The term EASTER appears once in the New Testament. It is found in Acts 12:4. Easter is a mistranslation of the Greek word pascha meaning Passover. It is translated in the other 28 places that it appears by the word Passover. The word EASTER comes from the name of a Babylonish goddess, ASTARTE. I need not tell you of the razzamatazz that surrounds Easter. It is derived from the heathen festivities that surrounded the worship of their gods. Such activities have completely superseded the Word of God. Let us be careful what we teach our children about this time of the year. Christ was crucified and raised from the dead at the time of the Jewish Passover. This year, that celebration will not begin until the evening of April 23rd. The early church celebrated the resurrection of Christ at the same time as the Jewish Passover for obvious reasons. However, in order to disassociate Christians from the Jewish people the date was changed in AD 325. Strange to relate, the early church in Ireland was among the last to adopt the new calendar and its acquiescence marks the final Romanising of religion in Ireland and initiated the dark ages in this island! Whenever we do particularly remember the death and the resurrection of Christ let it be remembered that the doctrine of the resurrection is central to the Gospel. It was clearly seen to be so in the preaching of the early church.