Is the Easter Bunny a symbol of paganism?
With the upcoming celebration of Resurrection Day, Jonathan Cahn challenges us to rethink what we celebrate and why. He declares, “Messiah did not die in some mythological banquet hall of the gods or He didn’t rise up from a mythological earth. He died a real death on a real execution stake under a real Roman procurator and was buried in a real first century Judean tomb.”
The Resurrection of Jesus Christ, Cahn emphasizes, is not a myth or an abstract concept but a life-altering, historical reality. This Resurrection is what we should be focused on, not bunnies or Easter egg hunts. Yet, in our society, Easter has been desecrated by many, including last year’s celebration of Transgender Day of Visibility by the previous White House administration.
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“[Former] president Biden called for Americans to celebrate Transgender Visibility Day for Easter Sunday…It shows the contrast, the dark contrast of how far America has fallen,” Cahn says.
Further, Cahn urges us to reflect on the shift within culture from celebrating Passover to Easter. The transition from Passover to Easter, according to Cahn, marked a significant departure from the original biblical focus on Jesus’ death and Resurrection. What’s scary about this transition is how Easter is connected to some rather dark practices instead of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Cahn traces the origins of Easter back to “the goddess of springtime, goddess of fertility, goddess of rebirth” and explains how “Easter in the western calendar is determined by the spring equinox,” a time connected to the ancient fertility rites.
“Why would I want to call the Resurrection of the Lord by the name of a pagan goddess or a pagan practice or a pagan time?” Cahn asks.
He further compares the Easter bunny to the real focus of the Resurrection: “The Bible speaks of the lamb of God not the bunny of God. The first documented case of the Easter bunny comes from Germany in the 1500s…The lamb goes out, and in comes the bunny.”
He reminds Christians that the Resurrection is a “once in a lifetime, once in an eternity event” that “changes everything.” The Resurrection of Jesus is not a tradition or a ritual; it’s a real, life-changing event that calls for transformation. Cahn passionately urges: “He rose in real time in real space so you could do the same in real time in real space in your real life.”
On Resurrection Sunday, let us return to the truth of the Resurrection and honor its true significance.
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Abby Trivett is content development editor for Charisma Media.
