1 falls, 1 rises......and the idiots abound.

On October 9th, 2010 Florida State University men's football team played a game "at" the University of Miami.
This was ESPN's primetime game, designed to reveal UM as "back" on the national scene.
This is a game UM was SUPPOSED to win.
UM is in year 4 of their rebuilding process. FSU is in year 1.
UM has the more talented team, and most of that talent is upperclassmen. FSU is also very talented, but the great majority of their talented players are Freshmen & Sophomores. FSU starts only 6 Seniors on the entire 2-deep roster...only 2 of which (Ponder & Hudson) can be deemed "irreplaceable".
UM is also not learning a COMPLETELY new defensive system and having to replace all but 1 coach on the defensive staff.
UM was playing at "home"....even if it's 20 miles away from campus.

So what happened???












UM got BUTT-F*CKED by FOUR TOUCHDOWNS.



....But this isn't so much about the University of Miami football teams as it is about the FANS of the University of Miami football team:
They are colossal JACKASSES. At least 95% of them.
The douchebaggary of UM fans is exceeded ONLY by the douchebaggary of UF fans.












The fans' reaction(s) were predictable. They booed (in the 1st half). They left the game early. They called for Randy Shannon's head (most reasonable reaction of all). Best of all, they talked shit to FSU fans.....as if Miami had not just absorbed their worst ass whooping in the last 13 years of the series.
The reactions weren't just absurd...they were DELUSIONAL.
This is an ACTUAL text-message from a die-hard Canes fan:

"OMG u guys won like 1 game out of like 10 meetings u still sux...Da U fucked up 2nite ....Enjoy because it wont happen again!!!"

FULL DISCLOSURE -
This guy never attended the University of Miami. Just like the vast majority of Canes fans.
Listen jerkoff - FSU has won 4 of the last 6 matchups (including the last 3 in Miami), and is a dropped pass in the End Zone from three-in-a-row.

From Facebook:

"Whatever.. "UM" is better everyone knows it!"

OK, so since you say it is so.....that makes it so??
UM just got blown out by their biggest rival at home.....in front of virtually their ENTIRE recruiting class that they invited to this game.
Shitty coaching, no University support, can't recruit worth dick, NO player development. UM is only "better" in the minds of their fans.

even when Miami is at theyre lowest, its still quite an accomplishment to defeat them. gotta love them Noles, and Gator fans...regardless if Miami wins another game this season, we are still the #1 football team in the state of florida, the most dominant football program in the last quater century, and home to the greatest college football team of all-times. Thats not self boasting, that is writting.
If the Noles, and Gators win 5 more titles each b4 Miami wins another one, you will still be mentioned 2nd and 3rd when it comes to football in the State of Florida. FACT!!!!!!

Wow. Just WOW. To claim "#1 football team in the state" coming off a 4-TD butt-fucking AT HOME is insane.
If Miami lost the rest of their games.....they would still be the best team in the state??!?!? If Miami did that--they're not even the best team in Miami.
UM was the most dominant from 1983-2001 **ONLY** because of their 5 rings. Still never matched 14-straight top-5 finishes. UM was inconsistent--don't forget the sanctions of the mid-1990's and 47-0 ass whooping FSU put on them in 1997.
Don't claim "FACT" when it is "OPINION". If UM is the best program in the state, why have they lost 4 out of 6 to FSU (FACT), and gotten blown out at home (FACT), and are getting their asses handed to them on the recruiting trail (FACT), and why are so many players that weren't shit @ UM turning into solid NFL players?? (FACT)
P.S. - "writting" is a real word--I saw it on the internet. :)

Regardless of what the U accomplishes or doesnt in the next 20 yrs, we still set the stage for college football. (FACT) We still own The Noles, and b4 there was internet, it was " WRITTEN ". These arent opinions, these are ( FACTS ) researched and proven. You said it yourself, from 84 to 01...what team do you know proved dominance for for nearly 20yrs strait. ( FACT )

UM owned BOBBY BOWDEN. He was 15-21 against Miami. That era is G-O-N-E....and good riddance. That is...a "FACT", so congrats.

