From whence came “Easter?” The one-word answer is “heathenism.” But a better explanation for why the Institutional Church recognizes the life of a heathen goddess instead of the death of Jesus Christ is in order. Easter, as this series of postings will reveal, is Satan’s profane substitute for God’s Holy Day celebration (Passover). Let us now look into the world of religion to determine how and why the observance of “Easter” became one of the foundation stones of the global church.

Historical evidence reveals that Easter predates the time of Jesus’ walk on earth by hundreds of years in that such early empires as Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome annually paid homage to their respective goddess of fertility at or near the time of the vernal equinox. Geological and historical evidence reveals that Easter, along with many other church practices, customs and traditions were not found in the early church. Vines Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, 1985 edition, notes: “The term ‘Easter’ is not of Christian origin. It is another form of ‘Astarte,’ the Chaldean (Babylonian) goddess known as the ‘Queen of Heaven.’ The festival/feast of Pasch (Passover) held by Christians in post-apostolic times was a continuation of the Jewish feast. Having been convinced that the New Covenant Church was to void itself of all things “Jewish,” the church substituted the heathen holiday called Easter for Passover some 300 years after the establishment of God’s church. Easter was introduced to the Western version of the church in an attempt to adapt pagan festivals to Christianity.” Other noted historians agree with Vine’s findings.

Says the Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th edition: “A final settlement of the dispute over whether and when to observe Easter or Passover was one of several reasons why Constantine convened the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D. The decision of the council was unanimous: Easter was to be kept (instead of Passover), and was to be kept on Sunday, and that ‘… none should hereafter follow the blindness of the Jews.'” Constan- tine’s edict proved to be the turning point for the New Testament Church. A small number of believers chose to remain loyal to Jesus and His Words and soon became outcasts. The majority within professing Christendom continues to hold to the ritual of Easter, along with many other pagan practices, to this day.

In The Golden Bough, 1993, Sir James Frazer notes that the church has repeatedly and consistently tried to unite Christianity and heathenism (see the introduction to this website for examples). One example, he notes, is the celebration of Easter which equates the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ with the supposed death and resurrection of another “miraculously conceived” and “miraculously resurrected” god–Tammuz. In Ezekiel 8:14 God forbids the paying of homage to this false god. The Counterfeit Church unwittingly does exactly that. And when shown the error of her ways, she summarily dismisses God’s Words and  insists on following Satan. At this point we will consult both Biblical history and heathen mythology to determine how the festival of Easter originated and how it became an integral part of the Institutional Church’s theology.

To answer these questions we must examine three personalities: Nimrod, Semiramus and Tammuz. It begins with the death of Nimrod, a world leader of considerable stature (Gen. 10). Following his death his wife, Semiramus, found herself with child. Her explanation for the “immaculate conception” centered around the following scenario. According to her, Nimrod, upon his death, had ascended to the sun and became the sun god. Not wanting the people to be without a ruler, he impregnated Semiramus with his rays. Their son, Tammuz, was born on December 25 (along with several other “gods”) and was put forth as the divine son of the divine sun god. This made Semiramus, being Tammuz’s mother, equally divine, prompting her to assume the title of “Queen of Heaven.” Thus the “Mother and Child” theme was concocted. It is still revered within parts of the heathen world to this day.

As worship of Tammuz and Semiramus spread throughout the Middle East, including the territory of Biblical Israel, the pair came to be worshiped under several names: Baal and Astarte (Ashtoreth), Attis and Cybele, Adonis and Aphrodite. God condemns the recognition of such false deities in Judges 2:11-15;3:7,8;10:6,7/1 Kings 11:4-6,31,33;22:51-53. To be continued. L.J.