This article from the Guardian Newspaper in England tells us what we probably already knew. The general population know very little about Christian beliefs or any religious beliefs for that matter. If we ever needed any more evidence that we live in a post Christian era here it is. I know that the survey was done in Britain and not here in Australia or in the US but I would imagine similar results in most of the western world.
They ran the story this week to highlight the fact that half the Britons in a recent survey didn’t know what Easter is really about. That’s not where it stopped either. Most had very little understanding of a number of what we would consider to be basic beliefs.
I suppose this shows what we already knew; if we want to introduce people to Jesus we need to supply his resume and start the story without assuming any pre-existing knowledge.
What is Easter all about for you? I’d love to get your comments. I’m not after the basic spiritual answers either. If you’re not a person who follows the Christian faith then maybe the Easter weekend is simply time for a break and an opportunity to spend time with friends. I’m not after the meaning of Easter here, I just want to read about your ideas on what it’s like at your place.
Posted by Rodney Olsen
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Easter for me growing up, also the Thanksgiving holiday here in the US, was always a time of getting together with extended family. I grew up with many aunts and uncles and therefore tons of cousins. For each of these two holidays we would gather, eat and generally have a blast. As the cousins have grown and some of us have moved away, the gatherings are much smaller and tends to be just immediate family. I often wonder what my kids are missing not having such a large extended family. Anyway, that’s my personal perspective on the Easter holiday.
Growing up, Easter for me was alot less distracting than compared to the recent Easters. In Singapore, Easter is celebrated only by the Christian community (unlike the very commercialised Christmas). Wheras Easter in Australia and now in America seems to be more distracting with the bunnies and chocolate… (Yes, chocolate is a major distraction of mine!)
The question of introducing people to Jesus has been on my mind for the last couple of weeks. So often I don’t know where to start. And when I do, I don’t know how much they know. So I’m asking God for wisdom and trying to learn from those who have had more expereince.