Easter Worshipers

Last updated on: April 23, 2019 at 7:44 am by Henry Karlson

Easter Worshipers 2019-04-23T07:44:40-05:00 Henry Karlson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Kanatonian: Memorial to the countless dead in the Navaly Church Bombing in Navaly, Jaffna, Sri Lanka. 9 July 2017 (and not the Easter bombing of 2019) /WikiMedia Commons

It’s a strange thing. When Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and others referred to those killed by terrorist bombs in Sri Lanka as “Easter worshipers,” some people became more concerned with the words “Easter worshipers” than they are with the attack itself. They have shown themselves to be more interested in making a political attack against Obama and Clinton than showing sympathy to those who were killed. They act like the term “Easter worshiper” is not only strange, but intended as an insult, as a way to cross out the word Christian and to make people forget Christians are being attacked.

The thing is, the words were intended to reference that the attack was not just an ordinary attack but one done on Easter, affecting Christians at their Easter services (not all Christians celebrate Easter on the same day, and so not all Christians were having Easter worship services this week). In reality the word choice is appropriate, pointing out the attack was not just on Christians, but on the faith itself by trying to hijack the greatest Christian celebration and turn it into a day of tragedy and mourning.

This should be obvious. Why it isn’t is that some ideologues desperately want to cause undo division, to add sin upon sin, so that people cannot come together and work together for the common good. They not only try to read the worst out of the words of their ideological opponents, but they try to force that reading upon others for the sake of calumny. How rotten one must be that they must take a great tragedy and try to turn words of comfort and solace and use them to spread further seeds of hate.

The thing is, the phrase “Easter worshipers” is not new; it has a longstanding tradition, where people write about those who are going to church services on Easter. For example, in Leaves of Healing Volume 6 (1900), John Alexander Dowie wrote: “In hundreds and in thousands the Easter worshipers thronged the broad floors and high-terraced galleries of Central Zion Tabernacle, the second largest auditorium in the city of Chicago.” Likewise, Life Volume 67 number 1745 (1916), in its Easter Catechism, also uses the term “Easter worshiper,” saying that they are like eggs, “The Easter Worshiper, who like the Egg, is quite likely to be impure within, while smooth and beautiful without.” Sometimes, the term is used, like Christmas worshipers, to indicate those who come to church on that particular day but not many others, such as we find in the sermons of the Lutheran Susan Nagle, wherein she was talking about a new woman, Megan, and her family, saying “However, she had a sister who was about to move near her. Her sister was a Christmas and Easter worshiper. And she has purple hair, and multiple piercings and tattoos. I told the congregation ahead of time that she was coming to church, and that they were to welcome her, and not look askance.”

Though we might not be used to the term, it is one which has a long-standing use in the English language to reference those who go to church service on Easter. Often, it is used to indicate those who go only on Easter (and a few other days of the years), but even those who go regularly could be said to be an “Easter worshiper” on Easter Sunday if their focus and thought is on Easter and the joy of the resurrection. It can be used in a derogatory manner, when it is used solely for those who go irregularly to church services, but it does not have to be seen as such when it is used to emphasize worship which is being done on Easter itself. It is not said to erase the name of Christian (though, lest we forget, the name Christian itself was originally derogatory in nature; cf. Acts 11:26). It is not a “politically correct term” but rather, it is a term used to emphasize the nature of Easter itself.

Let us, then, come together, with those of good will, who seek to overcome the violence in the world. Let us give comfort to the victims and not use them as tools for culture wars. If we do that, we just revictimize them again.

Stay in touch! Like A Little Bit of Nothing on Facebook.
If you have liked what you read, please consider sharing it with your friends and family!

Previous Post

April 22, 2019

Earth Day and the Resurrection

Next Post

April 25, 2019 Understanding the Resurrection

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Abortion Abraham abuse Aesthetics AI Aliens Ambrose Ancestors and Everything Andrew Angels Animals Anne Anthony Antisemitism apologetics Apophatic Apostle John Aquinas Artificial Intelligence Asanga Ascension Asceticism Assumption Atheism Attachment Augustine Authority Avarice Balthasar Baptism Beauty Biden birthright citizenship Bishops Black History Books Buddhism Bulgakov Byzantine Calendar C.S. Lewis Calcidius Catholic Catholicism Catholicism Celibacy Charity Chastity children Chrismation Christ Christmas Christology Church Climate Change Common Good Communion Confession Confirmation Conscience Constantine conventions conversion councils Covid Creation Cross Dead Death Death Penalty Debate Deception Demagogues Demons Desert Monks Desert Mothers Desire destruction development Dialogue Dignity Dionsyius Dionysius Discipline Diversity Division Doctor Who doctrine dogma Dormition Dualism Easter Easter Series Ecumenical Councils Ecumenism Education Election Empathy Environment Error Eschatology eschaton Eternity Ethics Eucharist Evangelism Eve Evil evolution Faeries Faith Fear femininity Ficino Florence Florensky Folktale Fools Forgiveness Freedom Future gender Gentile Gentiles Glory Gnostic God gods Good Samaritan Goodness Gospel Government Grace Great Fast Guns Hate healing Health Heaven Hell Hellenism Heresy Hierarchy Hildegard Hinduism History Holiness Holy Spirit Holy Week Hope Horror Human rights humanity Humility hypocrisy ICE icon icons Identification Identity Idol II Nicea Immigration incarnation Individualism Informal Reflections Inklings Intention Inter-Religious Interfaith Internet Interpretation Intrinsic evil Irenaeus Islam Israel Jacob Jerome Jesus Jews John Chrysostom John of Damascus John the Baptist Joseph Judaism justice Justification kenosis Kindnesss Kingdom of God Kingdom of Heaven Law Law of Moses Lazarus Leaf by Niggle Lent Lenten Reflection Liberation Theology Lies Life Listen Literature Liturgy locutions Logic Logos Love Marriage Martyrs Mary Mass Maximos The Confessor Meanness Meditation Mercy Middle Path Migrants Mind Miracles Miriam Morals Moses Movies Music Muslims Myths Names Nationalism Native Americans New Year Nicea Nicholas Nothing Novatian Obedience Occam's Razor Ordination Origen Original Sin Orthodox orthopraxis Pagans Palamas Palm Sunday Paradise Paschaltide Paul Peace Pentecost person Peter piety PKD Plato pluralism Plurality Poem Poetry Poiltics Politics Poor Pope Pope Francis Pope Leo XIV Post Office Prayer Pride Pro-life Prodigal Son propaganda Prophecy Prophets Providence Putin Racism Reading Reason Reflection Refugees Relationships Religion Religion Series Religious Liberty Repent Republicans Rest Resurrection Rich Rites Russia Sacraments Saints Salvation Salvian Santa Science Scripture Self-Giving Sexuality Sibyl Sick Silence Sin Singlehood Social Justice Society Sodom Solovyov Speculations Spiritual Reflection St. Cyril of Alexandria St. Justin Martyr Suffering Sunday of the Paralytic Man Sunday of the Samaritan Woman Superhero Supreme Court Teaching Technology Thanksgiving The Father the Universe Theological Reflection Theology Theosis Theotokos Thomas Timaeus Time Tolerenace Tolkien Tradition Transfiguration Trinity Trump Truth Uncategorized Unity Universities USCCB Value Vatican II Vegetarian Vices Violence Virtue Vocations War Water Welcome Wisdom Womanhood Women Work World View Worship Writing Zacchaeus

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz