This Sunday, homes will once again be filled with Easter dresses, Easter baskets, painted eggs, stuffed chicks and bunnies, and candy as we celebrate "Ishtar". If you"re like me, you always wondered what any of this had to do with Jesus rising three days after His death. I learned recently that the answer really is "absolutely nothing."
Ishtar was a pagan goddess of fertility and "Ishtar" is where the word "Easter" originated. Makes sense now, huh - what could be more representative of fertility than eggs or rabbits? And what could be further away from the very foundation of Christianity?
I grew up celebrating Easter with eggs and candy and dresses and going to church, but I wasn't given the reasons why. I guess I never asked, but what child would question the motives of adults when there's candy involved?
My tip to you this Easter: find your spirituality and understand it. Seek your truth. It doesn't matter if it's Christianity or Judaism or Islam or Buddhism: Really learn the foundations of your beliefs and study them and understand them and believe in them and practice them.
And my most important tip to you: Teach all you know and all you have learned to your children. They may not be asking, but they want to know.
By Laura from Long Beach, CA
