Did Jehovah's Witnesses Really "Change the Original Meaning of the Bible to Suit their Beliefs" as Opposers Claim?

Most religions have their own preferred version of the Bible. Jehovah's Witnesses translated and produced our own version of the Bible because we wanted a more accurate translation of the Bible.

In doing this Jehovah's Witnesses have not "changed the original meaning of the Bible". Jehovah's Witnesses will use almost any modern translations when they study with others, while at the same time they realize that some translations are better overall than others.

However, the accuracy of the NWT is proven by facts such as rules of grammar and translation principles.

I have personally found that in every case where the NWT is criticized it has usually proved to be accurate and in most cases more accurate than the most other translations. Most criticisms brought against it are usually themselves unwarranted and unfairly biased and usually demands an ignorance from hearers of Greek words and semantics according to standard Greek Lexicons and Dictionaries.

People who claim that we needed to translate "our own bible" in order to support our beliefs are being misled. Most of Jehovah's Witnesses beliefs had been long established before the NWT ever came into existence.

Further, the claim that the NWT has been “changed to deny there being the possibility of a Trinity“ is a ludicrous statement. Even according to Trinitarians own scholars the Trinity is NEVER found in the Bible. And of you think that the NWT is the only bible which reads as it does in your cited examples, then you have been misled. The NWT has not removed any part which calls Jesus “God.” And in EVERY verse in which the NWT differs from the reading of the KJV other non-JW translations have rendered it exactly like the NWT.

In fact, the NWT reads EXACTLY like the KJV at Rm. 1:7! And no version calls Jesus “God” here. In fact this verse completely destroys the Trinity because it clearly and explicitly differentiates Jesus from “GOD.” According to the Trinity there can only be one God and while Jesus can be separated from the Father he cannot be separated from God. Yet the Bible repeatedly shows that Jesus is separate from and less than “GOD” and the Trinity is destroyed!!!

Those who post such simplistic and fallacious criticisms dishonestly demand that hearers do not do even the most basic of research.

Next, the claim that replacing the Greek word KURIOS with Jehovah is incorrect actually requires us to be ignorant of standard translation principles and practice.

The NWT inserts the Name Jehovah in the NT because textual and translation principles demand it. Many other translators have acknowledged these principles either by placing Jehovah "Jehovah" in the NT, or in the case of most translators by capitalizing LORD which ALWAYS denotes Jehovah (e.g., Ac.2:34; Mt.22:44; Mk.12:36). These versions usually state that when "Lord" is written as "LORD" it stands for Jehovah, so they are actually doing exactly what the NWT does.

Also confirming this as a valid principle, some respected Bibles replace the original Greek pronouns "he" or "him" with "Jesus" or “God” (NIV; NJB; NAB). For example look at 1Cor.15:27,28 in several Bibles (e.g., NIV, TEV) and you will see how much clearer replacing the pronouns with “Jesus” and “God” makes the text (cf. 1Jn 5:14, 15).

Now, it can be claimed that there is absolutely no Greek textual support for these translators to use this device, but this claim is simply based on theological bias and not translation principles.

In the above places "Lord" is textually accurate, though factually incorrect. But a translator's prime concern is with transmitting the meaning of the original writer, and it is a fact that in many occurrences of KURIOS the absolute semantic equivalence in the target language must be "Jehovah" (e.g.; Mk.12:25-36; Ac.2:21, 33-34; Rm.10:13) (see Girdlestone’s Synonyms of the OT p. 43).

Standard reference works provide evidence that this is in accord with translation principles:

"In the NT, likewise, KURIOS, when used as a name of God...most usually corresponds to hwhy Jehovah, and in this sense is applied." --A Greek and English Lexicon to the New Testament, by J. Parkhurst

So in EVERY place where the NWT and others have restored Jehovah to the text of the N.T. it has been fully in accord with the rules of translation. Therefore the NWT fulfills the requirement for accuracy in translation in this regard.

Christ is NEVER placed on an equal level with Almighty God in the Bible.

Even after his return to heaven the Bible speaks of Jesus having a God over him at least 17 times! (Jn.20:17; Rm.15:6; 1Cor.11:3; 2Cor.1:3; Eph.1:17; Heb.1:9; Rev.1:6; 3:2,12). It is illogical to believe that Christ could have equal glory with the One who is called his God.

SOURCE: This is an answer provided by BAR_ANERGES to a question at Yahoo Answers.

