Actors Whip Easter Bunny at Church Show

[Shotgun 1]

Well, I couldn't decide if I should post this in here or in The Bonfire... I think it's sort of funny , but maybe some people won't(???), so I guess I'll post it here to be safe...

from http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040408/ap_on_re_us/whipped_easter_bunny......

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GLASSPORT, Pa. - First, the Passion of the Christ. Now, the torment of the Easter Bunny?



It may not have been as gruesome as Mel Gibson's movie, but many parents and children got upset when a church trying to teach about Jesus' crucifixion performed an Easter show with actors whipping the Easter bunny and breaking eggs.


People who attended Saturday's show at Glassport's memorial stadium quoted performers as saying, "There is no Easter bunny," and described the show as being a demonstration of how Jesus was crucified.


Melissa Salzmann, who brought her 4-year-old son J.T., said the program was inappropriate for young children. "He was crying and asking me why the bunny was being whipped," Salzmann said.


Patty Bickerton, the youth minister at Glassport Assembly of God, said the performance wasn't meant to be offensive. Bickerton portrayed the Easter rabbit and said she tried to act with a tone of irreverence.


"The program was for all ages, not just the kids. We wanted to convey that Easter is not just about the Easter bunny, it is about Jesus Christ," Bickerton said.


Performers broke eggs meant for an Easter egg hunt and also portrayed a drunken man and a self-mutilating woman, said Jennifer Norelli-Burke, another parent who saw the show in Glassport, a community about 10 miles southeast of Pittsburgh.


"It was very disturbing," Norelli-Burke said. "I could not believe what I saw. It wasn't anything I was expecting."

[quade 4]

So . . . I'm guessing these people don't know why it's called "Easter".

(hint . . . ain't got nothing to do with a crucifixion.)

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[nael 0]

When I read this headline I laughed. Then again, its not something that I take too seriously. Actually, I dont take much of anything too seriously. I can see why people might be upset though.

www.TerminalSports.com.auAustralia's largest skydive gear store

[wmw999 2,589]

I'm glad you posted this; gives me a chance to plug a really great website: Landover Baptist.

Check out some of the boxes:

"The Easter Bunny: A dangerous and deadly trick from Satan"
"Unsaved children nearly egged to death in annual Easter Bunny slaughter"

And, for the folks who don't understand humor in "Speaker's Corner," this is satire.

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[craichead 0]

So, if they had known why it's called Easter, it would've certainly added an interesting twist to the church show. The audience would probably be full of BDSM Furries...

_Pm

__
"Scared of love, love and aeroplanes...falling out, I said takes no brains." -- Andy Partridge (XTC)

[StevePhelps 0]

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I'm glad you posted this; gives me a chance to plug a really great website: Landover Baptist.

I had someone email me that website and say, "Can you believe these guys?" I looked at it for 2 seconds and said, "Pretty funny". But of course I like satire, and the marketing of Jesus and Christianity is well worthy of satire, even if only the "pagans" get it!

[pajarito 0]

It's hard to judge based on an article. You'd probably have to see it. However, it sounds more like a mockery of the real thing. Even if it wasn't meant that way. It certainly wouldn't be my idea of how to demonstrate the sacrifice of Jesus to a congregation. Sounds pretty silly and bizarre. Every group has their fruitcakes.

[Shotgun 1]

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So . . . I'm guessing these people don't know why it's called "Easter".

(hint . . . ain't got nothing to do with a crucifixion.)

Hmm, interesting... Well, I tried to quickly find out why it's called Easter, but of course on the web I find many conflicting opinions... though a lot of sites suggest it was originally a Pagan holiday, named after Eostre, the goddess of fertility (or some variation of that idea)... Is this what you are referring to, or do you know a different story?

I'm glad you pointed this out. I think this Easter I'll spend some more time reading up on the history of it. Maybe I'll enjoy it more knowing what it's really about.

[pajarito 0]

Not offering an opinion. I just found this and though interesting.

http://wilstar.com/holidays/easter.htm

[craichead 0]

This site has a particularly interesting history of Easter. I love this part:

Since eggs are also symbols of fertility and rebirth, eggs have always been an important feature of Springtime celebrations. The Orphic legend of the origin of the Universe has the Earth being hatched out of an enormous egg (the "cosmic egg"). In a broad range of ancient societies, from Egypt and Mesopotamia to the British Isles, brightly-decorated eggs were (and still are) presented as gifts and charms to bring fertility and sexual success each Spring.

This all comes together in our Easter customs in the pagan tradition of Oestre (Estre), the Goddess of Spring, etc. In that pagan story, there was a great bird who intensely desired to be a rabbit. The Goddess Oestre (Estre) graciously turned the bird into a rabbit, and in gratitude the rabbit (who could still remember how to lay bird eggs) came each Spring, during the Festival of Oestre (Estre), and laid beautiful eggs for the benevolent goddess. This is exactly how we got a supernaural, egg-laying rabbit god in our Easter tradition.

