I was watching an episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live earlier this week, and he was talking about Easter being this Sunday. His cousin, Micki, decided to talk to a few kids on Hollywood Boulevard and find out if they knew what Easter meant. Now, don’t get me wrong, I know that this was done lightheartedly by Jimmy (whose show I absolutely love by the way), but it actually got me to thinking about how truly sad and depressing it is that out of 1,005 adults interviewed in a 2010 survey by the Barna Group, just two out of three Americans recognized Easter as a religious holiday, and only 42% connected Easter with the resurrection of Christ!
Jimmy’s video showed me that almost none of the children knew that Easter was about the death and resurrection of Jesus. All that they were aware of was chocolate, colorful dyed eggs, candy and the Easter bunny. So I conducted my own survey. I asked Jonathan if he knew what the real meaning of Easter was. He correctly answered that it was a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. When I asked Tre if he knew the real meaning of Easter, he point blank told me, “Don’t know, don’t care.”
Epic fail, Mom.
I was going to go on about the fact that they were asking kids on Hollywood Boulevard and that well, that explained a lot, but after hearing my own kids’ answers? Um, yeah. Maybe not.
I haven’t celebrated Easter with the traditional, commercialized trappings in quite a few years. We don’t “do” the Easter bunny and all that crap. On the other hand, I don’t attend church on a regular basis either – during Easter or any other time of the year. Yes, I know. Shame on me. It has made me realize that I’ve neglected my children’s religious upbringing. It has made me realize that I need to do something about that. Something more. Yes, the children attend bible school during the summer, and they attend youth church (most) every Wednesday, but apparently that’s just not enough. They aren’t learning what I should be teaching them as their parent. What about your children? Ask them the question, “What is the meaning of Easter?” and see what they tell you. You might be surprised.
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I am so thankful that God has always been a part of my families lives. My sons and my grandchildren all know and are reminded of the meaning of Easter, Christmas, etc. We could not live and live well without God in our lives. Thank you so much for this great article
You are most welcome Linda … and I’m glad that your family has a strong faith-based foundation. It’s vitally important … I’m learning that more and more each passing day.
My boys know because we're practicing Catholics and they've learned about Christ's resurrection during catechism classes.Have a blessed Easter, Kim!
Thanks so much Veronica! You do the same sweetie! I hated going to catechism classes when I was younger – so thankful that I did attend though now (as an adult) and actually am considering them for the boys as well. Will keep you posted on how that goes!
I don't have kids but I know I was brought up in a household where church was important. Sadly I could quite believe some don't know.
My parents were not "overly pushy" about church. While they did not attend, my mom made sure that my brother and I attended Sunday school every single week – and during the holidays (Christmas and Easter) we always attended church services as a family with mom and dad and my dad's parents and their parents. Yes, we were up at the crack of dawn to attend the sunrise service for Easter and stayed up till midnight to attend the Christmas Eve service with no lighting in the church except for hundreds of hand-held candles. Those services are permanently embedded in my brain and memories, and I cherish them (now) even if I didn't appreciate them (then). I need to "step up" and provide my children with the same teachings and experiences so that when they become adults, they too can then pass along our faith to their children as well.