Which came first? Jesus or the Easter egg?
To the editor:
Pete Sherman closed your last issue's article about Easter and the symbols that surround it ["Splitting hares," April 17] with an observation that doesn't withstand a casual examination. He said that it is "no accident that Christian holy days fall on other holidays. The early church meant to subvert rival religions."
Jesus Christ was a Jew. If you believe in the resurrection, you would have to say that Jesus Christ is a Jew. The New Testament clearly chronicles the tension that existed between Him and some of the Jewish leaders of His time. That tension reached a climax as He traveled to Jerusalem to celebrate a Passover festival in the holy city. The Last Supper was Christ's observance there of the Seder meal. That is the family gathering in which Jews did and still do commemorate the night when the first born of every family in Egypt, except the first born of the Jews, died at God's hand.
According to the Gospels, Christ died on the cross the next day and he was taken down from the cross before nightfall and placed in the tomb, so that His body and those of the thieves would not remain on the cross during the Sabbath. Easter is celebrated on the following Sunday, "the first day of the week," as the Gospels say.
This was the timing of those events. We know when Passover was celebrated and it usually does, as it did last week, fall on the same days Christians observe those final days of Christ's life. No one manufactures the date on which Easter is celebrated. It's calculated just as the timing of Passover is calculated. The idea is to get as close to the original Passover calculation as possible. Its timing has never been designed to subvert any other religious observation. It is a timing set by actual events at an actual moment in time.
It has been said that we have a more accurate and more fully developed record of the historical Christ than we do of the historical Caesar. Skeptics are going to have to come up with better justifications for their unbelief than clever calculations of calendars.
In December we'll read about how the date for Christmas was established by those devious public relations experts among the fishermen and farmers of the day. When that happens, I'll write again.
Kent R. Steinkamp
Springfield
Pete Sherman responds:
Mr. Steinkamp's point is well taken. But why do we call the holiday commemorating Christ's resurrection "Easter"? As I pointed out, Christ's resurrection does follow Passover, as a historical matter, but the name Easter literally refers to a pagan goddess of spring.
Sorry, Larry
To the Editor:
In the April 24-30 edition of the Illinois Times there was a very gracious response from Larry Golden about my critique of his article "From the Top Down" [April 17]. To make sure I did not have a knee-jerk reaction to his article, I read it again. Sorry Larry, I still did not like what you had to say.
Surely someone is saying positive things about President Bush and Tony Blair; but I don't see any such articles in the Illinois Times. It is a fact that their action eliminated an evil dictator who reigned terror on all who oppose him, and it is a fact that he would continue to do this if left alone. It is a fact that millions of Iraqi people have been liberated from this terror, but those in the "Blame America First Crowd" are the ones the media want to focus on. America and President Bush are not the evil ones, but thickheaded partisan politics motivate too many Americans, and they respond accordingly; many of them are in the media.
The politicians who are not afraid to act, even when their decisions result in obvious political risk, are exceedingly rare in today's political arena. We have such a man as our President. An American who puts the security of the American people first will always get my vote, my respect, and my gratitude.
I am one American who will never forget the awful day of 9-11-01, nor will I stick my head in the sand and do nothing but hope it will never happen again. We must stand puissant against evil and defeat it. If we forget, or if we cower before the evil terrorist, they will reproduce like loathsome insects, become more powerful, and bring more tragedies to America's shores. They are counting on us to be weak. If we are, they will continue to kill us for many years into the future. As for me I will stand with President Bush because he has no intention of being weak, and he has every intention of defeating terrorism.
Sincerely,
Bob Ruble
Springfield
Larry Golden responds:
I appreciate Bob Ruble's articulate response. But I must disagree with the premise: namely, that the war in Iraq was a war against terrorism. Let me remind you that the goals were supposed to be to eliminate the threat of weapons of mass destruction and to bring democracy to the country. On the first, we have yet to find one weapon of mass destruction, although I am certain we will somehow come up with something. On the second, our vision of democracy is to place into power someone who will be acceptable to us and to deny the majority religious group from assuming power. Admittedly, Saddam was a cruel dictator; but he was there with years of American support, both from our government and our corporations who made large amounts of money from him. If eliminating him is a courageous act against terrorism we are in greater trouble than I thought.
Golden rules!
Gentlemen:
The article by Larry Golden, in regard to the Iraq war, was well-written and long overdue ["From the top down," April 17].
It is quite possible that this president, and his Secretary of Offense Rumsfeld, have done more long-term harm to this country, in a shorter period of time, than any previous administration.
Very truly yours,
Joe Donovan
Illiopolis
This is patriotism
Dear Editor,
Apparently there's no definition of what constitutes supporting our troops or what constitutes patriotism. In addition to showing our support by erecting a yard sign, flying a flag, or tying a yellow ribbon around a tree, let us also urge Congress to restore the funds to veterans benefits, Medicare benefits, and the after-school programs cut by the Bush administration. Strong commitments to our veterans and the families of our troops will send a strong message to our young men and women serving overseas--We Stand With You!
Do not for a minute let the partisan politics fool us--that is, if we do not agree with their policies, we are unpatriotic. All-American patriotism is to love our fellow citizens, to respect the environment, and to keep a constant vigil on preventing the government from chipping away our constitutional rights, including the four fundamental freedoms: freedom of speech, of the press, of association and assembly, and to petition the government.
To love your country shall not ring of hollow rhetoric. Put it into actions! Our country is the greatest on earth, not for her strength in wealth or military might, but for her strength in diversity and tolerance.
Tony Chen
Springfield
Let's achieve real victory in Iraq
Already Americans are claiming victory in Iraq. The real question is: what does the Administration consider victory? If victory is simply taking Saddam Hussein out of power, we have accomplished that. But if we want to achieve real victory, we must restore freedom to the Iraqi people, we must rebuild Iraq, both in infrastructure and in government, both of which we haven't even started. Iraq is in chaos, and democracy cannot flourish in chaos or under an imperialistic regime. Please write to the President and your Congressman--tell them to achieve real victory and provide the resources to rebuild Iraq and allow democracy to flourish. Then and only then can we have peace in the Middle East.
Bryan Thompson
Lisle
Springfield's a nice place to visit-- and to live
Hello!
My name is Keleigh (fancy spelling for Kelly) Girnas. I have only been to Springfield one time. That was November of 2000. I was there for an unfortunate reason. To attend a funeral of my close friend--Timothy Bartz, a native of Pleasant Plains. Tim died in a Dallas, Texas, hospital, but wanted his ashes to rest in a place of beauty and peace. He definitely picked the right place!
I had only heard about Springfield from Tim. When I was actually there, I was struck by the beauty of the area and the friendliness of the people. It left an indelible impression on me. I realized why Tim was planning on moving back to the area before he got sick again. It has a charm you do not find in larger cities.
I had a chance to meet Mike Parkes--a close childhood friend of Tim's that he spoke about over the years. A group of us went to the Brewhaus the evening of the funeral, and Mike charmed us with free drinks and kindness. I understood why Tim thought so highly of him.
I am married now. My husband and I are both originally from New Jersey, but we met and live in the Dallas area. We will be driving to Chicago this summer to visit his daughter who attends college there. I will make sure we stop in your charming capital city. I want my husband to see it as well.
The tree-lined streets, quaint shops, and historical buildings offer a side of America rarely seen anymore. I wish all places were as wonderful as Springfield, Illinois.
Keleigh Girnas
Arlington, Texas
