WHY DON'T YOU CELEBRATE EASTER?

 

Common misconceptions

Myth: The reason why Jehovah’s Witnesses do not celebrate Easter is that they are not Christians.

Fact: We believe Jesus Christ is our Savior, and we do our best to “follow his steps closely.”—1 Peter 2:21; Luke 2:11.

Myth: You do not believe that Jesus was raised from the dead.

Fact: We believe in Jesus’ resurrection; we recognize it as core to the Christian faith and highlight it in our preaching.—1 Corinthians 15:3, 4, 12-15.

Myth: You do not care that your children miss out on the joy of the Easter holiday.

Fact: We love our children—we expend ourselves in training them and helping them to be happy.—Titus 2:4.

Why don’t Jehovah’s Witnesses celebrate Easter?

·         The Easter holiday celebration is not based on the Bible.

·         Jesus commanded that we commemorate his death, not his resurrection. We observe this Memorial each year on the anniversary of his death according to the Bible’s lunar calendar.—Luke 22:19, 20.

·         We believe that the origins of Easter customs, which come from ancient fertility rites, make Easter unacceptable to God. God requires that we give him “exclusive devotion,” and he is offended by worship that includes practices that he does not approve of.—Exodus 20:5; 1 Kings 18:21.

We believe that our decision to abstain from celebrating Easter is based firmly on the Bible, which encourages the use of “practical wisdom and thinking ability” rather than simply following human traditions. (Proverbs 3:21; Matthew 15:3) While we share our beliefs about Easter with others when asked, we also respect each person’s right to decide what he will do.—1 Peter 3:15.

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EASTER

 —FERTILITY WORSHIP IN DISGUISE

 Promoted as a celebration of Christ’s resurrection, Easter is actually rooted in false religion. The name Easter itself has been linked to Eostre, or Ostara, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of the dawn and of spring. And how did eggs and rabbits come to be associated with Easter? Eggs “have been prominent as symbols of new life and resurrection,” says the Encyclopædia Britannica, while the hare and the rabbit have long served as symbols of fertility. Easter, therefore, is really a fertility rite thinly disguised as a celebration of Christ’s resurrection.

 Would Jehovah condone the use of a filthy fertility rite to commemorate his Son’s resurrection? Never! (2 Corinthians 6:17, 18) In fact, the Scriptures neither command nor authorize the commemorating of Jesus’ resurrection in the first place. To do so in the name of Easter, therefore, is to be doubly disloyal.

 

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