Video Mondays: Did a Pagan Goddess Inspire Easter?

Hope you adjusted to our stupid “Spring Forward” clock change. Speaking of weirdly persistent habits or customs, now that we’re approaching the Easter season, I’m glad this bit of academic research popped up in my feeds countering the erroneous “cultural appropriation of pagan customs by the Church” myth foisted by non-believers and Easter-bunny-hating believers. I’m certain that I posted that errant meme more than once over the past decade. Sorry.

All this tells me is how detached I’ve become from seasonal observances since leaving weekly church attendance and even more since retiring from teaching (damn the continual pestering by admin that we needed to change bulletin boards and wall art to reflect whatever damn season we were in… I’m much better now). Now, It’s all a blur. Really, I’ve lived most of my life in a region with minimal seasonal change (So Cal), or two massive yearly shifts: Florida’s hot wet season and the other two months of the year and my current desert life alternating between bitter cold (it was 44° this morning!) and unbearable (dry) 115° summer heat. Funny that in both Florida and Las Vegas I’ve known quite a few who love being outdoors the whole damn year. Sorry if my mostly “indoor” lifestyle blunts my appreciation for the seasons changing outdoors and how this has anything to do with God and all. I just know that I’m going to have to quickly switch from three blankets and a comforter to turning on a fan and A/C every night.

At the same time, as a religious studies person, I’m beginning to appreciate previous generations communal celebrations of the seasons and shared mythologies. I just have no patience for those who continue to confuse ancient lore with some kind of mystical Truth. Please. Life is too damn short for this kind of insanity. Feel free to celebrate Zombie Jesus or whatever. I’m just going to nimble on this poor hollow chocolate easter bunny. Enjoy (and here’s a second video confirming that this particular “cultural appropriations thing” is rubbish).