Also see:

New World Translation (NWT) - Links to Information that DEFEND THE NEW WORLD TRANSLATION BIBLE (Defend Jehovah's Witnesses)

"Was Jesus a Real Historical Person? Do Scholars Believe That Jesus Existed?"

"Was Jesus a Real Historical Person? Do Scholars Believe That Jesus Existed?"

Yes. The works of Tacitus, Suetonius, Josephus, Pliny the Younger, and a few other classical writers include numerous references to Jesus. Of them, The New Encyclopædia Britannica (1995) says: “These independent accounts prove that in ancient times even the opponents of Christianity never doubted the historicity of Jesus, which was disputed for the first time and on inadequate grounds at the end of the 18th, during the 19th, and at the beginning of the 20th centuries.”


For much more, see:

Jesus Christ—Our Questions Answered - Was Jesus really a historical person? (w12 4/1 pp. 4-7; Watchtower Online Library)

The Real Jesus (w01 12/15 pp. 5-8; Watchtower Online Library)

Do Scholars Believe That Jesus Existed? (JW.ORG)

Archaeological Evidence of Jesus’ Existence? (w03 6/15 pp. 3-4; Watchtower Online Library)

Jesus Christ—Evidence That He Walked the Earth (w03 6/15 pp. 4-7; Watchtower Online Library)

Is There a Possibility That the Nations Might Completely Ruin the Earth in a Nuclear War?

The Bible shows that God "did not create (earth) simply for nothing, who formed it even to be inhabited." (Isa. 45:18) God described his purpose to have the earth filled with the offspring of Adam and Eve as caretakers of a global paradise:

"`Be fruitful and become many and fill the earth and subdue it, and have in subjection the fish of the sea and the flying creatures of the heavens and every living creature that is moving upon the earth.'"

For the earth to become completely destroyed by the nations would run contrary to His purpose. The Bible assures us that God will "bring to ruin those ruining the earth." (Rev. 11:17, 18)

God will not allow the earth to become completely and permanently ruined because Ps. 37:29 says that "The righteous themselves will possess the earth, and they will reside forever upon it."

For more, see:

Will planet Earth be destroyed in a nuclear war? (rs p. 112-p. 117; Watchtower Online Library)

Nuclear War—Is It Still a Threat? (g04 3/8 pp. 3-4; Watchtower Online Library)

Nuclear War—Who Are the Threats? (g04 3/8 pp. 4-7; Watchtower Online Library)

Nuclear War—Can It Be Avoided? (g04 3/8 pp. 8-9; Watchtower Online Library)

“The War to End All Wars” (w08 4/1 pp. 3-4; Watchtower Online Library)

Doomsday Fears Loom Large - Nuclear War (g 9/12 pp. 4-7; Watchtower Online Library)

What Do Many Fear? The threat of nuclear war remains high (w10 8/1 pp. 3-4; Watchtower Online Library)

Why Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Not Use the Cross in Worship?

"Jehovah’s Witnesses firmly believe that the death of Jesus Christ provided the ransom that opens the door to everlasting life for those who exercise faith in him. (Matthew 20:28; John 3:16) However, they do not believe that Jesus died on a cross, as is often depicted in traditional pictures. It is their belief that Jesus died on an upright stake with no crossbeam." - Excerpt from the article Why Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Not Use the Cross in Worship? (Read the entire w08 3/1 p. 22 article here.)

Why Don't Jehovah's Witnesses Believe that Jesus Died Upon A Cross?

Many are surprised to read in many Bibles that Jesus was hung upon a "tree" at Acts 5:30.
http://www.biblestudytools.com/acts/5-30-compare.html

This is because the word "Stau·ros´ in both the classical Greek and Koine carries no thought of a "cross" made of two timbers. It means only an upright stake, pale, pile, or pole:

"The Greek word for `cross' (Stau·ros´) means primarily an upright stake or beam, and secondarily a stake used as an instrument for punishment and execution." - Douglas' New Bible Dictionary of 1985 under "Cross," page 253.

And noted Greek scholar W. E. Vine mentions the following concerning this subject:

"STAUROS denotes, primarily, an upright pale or stake. On such malefactors were nailed for execution. Both the noun and the verb stauroo, to fasten to a stake or pale, are originally to be distinguished from the ecclesiastical form of a two beamed cross." - Vine's Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, 1981, Vol. 1, p. 256. Vine also goes on to describe the Chaldean origin of the two-piece cross and how it was adopted from the pagans by Christendom in the third century C.E. as a symbol of Christ's impalement.

