Easter and atheist MIL?

[Anonymous]

We eat lamb on Easter.
Tell MIL she can have Valentine's Day oops does she know it was a saint and New Years and keep clear on Easter and Christmas. Thanksgiving is up for grabs.

[Anonymous]

Don’t give into her. She is awful. Go celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior and don’t let her mar your joy of the resurrection.

It’s your life, too. You deserve to be happy and to live your values and faith as well, not just as a mom and a wife and a daughter in law. (No one told me this and it took me awhile to learn it. Hope it’s earlier for you!)

[Anonymous]

What does she want to do for Easter? Many atheists celebrate by painting eggs and making certain meals, it's common in many countries as a cultural tradition. The ones who say it's a religious holiday -- it was a holiday long before, it's to celebrate spring equinox and rebirth. You know the eggs and rabbits? They stand for procreation. You'd have a hard time connecting an egg and a rabbit to a Christ Also Christmas was a holiday long before -- Yule, the winter equinox, nothing to do with "Christ". The first Yule tree celebrations were done by burning them down, as evergreens were the only trees green in the winter. Summer solstice is still celebrated in the north, the only holiday which the religious fanatics didn't manage to steal, because there's no summer solstice (when the sun never sets) in Rome or the Middle East.

[Anonymous]

Skimmed over the replies: there is lots of misinformation. Christian religion literally overtook non-religious traditions in order to force "celebrating" at time when it was already done by populations. Yes, Christmas, Easter, Day of the Dead all stand for winter solstice and spring/fall equinox respectively. All the symbols and activities you do on these days are so-called Pagan in nature, except praying in the church and the imaginary Santa. Presents, "Christmas" tree for Yule, eggs and rabbits for Easter and celebrating the dead for Halloween was there long before Christian religion came along. Also, summer solstice is celebrated by making a huge bonfire, and dancing and singing around it. None of it has to do with "religion" and I'm surprised the majority is unaware of this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Skimmed over the replies: there is lots of misinformation. Christian religion literally overtook non-religious traditions in order to force "celebrating" at time when it was already done by populations. Yes, Christmas, Easter, Day of the Dead all stand for winter solstice and spring/fall equinox respectively. All the symbols and activities you do on these days are so-called Pagan in nature, except praying in the church and the imaginary Santa. Presents, "Christmas" tree for Yule, eggs and rabbits for Easter and celebrating the dead for Halloween was there long before Christian religion came along. Also, summer solstice is celebrated by making a huge bonfire, and dancing and singing around it. None of it has to do with "religion" and I'm surprised the majority is unaware of this.

Yes, we all know this. But the holiday practices today are different than at the time of co-opting. If OP’s MIL wanted to do some pagan ritual or focus the Easter celebration solely on the equinox in some way, she could try to make that argument. She’d still lose, of course. OP gets to decide.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Skimmed over the replies: there is lots of misinformation. Christian religion literally overtook non-religious traditions in order to force "celebrating" at time when it was already done by populations. Yes, Christmas, Easter, Day of the Dead all stand for winter solstice and spring/fall equinox respectively. All the symbols and activities you do on these days are so-called Pagan in nature, except praying in the church and the imaginary Santa. Presents, "Christmas" tree for Yule, eggs and rabbits for Easter and celebrating the dead for Halloween was there long before Christian religion came along. Also, summer solstice is celebrated by making a huge bonfire, and dancing and singing around it. None of it has to do with "religion" and I'm surprised the majority is unaware of this.

Everyone is aware of these connections. It doesn’t change the fact that the Christian calendar celebrates Easter on this date and it’s a religious holiday. It’s the holiest day on the Christian calendar. It’s fine if you’re not Christian but don’t tell us our beliefs are unimportant because the exact date was chosen over a thousand years ago to coincide with other traditions that were already celebrated. It’s so rude.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What does she want to do for Easter? Many atheists celebrate by painting eggs and making certain meals, it's common in many countries as a cultural tradition. The ones who say it's a religious holiday -- it was a holiday long before, it's to celebrate spring equinox and rebirth. You know the eggs and rabbits? They stand for procreation. You'd have a hard time connecting an egg and a rabbit to a Christ Also Christmas was a holiday long before -- Yule, the winter equinox, nothing to do with "Christ". The first Yule tree celebrations were done by burning them down, as evergreens were the only trees green in the winter. Summer solstice is still celebrated in the north, the only holiday which the religious fanatics didn't manage to steal, because there's no summer solstice (when the sun never sets) in Rome or the Middle East.