"Set the stage for college football" is **NOT** a "fact". College football teams went on runs WAY ...before UM did--so learn your history.
UM did not "prove dominance for nearly 20 years straight"....UM SUCKED in the mid-90's, remember?? UM was VERY GOOD for 7-8 seasons, pretty good for 2-3 more, and SHITTY for 4-5.

FSU was top-5 for FOURTEEN STRAIGHT SEASONS. NOBODY has ever accomplished that in College Football history. Not even in basketball or baseball. "FACT"

"FSU has never defeated miami while the can were ranked in the top 10,
although miami has knocked FSU out of the top 5. proof FSU has never defeated miami whlie we were star studed, only doing the transitions of developing new ones. LOL""

CLASSIC UM fan response. Off the top of your head and COMPLETELY fuckin wrong.

1984.
#4 UM is defending National Champions, gets BLOWN OUT AT HOME by #15 FSU 38-3.
1989
#2 UM loses to #9 2-loss FSU AT HOME 24-10. Only game UM lost all year....
1993
#3 UM loses in Tallahassee to #1 FSU 28-10.
1996
#8 UM loses AT HOME to #2 FSU 34-16
2005
#9 UM loses in Tallahassee to #14 FSU in the rain. Standford Samuels knocked Roscoe Parrish THE FUCK OUT. (remember that??)

That's 5 times ONLY IN YOUR TIME PERIOD. Your "FACTS".......................aren't.



Random UM fans are one thing......moderators of UM websites are another.

"The Truth" is a moderator at Eye of the Hurricane. "Tomahawk" refers to Bud Elliot, the owner of www.Tomahawknation.com, an FSU site with basically NO peer anywhere.




The Truth says:
October 11, 2010 at 10:23 PM
Tomahawk…I’m ready for bed but you’re pissing me off.

Let me explain something…

FSU will always grab a player or two from south Florida. There are lots of Seminole fans down here and it’s not like FSU isn’t a very respected program.

But you’re acting like Miami is 3-8 right now with gun fire on campus…

FSU will NEVER raid Miami’s kitchen.

The worst it ever got was 1997 when they came in and took a few top flight players…but Miami was on probation and, like Joiner last year, they were all big time FSU fans.

I expect drivel like this out of the mouths of your "average" Canes fan. You, however, are a moderator......and hence should have some damn sense. I would think it's a requirement of the position.
(maybe that's just at Tomahawk Nation)
No, Miami isn't 3-8 right now, but as it pertains to the perception of UM against the backdrop if it's "greatness"............it's pretty close.
Funny you would bring up last year (not as funny as calling yourself "the truth", but I digress). LaMarcus Joyner is from Miami, and grew up a Hurricanes fan. He was a legit 5* player who NEVER would have gone to FSU under the "old" regime.
He's a Seminole now, but you knew that because he recorded his 1st career Int in your house.
FSU wasn't the only team that raided UM's kitchen last year.....the "state of Miami" is open for business. I literally laugh when UM fans claim they didn't "want" players or how they wouldn't get admitted. Wake the f*ck up. Randy Shannon CAN NOT RECRUIT. That legend is based on media & fan hype of **ONE** great class (2008).....which fell right into his lap. That same class, by the way, which has shown very little development. RS does not fight for recruits. If the players are not 100% ALL CANE....they simply are not coming. Last year's class was a couple of highly-rated players (1 of which is there *ONLY* because of the sanctions @ USC and the fact that his Daddy wants a rap career), and a whole lot of scrubs who will take up roster space for years to come.
Sh*tty recruiting + lack of player development + crappy coaching = program in stagnation (at BEST) or decline (more likely).

Get over yourself. We’ll see your punk ass soon enough. Count on it. I’d say it’ll be in Charlotte but im not so sure Jimbo wont cough up a hairball and lose one or 2 before December.