The Pagan History of the Cross

Not only does the Greek word Stau·ros´ not mean a "cross" made of two timbers, but the cross "was an emblem to which religious and mystical meanings were attached long before the Christian era." - Chamber's Encyclopaedia, 1969 ed.

The pagan Romans used the symbol of the cross before and during the early days of Christianity: "These crosses were used as symbols of the Babylonian sun-god ... and are first seen on a coin of Juolius Caesar, 100-44 B.C., and then on a coin struck by Caesar's heir (Augustus), 20 B.C." - The Companion Bible.

And Prof. G.F. Snyder points out that "The sign of the cross has been a symbol of great antiquity, present in nearly every known culture. .... The universal use of the sign of the cross makes more poignant the striking lack of crosses in early Christian remains, especially any specific reference to the event on Golgotha. Most scholars now agree that the cross, as an artistic reference to the passion event, cannot be found prior to the time of Constantine." - p. 27, Ante Pacem - Archaeological Evidence of Church Life Before Constantinte.

The Baptist NT scholar W.E. Vine wrote about "Cross":

"STAUROS ... denotes, primarily, an upright pale or stake. On such malefactors were nailed for execution. Both the noun and the verb stauroo, to fasten on a stake or pale, are originally to be distinguished from the ecclesiastical form of a two beamed cross. The shape of the latter had its origins in ancient Chaldea, and was used as the symbol of the god Tammuz (being in the shape of the mystic Tau, the initial of his name) in that country and in adjacent lands, including Egypt. By the middle of the 3rd cent. A.D. the churches had either departed from, or had travestied, certain doctrines of the Christian faith. In order to increase the the prestige of the apostate ecclesiastical system pagans were received into the churches apart from regeneration by faith, and were permitted largely to retain their pagan signs and symbols. Hence the Tau or T, in its most frequent form, with the cross-piece lowered, was adopted to stand for the cross of Christ." - p. 248, An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, Thomas Nelson, 1983 printing.

"In ancient Israel, unfaithful Jews wept over the death of the false god Tammuz. Jehovah spoke of what they were doing as being a `detestable thing.' (Ezek. 8:13, 14) According to history, Tammuz was a Babylonian god, and the cross was used as his symbol. From its beginning in the days of Nimrod, Babylon was against Jehovah and an enemy of true worship. (Gen. 10:8-10; Jer. 50:29) So by cherishing the cross, a person is honoring a symbol of worship that is opposed to the true God." - Reasoning From the Scriptures, "Cross".

The Cross - A Form of Idolatry 

But even if we ignore the evidence and assume that Jesus was killed on a cross, the most important thing is that the cross should not be venerated. Whether it was an upright single torture stake, a cross, an arrow, a lance, or a knife, should such an instrument really be used in worship?

Not only should the thought of venerating the very instrument of Jesus' execution be offensive in itself, but the symbol of the cross is also a pagan symbol...idolatry that God commands us to not even "touch":

“What agreement does God’s temple have with idols?...'Quit touching the unclean thing.'" (2 Corinthians 6:16, 17)

“Guard yourselves from idols.” (1 John 5:21)

"You must not make for yourself a carved image or a form like anything that is in the heavens above or that is on the earth underneath or that is in the waters under the earth. You must not bow down to them nor be induced to serve them, because I Jehovah your God am a God exacting exclusive devotion." (Exodus 20:4-5)

Long before the Christian era, crosses were used by the ancient Babylonians as symbols in their worship of the fertility god Tammuz. The use of the cross spread into Egypt, India, Syria, and China. Then, centuries later, the Israelites adulterated their worship of Jehovah God with acts of veneration to the false god Tammuz. The Bible refers to this form of worship as a ‘detestable thing.’ - Ezekiel 8:13, 14.

