Customer Reviews

Easter: Is It Pagan?

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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.

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.

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.

Being willing to see if i missed anything with regards to Easter and Christmas, and the thought process of celebrating them or not, and seeing a few comments on the Internet about how "brave and bold" Mr. Woodrow was for turning his position around, i purchased several (5 or so) of his newest booklets. After reading through Brother (yes i said Brother) Woodrow's booklets of "Easter Is It Pagan" and "Christmas Reconsidered" i've reached the following conclusion. Brother Woodrow is using the famous "straw-man argument methodology" that writers, salesmen, speakers, and even magicians utilize. When i entitled this "slight of hand" i didn't mean that Mr. Woodrow was being purposefully deceptive, i meant he moves the reader from their grounded truth and the reader can end up worrying about the detailed scarecrow. You bring up something interesting, focus on it INSTEAD OF the plain truths, and eventually folks forget the plain truths they held dear. A straw-man (scarecrow) was put in the fields and gardens so those who came looking for food, became distracted by the straw-man and either left the area or concentrated on the straw-man. Hopefully, leaving garden and fields alone was the achievement. In addition to straw-man usage ALL throughout the booklets, Mr. Woodrow leaves out many things defined by dictionaries and encyclopedias CONVENIENTLY, and only posts the parts which support his opinion that Easter and Christmas are simply godly holidays. He often goes back-and-forth, sometimes saying "no pagan connection, no harm" and then "let's assume it COULD be pagan, what harm now??"

The God of Israel (and Jesus therefore) has made it clear, it's a "no-no" to mix OR REPLACE His Holidays (religious) with other's invented/created/inherited/derived holidays. Brother Woodrow is distracting from, or side-stepping, these issues. Brother Woodrow takes you through straw-men single-sided arguments such as word histories and even emotional stories of the celebrations of Christmas and Easter. Our God doesn't ignore mixing religious holidays (or any syncretism!!) of other nations/peoples with His Holidays, and He MOST DEFINITELY DOESN'T like you to use a secular-based holiday instead/over-top of His Appointed Times/Holidays (Holy Days). There is no way around this. God expects you to do the BEST YOU CAN with what you know (keep learning of HOW to pursue & please & obey Him & HIS CHOICES OF HOW we are to worship & love Him) in following His Instructions.

I wrote these (items below) down in both booklets, in case anybody ever picks them up and reads them, to help people QUIT LOOKING AT THE STRAW-MAN and instead keep reading/searching from a firm foundation of Biblical Truth and Patterns. Hopefully these help others if i post them here, to think thru things.

1. if a practice (pagan/non-pagan words or traditions) arises that replaces the LORD'S Appointed Times, Practices,Observances & Words (instead of, in lieu of, similar but separate from...), GOD forbids it!
2. if a term today comes from words that are NOT pagan in nature or ritual or origin, WHO CARES!
3. if a term today comes from words that ARE PAGAN in nature, & you are NOT practicing or doing them (any of their associated rituals), WHO CARES!
4. if a term today comes from words that ARE PAGAN and rituals or honor is somehow showed to it (extended from it, & whether in ignorance or intentional) and practiced, GOD CARES!!
5. Questionable origins can be debated (perhaps), but replacement holidays CANNOT. Association can be debated, & ignorance too, but NOT merging or replacing!
6. We are NOT to follow the FALLEN WAYS of the nations (around us).
7. We are not to knowingly speak the names of the "false gods" out of our mouths knowingly, or present before the God of Israel, in ANY honoring/worshipful/celebratory way.
8. Linguistics & superstition are NOT the focus, it's practice that has religious ties (PRACTICING IT/HONORING IT SOMEHOW) that's the focus and the issue at hand.
9. We are to be Holy people, and Holy simply means "set-apart," in word and in deed, the BEST WE CAN. We aren't to take in the habits of others with regards to religious holidays, and look similar to them while saying "praise God!"

Hope this helps you or others. Please do not waste your monies on these two booklets by Brother Woodrow about Easter and Christmas being "harmless" and "okay" and "Holy and acceptable to God." At the SAME TIME, please be gentle with the Brethren who don't have any CLUE about the origins and replacement days they are observing, you will only cause needless division if you bark at them. Lead by example, in ALL obedience to the God of Israel, don't hit others over the head with the Bible. The Holy Spirit is well equipped to do any convicting <smile>.

Finally, if you don't understand that Believers in Jesus the Nazarene (Yeshua HaNatzeret)were taught by the Master that they need to Have His testimony of being our Salvation (spiritually now, physically to come!) AS WELL AS THEY NEED TO obey His commandments (we need to obey the Torah/Instructions of the God of Israel), then you will struggle with the whole idea of following God's instructions in these areas. Some searching on the Internet for what it means to have the testimony of Jesus (Yeshua)and keeping the commandments of God, will help you out. Just use maturity, and avoid immaturity when doing so.

Grace and Peace to you in our Beloved Messiah,
Fredrick Murphy

First, let me say I am not a Roman Catholic or part of the "conspiracy". Jack Chick readers will be disappointed.

I became a Wiccan in my teens because of the things people like Hislop were writing! Eventually I learned the errors of these views...but not until many years later when I was in my 30's. I don't think people realize one iota how damaging and erroneous it is to paint the Roman Catholic Church as a Pagan religion. You can't seperate 1500 years of Christian history from Catholicism. It's like taking flour out of bread. The truth is many of the customs in Catholicism that overzealous Christians, Athiests and Neopagans try to lable as Pagan actually arose during the Christian era, and were not continuation of Pagan practices! You should also read Stations of the Sun by Professor Ronald Hutton.

Easter is NOT a Pagan religion! Easter is the time Christians remember the death of Christ because it happened near Passover...which happens in the spring...and Easter simply means "Spring". In the orthodox world, Easter is called "Pascha" which means "Passover". There was no Pagan goddess named Easter. St. Bede wrote a theory about a Pagan goddess named Easter...but he admitted it was just a theory. There is no evidence whatsoever a Pagan goddess named "Easter" ever existed!

Likewise Christmas (Christ Mass) is not a Pagan religion. The early Christians calcuated that the first Chanukka was celebrated on Dec. 25th by the Western Calendar. They were celebrating it as ealry as the 2nd Century, before Christianity was legalized in Rome.


I applaud Mr. Woodrow for writing this book. It took great courage to admit he was wrong. I hope will strive to make people aware of the truth.
The rest of the Christians who have adopted the Jack Chick/Hislop mindest (and even Chick celebrates Easter and Christmas!) need to realize this too.