It is entirely possible that UM will get a rematch....but you're acting like the game was a fluke or something. This wasn't the case of a couple blown calls or a few lucky bounces--"U" straight got your ASSES HANDED TO YOU! It might benefit "U" to not show up in Charlotte...but I think UNC will take care of that for you.
FSU could very well lose 1 or 2 games (still have to play a VERY talented UF team), but they could very will win out as well (not likely--but possible), and there's no way they don't win the Division.

Get the f@ck out of here before I embarrass your dumb a*s with more anti FSU stats than you could possibly defend.

There won’t be any raiding of talent. There won’t be any Miami downfall. You won a good game no go f@ck yourself Nole

Ladies and gentlemen...."the truth" has left the building.
Fortunately, ACTUAL TRUTH is still here.
I, for one, would love to see these "anti FSU stats", but it appears to be the internet equivalent of a gun with no bullets.

To state "there won't be any raiding of talent" is asinine and moronic. IT IS ALREADY HAPPENING.
Look at the S. Fla (Fort Pierce-south)seniors coming to FSU:
The best DE in S.Fl
The 2 of the 3 best DB's.
The best TE in the country
The 3 best OL
The best RB in Dade
The best WR
The best DT

Who does UM have? Not much...




NOW--not ALL of this is Randy Shannon's fault. He has sh*tty facilities, a tiny alumni base, fickle (translation - bandwagon) fans, no Stadium, and no University support.
Face facts: Donna Shalala does not care about fielding a dominant football team. She simply wants the players to graduate & not be arrested. Randy Shannon accomplishes both of those requirements....and he's cheap to employ.
Face MORE facts: Shalala loves Randy Shannon.




LUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUVS HIM.

Shannon isn't going ANYWHERE. Be prepared to lose between 3 and 6 games every single season for a while. If UM beats FSU before 2015 I will be **SHOCKED**. Randy has a new contract, and UM does not have the $$$ to buy him out....even if Shalala wanted to--which she doesn't. They also will not pay competitive money to any quality coach, so whoever eventually takes over for Randy is likely to suck as well. This is a really, REALLY bad time to be a Canes fan. Welcome to what Seminole Nation experienced from 2005-2009.....minus the hope that a new regime brought.

These 2 programs could not possibly heading in more opposite directions. Jimbo Fisher took over and modernized/upgraded EVERY facet of the FSU program. UM is stuck in quicksand. The only question is how deep they will sink before hitting bottom.

America. land of the free, home of the F'n STUPID.

For the people out there who have taken me to task for stating fact-based opinion that Americans are FUCKING STUPID, and that a disturbing--but growing--portion are borderline retarded, this is for you.

Enjoy.
(Although I predict at least one person will prove my hypothesis to be correct by reacting with self-righteous indignation)


Chances are that by now you've heard about the Aug. 19, 2010, Pew poll that found that nearly one fifth of Americans (mistakenly) believe that President Obama is a Muslim. Perhaps you think that a terrifying outlier; or perhaps you're a believer, and then you are in good company. Either way, you're wrong: in fact, remarkably high numbers of Americans believe the most unusual things. Although the portion of poll respondents who believe Obama is a Muslim has risen recently, some of these oddball opinions contain more consistent numbers of believers.
More disturbing then the assholes who continue to shout this bullshit claim of Islam, is the fact that those same people seem to think that being a Muslim would make you unfit to lead this country. Because so-called "christ"ians have done such a BANG-UP job over the last 40 years.....right??






Opponents of President Obama have been spreading false rumors about his religion for quite some time. Recently, however, it seems that the number of Americans who believe these untruths is on the rise. Among respondents to a Pew poll, 18 percent believed Obama was a Muslim, up from 11 percent in March 2009. A Time magazine poll last week found similar results: 24 percent believed he was a Muslim, while only 47 percent correctly identified him as a Christian. There's some evidence that the best indicator of belief that Obama is a Muslim is opposing him politically, casting doubt on the accuracy of the results. Then again, it wouldn't be the craziest thing Americans believe, would it? After all, just 2 weeks ago, 27% of respondants believed that Obama was not born in the United States.


