The concept of whether or not it is okay for children to believe in the Easter bunny is a hotly debated topic among Christians in the present day. Many individuals feel there is nothing wrong with children believing in the Easter bunny, while others think it is not helpful.
Since there is such a large debate surrounding this topic, as Christians, should we allow children to believe in the Easter bunny, or should children be spared from the lies of culture? If Christians allow children to believe in the Easter bunny, will it downplay Jesus and His resurrection?
The Easter Bunny
Growing up, my sisters and I were taught to believe in the Easter bunny. We were told that the Easter bunny came every year and would leave gifts. He was almost the equivalent of Santa Claus for the springtime.
Since we were children, we believed the Easter bunny was real and we thought the entire holiday of Easter was for the Easter bunny. We didn't know the holiday was remembering the anniversary of Jesus' resurrection.
As children, it was easy for us to believe in the Easter bunny, but as we got older, we quickly found out the Easter bunny wasn't real. While each of us felt silly for ever believing the Easter bunny existed, we never felt we were betrayed by our parents.
I say this because there are many children who feel betrayed by their parents that they were taught lies about the existence of the Easter bunny or Santa Claus.
This can cause horrible friction and pain for children, which can ultimately cause them to lose trust in their parents. Parents need to be supportive of their children and tell them the truth. They don't need to tell them lies and lose their children’s trust in the process.
Since the Easter bunny is tied to Easter, many kids, teens, and even adults may think the holiday centers around the Easter bunny, such as my sisters and I thought when we were children. This is incorrect teaching because Easter isn't about the Easter bunny.
Easter is about Jesus' resurrection from the dead. Jesus died for the sins of the world, was buried, and rose again in order to give salvation to all who would place faith in Him (John 3:16-17).
As adults, we need to make sure we are teaching kids the true meaning of Easter and refrain from talking about a made-up Easter bunny.
On the opposite side of the camp, there are others who think allowing children to believe in the Easter bunny is not a big deal. Since they are kids, they reason, who are we to take away their fantasy and fun?
While this can be thought of and supported by many parents, one has to also realize there is a lot of falsehood in telling children the Easter bunny exists when he doesn't.
Children turn to their parents as trustworthy individuals, yet in time, if the child finds out the parent lied about the Easter bunny, then they may start believing their parents lied about other things.
It is also worthwhile to mention here that many things are taught to children that are not true. Some of these things are people. Children are taught that Santa Claus and the Easter bunny are real people, but then later find out that they were made up.
The Reason for Easter
In the same way, many children who grow up in the church are taught about Jesus Christ. Since Jesus is normally taught to children around the same age as Santa Claus or the Easter bunny, then many children may believe He isn't real either since both of the former holiday characters were proven to not exist.
Maybe this happened in your own life? You saw that Santa Claus and the Easter bunny weren't real, which caused you to believe Jesus wasn't real either.
After all, you never saw Jesus, just as you never saw Santa Claus or the Easter bunny. As one can see, this can be an extremely dangerous practice for children because it can lead one away from Jesus.
Rather than believing that Jesus is our Lord and Savior, these children may believe He was made up, just like Santa Claus and the Easter bunny.
While all Christians have freedom in Christ, it is important for us to exercise that freedom with caution. Simply because a person can tell their child about the Easter bunny does not mean a person should.
Even though some might see it as harmless fun, it can hurt the child immensely and cause them to have a hard time believing in anything anymore. For some children, the Easter bunny can even scare children, as was the case for my sister as a child.
Therefore, it is within your Christian freedom to choose if you are going to tell your kids about the Easter bunny or not, but it is vitally important that you understand the risks that come with it.
It can cause your children to lose trust in you as well as it can cause them to categorize Christ alongside the other made-up figures of their childhood.
If you are a Christian parent, your top priority should be helping your child come to know Jesus. If anything gets in the way of you helping them to know Jesus, you need to seriously consider if this thing is worth it.
Is telling your children about the Easter bunny going to cause them to lose any sort of faith in Jesus as a real person? Many might reason not, but it is important to know that it can happen, and it is more likely to happen than not to happen.
The truth of Easter is celebrating the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. The holiday isn't meant to celebrate a made-up bunny. Rather, the holiday is a day for us to remember Jesus' great work on the cross and His mighty resurrection.
It is only through the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ that we have salvation now. Our relationship with Him is the most important thing in our life and we need to make sure we are faithfully following Him. Faithfully following Him means we live in obedience to Him and teach others about Him.
Why Does This Matter?
Maybe this Easter, you can dedicate your heart and be intentional about teaching your children about Jesus and what He did for us instead of teaching your children about the Easter bunny. It will do much more good and will help pave the foundation of the saving grace of Jesus.
If you are a parent, your child means the world to you, and you want them to come to know Jesus. You are instrumental in this as you are one of the most important people in your child's life. They look up to you, and they have faith that you are telling them the truth when you speak with them.
Never underestimate the difference you can make in your child's life. You can help encourage them, support them, and teach them more about Jesus.
Thus, you can decide whether or not you want to tell your children about the Easter bunny, but it would be better to tell them about the true meaning of Easter, which is Jesus and His resurrection.
For further reading:
5 Activities to Do with Your Kids to Better Understand the Easter Story
What Version of the Easter Story Should We Tell Our Children?
How Is the Easter Bunny Connected to Christianity?
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