Easter Bunny is Too Christian


This is one of those stories that is the category of "sadly humorous." I found it in Falwell's National Liberty Journal which I receive unsolicited and free of charge. Apparently there is a Rhode Island public school that has determined that the Easter Bunny is too much of a Christian symbol and has relabeled said bunny as "Peter Rabbit." In response to this Rhode Island State Representative Richard Singleton has introduced legislation he is calling "the Easter Bunny Act."

"Like many Rhode Islanders I'm quite frustrated....by people trying to change traditions that we've held in this country for 150 years, like the Easter bunny," Rep. Singleton said during a broadcast of ABC's Good Morning America Weekend Edition. District Superintendent William Rearick said he decided to change the Easter Bunny's name "in an attempt to be conscious of other people's backgrounds and traditions." The ALCU, predictably, is supportive. "Public schools should not be promoting Easter celebrations, and to the extent that the school district try to avoid that problem they are to be commended," said Steve Brown, executive director of the Rhode Island affiliate of the ACLU.

I find it interesting that those so vehemently opposed to any hint of Christianity in the public square are so ill informed on their own culture. The Easter Bunny is not a Christian symbol. In fact, according to Wikipedia the Easter Bunny is a fertility symbol of extreme antiquity and is associated with the rising fertility of the earth at the Vernal Equinox. According to one footnote, the Easter Bunny was also recently renamed the "Spring Bunny" to avoid religious connotations according to an article in the Tri-valley Herald.

Given this logic Santa Claus should soon be banned (no tears here), since he is a blend between Saint Nicholas and Father Winter. Now here there is some Christian connection, and yet no one is crying out against Santa! Oh, well. This is a very strange culture sometimes.

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