First-century Christians, however, held the sacrificial death of Christ in high esteem. Likewise today, although the instrument used to torture and kill Jesus is not to be worshipped, true Christians commemorate Jesus’ death as the means by which God provides salvation to imperfect humans. (Matthew 20:28)

For more, see:

Cross - Links to Information (Defend Jehovah's Witnesses)

Why True Christians Do Not Use the Cross in Worship (What Does the Bible Really Teach?; JW.ORG)

Did Jesus Really Die on a Cross? - What Does the Cross Symbolize? (w11 3/1 pp. 18-20; Watchtower Online Library)

Should Icons Be Used in Worship? (g05 5/8 pp. 20-21; Watchtower Online Library)

The King of the North, the King of the South and the "Time of the End”

Chapters 10 through 12 of the Book of Daniel tells of Daniel's prophecy concerning the ongoing enmity between the "King of the North" and the "King of the South". The political identities of these two kings have changed as the battle between them continued for the past 2,000 years and down into our day. Considering that this prophecy also concerns "the time of the end" (Daniel 12:4), this should be of interest to us. This is because this prophecy could give us a clear view of where we are in the stream of time.

The following is specifically centered on the "time of the end” (Daniel 11:40 through Daniel 12:9). But some excellent information concerning the changing of the political identities of these two kings prior to the 20th century can be found in the Daniel's Prophecy book published by the Watchtower and Bible Tract Society.

Concerning the "Time of the End”

Concerning the "time of the end”, Daniel 11:40a reads:

“In the time of the end the king of the south will engage with him [the King of the North] in a pushing.”

If “the time of the end” here means the same as it does at Daniel 12:4, 9, we should look for the fulfillment of these words throughout the last days. What immediately comes to mind when a "pushing" is described between two major powers during the course of our past century? What two "kings" have targeted fearsome nuclear weapons on each other and have engaged in high-tech espionage as well as diplomatic and even limited military offensives? This kind of "pushing" has even adopted a name: The "Cold War".

Daniel 11:40b helps to identify the King of the North in “the time of the end”:

“Against him the king of the north will storm with chariots and with horsemen and with many ships; and he will certainly enter into the lands and flood over and pass through.”

The identity of the King of the North in the time of the end seems apparent when considering that the history of the past century has well recorded the King of the North's expansionism. But, even though—from the viewpoint of his rival—the King of the North has loomed as a menacing presence, he has not achieved world conquest.

Events To Come

But what happens next? The following is a brief excerpt from the 11/1/93 Watchtower, "The Final Victory of Michael, the Great Prince", pars. 10-14:

"Does the rivalry between the two kings continue indefinitely? No. The angel told Daniel: “There will be reports that will disturb him [the king of the north], out of the sunrising and out of the north, and he will certainly go forth in a great rage in order to annihilate and to devote many to destruction. And he will plant his palatial tents between the grand sea and the holy mountain of Decoration; and he will have to come all the way to his end, and there will be no helper for him.”—Daniel 11:44, 45.

"These events are yet future, so we cannot say in detail how the prophecy will be fulfilled. Recently, the political situation regarding the two kings has changed. The bitter rivalry between the United States and Eastern European countries has cooled. Further, the Soviet Union was disbanded in 1991 and no longer exists.—See the March 1, 1992, issue of The Watchtower, pages 4, 5.

"So who is the king of the north now? Is he to be identified with one of the countries that were part of the old Soviet Union? Or is he changing identity completely, as he has a number of times before? We cannot say. Who will be the king of the north when Daniel 11:44, 45 is fulfilled? Will the rivalry between the two kings flare up again? And what of the huge nuclear stockpiles that still exist in a number of lands? Only time will provide the answers to these questions.

"One thing we do know. Soon, the king of the north will conduct an offensive campaign that will be triggered by “reports that will disturb him, out of the sunrising and out of the north.” This campaign will immediately precede his “end.” We can learn more about these “reports” if we consider other Bible prophecies.

"First, though, notice that these acts of the king of the north are not said to be against the king of the south. He does not come to his end at the hands of his great rival. Similarly, the king of the south is not destroyed by the king of the north. The southern king (represented in other prophecies as the final horn to appear on a wild beast) is destroyed “without [human] hand” by God’s Kingdom. (Daniel 7:26; 8:25) In fact, all earthly kings are finally destroyed by God’s Kingdom at the battle of Armageddon, and this evidently is what happens to the king of the north. (Daniel 2:44; 12:1; Revelation 16:14, 16) Daniel 11:44, 45 describes events leading up to that final battle. No wonder “there will be no helper” when the king of the north meets his end!"

