In search of Easter

By Tony Staley
Compass Editor

On Holy Thursday, Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, released a statement bemoaning "efforts to make Easter disappear."

Donohue said malls in Palm Beach, Fla., turned the Easter Bunny into Baxter the Bunny and how more Easter Egg Rolls are becoming Spring or Children's Egg Hunts (there was one in 1988 and '89, an average of 2.6 a year in 1990-94, 10.8 in 1995-99; and 28 per year since 2000).

While it's tempting to blame atheists and anti-Christians for the name changes, Children's Egg Hunt sponsors this year included the Church of Christ in Fayetteville, Ga., and the International City Church of God in Warner Robins, Ga.

What's going on? National Public Radio reported on Holy Saturday that some Evangelical Christians - including the Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn and Thessalonian Baptist Church in the Bronx - insist that Easter be called "Resurrection Sunday." They also oppose linking the resurrection to bunnies or eggs.

This says much about how different an Evangelical view is from the sacramental perspective of Catholics. It also says something about the dangers of casting stones.