OP already answered this. Her MiL wants to give an Easter basket. Which is sweet. OP invited her along for the entire day it sounds like but MIL wanted to celebrate it differently- purely secular. And OPs family celebrates it in accordance with the Bible. You’re not going to just skip church services on the most important religious holiday of the year to celebrate the secular side of the holiday with someone who doesn’t believe in Jesus. That’s ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Skimmed over the replies: there is lots of misinformation. Christian religion literally overtook non-religious traditions in order to force "celebrating" at time when it was already done by populations. Yes, Christmas, Easter, Day of the Dead all stand for winter solstice and spring/fall equinox respectively. All the symbols and activities you do on these days are so-called Pagan in nature, except praying in the church and the imaginary Santa. Presents, "Christmas" tree for Yule, eggs and rabbits for Easter and celebrating the dead for Halloween was there long before Christian religion came along. Also, summer solstice is celebrated by making a huge bonfire, and dancing and singing around it. None of it has to do with "religion" and I'm surprised the majority is unaware of this.

Yes, we all know this. But the holiday practices today are different than at the time of co-opting. If OP’s MIL wanted to do some pagan ritual or focus the Easter celebration solely on the equinox in some way, she could try to make that argument. She’d still lose, of course. OP gets to decide.

The holiday practices are NOT different. Egg hunt and having a large family meal and some games are all traditionally done. We don't consider it a pagan ritual, seems like you consider it a Christian ritual, it's just part of ancient traditions. You make it sound like people never celebrated anything before Christianity came along. It's the contrary. I could tell you to make your own traditions instead of stealing what was there. You've done a cultural appropriation and now pretend it's yours. That said, if MIL doesn't want to attend church, that's understandable, but she can easily join afterwards as someone who is not Christian.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What does she want to do for Easter? Many atheists celebrate by painting eggs and making certain meals, it's common in many countries as a cultural tradition. The ones who say it's a religious holiday -- it was a holiday long before, it's to celebrate spring equinox and rebirth. You know the eggs and rabbits? They stand for procreation. You'd have a hard time connecting an egg and a rabbit to a Christ Also Christmas was a holiday long before -- Yule, the winter equinox, nothing to do with "Christ". The first Yule tree celebrations were done by burning them down, as evergreens were the only trees green in the winter. Summer solstice is still celebrated in the north, the only holiday which the religious fanatics didn't manage to steal, because there's no summer solstice (when the sun never sets) in Rome or the Middle East.

OP already answered this. Her MiL wants to give an Easter basket. Which is sweet. OP invited her along for the entire day it sounds like but MIL wanted to celebrate it differently- purely secular. And OPs family celebrates it in accordance with the Bible. You’re not going to just skip church services on the most important religious holiday of the year to celebrate the secular side of the holiday with someone who doesn’t believe in Jesus. That’s ridiculous.

Attending church services is literally the shortest part of your Easter celebrations, what, a whole 30 minutes?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Skimmed over the replies: there is lots of misinformation. Christian religion literally overtook non-religious traditions in order to force "celebrating" at time when it was already done by populations. Yes, Christmas, Easter, Day of the Dead all stand for winter solstice and spring/fall equinox respectively. All the symbols and activities you do on these days are so-called Pagan in nature, except praying in the church and the imaginary Santa. Presents, "Christmas" tree for Yule, eggs and rabbits for Easter and celebrating the dead for Halloween was there long before Christian religion came along. Also, summer solstice is celebrated by making a huge bonfire, and dancing and singing around it. None of it has to do with "religion" and I'm surprised the majority is unaware of this.