For much more, see:

Kings of North and South - Links to Information (INDEX; Watchtower Online Library)

North Versus South, Michael Stands Up (si pp. 138-142; Bible Book Number 27—Daniel; Watchtower Online Library)

Time of the End (Insight-2 pp. 1103-1104; Watchtower Online Library)

How Should a Christian View April Fools' Day?

Numerous explanations have been given for the origin of April Fools' Day and it's true origin remains uncertain. But after examining numerous ancient pagan celebrations concerning the month of April and the treatment of the 'fool' on April Fools' Day, some have concluded that April Fools' Day does have it's roots in the ancient pagan customs of this world. (See the 22 March Awake! of 1947, p. 28.)

Even though the Bible does not contain any direct command against observing the traditions of April Fools' Day, one can examine certain Biblical principles to know that God does not approve of tricks (even if innocent and physically harmless) that are designed to embarrass or humiliate others.

When it comes to having fun or playing practical jokes at another's expense, it may prove to be beneficial for Christians to remember the principle that Jesus Christ set forth: "Just as you want men to do to you, do the same way to them." (Luke 6:31) The spirit behind April Fools’ Day is exactly opposite to the Christian way of life.

Pranks played on April Fools’ Day (in the name of harmless fun) are usually set in motion through lies, often leading to misunderstanding and confusion thus violating one of God’s Ten Commandments: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” (Ex. 20:16; Deut. 5:20)

Before playing a practical joke on someone, ask yourself, “How would I like to be the object of the joke?” The Bible counsels that we should never receive pleasure at the expense of someone else’s embarrassment or hurt:

"Just like someone mad that is shooting fiery missiles, arrows and death, so is the man that has tricked his fellow man and has said: `Was I not having fun?'" (Prov. 26:18, 19)

For more, see:

Holidays (Search For Bible Truths)

Easter Origins, Traditions and Customs - Christian or Pagan?

There are many wonderful occasions that true Christians observe and commemorate. However, many holidays today have adopted traditions and customs with pagan origins or associations. True Christians should want to know that God does not approve of certain customs if they originate with false religion or are against Bible teachings. (Matthew 15:6) God makes it clear through His Word the Bible that if a Christan intentionally participates in a holiday or custom, it must have absolutely no known pagan religion associations. (Deut. 5:7-9; Exodus 23:13; 2 Cor. 6:17)

So what about Easter's Origins, Traditions and Customs? Are they Christian or are they Pagan?

From early childhood you may have been told that Easter is a Christian celebration that commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. However, rather than being a Christian celebration, many authoritative works of history clearly show that Easter is pagan, with roots deep in ancient sex worship. (Read some of these Encyclopedia quotes at: Easter - Pagan and Unscriptural - Excerpts from the 4/15/63 and 3/15/68 Watchtowers)

The majority of this page contains quotes and references concerning the pagan origins and associations in connection with: EASTER, COLORED EGGS and the RABBIT; HOT-CROSS-BUNS / "CAKES OF BREAD" and EASTER FIRES.

EASTER-

What do the name "Easter," colored eggs, hot-cross buns, and bunnies have to do with honoring Jesus and Jehovah God?

The very name of this celebration in English ("Easter") is the name of a pagan goddess! Many of the customs originally used in worshiping this ancient European goddess are the same ones used today in celebrating Easter.

"East'er ..., n. [AS. eastre, pl. eastron, from name of old Teutonic goddess of spring, AS. Eastre.]" - Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary, 1953.

"... Eastre was the goddess of spring in the religion of the ancient Angles and Saxons. Every April a festival was celebrated in her honor. .... The festival [eventually] was celebrated in honor of the resurrection of Christ but was still known as Easter after the old goddess." p. 215, v. 5, Britannica Junior, 1957.

"(the word Easter is derived from the [Anglo-Saxon] name of Eastre, the Spring-goddess….)" – p. 240, An Encyclopedia of Religion, Virgilius Ferm, The Philosophical Library, 1945.

Easter was

"originally the spring festival in honor of the Teutonic goddess of light and spring known in Anglo-Saxon as Eastre. As early as the 8th century the name was transferred by the Anglo-Saxons to the Christian Festival designed to celebrate the resurrection of Christ." - The Westminster Dictionary of the Bible.

"Rooted in ancient veneration for the moon, the date of Easter was long regarded as symbolizing the rebirth of living things that had passed through the death of winter. Eostre, the Anglo-Saxon goddess who presided over the vernal equinox, eventually gave her name to the Christian [?] festival." - How It Started, Garrison, copyright 1972 by Abingdon Press, pp. 49-50.

