Curious About your Easter Traditions

[missingMN]

Hello All,

I am a relatively new lurker who has enjoyed this particular forum immensely. Hence I am here to ask for some help. I started attending a Bible Study group about a month ago and want to become more involved. So i decided to volunteer to lead the hr long group two weeks from now. The subject will be on the origin of various religious acts performed by the faithful during Lent and Easter. For example, why do people only eat fish and no meat? The goal being to root out which acts are based on Scripture and which were started by various religious denominations. We have some Christians in our group that are a bit wary of the traditional denominations and they were intrigued by these religious acts. Does anyone know a good place to start looking?

Thanks in advance,
brian

[OrthodoxyUSA]

http://www.oca.org/pages/orth_chri/Q-and-A_OLD/Orthodox-Fasting.htm
http://www.oca.org/pages/orth_chri/Orthodox-Faith/Spirituality/Fasting.html

http://www.oca.org/pages/orth_chri/Q-and-A/index.html

You will find more info under the name Pascha instead of Easter.

I'll post more when I find some good ones....

Forgive me....

[Oblio]

For example, why do people only eat fish and no meat?


One thing to clear up is that we do not eat fish (except on certain feast days, e.g. the Annunciation 25 March) during Lent. The practice of allowing fish during normal fast days, especially Fridays, throughout the year is a relatively modern Catholic innovation. not practiced by Orthodox.

[Oblio]

Oh,

Welcome to TAW missingMN :clap:

[Oblio]

We fast from animal products to remind us of our fallen state and the death that results from it. Prior to the fall, we did not eat meat, but afterwards, when death entered the world, we were clothed with the skins af animals, symbolic of the death that entered into the world. Abstaining from these things reminds us of how we were ment to be, and to focus on our sins resulting from this fall from paradise.

[missingMN]

thanks folks! I appreciate the openess and the links. I am busy digging through my own Lutheran history as well. I hope i satisfy my non-denominational study group.

[ufonium2]

I hope i satisfy my non-denominational study group.

Good luck with that. Be sure to mention that Jesus said "when you fast" and not "if you choose to fast."

[Eusebios]

Just popping int o say hello and welcome to TAW missing MN !
In Xp,
Eusebios,
:bow:

[Xpycoctomos]

thanks folks! I appreciate the openess and the links. I am busy digging through my own Lutheran history as well. I hope i satisfy my non-denominational study group.

You can do a lot of good using yoru Lutheran heritage in a non-denom group. I don't know how knowledgeable you are regarding Lutheranism, but if it hasn't played a large role in your theological formation, I would strongly urge you to learn more about Confessional Lutheranism (you can go to the Lutheran forum and seek out some confessional Lutheran's there (ie, LuthersRose and there are some others who I've seen here and in OBOB). I think the one great thing Lutherans can do is call protestants back to their heritage (that is, those Lutherans who remember who they are). Protestants are much more apt to open their ears and minds to a Lutheran (a "fellow protestant") saying that traditon and Mary are important than to a Catholic or Orthodox.

I encourage in your look at Orthodox traditions and the role they play in our faith, and I equally encourage you to use your Lutheran heritage to the benefit of the souls at your non-denom bible study (afterall, weather we here at TAW like it or not, Luther was among the most important, if not the most important, Father of the Reformatioin :) ).

God bless you and sorry I didn't answer any of your questions. I consider tangents a hobby of mine :)

John

PS: I was LCMS, you?