Yes, we all know this. But the holiday practices today are different than at the time of co-opting. If OP’s MIL wanted to do some pagan ritual or focus the Easter celebration solely on the equinox in some way, she could try to make that argument. She’d still lose, of course. OP gets to decide.

The holiday practices are NOT different. Egg hunt and having a large family meal and some games are all traditionally done. We don't consider it a pagan ritual, seems like you consider it a Christian ritual, it's just part of ancient traditions. You make it sound like people never celebrated anything before Christianity came along. It's the contrary. I could tell you to make your own traditions instead of stealing what was there. You've done a cultural appropriation and now pretend it's yours. That said, if MIL doesn't want to attend church, that's understandable, but she can easily join afterwards as someone who is not Christian.

And she is invited to do that but doesn’t want to. Also- a note- it is really disrespectful to talk about Christianity in the way you’re doing it. I understand you think the whole thing is fake. That’s fine. I think the entire Hindu religion is fake. It doesn’t mean I’m going to constantly tell Hindus that their gods are made up and based on other things from the past. All religions have roots in non religious things. So respectfully, please stop telling us Easter is fake ON EASTER.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What does she want to do for Easter? Many atheists celebrate by painting eggs and making certain meals, it's common in many countries as a cultural tradition. The ones who say it's a religious holiday -- it was a holiday long before, it's to celebrate spring equinox and rebirth. You know the eggs and rabbits? They stand for procreation. You'd have a hard time connecting an egg and a rabbit to a Christ Also Christmas was a holiday long before -- Yule, the winter equinox, nothing to do with "Christ". The first Yule tree celebrations were done by burning them down, as evergreens were the only trees green in the winter. Summer solstice is still celebrated in the north, the only holiday which the religious fanatics didn't manage to steal, because there's no summer solstice (when the sun never sets) in Rome or the Middle East.

OP already answered this. Her MiL wants to give an Easter basket. Which is sweet. OP invited her along for the entire day it sounds like but MIL wanted to celebrate it differently- purely secular. And OPs family celebrates it in accordance with the Bible. You’re not going to just skip church services on the most important religious holiday of the year to celebrate the secular side of the holiday with someone who doesn’t believe in Jesus. That’s ridiculous.

Attending church services is literally the shortest part of your Easter celebrations, what, a whole 30 minutes?

Please stop being so disrespectful

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand. Easter isn't a holiday to her so it's nothing to give.

If you were Jewish and celebrating for Passover or Muslim and celebrating Eid no one in their right mind would ask you to give it up for a secular good old time with them. Explain that this is your tradition for your holiday and again, she is welcome, but you will have to get together another time. Re-invite her, if she says no propose a new time, and be done with it. Your DH should be handling this.

Easter is a holiday for anyone. Everyone can hunt for eggs, eat chocolate bunnies, and have ham and deviled eggs.

This is a power play and the MIL wants to manipulate and control.

Easter is a holiday for anyone the way Passover and Eid are. Which is to say, not really at all, because it’s specific to a certain religion.

Not true. Lots of people celebrate a totally secular Easter. It's fine. This is really a DH problem, he needs to explain to his mother that this is a religious holiday for his family, that she is welcome to join as long as she is respectful, and there will not be trading off.

I don’t know a lot of Jews or Muslims who celebrate Easter in any form. Stop trying to make Christian holidays “for everyone.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Skimmed over the replies: there is lots of misinformation. Christian religion literally overtook non-religious traditions in order to force "celebrating" at time when it was already done by populations. Yes, Christmas, Easter, Day of the Dead all stand for winter solstice and spring/fall equinox respectively. All the symbols and activities you do on these days are so-called Pagan in nature, except praying in the church and the imaginary Santa. Presents, "Christmas" tree for Yule, eggs and rabbits for Easter and celebrating the dead for Halloween was there long before Christian religion came along. Also, summer solstice is celebrated by making a huge bonfire, and dancing and singing around it. None of it has to do with "religion" and I'm surprised the majority is unaware of this.

Yes, we all know this. But the holiday practices today are different than at the time of co-opting. If OP’s MIL wanted to do some pagan ritual or focus the Easter celebration solely on the equinox in some way, she could try to make that argument. She’d still lose, of course. OP gets to decide.