"Amongst the Anglo-Saxons the month of April was dedicated to Eostre or Ostara, Goddess of Spring; and her great feast has given its name to our Easter. Here again the Church was quite frank about it, and Bede states that the feast in England was simply `the old [pagan] festival observed with the gladness of a new solemnity.'" - Paganism in our Christianity, Weigall, p. 261, Gordon Press, 1974 (Reprint of the edition published by Putnam, New York.)

"ASHERAH and pl. Asherim in Revised Version, instead of "grove" and "groves" of the Authorized Version [KJV]. This was the name of a sensual Canaanitish goddess Astarte, the feminine of the Assyrian Ishtar. Its symbol was the stem of a tree deprived of its boughs, and rudely shaped into an image, and planted in the ground. Such religious symbols ("groves") are frequently alluded to in Scripture (Exodus 34:13; Judges 6:25; 2 Kings 23:6; 1 Kings 16:33, etc.). These images were also sometimes made of silver or of carved stone (2 Kings 21:7; "the graven image of Asherah," R.V.). (See GROVE [1].). – Easton's Bible Dictionary, Thomas Nelson Publ.

"ISHTAR, principal Babylonian and Assyrian goddess, equivalent to the Sumerian Innin and the Phoenician Astarte .... intimately concerned with the giving or spilling of life, was goddess both of sexual activities and of war." - p. 440, Vol. 9, Encyclopedia International, Grolier, 1966.

`Easter' is the North European (and American) name of the same pagan goddess also known as Asherah & Astarte (Canaanite) and Ishtar (Babylonian & Assyrian).

So we see that the Bible's commands and dire warnings about Asherah must certainly include her other names: Astarte, Ishtar, and Easter!

 COLORED EGGS / RABBIT

"Long before the Christian festival of Easter was established, persons of many cultures exchanged eggs at the time of the year when nature wakes up from sleep. Wealthy persons used to cover their gift eggs with gilt or even gold leaf; ordinary persons usually colored them red. Today's [Easter] egg hunt, involving a dozen or hundreds or thousands of decorated or candy eggs, is so gay that it conceals the reverence with which many ancients [pagans] regarded this symbol of `life and death.'" - How It Started, p. 51.

"… the symbol of the egg generated not from Christian observances, but from pagan rituals. From earliest times, the egg has been a symbol of fertility and immortality. During the rites of spring, the pagan nations included it as a symbol of celebrating for the new life promised during the season of planting. The Church only took this ancient sign and applied it as a visual lesson to the resurrection of Christ." – p. 232, The Christian Book of Why, J. C. McCollister (Lutheran pastor and university professor), Jonathan David Publishers, 1983.

"Like the egg, the rabbit has been a symbol of fertility, the observance of which was a part of the Anglo-Saxon mythology and the pagan's celebration of spring, In a blend of Christian and pagan traditions, the rabbit was adopted as part of the festival of Jesus' resurrection celebrated during the spring each year." – pp. 233-234, McCollister.

"A great many pagan customs, celebrating the return of spring, gravitated to Easter. The egg is the emblem of the germinating life of early spring.... The rabbit is a pagan symbol and has always been an emblem of fertility." - The Catholic Encyclopedia, 1913, Vol. V, p. 227.

So when children hunt for Easter eggs (left by the `Easter Bunny'),
"This is not mere child's play, but the vestige of a [pagan] fertility rite." - Funk and Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology and Legend, Vol. 1, p. 335.

The Encyclopædia Britannica, eleventh edition, volume 8, page 828:

"There is no indication of the observance of the Easter festival in the New Testament, or in the writings of the apostolic Fathers. The sanctity of special times was an idea absent from the minds of the first Christians. . . . The ecclesiastical historian Socrates (Hist. Eccl. v. 22) states, with perfect truth, that neither the Lord nor his apostles enjoined the keeping of this or any other festival . . . and he attributes the observance of Easter by the church to the perpetuation of an old usage, `just as many other customs have been established.'"

The `old usage' was the practice by pagans of having a festival in honor of their goddess of spring.

HOT-CROSS-BUNS, EASTER BUNS "CAKES OF BREAD", EASTER FIRES:

"Eating special buns at the festival of the pagan goddess Eostre has long been an established custom among the natives of Britain. Early Christian missionaries who tried to stop this practice got nowhere. Eventually.... converts ... were permitted to continue eating buns at the time of the spring festival...." - How It Started, p. 50.

