Monday, March 26, 2007

Easter – Its origins and relationship to Pagans and Passover

I’m confused about Easter, how about you? There seems to be much scholarly discourse that links the Christian tradition of Easter to the Jewish tradition of Passover and to certain Pagan rituals and beliefs that came before them. There is even some dispute over the actual date of Christ’s death and resurrection, but the faith that each of us hold in our hearts cannot be in dispute. This I believe.

The name Easter may have first been associated with an ancient Goddess, The Venerable Bede, (672-735). She was the mother Goddess of the Saxon people in Northern Europe who was known as Eastra.

Many Pagan religions in the Mediterranean area had a major seasonal day of religious celebration following the Spring Equinox. Cybele, the Phrygian fertility goddess had a fictional consort named Attis who was believed to have been born in a virgin birth and to have died and been resurrected each year during the March 22 to March 25th period around 200 B.C. Wherever Christian worship of Jesus and Pagan worship of Attis were active in the same area at around the same time, Christians and Pagans used to quarrel about which of their gods was the true one.

Some religious historians believe that the death and resurrection legends were first associated with Attis many centuries before the birth of Christ. One theory is that they were simply grafted onto stories of Jesus’ in order to make Christian theology more acceptable to Pagans.

My own opinion is that we shouldn’t worry too much about what the experts say. I think its what you feel in your heart and soul that counts at this holy time of year. I think it’s your family traditions, your personal beliefs, and the religious rituals you have grown up with that really matter.

Easter has Judeo-Christian origins. The life of Jesus Christ as recorded in the gospels includes the Christian version of this theme. Good Friday is observed in remembrance of Jesus’ execution by an occupying Roman army, and his burial in a cave. Easter Sunday is the date when a group of his female followers first noticed that the tomb was empty, and concluded that he had been resurrected.
The timing of the Christian celebration of Easter is linked to the Jewish celebration of Passover. The name Passover was derived from the angel of death passing over homes of Jews, which were marked, with the blood of a lamb thus sparing the first born of such homes. Liberal Theologians link Passover to ancient pre-Israelite Pagan rituals practiced by wandering Semitic shepherds in celebration of an agricultural harvest using unleavened bread.

Passover was the most important feast of the Jewish calendar, celebrated around the 22nd of March. The Synoptic gospels of Mark, Mathew, and Luke stated that Jesus’ last supper was a Seder or Passover celebration.

Most Christians believe that Jesus Christ was executed and buried just before the beginning of Passover on Friday evening. A minority believes that the execution occurred on a Wednesday or Thursday. Some liberal Christians have suggested that the early Christian Church arbitrarily selected Passover as the time thus allowing them to link the most important religious days in Judaism and Christianity.

Whatever your personal beliefs are, whatever the actual dates are, don’t let the skeptics amongst us deter you from celebrating your religious beliefs and traditions. Don’t let those of little faith keep you from believing.

Easter is a Christian Festival, which celebrates Christ’s Resurrection. Today eggs are decorated and exchanged with friends and family to commemorate the unification of all God’s children. In ancient times eggs were exchanged to symbolize the continuance of life after death. Early Christianity is thought to have adopted the idea and incorporated it into their Easter celebration. Let the celebration continue.

Credits and References:
Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Author: B.A. Robinson
The Pagan Origins of Easter
The Christian Origins of Easter
Updated 2006 – Mar - 29


Arthur Levine is the author of the Search For God Stories and The Magic of Faith. To read some of the stories that will enable you to discover new evidence of God’s existence and how we got here for yourself, access http://www.faith123.com. To see more of his articles or to become a writer yourself, check out http://www.xomba.com/referral/77778458

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

Charge Into The Future – Work At Home

Search For God

What are you waiting for? You can do it. You can start a new career working from home even if you are in your fifties or sixties.

Isn’t it time you left the rat race you have spent the better part of your life working in and started your own business from home?

Aren’t you entitled to?

1. Have more leisure time?

2. Work at your own pace?

3. Decide what you want to do?

4. Be your own boss?

5. Earn a substantial income?

6. Use your knowledge and experience?

7. Have some fun?

8. Finally get the recognition you deserve?

9. Show your family and friends that you can do it?

10. Be successful again?

If you answered yes to most of these questions you are ready to begin a new future for yourself and your family.

You don’t have to be a slave to a nine to five job. As a member of the new middle aged group (People in their fifties and sixties) you are entitled to exercise your option to start a new online work at home career right now.

Even if you are not great on the computer there are ready-made programs out there that will give you a free Website and a wide choice of affiliate products to sell.

Maybe as you learn how to traverse the Internet you will develop your own information product to sell to others based on your knowledge and experience? The market for information products is huge and you can be part of it.

Maybe you will take advantage of a special interest or hobby to sell something like fishing lures or baseball memorabilia? There are a lot of baseball fans out there that would like to be collectors.

Whatever your special niche is, there is room on the Internet to find a market for your information and products, so start a new future today with a work at home opportunity. Don’t waste time. Your future is waiting.
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Arthur Levine is a freelance writer who concentrates on helping people in their fifties and sixties (Members of the New Middle Aged Group) find work at home opportunities. To find out more about special work at home opportunities please access http://www.youcan-workathome.com

Thursday, March 01, 2007

New Middle Aged Group Wants To Work From Home

Search For God

People in there fifties and sixties are giving up the corporate rat race to work at home. Many of them are opting to start their own work at home businesses.

A lot of senior executives looking for an alternative to what they consider to be early retirement are starting their own home businesses on the Internet.

Similarly, but for different reasons, many former so called blue collar workers are looking to start their own online businesses as a protection against downsizing, the export of their jobs to foreign markets, and layoffs enabled by productivity increases.

The question is, is their room for everyone on the Internet? The answer is it depends on how well an individual plans for their new business.

These are some of the questions an individual should ask themselves when considering creating an online business:

1. Do I have the temperament to be on my own working on my own schedule?
2. Am I willing to devote the time and effort necessary to start a new business?
3. Do I have sufficient capital to cover myself during the initial period?
4. Are my health insurance needs covered by insurance?
5. Can I learn what I have to about running a Web site?
6. Do I have a worthwhile product or service to offer?
7. How much competition will I face?
8. Can I find a niche market where I can prosper?
9. Will my family and friends be supportive of my new endeavor?
10. Do I have the will and faith in my own abilities to persevere?

If you can answer all these questions positively then you stand a good chance of being successful in your new enterprise, but be aware that there are risks involved

There are ways to minimize your risk. You do not have to be a Web Master, learn html or hire an expensive Web site developer to put up your Web site.

There are many programs out there offering free affiliate type Web sites. The better ones have almost everything you will need to get started programmed in, and will allow you to develop and customize content so that your new Web site will be uniquely yours. It will allow you to develop your own branded identity while minimizing your efforts at Web development leaving you free to develop your product or service while you are selling other people’s products as an affiliate.

Delivering information on the Internet to the public provides an ever-growing market. You can develop your own info product in the form of E services or information products based on your particular area of expertise, interest, and or ability.

Take some time and analyze what you have to offer. Do you know what you are good at? The world may be waiting to hear from you.
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Arthur Levine is the author of numerous articles showing people how they can become constructive members of the new middle-aged group (people in their fifties and sixties plus). To learn how to make a new beginning, work at home, and start over, access:
http://www.youcan-workathome.com