One Year Ago

Posted on April 21, 2004 in Folly Watch Myths & Mysticism

Just for the hell of it, I looked back to see what I was writing about a year ago and found this little bit that I called “Politically Correct Easter”:

My aunt reports that her Fundamentalist minister has ordered his congregation to avoid using the term “Easter” because it isn’t Christian. (Easter refers back to an ancient pagan holiday.) So he’s trying to get his congregation to refer to it as “Resurrection Sunday”, which is a mouthful for the kids wanting their Resurrection Sunday candies. Lynn and I suggested that instead of spewing out “Happy Resurrection Sunday”, they just say like the Orthodox do “Christ is Risen”. Unfortunately, many Fundamentalists regard the Orthodox tradition as too permeated with paganism, too. Better to corrupt Jesus’s message, in their eyes, with laissez faire capitalism and greed is good doctine than — God forbid! — allow a rabbit to lead the young down the primrose path of dailliance!

One year later, I read about actors whipping the Easter Bunny. Fundamentalist political correctness has not disappeared. It’s just become more violent.