"Like the Greeks, the [pagan] Romans ate bread marked with a cross ... at public sacrifices, such bread being usually purchased at the doors of the temple and then taken in with them - a custom alluded to by St. Paul in 1 Cor. x. 28. The cross-bread was eaten by pagan Saxons in honour of Easter, their goddess of light. .... The custom, in fact, was practically universal, and the early Church adroitly adopted the practice, grafting it on to the Eucharist and so giving us the hot-cross-bun." - The Encyclopedia Britannica, 1959, Vol. 4, p. 381.

The Rev. Alexander Hislop in his The Two Babylons proved that the Anglo-Saxon goddess Eostre (or Eastre) was none other than the infamous Ishtar of Babylon, the Queen of the Heavens, and those two names (Eastre and Ishtar) were even pronounced the same: `Ee-star.' He informs us that the worship of Bel and Ishtar was introduced into Britain at a very early date by the Druids. From Bel comes the name of the pagan festival Beltane. Hislop tells us that even as late as the 19th century Beltane was celebrated every year in Britain as follows: The people assemble in a circle and light a fire in the center. Each person places a small piece of oat-cake in a hat. They all sit and draw from the hat. Whoever draws the blackened piece of oat-cake (you'd expect it to be a straw or stick or stone, wouldn't you?) has to jump through the fire in the center of the circle, and pay a penalty fee.

"This is," says Hislop, "in fact, a part of the ancient worship of Baal [Bel], and the person on whom the lot fell was [in earlier times] burnt as a sacrifice. Now, the passing through the fire represents that [earlier human sacrifice]...."Hislop continues, "If Baal [Bel] was thus worshipped in Britain, it will not be difficult to believe that his consort [Ishtar also known as Astarte] was also added by our ancestors, and that from ... Ishtar, the religious solemnities of April ... are [now] called by the name of Easter." Hislop further tells us that the entire month of April (including the last day when the evening Beltane Fires were usually kindled) was called "Easter-monath". - p. 104.

Weiser also tells us that such bonfires were originally banned by the church as being a pagan symbolism (Synod of Mainz, 742 A. D.). However, "Saint" Patrick introduced the practice in Ireland "to supplant the Druidic pagan spring fires with a Christian [?] and religious fire symbol of Christ... This tolerated custom became so popular eventually that the popes incorporated it into the liturgy of the Western Church in the latter part of the ninth century." And so it became popular in much of Western Europe. - The Easter Book, Francis Weiser, S. J.

"In spite of the thin cloak of Christianity thrown over these customs [Easter Fires] we can hardly doubt that they are really of pagan origin." - p. 703, The New Golden Bough by Sir James G. Frazer as revised and edited by Dr. Theodor Gaster, A Mentor Book, 1964 printing.

Frazer relates many accounts of Beltane Fires and "May" Fires in Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Sweden, and other northern European countries in the relatively recent past. They often have these things in common: Large fires are kindled (usually on hills) in late April or early May. Sacrificial cakes (often of oats - sometimes with eggs) are used - sometimes ceremonially eaten, sometimes used in other rituals. People (most often children) are "sacrificed" in the fires: Some are actually dragged up to the fire and seemingly about to be thrown in before being stopped; some are actually spread on the ground as though to be cut into quarters before being "thrown into" the fire; and, more often, children and young people jump over the fires often passing through the flames. (These purely pagan customs were still very popular in many places of northern Europe even as late as the mid-1800's. For example, Frazer tells us: "On the first of May, 1837 the Baal fires were, as usual on that day, so numerous as to give the [Isle of Man] the appearance of a general conflagration." And, "On the Hemlock Stone, a natural pillar of sandstone standing on Stapleford Hill in Nottinghamshire, a fire used to be solemnly kindled every year [up into the 1800's] on Beltane Eve." - p. 708, #531, The New Golden Bough.)

The "cakes of bread" have become "hot cross buns" at Easter and the Beltane fires have become Easter Fires, but both clearly betray their pagan-inspired origins in which they, together, honored false gods, notably Ishtar (Easter) and Bel (Baal or Molech).

Yes, the "hot cross bun" commemorates a ritual honoring Ishtar (and Eastre), and the Easter Fires commemorate the ritual fires and terrible human sacrifices that were an essential part of worshipping the god Bel (Baal or Molech) Ishtar's consort.