To mark the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth, Gallup thought it might be a good idea to poll Americans on their beliefs of the British naturalist's theory. But the results must have had Darwin spinning in his grave, since only 39 percent of Americans believed in the theory. The good news: only a quarter said they didn't believe it; the remaining portion either didn't have an opinion or didn't answer. (Also, only 55 percent correctly linked Darwin's name with the theory.) However, it appears that views may, um, evolve: younger people believe in evolution at far higher rates than older ones.
Maybe that is because older people are more afraid of their impending entry into the unknown? Or did they really not teach this most basic of concepts to older generations??

**NEWS FLASH**
...Darwin's Theory of Evolution applies to more then just "man come from monkey", retards. There is AMPLE evidence that virtually EVERY form of animal life in the 6-Billion year history of the planet Earth has evolved.

It seems obvious that it's not a good idea to put too much stock in witchcraft. But it turns out that 21 percent of Americans believe there are real sorcerors, conjurers, and warlocks out there. And that's just one of the several paranormal beliefs common among Americans, according to Gallup: 41 percent believe in ESP, 32 percent in ghosts, and a quarter in astrology. In fairness, the numbers in this poll are a little old—they date back to 2005. But then again, if people haven't changed their mind since the Enlightenment, it's not clear another half decade would make much difference.
I myself am amongst the 41% who believe in ESP. I believe that there is untapped potential in that 85-90+% of the human brain that we are not currently using.
I furthermore find it no more ludicrous that 21% of adults believe in real-life witches/socerors/warlocks then I do the incredibly high percentage of people who believe that the Bible is the 100% uncorrupted word-of-God.

From Facebook to faith: that's how a spurious rumor became part of the national dialogue. On Facebook, Sarah Palin wrote in August 2009 that Obama would institute a "death panel" as part of health-care reform. Soon pundits and politicians were demagoguing the issue into common currency. Even in August 2010, one year after the initial burst and five months after health reform was signed into law, the belief lingers. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, four in 10 Americans mistakenly believe the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act creates a panel that makes decisions about end-of-life care.
::facepalm:: man..................fucking ::FACEPALM::

Even years after claims that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction or had any links to the September 11 attacks had been debunked, not all Americans were convinced. In a June 2007 NEWSWEEK poll, four years after the invasion of Iraq, 41 percent believed Saddam was involved in 9/11—even though President Bush had said otherwise as early as September 2003. Wild views on 9/11 are in fact still rampant. In September 2009, Public Policy Polling found that a quarter of Democrats suspected Bush had something to do with the attacks. Meanwhile, many Americans also remain convinced that Saddam had WMDs, even though inspectors haven't found any in the seven years since the invasion. Still, as of 2006, half of Americans believed that, according to Harris. Who knows where they got that idea?
I myself am in that percentage of Americans who questions the "official" 9/11 (cover?) story.....but the number is MUCH higher then 25%, and my own opinion is based up factual research, not hyperbole.
The REAL "Axis of Evil" -






















Didn't we clear this one up in the 16th century??!?!? Copernicus be damned, 20 percent of Americans were still sure in 1999 that the sun revolved around the Earth. Gallup, the pollster that conducted the study, gamely tried to dress it up by celebrating the fact that "four out of five Americans know Earth revolves around the sun," but we're not buying.
What the fuck man. Seriously..........what the fuck.

If mutual understanding is the key to tolerance, we're in trouble. According to NEWSWEEK's 2007 What You Need to Know poll, barely half of Americans were correctly able to state that Judaism was older than both Christianity and Islam. Another 41 percent weren't sure.
In case you're that uninformed, here goes: Judaism is the oldest of the Abrahamic faiths, followed by Christianity—which reveres the Jewish prophets (including Moses, above)—and then Islam, which reveres the Jewish prophets and also hails Jesus as a prophet.

