Pericles
"outrageous" statements can make people think. You know the old "if u don't get their attention in first 30 seconds u wont have it for the next 40 minutes" addage.
The point I was trying to make, is about Easter monday being associated with the events of Easter. (yes, it is an Australian thing but thats valid for Aussies) I'm sure I responded to this but can't find my post *mutters*...... It also reflects around 73% of Aussies if u can believe the Foxtell Poll.

Davo, I'm glad u enjoy those times. but sad that u don't yet know the Lord. I'd just urge you to consider a closer examination of the 'real' Jesus of the gospels :) You might find that Easter and Chrissy become meaningful at deeper and more satisfying level than choccy eggs and pressies.

Ringtail, I'm not negative on compassion, I'm negative at culture theft :) most Aussies value the religious traditions of Easter, so why try to 'mug' them and make it something else ? Have a special compassion day, without a holiday, (we have too many already).

Arjay, that comment about 'the priests' is most instructive about your negative attitude mate. I understand more now. I encourage you to try to empty your mind of the the accumulated negative experience of the Church from your apparently catholic upbringing and discover the real Christ, as He is portrayed in the gospels.

BOAZ_David, "Culture Theft". The idea that easter is based on an old pagan festival and was nicked by christians has been around for quite a while, might be worth a check.

Examples of people moving from one bad religion to another with more socially acceptable habits (from our cultural perspective) does not prove the validity or relevance of your faith, it just shows how bad some religions can get. Are a celebration of human sacrifice or ritual canabilism that much better than having a rotting body under the house? I guess the former are a lot easier on the nose.

Defining meaningful values is more difficult from a position of not having an absolute truth to use as a base. On the other hand if the absolute truth is not so absolute or true then it's kind of a moot point isn't it? I'm kind of enjoying the adventure of working through my values with an expectation that I may never be finished but that the journey will be worthwhile. If it helps you to understand, it is a bit like taking the training wheels of a pushbike. It's hard to see what holds the bike up, it's easier to fall over but after a while it is a much more satisfactory way to travel. A four year old with training wheels is good, a forty year old still using them is sad.

Iam sick to death of Christianity being the whipping boy for the political correct.
If the left had an ounce of courage, a sense of justice & balance, then all of the hatred, jealousy & anger they direct exclusively at the Church should be applied to 'other religions'.
Salmon Rushdie, a man of great courage & conviction, knows the reason why Islam gets a free ride from the 'intellectual progressives'. Freedom of speech, bah, not to the political 'correct'.

Many who post here most stridently believe that (to quote Eric himself) “Jesus is not my ‘saviour”.

In an essay at http://www.oz-aware.com/debate5.htm is a non-religious explanation of why such people are ALL drastically mistaken--even if they don't know it.

Davo,

Your personal experience bears witness to a reality I have long known and constantly try to warn people about—usually to hoots of derision and screams of ‘racist’. Your comment concerns me and I would like to know more about your experiences, because you say that you…

“…have the pleasure of residing in Australia's most
multicultural suburb”….

To understand that I am genuine in this approach to you, read an essay I originally wrote three years ago. It is posted at http://www.oz-aware.com/christmas02.htm.

If you want to ‘cut to the chase’, search that page for “Simi Valley” and discover that your (apparent) experience is a worldwide problem that Australian social engineers blithely ignore---to the enormous harm of many ‘ordinary’ Australians like yourself and even worse harm to our grandchildren. Davo, you can contact me directly via the links provided on that website.

Boaz, try again.

You said "[t]he point I was trying to make, is about Easter monday being associated with the events of Easter", but you fail to explain exactly how they are connected.

Just to remind you, my original question went 'I also question your statement "...Easter Monday, which is an entrenched and cherished existing tradition". Amongst whom?'

Since I am only asking for clarification of your own statements, I would very much appreciate a reply. They are surely not that complicated?

I also asked "explain to me why Easter is a movable feast, and Christmas is not", is there a particular reason that you chose not to reply?

P my slow replies are rules based.. I'm almost clawing at the monitor in desperation to force my typing thru it :) to no avail.
I'll try to respond.
1/ Easter monday <== as u said, its entrenched in Australia, not other places. Its connection with the events of Christ is purely tradition. "Important event, have a holiday" kind of thing.

2/ Easter's Movable Date.
I understand that the original festival, the pagan one, was related to the cycle of the moon, and as u also pointed out, it was adapted,adopted,coup-de-tat'ed by Christians as the time to remember Christs death and resurrection. Here is a link explaining it.
http://people.howstuffworks.com/easter1.htm
http://ayla.brinkster.net/Easter.asp
The timing being related to the moon, seems a bit silly though to me
as the date itself is not something to be pedantic about, the core remembrance is the important bit.

3/ Christmas not movable. It apparently began in the 4th Century.
Christians began celebrating Christs birth. St Nicolaus gave gifts to people.
http://www.soon.org.uk/christmas.htm#start

Hope this helps.
Hey, u have not responded to my other point in the cultural thread about why u know about the White Rajah's -Brookes of Sarawak, not many people would study that area .. so ?