So THAT'S where Cadbury cream eggs come from!

_Pm

__
"Scared of love, love and aeroplanes...falling out, I said takes no brains." -- Andy Partridge (XTC)

[skydyvr 0]

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I'm glad you posted this; gives me a chance to plug a really great website: Landover Baptist.

The "What Would Jesus Do" thong even made a humorless old bastard like me break out laughing!

. . =(_8^(1)

[happythoughts 0]

Wait until you find out what the "Maypole dance" was all about... Another darned fertility rite. Didn't these people have other hobbies?

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Originally the Maypole represented a phallic symbol or a
Pagen symbol of Fertility celebrating sexuality and life to the 'Devil' or Devil which
was decorated mostly with flowers and wild garlands (still used by wiccans and witchcraft
today).

clicky

[craichead 0]

Oh yeah! I think AndyMan and I saw that on a History Channel program...there was a "History of Sex" marathon on for Valentine's Day. We didn't watch too much of it...we had better things to do.

_Pm

__
"Scared of love, love and aeroplanes...falling out, I said takes no brains." -- Andy Partridge (XTC)

[happythoughts 0]

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Oh yeah! I think AndyMan and I saw that on a History Channel program...there was a "History of Sex" marathon on for Valentine's Day. We didn't watch too much of it...we had better things to do.

_Pm

Yeah, the History channel always gets me stirred up too.

When I was younger, there was no history, just the Current Events channel.

[markd_nscr986 0]

Not trying to poke holes in anyones faith......but there was Celtic deity called Esus or Hesus that was widely worshipped in Gaul and Britain.He would "die" and then be "reborn" usually emerging from a cave at the base of an oak tree.When sacrifices were made to him it would involve hanging them in trees from the branches and ritually "wounding" them.Just some food for thought

Marc SCR 6046 SCS 3004

[craichead 0]

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Yeah, the History channel always gets me stirred up too.

LOL! Well, you know...I especially enjoy watching R. Lee Ermey on Mail Call. He's a hottie.

_Pm

__
"Scared of love, love and aeroplanes...falling out, I said takes no brains." -- Andy Partridge (XTC)

[craichead 0]

Lots of myths and stories like that, across cultures. That's the beauty of humanity...lots of differences, but so many of the stories we tell and create are the same. Look into "The Hero with a Thousand Faces" by Joseph Campbell. Kinda dry...but interesting stuff. "The Power of Myth" is a little more digestable.

_Pm

__
"Scared of love, love and aeroplanes...falling out, I said takes no brains." -- Andy Partridge (XTC)

[quade 4]

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Hmm, interesting... Well, I tried to quickly find out why it's called Easter, but of course on the web I find many conflicting opinions... though a lot of sites suggest it was originally a Pagan holiday, named after Eostre, the goddess of fertility (or some variation of that idea)... Is this what you are referring to, or do you know a different story?

Essentially correct.

She also had accompanying her, on her yearly spring-time visit, a rabbit (as in, they multiply like) and left eggs (as in yet another symbol of "let's get it on").

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[WrongWay 0]

THE EASTER BUNNY ISNT REAL?!?!?!?!?!!

*sniffle sniffle* WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Okay on a serious note......

Frankly I find this simply offensive, but it also proves my point (to an extent) about the way the Christian churches are going about everything wrong these days. All you hear about is "God is love" and then every time it comes time to prove their beliefs or teach them, they're either kicking and screaming to prove it or have to promote violence to children, in this case by whipping a poor defenseless little bunny. If I were a parent, I'd be absolutely irate.

Wrong Way
D #27371 Mal Manera Rodriguez Cajun Chicken Ø Hellfish #451
The wiser wolf prevails.

[skydyvr 0]

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Frankly I find this simply offensive, but it also proves my point (to an extent) about the way the Christian churches are going about everything wrong these days. All you hear about is "God is love" and then every time it comes time to prove their beliefs or teach them, they're either kicking and screaming to prove it or have to promote violence to children, in this case by whipping a poor defenseless little bunny. If I were a parent, I'd be absolutely irate.

The way you phrase things makes it seem as though you think this event is highly representative of the "Christian church" (whatever that is) overall, which would be incorrect.

. . =(_8^(1)

[Zenister 0]

[replyThis all comes together in our Easter customs in the pagan tradition of Oestre (Estre), the Goddess of Spring, etc. In that pagan story, there was a great bird who intensely desired to be a rabbit. The Goddess Oestre (Estre) graciously turned the bird into a rabbit, and in gratitude the rabbit (who could still remember how to lay bird eggs) came each Spring, during the Festival of Oestre (Estre), and laid beautiful eggs for the benevolent goddess. This is exactly how we got a supernaural, egg-laying rabbit god in our Easter tradition.

[flyangel2 2]

OMG. Wendy, please tell me that web site is a joke.

[ url "http://www.landoverbaptist.org/news0502/breastfeeding.html" ] Breast Feeding [/url]

May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds. - Edward Abbey