Comments on: easter from different angles: 4 http://davidswanson.wordpress.com/2008/03/27/easter-from-different-angles-4/ david swanson's weblog Fri, 25 Jul 2008 02:04:57 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=MU By: Larry Eisner http://davidswanson.wordpress.com/2008/03/27/easter-from-different-angles-4/#comment-707 Larry Eisner Fri, 28 Mar 2008 08:56:57 +0000 http://davidswanson.wordpress.com/?p=682#comment-707 I believe (the details aren't set yet, so who knows) that I'm meeting with Thom tomorrow for afternoon tea... I'm stoked because of the great conversations we've already had through email! The dude is a great thinker, and has some really great ideas on so many topics... And I absolutely love his thoughts on Easter. I'm of the same mind in a lot of ways, although perhaps not as anti-holiday (although I totally know that's not his point)... But yeah... in terms of how Easter as a tradition is viewed by non-believers, I think can be outright detrimental to what we're trying to show the world... "Easter is a time where everyone dresses up in scratchy, uncomfortable clothes that look really nice and colorful, and go to church to show off" "Easter is all about Christ's resurrection...and don't forget to bring your kids to the annual church egg hunt!" "Easter is about joy in our salvation, so let's make sure we get to the service early, so we don't have to park far away." things like that I fear are what the world sees in our celebration, rather than the things we intend with it all... Not that any of it is bad in and of itself, but that it's so... well, traditionalized, that it's lost a lot of the social context and what used to be obvious in the intentions of it all is lost on many, if not most "outsiders". I believe (the details aren’t set yet, so who knows) that I’m meeting with Thom tomorrow for afternoon tea… I’m stoked because of the great conversations we’ve already had through email! The dude is a great thinker, and has some really great ideas on so many topics…

And I absolutely love his thoughts on Easter. I’m of the same mind in a lot of ways, although perhaps not as anti-holiday (although I totally know that’s not his point)… But yeah… in terms of how Easter as a tradition is viewed by non-believers, I think can be outright detrimental to what we’re trying to show the world…

“Easter is a time where everyone dresses up in scratchy, uncomfortable clothes that look really nice and colorful, and go to church to show off”

“Easter is all about Christ’s resurrection…and don’t forget to bring your kids to the annual church egg hunt!”

“Easter is about joy in our salvation, so let’s make sure we get to the service early, so we don’t have to park far away.”

things like that I fear are what the world sees in our celebration, rather than the things we intend with it all…

Not that any of it is bad in and of itself, but that it’s so… well, traditionalized, that it’s lost a lot of the social context and what used to be obvious in the intentions of it all is lost on many, if not most “outsiders”.

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