Where did Easter come from?
A friend asked me the origin of the term "Easter" this week. I looked it up on Christiananswers.net (http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/edn-t020.html) and here's what I found: Where did “Easter” get its name? Where did the concept of an Easter egg and bunny originate? The name “Easter” has its roots in ancient polytheistic religions (paganism). On this, all scholars agree. This name is never used in the original Scriptures, nor is it ever associated biblically with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. For these reasons, we prefer to use the term “Resurrection Sunday” rather than “Easter” when referring to the annual Christian remembrance of Christ's resurrection. Ancient origin Most reference books say that the name “Easter” derived from the Eastre, the Teutonic goddess of Spring. Although this relationship exists, in reality, the origin of the name and the goddess are far more ancient - going all the way back to the Tower of Babel. The origin begins not ...