It's hard to imagine what inspired the pollsters at Zogby to ask THIS question, but the answer is striking: in a 2006 poll, more than three quarters of Americans could name at least two of the seven dwarfs, while not quite a quarter could name two members of the Supreme Court.
NEWSWEEK's response is a split decision, if you will: on the one hand, Disney is as much a symbol of America as the high court, and those dwarfs are adorable. On the other hand, it should be easy to name only two out of a pool of nine options. Objection sustained!


Lost? Don't ask an American. Sixty-three percent of young Americans can't find Iraq on a map, despite the ongoing U.S involvement there. Nine out of 10 can't find Afghanistan—even if you give them the advantage of a map limited to Asia. And more than a third of Americans of any age can't identify the continent that's home to the Amazon River, the world's largest.
These are the very people being sent to die in Iraq & Afghanistan in wars of economic conquest.....their blood currency lining the pockets of a few super-elite multi-national corporations that control EVERYTHING.

What a bunch of knuckleheads: according to Zogby, the majority of Americans—three in four—can correctly identify Larry, Curly, and Moe as the Three Stooges. Only two out of five respondents, however, can correctly identify the executive, legislative, and judicial branches as the three wings of government.
Yes....I quoted a Fox News article. Such is the depth & breadth of my blog post. >:)

Who needs constitutional constructionism? Not one in three Americans, apparently: that's the proportion that said in a 2008 First Amendment Center poll that the constitutional right to freedom of religion was never meant to apply to groups most folks think are extreme or fringe—a 10 percent increase from 2000. In 2007, two out of five Americans told the FAC that teachers should be allowed to lead prayers in public schools. You can see several years of the reports here.
This isn't just retarded.....it's fucking scary. We already had this christian vs. Muslim "my religion is better then your religion/my dick is bigger then your dick" conflict before.....about 1,000 years ago. It was baseless then....it's baseless now:
BOTH sides believe a whoooolllleeeeeee lottttttttt of asinine shit.


Still proud??


I love my country the way a parent loves it's child. I am not afraid to say something when my child acts out or fucks up in an attempt to correct the problem--that is my responsibility as a parent, or in this case citizen.

The retards who will defend these people usually reside firmly on the right...........and they love their country the way a Justin Bieber fan loves Justin Bieber: it can do no wrong, and everything it says & does is WONDERFUL.



Want to guess which child is more likely to become a quality adult??

The Origins of Easter

Here is something interesting I found/compiled several years ago. The basic premise I was already aware of, but I didn't know the Biblical particulars. Now I do. I like this article because it not only provide HISTORICAL accuracy , it also backs it up with Biblical research. Hopefully this will placate Christians who will choose to lambaste me in response to this... Then again, given my comments added, probably not, lol.

Anyway........enjoy!


The Origins of Easter

Easter is recognized in modern christianity as the day upon which the faithful celebrate Jesus’s miraculous resurrection. Yet, in celebrating this event, millions will turn to the familiar image of the biogenetic oddity known as the Easter Bunny without so much as asking, “What does an egg-laying rabbit have to do with Jesus?” Perhaps it's time you asked, because while the Easter Bunny may be a cute tradition, it's just one of the pieces of evidence that proves Easter is as odd to Jesus as eggs are to rabbits.

A New Testament Easter?

Remarkably, the celebration of Easter, one of the most holy of christian holidays cannot be found anywhere in the Bible. In 1949 the Encyclopedia Britannica, in its article on Easter, stated the following regarding this day: “There is no indication of the observance of the Easter festival in the New Testament, or in the writings of the apostolic fathers.”
Is it strange that this important christian observance is not mentioned in the Bible?
Yes, indeed, it is.

