For approximately 50% of professing Christendom (Protestants) the celebration of Easter is a one day affair centered around the resurrection of Tammuz, the supposed miraculously-conceived son of Nimrod and his wife Semiramis, who was also his mother. According to religious legend, Tammuz had been killed by a wild boar at age 40. Following a one day and two night (“good” Friday to “resurrection” Sunday) stay in the tomb, he was miraculously resurrected and spirited off to the sun where he replaced his father (Nimrod) as the sun god. Tammuz reportedly returned to earth each December 25–his birthday–to leave gifts under trees his worshipers had erected in their homes. God warns His people against this abomination (“Christmas”) in Jeremiah 10:2-5.

Among the numerous sun-worshiping heathen (Heb.–goiim/Gentiles) the springtime celebration combined the resurrection of Tammuz and the exaltation of his mother/grandmother who was known throughout the heathen world by a variety of names. In the Western world she was called Easter whose symbols were chickens, eggs and rabbits. Hand-carved statues of her discovered by archeologists depict her as having numerous breasts, which would be appropriate for the goddess of fertility. In my youth–the 1940’s and 50’s–colored chicks and baby rabbits were part of the Easter celebration. Women spent the pre-Easter Saturday coloring eggs for “the hunt” that would take place following the “Easter Service.” Many cities held an “Easter Parade” to celebrate the occasion. Later, the parades were televised. On “Easter Sunday” females wore “Easter bonnets” and everyone dressed in his/her newly purchased “Easter clothes.” Equally popular were “Sunrise Services” in which congregants gathered outside, faced the rising sun and paid homage to Christ’s resurrection, or so we believed. Little did we know that, in the eyes of God and His Son, we were recognizing Tammuz and his adulterous mother/grandmother–the sun god and the queen of heaven on their day–“the venerable day of the sun”–Sunday.

For the other half of professing Christendom (Catholics) Easter Sunday is preceded by the Lenten Season. “Lenten” comes from the Old English word “lencten,” meaning “spring,” and is characterized by some degree of self-denial such as a partial “fast” that requires one to abstain from certain foods or drinks for a set period of time in honor of Tammuz. At one time “Lent” was observed for 40 days which related to the number of years Tammuz had lived and was accompanied by sadness and weeping in memory of his horrific death. Ezekiel saw women in the temple “weeping for Tammuz” (Eze. 8:14) and men bowing and worshiping toward the East (vs 16). Later this church custom would be referred to as a Sunrise Service. In the old days (1940’s) the truly religious ate pork on Easter Sunday, though we did not know why. Only later did I learn that eating pork on Easter symbolized the church’s dominance over the pig that killed Tammuz.

As stated in Antiquities of the Christian Church, Lent was not observed in the Institutional Church until the sixth century when religious leaders, in order to gain total control over the church, rejected the Scriptures as the church’s source of truth and her foundation of faith. The rejection of the Bible forced the church to provide other religious practices in order to maintain an appearance of religious legitimacy. This was accomplished by adopting the religious beliefs and practices of the thousands of heathen that the Roman Empire had forced to be “saved” and to “join the church” at the point of a sword. Many of these people were sun worshipers. Of all the heathen doctrines the church embraced, Easter, along with the celebration of the sun god’s birthday (Dec. 25) soon became the most popular. Easter caught on quickly largely due to the profits enjoyed by those who sold candy, chickens and rabbits. Statistics reveal that Easter is responsible for over 50% of the profits generated by the sale of candy during the year. Colliers Encyclopedia states that “though Lent is not of Apostolic origin, it has routinely been associated with the Pagan Easter celebration.” In Ecclesiastical History we find the following statement: “The feast of Easter came to be observed in each place according to the individual peculiarities of the people inasmuch as none of the apostles legislated (spoke or wrote) on the matter …. The observance (of Easter) originated … as a custom (of the people).” Neither God, nor Christ, nor the apostles ever mentioned Easter. One will note that the word as used in the King James Version of the Bible in Acts 12:4 is corrected to Pascha (Passover) in the side bar. The Catholic translators were determined to insert paganism into the Holy Scriptures whenever possible. Until Satan gained control of the church, Passover was observed in remembrance of Israel’s (man’s) leaving Egypt (sin) and the future shedding of the blood of “Shiloh” (Jesus Christ) for the sins of true God seekers. In the next posting I will explain exactly how Easter became one of the foundation stones upon which man has built his church. L.J.