you've got to be kidding me

so a rhode island school district has decided to change the name of the easter bunny, stating that the easter bunny is too much of a Christian symbol. instead, the critter is now being renamed "peter rabbit".

in response, a state legislator has introduced "the easter bunny act" in order to protect traditions this country has held for over 150 years. he states this act would protect all cultural and religious symbols that have been traditions in this country, for example, it would protect a menorah from being called a candelabra.

i'm not upset that they want to take the easter bunny away. frankly i could care less. but obviously the school superintendent has no idea where the easter bunny even came from. a lot of people don't know where it came from, or even where the name "easter" came from. a little history, if i may.

when i was little and in sunday school, i remember asking where the chicks and bunnies at easter came from. i was always told that we had those animals at easter because they were on the mountain at the foot of the cross when Jesus was crucified, and that they were there at the resurrection. this is all lies. could there have been bunnies and chicks there? who knows. but that's not where they came from. easter was originally a pagan festival. a fertility festival, celebrating spring and the birth of all the things that bloom and are "birthed" in spring. the festival is named after the goddess of fertility, eastre. that's where the bunnies and eggs come from; they are fertility symbols.

the church and missionaries decided to celebrate a "christian" holiday on the same day as a pagan festival in order to try and convert non-believers. they let the pagans keep their festivals, but only by adding christian themes to it.

this superintendent said he wants to change the name of the easter bunny so as not to offend those that are not of the christian faith. personally, from a christian stand point, i don't want the easter bunny as a christian symbol. but it is a cultural symbol. what i find really interesting, though, is if you go to the school district's academic calendar, friday, april 6 is a holiday for the district, a good friday holiday. if the superintendent really wants to make a difference and allow for all religions, then all the jewish holidays and muslim holidays should be school holidays as well.

i don't care if you want to rename or get rid of the easter bunny. just know what your reasons are and if your reasons are legitimate and factual. i did love one response at the end of the article from the state legislator. "By the way, Peter Rabbit stole cabbages and that's not a good role model for our kids"