If you find the word Easter in your Bible, it’s actually a mistranslation that is noted in your margins. Most recent translations of the Bible make that correction. The correct translations use the word Passover instead of Easter. The early christian church, established in 31 A.D., observed the Passover. Again, the Encyclopedia Britannica states: “The sanctity of special times was an idea absent from the minds of the first Christians who continued to observe the Jewish festivals (see Leviticus 23 for an explanation of those festivals), though in a new spirit…”
Even if the early Church and the Apostles never observed Easter, many will argue that it is rooted in the Bible, because they believe Jesus was resurrected on “Easter Sunday.” A close examination of the biblical account, however, shows that this was not the case. The apostle John sets the record strait in John 19:14, 31 as to the timing of Jesus' death by telling us that Jesus died and was buried at the end of the preparation day preceding the Feast of unleavened Bread. The preparation day fell on a Wednesday that year. (Note: The reference to Passover in verse 14 noted above is to the oncoming festival of Unleavened Bread which the Jews incorporated into the “Passover period.”) Jesus' body was taken down and placed in a tomb…BEFORE Thursday…the high day…began. For most of the next three days, Jesus was in the grave…Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Then, just before sunset (the time when days end and begin in the Bible) on the regular Sabbath (Saturday), Jesus came out of his grave, His mission accomplished, having spent three days and three nights in the “heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:40), just as He had foretold (Mark 9:31 and John 2:19-21).
The Easter myth of a Sunday resurrection collapses in light of these facts.

**I, personally, believe the choice of Sunday over Saturday is another example of the distance that "christians" went to to differentiate themselves from the Jews. The christian Sabbath is Sunday (adopted from the Romans), the Jewish Sabbath is Saturday. It is no surprise to me that christians would hold their holy celebration of resurrection on Sunday......irregardless of the fact that reality and the calender did not agree with them. Then again--I have stated before that christianity is inherently anti-Semetic, so it is no surprise to me.**


Where does Easter come from anyway?

Well, now that we know Easter has nothing to do with Jesus , perhaps we should uncover the truth of its origins.
To do so, it’s best to start with the name, Easter. Easter does, in fact, have a religious meaning; but that religion is not christianity. Instead, the word "Easter" is derived from an ancient Teutonic goddess of fertility named Estere, whose feasts were celebrated in the spring by her pagan adherents. Typically, the Estere celebration occurred in April, at which time she apparently demanded sacrifices from her followers.
Going back even further into antiquity, Easter can also be traced to the ancient goddess Ishtar, and is associated with the deification of women goddesses in western religion, up to and including the Catholic deification of Mary.
The pagan roots of Easter do not end with just the name, however. The symbols of rabbits and eggs can also be traced to pagan fertility celebrations. The use of the egg goes back to ancient Mesopotamia where it was closely identified with another goddess of fertility, Astarte. The following quote from the ancient Egyptian historian Hyginus explains the connection: “An egg of wondrous size is said to have fallen from heaven into the river Euphrates. The fishes rolled it to the bank, where the doves having settled upon it, hatched it, and out came Venus, who afterwards was called the Syrian Goddess [that is, Astarte].” **http://www.historytelevision.ca/archives/easter/customs for more about the Easter egg tradition**
Some historians also claim that eggs were prominent in Egyptian temples and Druid springtime ceremonies.

The Easter Bunny can also be traced back to the Teutonic pagan celebration of Estere or Astarte. It is in connection with this festival that the pagan adherents looked to the hare as a symbol of fertility because of its prolific nature. **Hence the phrase "Fucked like rabbits"**
During this celebration, eggs were believed to have come from the hare as a symbol of a new, abundant spring.
If you’re wondering what Teutonic fertility goddesses have to do with christianity, you’re not alone. Biblically, there are no connections. Therefore the question remains: Why does christianity celebrate Easter? To understand this part of the history of Easter, one has to examine the early development of modern christianity.

The Early Church.