Now notice how this very same double custom was condemned by God.

In Jeremiah 7 Jehovah God tells that he will destroy "his people" of the southern kingdom of Judah (including Jerusalem and the Temple) because of their disobedience. They honor other gods and then come and stand in God's house which bears his sacred name and say, `We are safe' - - safe to do all these detestable things. And how will it end for them?

"I will thrust you from my presence, just as I did all your brothers [the northern 10 tribes of Israel who had been destroyed or taken away as slaves]."

Why?

"Do you not see what they are doing in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? The children gather wood, the fathers light the fire, and the women knead the dough and make cakes of bread for the Queen of Heaven [The NIV Study Bible footnote for this verse says: `Queen of Heaven. A Babylonian title for Ishtar']."

And,

"The people of Judah have built the high places of Topheth [NIVSB footnote: `place of child sacrifice'] in the valley of Ben Hinnom to burn their sons and daughters in the fire." - Jeremiah 7:9, 10, 13-15, 30, 31, NIVSB.

"The heathen practice of making children `pass through the fire' was occasionally practiced by the Israelites ... and was included in the condemnations of the prophets." And, "The OT often speaks of the fact that Israelites at times of apostasy made their children `go through the fire to Molech' (2 Kings 23:10; cf. Jeremiah 7:31; 19:5). In some passages the reference is clearly to a deity to whom human sacrifice was made...." - pp. 377, 789, New Bible Dictionary, Second edition, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1982.

So how should we react to the "deceptive words" of those who tell us we can make a pagan ritual into something pleasing to God? Were God's chosen people ever able to do that?

"This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD [Jehovah]: `Stand at the gate of [Jehovah's] house and there proclaim this message: "Hear the word of [Jehovah], all you people of Judah who come through these gates to worship [Jehovah]. [These people really firmly believe they are God's saved people and that they are worshiping him in an acceptable manner.] This is what [Jehovah] Almighty, the God of Israel, says: `Reform your ways and your actions, and I will let you live in this place. Do not trust in deceptive words and say "This is the temple of the LORD [so we are automatically saved no matter what]...."'"'" - Jeremiah 7:1-4, 8, NIVSB
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If pagan ceremonies, customs, god names, etc. are really mixed in with ceremonies, customs, etc. that we use to honor God and Christ, they are not merely unacceptable - - - they are detestable to God. We must completely get away from these unclean things and not even "touch" them. "Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you." - 2 Cor. 6:17

"I am Jehovah thy God...Thou shalt have no other gods before me." (Deut. 5:7-9) ASV

"Do not invoke the names of other gods; do not let them be heard [in a respectful, or even tolerating, manner] on your lips." Exodus 23:13, NIVSB.
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Also see:

EASTER (INDEX; Watchtower Online Library)

EASTER—FERTILITY WORSHIP IN DISGUISE (lv chap. 13 pp. 144-159; Watchtower Online Library)

What is the origin of Easter and the customs associated with it? (rs p. 176-p. 182; Watchtower Online Library)

Why Don’t Jehovah's Witnesses Celebrate Easter? (JW.ORG)

What Does the Bible Say About Easter? (JW.ORG)

Easter or the Memorial—Which Should You Observe? (JW.ORG)

Easter - Who Does It Really Honor? (Jehovah's Witnesses United)

"What is the meaning and origin of Easter? Who is honored by the holiday? What are its symbols? Were early Christians commanded to celebrate Easter? Should true Christians celebrate Easter today? The first four questions, and more, will be answered in this paper...

Easter - Pagan and Unscriptural (Search For Bible Truths; Excerpts from the 4/15/63 and  3/15/68 Watchtowers)

Easter - What do Colored Eggs, Bunnies and Hot-Cross Buns Have to do With Honoring Jesus and God? (Search For Bible Truths) 

Research: Are Celebrating Holidays Acceptable to God? (Search For Bible Truths)

"Easter" -- And "Babylon the Great" (Babylon the Great)

Holidays (Search For Bible Truths)

Links to related subjects

Paganism (Search For Bible Truths)

Links to related subjects

Should We Celebrate Holidays? (bh p. 222-p. 223; Watchtower Online Library)

“There is no indication of the observance of the Easter festival in the New Testament,” states The Encyclopædia Britannica. How did Easter get started?

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