Are secular practices diluting the meaning of holidays?
For nonreligious Americans, Easter symbols include eggs and bunnies, but the meaning of the holiday brings with it the same spirit; spending time with family and friends.
While many who celebrate the holiday may not believe in the religious significance, the resurrection of Jesus Christ, they clearly still hold it as a day of tradition and culture.
Though chocolate bunnies and Easter egg hunts are hardly Christian novelties, they represent a large part of American culture — traditions handed down through generations.
Much like secular practices during other Christian holidays — like decorating a tree at Christmas — these traditions give families things to look forward to, and provide unique practices for each family.
This is the reason many nonreligious people choose to celebrate Easter and Christmas.
Although they may not believe in the sentiments these holidays were based upon, they do recognize them as times to celebrate health and happiness and to enjoy the company of others.
Agnostics, atheists and other nonreligious residents make up a whopping 16.1 percent of the U.S. population, according a 2007 survey by The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. Though they do not affiliate themselves with Christianity, or with any other religion for that matter, they still may have cultural traditions associated with commonly celebrated holidays.
It is understandable that many Christians believe Easter Sunday has strayed too far away from its intended celebrations. However, secular traditions can be just as important to those who celebrate them as those who attend religious ceremonies.
Besides that, majority of Americans do not make the connection to religious reasons behind the holiday.
Only 42 percent of Americans surveyed last month by the California-based Barna Group were able to cite the resurrection of Christ as the reason for celebration on Easter. Even more startling, only 2 percent of adults cited it as the most important holiday to their faith, according to the Barna Group study.
These numbers may dismay devout Christians who believe those who celebrate Easter and Christmas should at least realize the significance behind them. However, they reveal something much more important about modern culture.
The country continues to grow, and with that growth comes diversity. Looking at surveys like the one conducted by The Pew Forum, fewer people are religious today and many who are do not follow their religion very closely. Instead, they may grasp hold of secular traditions that continue to give them their culture and meaning to the holidays they celebrate.
Nicole is trying to work off all the candy and food she ate on Easter Sunday. See how her attempts are going at ndgilber@asu.edu