The early Church, to a large extent, was made up of Jewish converts. The first disciples of Jesus were, of course, Jews; and the early adherents often first heard the gospel message in the synagogues (Acts 9:20-21). The story of how the gospel came to the gentile world is well rehearsed, and figures prominently in the story of Acts. When the doors of the Church were first opened to gentile converts, the early Church saw christianity as being in harmony with the Old Testament. As such, the Old Testament holy days and the specific times at which they were observed were viewed as important and relevant to the “new” faith of christianity. It was not strange, therefore, that the early Church continued with the observance of Passover. It was not until later that the tradition of Easter developed among the gentile converts.
Owing to a violent Jewish uprising crushed by Emperor Hadrian in 135 A.D., the Roman Empire began to enact laws especially hostile to the Jewish faith. As part of his retaliation against the Jewish rebels, Jerusalem was almost destroyed, and also renamed. Hadrian’s edicts following the destruction of Jerusalem banned the practice of Judaism, including the observance of its holy days, and prohibited Jews from setting foot in Jerusalem. As a result of this attempted destruction of the Jewish nation, the hierarchy of the early Church was decimated. The leaders of the Church in Jerusalem, up until that time, had been Jewish: fifteen men recorded in all, spiritually descended from the original twelve apostles. Banning the Jews from Jerusalem, and from Roman society in general, led to a change in the entire nature of the church…the congregations were now led by Gentiles, and were composed of Gentile converts.

We’re Not Jews!

The Gentile, unlike the Jew, came from a religious culture steeped in mysticism, and was ignorant of the Old Testament scriptures. One historian summed up the difference between the ancient Jew and Gentile as this: “Gentile christians usually came from a background devoid of Scriptural knowledge. They did not have a natural appreciation for, allegiance to, or comprehension of the Scriptures, especially the Law and Prophets which they misunderstood….” Origen, a famous Church leader of the third century, would go so far as to say that Greek philosophy was just as important to the Gentile as the Law was to the Jew in their understanding of the gospel message. A contemporary of Origen’s observed the following regarding those who advocated this approach: “….they forsake the holy Scriptures of God, and study geometry, as may be expected of men who are of the earth, and speak of the earth, and are ignorant of Him that cometh from above. Some of them industriously cultivate the Geometry of Euclid; Aristotle, and Theophrastus, and are looked up to with admiration…” The christian Church’s theological roots in the Old Testament were being severed during this period…the Jewish leadership, influence, and theological perspective were slowly eliminated.
Clearly, by the beginning of the second century, various “christian” sects had begun to fuse christian practices with pagan observances. New church leaders had taken the place of the old and taught christianity in the tradition of Greek philosophy. It was during this time (135 A.D.) that the observance of Easter Sunday began and was set on a Sunday coinciding with a day of religious significance in the pagan world. Sunday was observed in Roman religious society as the day of the venerabili die Solis, or venerable Sun. This gave the evolving pseudo-christian religion greater appeal to potential pagan converts. It was the natural progression of a church whose roots were becoming more firmly planted in pagan, Hellenistic traditions, as opposed to Old Testament tenets.
Subtle desire to distance christianity from Judaism gave way to overt anti-Semitism upon the official establishment of Easter as a well-known Christian holiday. Constantine “The Great,” the first Roman Emperor to embrace “christianity,” officially recognized the observance of Easter as a national religious and civil holiday in 325 A.D. Constantine’s decision to establish Easter was motivated, not only by a desire to separate christianity from the moorings of Jewish influence, but also out of his unapologetic hatred for the Jewish people.

**Don’t believe it? Examine the development of early christianity, even christian doctrine itself for evidence of anti-Semitism. The crucifixion, for example. Why is it that the role of the Romans in the actual process of arresting, holding, trying, and eventual execution for argument’s sake let’s assume they crucified the proper individual…> of the Son of Man has been whitewashed, so as to appear to absolve the Romans of any blame, so as to instead place the burden of responsibility on the shoulders of the Jews instead? It’s obvious now in retrospect. When Constantine--who himself was Arian until he was Baptized under his wife’s orders on his deathbed--made christianity the official Roman religion, he had to ensure the palatability of this ‘new’ religion amongst the Roman masses—primarily the vast lower class. You can’t exactly have respect for your government when your government executed your Messiah, now can you? A simple examination of history illustrates this: crucifixion was a Roman state punishment, the Jews have never historically utilized that particular form of capital punishment. Back to the research now…**

As one historian noted, “It was probably the Emperor’s passionate hatred of the Jews that decided the issue.” Quoting from a later letter issued by the Emperor, the point is emphasized in his own words: “It appeared an unworthy thing that in the celebration of this most holy feast we should follow the practice of the Jews, who have impiously defiled their hands with enormous sin, and are, therefore, deservedly afflicted with blindness of soul. . . . Let us then have nothing in common with the detestable Jewish crowd.”

