J.D.R. Hawkins

One bullet can make a man a hero… or a casualty.

Archive for the tag “Christians”

Guest Post by Elizabeth Shields

Always one to help a fellow writer out, I occasionally feature blog posts written by guest bloggers. This one is quite informative, and discusses interesting aspects about Easter Sunday. I hope you enjoy it.

Easter

Easter is almost upon us and throughout the world, just like Christmas, Easter these days is commonly considered a time to be spent with family or your nearest and dearest.

We often don’t give any consideration to where the traditions, that have been carried along from generation to generation, originated from – we just go along with them, not knowing how or where they began…

Crosses

Easter traditionally commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which is thought to have taken place around 33 AD and Easter festivals and feasts are believed to have begun during the 2nd Century.

During Medieval times, Easter was a prominent celebration where feasting, combined with music, dance and the consumption of alcohol would take place. These feasts could sometimes go on for days, similar to a Christmas celebration!

Many Easter traditions have been around for centuries but have evolved over time. It was only during the 19th century that Easter really became considered to be a time to spend with family…

Easter Sunday, for many Christians, begins with a sunrise service at church. It is believed that it was dawn when the tomb of Jesus was discovered to be empty and this is why the service is held at sunrise. It is thought to have been started in the 1700’s by the Moravians.

Bunnies

One of the main symbols of Easter is the Easter bunny, which is thought to have originated from the Pagans and then been brought over to America by German immigrants in the 1700’s, whilst the tradition of decorating eggs is thought to date back as far as the 13th century. The Easter parade tradition is thought to date back even further than this!

Following on with the egg theme, the Easter egg hunt is another tradition which is believed to have originated from Pagan festivals that celebrated fertility. Easter egg hunts (typically aimed at children, although I have to say, I rather still enjoy them myself!) involve eggs being hidden by the Easter bunny. Typically chocolate eggs are hidden, but they can also be eggs filled with candies and even hard-boiled eggs can be used (although I’m not sure if children would love the hunt as much with hard-boiled eggs being used!). The children go hunting for the eggs which they then put into their Easter egg basket and devour later! Kids tend to make a bit of a mess during all of the fun so keeping the house clean will be difficult to say the least! Eggs are also part of the tradition because they were banned during the period of lent in Medieval Europe which resulted in them often being eaten over the Easter period when the fasting had ended.

Hot Cross Buns

The tradition of consuming hot cross buns over the Easter period is thought to have begun with a monk during the 12th century, who decided to add the cross shape to the top of them in celebration of Good Friday.

Chocolate eggs – probably one of the most typical symbols of Easter these days – originated in France and Germany in the 19th century and then became popular throughout the rest of Europe and then the United States, where today, consuming copious amounts of chocolate seems to be the main family activity at Easter time… At least in my household! 

The Great General Lee

 

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One of my favorite people who lived during the Civil War is Confederate General Robert E. Lee. If Lee were alive, he would be celebrating his 209th birthday today. He came from a distinguished Virginia family, and his father, Harry “Lighthorse” Lee, fought in the Revolutionary War. Lee graduated at the head of his class at West Point, and served gallantly in the Mexican War. His integrity was unsurpassed, because he resigned his commission with the U.S. military to defend his home state of Virginia once the Civil War broke out. With reluctance, he did his duty, and performed it well up until the end of the war.

General Lee was deeply religious. He was a gentleman and a nobleman. He freed his slaves before the war started, unlike Union General Ulysses S. Grant, who freed his slaves after the war ended. Lee served as president of Washington and Lee University, but the war took its toll, like it did on so many soldiers. He only survived five years after the war ended.

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Lee was revered  by his countrymen, both North and South alike, as one of the finest generals America has ever produced. Dwight D. Eisenhower, America’s 34th president, said of him:

“General Robert E. Lee was, in my estimation, one of the supremely gifted men produced by our Nation. He believed unswervingly in the Constitutional validity of his cause….he was thoughtful yet demanding of his officers and men, forbearing with captured enemies but ingenious, unrelenting and personally courageous in battle, and never disheartened by a reverse or obstacle.

Through all his many trials, he remained selfless almost to a fault and unfailing in his belief in God. Taken altogether, he was noble as a leader and as a man, and unsullied as I read the pages of our history.

From deep conviction I simply say this: a nation of men of Lee’s caliber would be unconquerable in spirit and soul.”

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When Franklin D. Roosevelt, America’s 32nd president, spoke at the unveiling of the Robert E. Lee Memorial Statue in Dallas, Texas, on June 12, 1936, he said: “I am happy to take part in this unveiling of the statue of Lee. All over the United States we recognize him as a great general. But also, all over the United States, I believe we recognize him as something much more than that. We recognize Robert E. Lee as one of our greatest American Christians and one of our Greatest American gentlemen.”

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General Lee has always been highly regarded… that is, until recently. Now, certain interest groups have been striving to disparage his name. It is shameful that they want to remove the Confederate battle flag that he fought under from his gravesite, or do away with his statues. It is also shameful that they are defacing monuments with graffiti. Just because political attitudes have changed, which they are always bound to do, is no excuse for erasing the past and defaming such an important historical figure.

“Everyone should do all in his power to collect and disseminate the truth, in the hope that it may find a place in history and descend to posterity. History is not the relation of campaigns and battles and generals or other individuals, but that which shows the principles for which the South contended and which justified her struggle for those principles.”                                                                   – General Robert E. Lee

General Lee appears in my novel, A Beckoning Hellfire. Here is the link:

http://www.amazon.com/Beckoning-Hellfire-Novel-Civil-War/dp/0595435319/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453239012&sr=8-1&keywords=a+beckoning+hellfire

 

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