more deaths than all other books created combined... peace, love... tell that to the indigenous populations around the world historically as "civilized" "christians" systematically annihilated and subverted each culture.

Peace , love and chocolate... awesome for you, just do not expect the average intelligent person to buy into your crap.

or, maybe you can and will just ignore what you don't like, but decide that helping people is a good thing anyways?

[army of nobunaga]

Mankind was lost, floundering – headed for destruction. But because God so loved the world, He gave his one and only Son, so that whoever believes in him will never die & have eternal life. And like the good Shepherd, Jesus laid down His life for the flock – and suffered greatly in doing so.

disagree.. Easter has occurred because of a wondering reverend that had a huge following was betrayed and killed. Christians then became the "cool" "hidden" cult. Some Roman leaders were converted. 300 years after his death the council of Naccine (sp) decided to make one book.

That book has lead to more deaths than all other books created combined... peace, love... tell that to the indigenous populations around the world historically as "civilized" "christians" systematically annihilated and subverted each culture.

Peace , love and chocolate... awesome for you, just do not expect the average intelligent person to buy into your crap.

or, maybe you can and will just ignore what you don't like, but decide that helping people is a good thing anyways?

Helping people is a great thing... It was just the "Mankind was lost, floundering – headed for destruction. But because God so loved the world, He gave his one and only Son, so that whoever believes in him will never die & have eternal life. And like the good Shepherd, Jesus laid down His life for the flock – and suffered greatly in doing so." crock of crap I felt a need to comment on. Without Jesus we would probably have a colony on the moon and MArs today. The Catholic church set mankind back that many years.

[Phatscotty]

do you think there are some good things that The Church helped progress for mankind as well? Or can it only be looked at one way?

[saxitoxin]

Mankind was lost, floundering – headed for destruction. But because God so loved the world, He gave his one and only Son, so that whoever believes in him will never die & have eternal life. And like the good Shepherd, Jesus laid down His life for the flock – and suffered greatly in doing so.

disagree.. Easter has occurred because of a wondering reverend that had a huge following was betrayed and killed. Christians then became the "cool" "hidden" cult. Some Roman leaders were converted. 300 years after his death the council of Naccine (sp) decided to make one book.

That book has lead to more deaths than all other books created combined... peace, love... tell that to the indigenous populations around the world historically as "civilized" "christians" systematically annihilated and subverted each culture.

Peace , love and chocolate... awesome for you, just do not expect the average intelligent person to buy into your crap.

or, maybe you can and will just ignore what you don't like, but decide that helping people is a good thing anyways?

Helping people is a great thing... It was just the "Mankind was lost, floundering – headed for destruction. But because God so loved the world, He gave his one and only Son, so that whoever believes in him will never die & have eternal life. And like the good Shepherd, Jesus laid down His life for the flock – and suffered greatly in doing so." crock of crap I felt a need to comment on. Without Jesus we would probably have a colony on the moon and MArs today. The Catholic church set mankind back that many years.

"For all things that have causes, the Tathagatha has set forth the causes. He has also set forth the method of their cessation."

[Night Strike]

Helping people is a great thing... It was just the "Mankind was lost, floundering – headed for destruction. But because God so loved the world, He gave his one and only Son, so that whoever believes in him will never die & have eternal life. And like the good Shepherd, Jesus laid down His life for the flock – and suffered greatly in doing so." crock of crap I felt a need to comment on. Without Jesus we would probably have a colony on the moon and MArs today. The Catholic church set mankind back that many years.

And the myriad of problems with Catholicism is what led to Protestantism, which led to massive gains in both individual freedom and scientific discoveries throughout the Enlightenment period. It's sad that all non-Christians try to equate everything about Christians to Catholics when that is clearly not reality. There are a lot of problems with the Catholic church system, which is why Protestantism was founded as Martin Luther realized that people did not have to go through a hierarchy to be in communion with God.

[Haggis_McMutton]

[army of nobunaga]

Helping people is a great thing... It was just the "Mankind was lost, floundering – headed for destruction. But because God so loved the world, He gave his one and only Son, so that whoever believes in him will never die & have eternal life. And like the good Shepherd, Jesus laid down His life for the flock – and suffered greatly in doing so." crock of crap I felt a need to comment on. Without Jesus we would probably have a colony on the moon and MArs today. The Catholic church set mankind back that many years.

And the myriad of problems with Catholicism is what led to Protestantism, which led to massive gains in both individual freedom and scientific discoveries throughout the Enlightenment period. It's sad that all non-Christians try to equate everything about Christians to Catholics when that is clearly not reality. There are a lot of problems with the Catholic church system, which is why Protestantism was founded as Martin Luther realized that people did not have to go through a hierarchy to be in communion with God.

from 400ad to what 1500ad (martin luther and that stuff) and no I am not googling that is why my dates and spelling are off. so yeah nightstrike.. catholics rulled the world for 1100 of the last 1600 years... and geuss what--- what did we get from Jesus and his church from 400-1500ad? nadda... nothing. We got church rule and repression.

I am not going to debate this with you guys, nothing I have stated anywhere in this thread is really an opinion.. It is all fact.

I hope there is a Jesus in Heaven with your god for all of you when you die. I mean I really do. I hope you are all right.

I am just not spending my life living a faith based on words in a book that have been edited 10k times.

As far as easter, I think it is a great holiday and we should all get out and be happy and love what we have. And of course help people.


adios gang.

[john9blue]

Without Jesus we would probably have a colony on the moon and MArs today.

more likely, we would have either killed ourselves off already, or come so close to doing so that technology and education would be set back even further

[Army of GOD]

If we're talking about fictional love stories, personally I believe the love story between Paris and Helen was greater.

[saxitoxin]

If we're talking about fictional love stories, personally I believe the love story between Paris and Helen was greater.

they were a hot couple

[The Bison King]

Uhh... wasn't Easter originally a Pagan holiday?

Like for real, it was a holiday that celebrated fertility and the coming of Spring. Then the Christians chose it for the day Jesus rose from the dead and adopted a bunch of the meaningless rituals as a way of converting Pagan's without upsetting them.

I mean I don't want to be "that guy" but if we're going to bitch and moan about holidays being bastardized over time you might as well start at the real beginning.