The Quatrodecimen

Some early church members--the Quatrodecimen, so named for their adherence to the 14th of Nisan (Jewish calendar) as the correct day for Passover observance--resisted the adoption of the pagan Easter as a christian day of worship. An early christian Bishop, Polycarp, engaged in a famous debate with the then Bishop of Rome in defense of the apostolic and biblical tradition of keeping Passover. After Polycarp, another minister in Asia (Asia Minor) named Polycrates came to the defense of the Passover, and penned an eloquent defense of its observance, citing the history of believers back to the Apostles before him who had kept it:
“All of these kept the fourteenth day of the month as the beginning of the Pascal festival, in accordance with the Gospel, not deviating in the least by following the rule of the Faith. Last of all I too Polycrates, the least of you all, act according to the tradition of my family, some members of which I have actually followed; for seven of them were bishops and I am the eighth, and my family have always kept the day when the people put away the leaven. So I, my friends, after spending sixty-five years in the Lord’s service and conversing with christians from all part of the world, and going carefully through all Holy Scripture, am not scared of threats. Better people than I have said: ‘We must obey God rather than men.'”
After Polycrates, however, the proponents of Easter swallowed up most of what remained of the few adherents to the biblical tradition. Those who refused to convert were branded as heretics and had to flee persecution. They--the Quatrodecimen--were the remaining organized shreds of what had been the church established in Jerusalem in 31 A.D. The church that sprang forth under the protection of the Roman civil system observed different days and a different theology.

Does it matter?

The history of Easter is mired in ancient pagan custom, political compromise, and, in some respects, racism. But that’s just it…It’s all history. Irrespective of what happened then…today, the celebration is centered on Christ, right? And that makes celebrating Easter okay, doesn’t it?
Well, not according to the Apostle Paul, who when addressing the Corinthian church emphasized the importance of following the correct observance of the Passover: “I praise you Brethren, that you remember me in all things and keep the traditions as I delivered them to you” (I Corinthians 11:2, KJV). Speaking again of the tendency of some to waiver from the teachings of the Church, Paul issued a warning against such behavior: “But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus christ, that you withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us” (II Thessalonians 3:6, KJV).
Clearly, Paul admonished the church to remain faithful to the teachings he delivered to them, including the observance of the Passover. The Apostles had taught the true doctrines of christ, and taught the deep meaning of those observances to their congregations. It is clear the Church’s drift from the observance of Passover to the celebration of Easter was in contravention of the Apostles’ instructions; and a breach of the long tradition rooted in the book of Exodus .
In Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus draws a line between those who follow Him and those who only profess a belief in Him: “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." (KJV)
This Spring, when much of the christian world celebrates Easter on a day that was consecrated by men through political intrigue, religious compromise, and racism, one must simply ask: “Will Jesus have anything to do with such a celebration?” Perhaps an even more important question is: “Will He have anything to do with those who celebrate it?” Here is His response: “…in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men" (Matthew 15:9). Clearly, the answer to both questions is “no.” The celebration of Easter, instead of Passover, is a matter taken seriously by christ; and true christians should take it seriously as well.

Sources:
Encyclopedia Britannica, 1949, vol. 7 pg. 859
James Orr et. al. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, (Michigan 1986), pg. 889
Samuele Bacciochi, How it Came About: From Passover to Easter Sunday (Abstract Summary of Earlier writings) at www.biblicalperspectives.org.
Eusebius , The History of the Church ,Penguin Classics (London, 1965)
Robert Evans, Biography of the Early Church, (London 1839)
Robert Grant, Augustus to Constantine: The Rise and Triumph of Christianity (New York, 1970)
Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church, (Michigan, 1994)
John Julius Norwich, A Short History of Byzantium, Longitude