Easter: Is It Pagan? [Paperback]

Ralph E. Woodrow (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 15, 1996

Simply put, this book shows that: "Easter" is not the name of a pagan goddess; Constantine did not start Easter at the Nicene council; the 40 days of Lent did not start in Babylon; Christians who attend sunrise services are not worshipping Baal; eggs and rabbits are not vile, abominable objects! This study shows how many have been victims of misinformation.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Greetings. This is a very difficult letter for me to write. I received your flyer for "Christmas Reconsidered" a short time ago and I figured that it was an anomaly. However, with the reception of "Easter" I can see that I was wrong in thinking that way, and you are indeed back peddling as fast as you can. I have your book "Babylon Mystery Religion" on my shelf and I refer to it frequently. I have recommended it to others. It is based on the great Christian classic "The Two Babylons" by Brother Hislop. That book is a timeless work and it does not need to be reconsidered. If your work is wrong; Hislop's is wrong; and the next thing you will be saying is that the King James Bible is wrong!

Brother Ralph, you know that the Bible says to meddle not with them that are given to change (Prov. 24:21). Why can't you stand by what you wrote like Luther? You are not threatened with burning alive! I am not going to reconsider anything, and I think it is a shame what you are doing. You have gained the confidence of the Christian people by exposing Rome and now you are violating that confidence by your turning aside.

As I just said this is a very sad letter to write. To see a giant of the Faith turn back to the weak and beggarly elements. I will continue to pray for you, but I do not want to receive any more of such literature. My mind is made up. If you go forward and continue to expose Rome then I would be glad to hear from you, otherwise we must sadly terminate our correspondence." -- New York

"Thank you very much for the book "Easter, Is It Pagan?" It is so refreshing to find a balanced mind in this very unbalanced world! Thank you for also helping me to be balanced in my life as a Christian..." -- Colorado

"You have excelled above your previous writings with the book on Easter. It also was way past due as far as I'm concerned. You've been a channel for much 'relief' among those most zealous for God. Thanks for your continuing efforts." -- Michigan

Having come to understand all the legalism our church has been involved in for so many years, the information booklets I have received from you have really been a wonderful blessing. I just recently received your Easter book and just wanted to express my appreciation..." -- Alberta, Canada

From the Author

Growing up in church, I had known Easter as a victorious and joyous celebration of Christ's resurrection. More people attended church at this season than any other time of the year. It was while attending an Easter service that a man received Jesus Christ as his Savior, who later became my pastor. I had no reason to question there was anything wrong with Easter.

In time, however, I would read literature that targeted the observance of Easter as being "heathen idolatry," that it was "pagan to the core!" The very word "Easter," it was claimed, was the name of a pagan goddess! Easter was brought into the professing church by "Constantine" at the "Nicene Council"! A passage in Ezekiel was quoted to show that people who attend Easter sunrise services are worshipping the sun-god Baal! The 40 days of Lent, it was said, came right out of ancient Babylon! And Easter eggs and rabbits were abominable, vile, pagan, fertility symbols!

While never buying the whole package-I did not suppose Christians who celebrate Easter are worshipping Baal!-I did pass on some of the negatives in earlier editions of my book "Babylon Mystery Religion." In time I would be quoted in many booklets, tracts, and articles dealing with the subject of paganism in Christianity, some of which promoted radical viewpoints.

Unfortunately, the anti-Easter teaching sometimes breeds a contempt and hostility, not only against the celebration of Easter, but also against those who celebrate it. It tends to reinforce an attitude in some-"The churches are all wrong anyhow!"

Let me hasten to say, if a custom or belief is indeed pagan, of course we do not want it! But what I have come to understand is this: We must proceed with caution about identifying something as "pagan" merely because a similar practice existed at some other time and place. Sometimes the "proofs" of paganism only have the appearance of being so. Bits and pieces of information taken from mythology cannot substitute for actual history. Incomplete information can lead to false conclusions. A few pieces of a puzzle, even though valid pieces, do not show the whole picture.

