Moment of disbelief

[curgoth]

While having breakfast this morning, I overheard the woman at the table next to ours repeatedly asking both her date and the waitress (while chatting) why its an Easter bunny and not an Easter chicken. She seemed to have no idea where those elements of the Easter symbolism come from or what they represent. How do people who celebrate these religious holidays not know these things?

I wanted to lean over to their table and say "It's the sex, stupid." but I didn't think that would go over well.

Comments

ClueLess.

[djinnthespazz.livejournal.com]

They don't even know about Astarte, who gave her name to the day.

Re: ClueLess.

[djinnthespazz.livejournal.com]

Nevermind the plausible connection to Astarte and Ashtoreth, whom they SHOULD know, if they are following along with their programs...

[olletho.livejournal.com]

May May the first of May,
Outside fucking starts today!

[djinnthespazz.livejournal.com]

Time to regenerate the fields.
Have the sacrifices been chosen?

[solar-mango.livejournal.com]

"How do people who celebrate these religious holidays not know these things?"

Very easily. You don't need to be religious to celebrate something. People may not know the origins of something, but a season may have a different meaning for them. For some, it's all about the chocolate, or spring, or a long weekend etc.
Anyways, don't mistake ignorance for stupidity.

That being said, the symbolism of bunnies and eggs is about as subtle as a sledge hammer.

[curgoth]

In context, she was also talking about going to church, so she was at least somewhat religious.

I guess I'm so surprised because, if I recall correctly, the history of the various religious holidays was something I learned in public school, so I've known so long it seems like it requires deliberate avoidance of information or a serious failure to think clearly to not get the symbolism.

[javenallese.livejournal.com]

I didn't learn anything about religious holidays until I got with Djinn - at least not consciously. They weren't covered in school and my family, though Roman Catholic, didn't practice and I was only in catechism for one year. So I really don't know much beyond what Djinn has mentioned.

[tulzscha.livejournal.com]

All I learned about Easter symbolism I learned from the most recent episode of South Park.

[sarcasma.livejournal.com]

Okay, it's bugging me so I gotta comment. :)

My assumption about public elementary school is exactly the opposite of yours, that learning about the origins of religious holidays there would be pretty unusual. Why? Because that was my experience, just like your assumption about when/whether people are taught certain subjects is only based on your experience. We could both be wrong. However, I will tell you that anything I know about that kind of topic would come from going to the effort to do a bit of research out of personal interest. I think it's simply not as common-knowledge as you assume.

Meanwhile, for the last four years I've been a more regular churchgoer than many "religious" people, and nobody's ever taught me anything about bunnies there. I'm not expecting they will this morning, either. There's this whole far-fetched story about a dude being tortured to death and coming back to life that they tend to cover instead at Easter.

I'm just saying that I'm not sure what going to church necessarily has to do with knowing anything beyond the basics of the actual religious part of the story. Sure, I think that Sunday school or whatever should probably teach that stuff, but I have no idea if they do even at my hippy-dippy PC church, never mind whenever the woman you're talking about might have gone, if she did at all. Would a sermon or two that covers appropriation of other religions' symbols throughout Christianity or a similar topic be cool? Sure! But it's not shocking to me that someone who happens to go to a church somewhere (especially if they only go occasionally) wouldn't have heard one. Disappointing, maybe, but not shocking.

I do agree that not being able to sit back for a moment and think "hmm, spring, bunnies, eggs, renewal, okay" is a bit sad, but that's also assuming your restaurant couple wasn't just making a lame Easter Chicken joke.

Okay, sorry to rant. Goodness knows I'm usually perfectly happy to bitch about the stupidity of humans in general, but something about all this just got my Easter Goat.