Is the Easter Bunny an Abomination Before the Lord?
Although Bible does mention the word “Easter,” nowhere in the holy text are there any Easter bonnets, Easter eggs and certainly no Easter bunny. Is there a danger in embracing pagan rituals in our celebration of Christ's resurrection?
In the Bible, the first Easter was a time of miracles and redemption. Jesus, who had offered the world forgiveness, peace and eternal life, had been publicly executed on Friday in a humiliating crucifixion between two thieves. But on Sunday morning, three days after His death, He rose again – to the consternation of His enemies, the astonishment of His followers and in fulfillment of His promises.
Thus, today Resurrection Sunday is the most important day on the Christian calendar.
But although Bible does mention the word “Easter,” nowhere in the holy text are there any Easter bonnets, Easter eggs and certainly no Easter bunny.
“Where then does the Easter bunny come from?” asks Allen Butler, writing for the Yahoo Contributor Network. “In the ancient world, the rabbit has long been a symbol of fertility. The rabbit is known for its reproductive prowess, in fact even today we talk of couples who have many children as ‘multiplying like rabbits.’
“Because it is known to reproduce often, it was seen has having special powers in assisting humans to reproduce. In fact, our own lucky rabbit's foot goes back to this ancient tradition.
“In Europe prior to the introduction of Christianity the ancient pagans already had their own springtime festivals, as did almost all other ancient peoples. Because spring is the time, after the harshness of winter that the world begins to bloom once more, it is seen as a time of replenishing and renewal, birth and rebirth, fertility.”
So, a good case can be made that the Easter bunny is not Christian at all.
“The Goddess of Fertility in Northern Europe before the coming of the Christians was Eostre,”notes Butler. “It is in fact from her that our own word for Easter comes. The consort of Eostre was none other than a hare, that great animal symbol of fertility. According to some traditions, Eostre cast the hare into the heavens, creating the constellation we know today as Lepus the Hare. Some stories also say that Eostre gave Lepus the ability to lay eggs once a year, eggs also being an ancient symbol of fertility.”
In terms of orthodox Christianity, the case for the Easter bunny is pretty suspect. Its origins are pagan. In fact, there are those conservative Christians who declare that the bunny is a Trojan horse – pretty on the outside, terrible on the inside, sneaking the enemy inside the city gates.
Bible teacher David C. Pack calls the Easter bunny an “abomination in the sight of the Lord.” That’s pretty strong language, usually reserved for the wicked who were drowned in Noah’s day, the hedonists consumed by divine brimstone at Sodom and Gomorrah or the screaming crowd that demanded Jesus be crucified.
“Surely there are numerous verses mentioning rabbits, eggs and egg hunts, baskets of candy, hot cross buns, Lent, Good Friday and sunrise services—not to mention Easter itself,” writes Pack.
“The Bible is the source for all things Christian. Does it mention Easter? Yes.”
He cites Acts 12. King Herod began to persecute the church, culminating in the brutal death of the apostle James. This pleased the enemies of Christianity so much that the apostle Peter was also taken prisoner by Herod. Verse 3 says, ‘Then were the days of unleavened bread.’”
That would be a reference to the traditional Jewish Passover ordained by God in Leviticus 23. “Now,” writes Pack, “read verse 4: ‘And when he [Herod] had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.’”
So, the culture of that day observed Easter? No, disputes Pack. “This passage is not talking about Easter. How do we know? The word translated Easter is the Greek word pascha (derived from the Hebrew word pesach; there is no original Greek word forPassover), and it has only one meaning. It always means Passover—it can never mean Easter!
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