Do Christians Worship Ashtoreth?

Do We Worship Ashtoreth?

"As the church can't resist shaming ancient Israel for their idol worship, Christians have adopted the identical name used in the Bible for this pagan fertility goddess that God calls an abomination as the name for perhaps our most sacred holy day:  Easter.  Easter is the Anglo-Saxon name for Ishtar; Easter was the Anglo-Saxon fertility goddess.  This is why our modern Easter celebration is represented by rabbits and Easter eggs; a rabbit was often the symbol for the fertility goddess, and eggs, ova, were the symbols of fertility itself.  We should think long and hard about this and how many of our other traditions that we hold so dear and above reproach came about. "  (I pulled this straight from Tom Bradford's Torahclass.com Exodus 34)


I pulled this from Wikipedia:  "Easter is linked to the Jewish Passover by much of its symbolism, as well as by its position in the calendar. In many languages, the words for "Easter" and "Passover" are identical or very similar. Easter customs vary across the Christian world, and include sunrise services, exclaiming the Paschal greeting, clipping the church, and decorating Easter eggs, a symbol of the empty tomb. The Easter lily, a symbol of the resurrection, traditionally decorates the chancel area of churches on this day and for the rest of Eastertide. Additional customs that have become associated with Easter and are observed by both Christians and some non-Christians include egg hunting, the Easter Bunny, and Easter parades. There are also various traditional Easter foods that vary regionally.


The exact origins of this religious feast day’s name are unknown. Some sources claim the word Easter is derived from Eostre, a Teutonic goddess of spring and fertility who consorted with a Hare. Other accounts trace Easter to the Latin term hebdomada alba, or white week, an ancient reference to Easter week and the white clothing donned by people who were baptized during that time. Through a translation error, the term later appeared as esostarum in Old High German, which eventually became Easter in English. In Spanish, Easter is known as Pascua; in French, Paques. These words are derived from the Greek and Latin Pascha or Pasch, for Passover. Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection occurred after he went to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover (or Pesach in Hebrew), the Jewish festival commemorating the ancient Israelites’ exodus from slavery in Egypt. Pascha eventually came to mean Easter.  (History.com)

Whichever version you prefer, it appears that Easter began as a Pagan holiday, and was converted to something usable by Christians.  I have to wonder if we shouldn't go back and refer to the "holidays" by the names that God gave them, and celebrate them the way he tells us too.  This would be very confusing, as the name God gave them, refers to things that occurred to the Jews.  And would not include the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  So if we must call it something different, let's call it Resurrection Sunday, NOT Easter.