The Passion of the Bunny

[Dreadsox]

Actors Whip Easter Bunny at Church Show

GLASSPORT, Pa. (AP)--First, the Passion of the Christ. Now, the torment of the Easter Bunny?

It may not have been as gruesome as Mel Gibson's movie, but many parents and children got upset when a church trying to teach about Jesus' crucifixion performed an Easter show with actors whipping the Easter bunny and breaking eggs.

People who attended Saturday's show at Glassport's memorial stadium quoted performers as saying, ``There is no Easter bunny,'' and described the show as being a demonstration of how Jesus was crucified.

Melissa Salzmann, who brought her 4-year-old son J.T., said the program was inappropriate for young children. ``He was crying and asking me why the bunny was being whipped,'' Salzmann said.

Patty Bickerton, the youth minister at Glassport Assembly of God, said the performance wasn't meant to be offensive. Bickerton portrayed the Easter rabbit and said she tried to act with a tone of irreverence.

``The program was for all ages, not just the kids. We wanted to convey that Easter is not just about the Easter bunny, it is about Jesus Christ,'' Bickerton said.

Performers broke eggs meant for an Easter egg hunt and also portrayed a drunken man and a self-mutilating woman, said Jennifer Norelli-Burke, another parent who saw the show in Glassport, a community about 10 miles southeast of Pittsburgh.

``It was very disturbing,'' Norelli-Burke said. ``I could not believe what I saw. It wasn't anything I was expecting.''


AP-NY-04-08-04 1155EDT

 

[BVS]

I heard about this, but I don't get it. If they were trying to get people to realize that Easter is about Christ and not the Easter Bunny, why then put the Bunny in Christ's place? Now you are putting what you believe to be a fictional character in the role of someone you believe in. Aren't you kinda validating what the non-believers believe? To non Christians, Christ is a fictional character but now you are saying he can be replaced by a fictional bunny?

Now reading back at this I'm really confused...does anyone else not quite get the correlation they were trying to make?

 

[verte76]

It's crazy. If you're going to say that Easter is about Jesus and not the Easter Bunny, why on earth should you use a bunny in a play? It seems like they're deliberately mixing up the mythic aspect of Easter (rabbits were originally used to represent the spring season as a fertility symbol) with the religious aspect of it, Jesus. You really can't have it both ways, which is what they're trying to do. I wouldn't take my kid to see this if I had a kid.

 

[beli]

Easter has nothing to do with Christianity. Easter is an old spring fertility festival that moves from year to year according to the cycles of the moon. Easter is derived from oestrogen , hence the egg symbolism.

The Christian holiday about Jesus and rising from the dead and stuff is completely separate but is usually held on the same dates as Easter.

I agree puting a bunny in Jesus place is really mixing the messages.

 

[nbcrusader]

I've heard some strange ideas about how the Bible should be taught to children, but this takes the cake.

 

[melon]

Haha...I think I read that "South Park" is going to make fun of this. I'm looking forward to it.

Religious nuts.

Melon

 

[AvsGirl41]

If I had been a parent at the show, I would have gone up and rescued the bunny.

Apparently the church had to disconnect their phone because they were receiving so many calls.

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

...that's definitely twisted...

Angela

 

[Rono]

But it make us think about the meaning of easter,....

 

[beli]

the meaning of easter = fertility, which is about the only thing I excel at

 

[Angela Harlem]

I've heard some strange ideas about how the Bible should be taught to children, but this takes the cake.

While strange, at least there might have been even something remotely valid in those...unlike this.


Best thing to do with wayward religious fanatics, is to pelt them with those solid Red Tulip eggs.

 

[beli]

Not Red Tulip.

Black and Gold Brand

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

in the name of the rabbit, the bunny, and the holy haire

 

[deep]

Actors Whip Easter Bunny at Church Show

....Performers broke eggs meant for an Easter egg hunt and also portrayed a drunken man and a self-mutilating woman..

AP-NY-04-08-04 1155EDT

As disturbing and bizarre as this is for children to witness

it could have been worse.


They could have played Mel Gigson?s Passion film.

 

[Mullen-Girl]

I just couldn't help but laugh when I read that at first MG

But I can just picture that Although if I were a kid i'd probably be asking my mommy why the Easter Bunny is getting it's arse whipped