Easily the largest religion in Western culture, Christianity has become affected by free enterprise like anything else in society. When it comes to money, no ideology is off limits.
Easter is a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. But according to Business Pundit, “this holiday is commercialized with Easter bunnies, plastic eggs, jelly beans, play grass and candy to fill Easter baskets. Businesses … sell boys and girls already made baskets along with costumes and other play gear … (and) restaurants also profit from breakfasts, brunches, lunches or dinners that families plan together.”
This commercialization of Easter, and Christianity in general, will be exemplified in Waco this Sunday, where an Easter event at the Baylor University sports stadium will “ likely draw 45,000 (people) from as far off as New England and South America.”
People such as Joel Osteen of Lakewood Church and Ed Young of Second Baptist have spoken at similar events in Minute Maid Park. One can assume the speakers will be of the same vein.
Joel Osteen, with his swollen church, phony smile and radio and TV programs, is a good example of a man making it big off of the commercialization of Christianity. Yet Osteen, and other religious leaders like him, is ultimately harmless, but he is not a good representation of the religion he supports.
Because even if Easter has been commercialized past its original intent, the holiday still produces wholesome results.
Even at the upcoming holiday extravaganza in Waco, good things will be happening. According to the Houston Chronicle, “for admission, attendees are asked to bring two cans of food, which later will be distributed through Waco-area food banks.”
Easter also brings families together for food and cheer. Children enjoy themselves searching for eggs that will contain candy and other surprises. The fact that rabbits don’t lay eggs is of no matter to kids during this holiday.
But many people still complain. Some find Easter to be just another example of discrepancies of Christianity. One could say that something so vulnerable to capitalism must have a hint of greed in it.
And some Christians dislike such commercialization, saying the specter of money hides the true nature of Easter.
“I think it’s similar to Christmas in that it is commercialized and, in a lot of ways, lost its true meaning,” said W. Tom Hall, evangelist at Mount Pleasant Church of Christ in Warren County.
Is the commercialization of Easter a bad thing?
Money leads to greed, and so a nation of free enterprise is guaranteed to contain greedy individuals and sketchy deals. But such is life. The prevalence of candy and Easter eggs during the holidays has made it a good memory for families everywhere.
In its current form, Easter is able to help people while also remaining fun for families everywhere.
Opinion columnist Henry Sturm is a print journalism junior and may be reached at [email protected].
I have a question. What is a good representation of a Christian during Easter? E.g., assuming that you yourself are a Christian, what activities do you partake in? And what do you suggest others do to meet your criteria of a ‘good representation’?
A good representation would be celebrating Passover with our Hebrew brethren. We still have much to learn from them, and they from us.