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Easter is celebrated in various ways. Traditional religious commemorations include Saturday evening Easter vigils and Sunday morning Resurrection masses. Parents may spend Easter weekend putting the finishing touches on Easter Bunny baskets, and many families favor a combination of traditions.

Explaining Easter to children can be a delicate matter, especially for very young children who may not fully understand the tenets of the Christian faith. Although Easter ends with Jesus Christ emerging from his tomb, prior to this glorious miracle there are subjects of betrayal, suffering and death. These religious messages can confound when commingled with the imagery of bunnies delivering chocolates, chicks and pastel-hued eggs. How do well-meaning parents relay the message of Easter without scaring or confusing children?

Easter is the holiest day of the year for Christians. According to biblical scripture, Jesus Christ is the promised Messiah and Savior to the World. Easter Sunday marks His resurrection from death on the cross, upon which He paid the full penalty for humanity’s sins by offering a spotless sacrifice in Himself, established the Christian religion and belief in everlasting life after death.

In the last few weeks, we have looked more closely at “swoon theories” that attempt to explain what happened to Jesus of Nazareth after His crucifixion. Specifically, we looked at the recent swoon theory offered by the critic David Mirsch. Like all previous swoon-type theories, Mirsch’s theory fails to account for the minimal bedrock facts suggested by Gary Habermas and Michael Licona. These minimal bedrock facts pertain to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, which are 1) broadly evidenced and 2) acknowledged by a consensus of scholars, both believers and skeptics alike. First, Mirsch’s theory fails to acknowledge that Jesus did, in fact, die by crucifixion. Further, given the extent of Jesus’s injuries, Mirsch fails to provide an adequate explanation of how a severely injured Jesus could have made multiple appearances to His disciples over forty days. Finally, Mirsch fails to acknowledge that Paul had an experience that he interpreted as the risen Jesus’s appearance. In conclusion, post haste, we set all swoon-type theories aside as invalid explanations for what happened to Jesus after the crucifixion.

SPRING FEST

CELEBRATING EASTER IN SEALY

AUSTIN – The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) has added Rodolfo Martinez Jr. to the Texas 10 Most Wanted Sex Offenders List. Texas Crime Stoppers is now offering a cash reward of up to $3,000 for information leading to his arrest. All tips are guaranteed to be anonymous.