The whole "Easter"-"Ishtar" thing was started by an incredibly ignorant man named Alexander Hislop, who had absolutely no scholarly credentials in linguistics or archaeology, simply invented some of the "evidence" he cites in his book, and was blissfully ignorant of Christianity outside England.
Look up Ea/Oestre/Ostara. same dang thing, all over again. Sure it is Babylon, right at the root - Why was Esther's name changed to 'Esther' (Her actual name is Hadasa)? What is the entymology surrounding the word?
What they call it doesn't matter. it is not what was ordained, and it follows the tradition of the pagans. That all y'all co-opted it doesn't make it good. We are *not* to do as the pagans do, and say it is for Him. That is an abomination.
The whole "Easter"-"Ishtar" thing was started by an incredibly ignorant man named Alexander Hislop, who had absolutely no scholarly credentials in linguistics or archaeology, simply invented some of the "evidence" he cites in his book, and was blissfully ignorant of Christianity outside England.
Funny, but I was accused for years of drawing upon Hislop... Anyone making a comparative study of pagan gods will certainly be able to see where he is coming from (whether one agrees or not). I was able to arrive at a very similar conclusion, having never read him until recently. There are broad similarities between pantheons. To claim no linkage is just ludicrous.