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| Easter Pilgrims, St. Patrick's Cathedral, 1989 |
An Easter Note: Rabbits
are prolific breeders. Females can conceive a second litter of
offspring while still pregnant with the first.
This
phenomenon is known as superfetration and can really play hell with a
rabbit's family planning.
Rabbits
mature sexually at an early age and can give birth to several litters
a year (hence the saying, "to schtup like rabbits" or "to
thine own self be true"). It is therefore not surprising that
rabbits and hares should become fertility symbols, be used by
Playboy Magazine or that their springtime mating antics should enter
into Easter folklore.
Should
Christian parents allow their children to participate in traditional
activities that refer to the Easter Bunny? This is a question both
parents and church leaders struggle with, especially in areas of
rural Alabama. And unlike rural Alabama, there is nothing essentially
evil about the Easter Bunny, unless it is used to promote the goddess
of spring or fertility rites. What is important is our focus. If our
focus is on Christ and not the Easter Bunny, our children will
understand that, like Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny is merely a
symbol. If we screw up this one our children will become devil
worshipers and vote for Donald Trump. As with Christmas, Easter
should be a time to reflect upon and celebrate the incarnation, the
resurrection and the risen Christ.
This photo is available in a limited edition of prints
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and
enriching the photographer.
Contact said photographer to order yours.
1 comment:
Well, I personally dislike both Santa and the Easter Bunny, as well as the commercialism and pointless display surrounding both Christian Feasts, but the time when I'd make a big thing of my personal dislikes is long past. As both picture and comment illustrate, there is much that CAN be good in such otherwise silly and sometimes negative expressions. I very much like that the old woman, though needing a wheelchair, has been given the chance to express a childlike joy. The bunny has very little to do with the death and resurrection of Christ, but there is nothing wrong with sex in the proper context (i.e. in a marriage) and nothing wrong with producing children (even when it may seem inconvenient or worse). Scripture and Tradition celebrate both, even if Puritans seem to despise the one and Liberals seem to dislike the other. Yeah, those who take my dislike for these things to extremes do frequently turn out to have the kind of angry narrow-mindedness that supports people like Trump and Cruz. Perhaps the bunny can help lessen that tendency. Anyhow, you did cause this elderly former preacher to think a bit outside his usual box.
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