The holiday practices are NOT different. Egg hunt and having a large family meal and some games are all traditionally done. We don't consider it a pagan ritual, seems like you consider it a Christian ritual, it's just part of ancient traditions. You make it sound like people never celebrated anything before Christianity came along. It's the contrary. I could tell you to make your own traditions instead of stealing what was there. You've done a cultural appropriation and now pretend it's yours. That said, if MIL doesn't want to attend church, that's understandable, but she can easily join afterwards as someone who is not Christian.

And she is invited to do that but doesn’t want to. Also- a note- it is really disrespectful to talk about Christianity in the way you’re doing it. I understand you think the whole thing is fake. That’s fine. I think the entire Hindu religion is fake. It doesn’t mean I’m going to constantly tell Hindus that their gods are made up and based on other things from the past. All religions have roots in non religious things. So respectfully, please stop telling us Easter is fake ON EASTER.

You're being disrespectful. You stole pagan traditions and claim them as your own. Mind you, we don't care if you use our traditions, but I do mind if you get all uppity about it. You know that pagan means the devil, right? Not only did you steal ancient traditions, you also demonized the people whose traditions you took. Which is why you also disfigured old Roman statues. You know all these beautiful statues without noses from Roman times or otherwise disfigured? And I'm being disrespectful? The audacity! You keep it quiet. Easter is NOT your holiday. It's a holiday to celebrate spring, rebirth and fertility.

[Anonymous]

You and the woman bitter about her atheist MIL skipping the baptism need to swap MILs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Skimmed over the replies: there is lots of misinformation. Christian religion literally overtook non-religious traditions in order to force "celebrating" at time when it was already done by populations. Yes, Christmas, Easter, Day of the Dead all stand for winter solstice and spring/fall equinox respectively. All the symbols and activities you do on these days are so-called Pagan in nature, except praying in the church and the imaginary Santa. Presents, "Christmas" tree for Yule, eggs and rabbits for Easter and celebrating the dead for Halloween was there long before Christian religion came along. Also, summer solstice is celebrated by making a huge bonfire, and dancing and singing around it. None of it has to do with "religion" and I'm surprised the majority is unaware of this.

Yes, we all know this. But the holiday practices today are different than at the time of co-opting. If OP’s MIL wanted to do some pagan ritual or focus the Easter celebration solely on the equinox in some way, she could try to make that argument. She’d still lose, of course. OP gets to decide.

The holiday practices are NOT different. Egg hunt and having a large family meal and some games are all traditionally done. We don't consider it a pagan ritual, seems like you consider it a Christian ritual, it's just part of ancient traditions. You make it sound like people never celebrated anything before Christianity came along. It's the contrary. I could tell you to make your own traditions instead of stealing what was there. You've done a cultural appropriation and now pretend it's yours. That said, if MIL doesn't want to attend church, that's understandable, but she can easily join afterwards as someone who is not Christian.

And she is invited to do that but doesn’t want to. Also- a note- it is really disrespectful to talk about Christianity in the way you’re doing it. I understand you think the whole thing is fake. That’s fine. I think the entire Hindu religion is fake. It doesn’t mean I’m going to constantly tell Hindus that their gods are made up and based on other things from the past. All religions have roots in non religious things. So respectfully, please stop telling us Easter is fake ON EASTER.

You're being disrespectful. You stole pagan traditions and claim them as your own. Mind you, we don't care if you use our traditions, but I do mind if you get all uppity about it. You know that pagan means the devil, right? Not only did you steal ancient traditions, you also demonized the people whose traditions you took. Which is why you also disfigured old Roman statues. You know all these beautiful statues without noses from Roman times or otherwise disfigured? And I'm being disrespectful? The audacity! You keep it quiet. Easter is NOT your holiday. It's a holiday to celebrate spring, rebirth and fertility.

I’m actually celebrating the rebirth of Jesus, and it’s absolutely our holiday, you’re welcome at church as is everyone, whether or not you believe in the ressurrection.