Within the pages of the book, I will share with you my studies which have caused me to RECONSIDER the subject of Easter in a more positive light. I have tried to present this information in ways that are strong enough to make the point, yet want to assure the reader that nothing is intended in an unkind or unfriendly way. I have Christian friends on both sides of this issue, friends that I regard highly!

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Product Details

• Paperback: 57 pages
• Publisher: Ralph Woodrow (February 15, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0916938166
• ISBN-13: 978-0916938161
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 1.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,842,113 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Factual History?, March 11, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Easter: Is It Pagan? (Paperback)

While Mr. Woodrow demonstrates a great deal of enthusiasm for his work, he should increase his knowledge base to topics beyond the contents of the King James version of the Bible. First of all, the author touts Bede as the primary source connecting Eostre (an Anglo-Saxon Goddess) to the spring ritual of Easter. He then goes on to discredit Bede because Snorri Sturlson (from around 400 years later and in a completely different country) doesn't mention this in his overview of NORSE religion. This is problematic for Mr. Woodrow as he is so ill informed, that he conflates the Norse and Anglo-Saxon (Pagan) religions. Not only are these two systems separate, but Bede is the PRIMARY source for knowledge about the Anglo-Saxon language (also known as Old English)and peoples. Not only is Bede familiar with the meanings of Anglo-Saxon words, he was a Christian scholar who was familiar with contemporary church practice. When a source such as Bede states that Easter is a Pagan ritual it will take a solid scholarly argument to disprove it. Mr. Woodrow does not provide that argument. He conveniently omits the implications of Pope Gregory's (the Great) statement that, "they should let them drink milk before they have meat" in his policy toward conversion of Anglo-Saxon Pagan peoples to Christianity. It was Gregory's plan to allow non-Christian festivals to continue, but to alter them to provide more Christian content. This is not to say that Christians shouldn't particpate in Easter celebrations, even the Pagans were celebrating the resurrection of the land (Springtime). Afterall, each person will experience the holiday based on their own interpretation of the symbology. Unfortunately, all Mr. Woodrow wants to do is slander Pagan religions (claiming that they are SOOO evil) and that any of their symbols would, thus, be evil too. By slight of hand, he sanitizes the holiday, thus, making it safe for the unthinking masses. As he states on the back cover "Mythology is not a substitute for factual history", that goes for Christian mythology as well. If he would actually research his topics beyond the confines of his Bible, he might learn something about how facts are determined in historical scholarship. As for his unfounded remarks on the concepts of Pagan religions, apparently he missed the passage in the Bible that states "Thou shalt not bear false witness..." In short, it is an unscholarly work by a peddler of religious stereotypes; not worth the paper or ink it was printed with.

19 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars The Absolute WORST Book I have EVER Read, August 8, 2002

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Easter: Is It Pagan? (Paperback)

I picked up this book looking for a good Pagan read, since I've been trying to find anything on the subject for months. Anyone who wants an intelligent, fact-based, proven study of Pagan traditions versus Xtian ones, DO NOT GET THIS BOOK! I borrowed this book from a friend and I am exceptionally glad I didn't waste my or my parents' money trying to find it and buy it. This book, if it's possible, depicts Paganism in a more fluffy, Hollywood-like version than Silver RavenWolf herself.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Same spirit, different name, November 11, 2008

By 

SRL - See all my reviews

This review is from: Easter: Is It Pagan? (Paperback)

Don't buy this propaganda. Ishtar was a "pagan goddess" who, when she touched rabbits would lay eggs. One of the worship practices of this religion was to sacrifice children and paint eggs with their blood. The "early church" aka Jews and non-Jews who believed the Messiah had come celebrated the appointed times (Passover, Yom Kippur, etc.) The Catholic Church was birthed out of compromise, changing things to fit in and avoid persecution - such as changing the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday, since the pagans worshiped the sun on that day. "If the roots are holy, so are the branches." These roots are as unholy as they come.