Editorial: 

How commercialised have we become.

Gone are the days where there was respect for religious holidays, more significantly Good Friday than any other.

The Easter long weekend which ended yesterday has been a glaring example of how times have changed.

Religious holidays nowadays are surely at odds with the new culture of this world and religion has become the target of terrorists as witnessed in Sri Lanka.

Why do many people celebrate holidays like Christ­mas and Easter with one depicting the birth of Jesus Christ and the other his crucifixion and ultimate death on the cross?

Yes, it is a time where family bonds are strengthened.

Joel Hodge, a senior lecturer at the Australia Cath­olic University said capitalism was manipulating people to be more social and was using the religious, familial and social dimensions of these holidays in or­der to push products.

“In many ways, this is true. Christian feasts have be­come commercial holidays – homages to the products, marketing strategies, and constantly stimulated de­sires that make-up the commercial existence around which Westerners base their lives. Commerce is king – and god too – in many ways.

“Moreover, commercialisation has occurred to a number of holidays and feasts, like Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, yet these days have not attained the significance of Christmas or Easter.”

Religious holidays like Christmas and Easter have a deeper meaning than mere socialising.

On the Cross at Calvary, Jesus Christ encountered one of the most violent methods of torture any one could encounter.

Others are more hell bent on destroying these reli­gious holidays, as shown by the bombings of three churches and a hotel in Sri Lanka during Easter Ser­vices which resulted in nearly 300 deaths up till last night (Fiji time).

This is the sick world we live in right now.

There is no respect for religion or anyone for that matter.

Our focus is taken away from Easter and shifted to watching and reading these horror killings which is exactly what these sick people want.

Such events keep our focus on them while we neglect the call of love to deeper forms of kindness, humility and being selfless.

The onus is on every person to change that so the world will become a more meaningful place to live in.

If this is not done now, then surely we will see the diminishing of ‘Love for one another’, which is the powerful message of Easter.

And all religious holidays will become insignificant.

Hope you all had a blessed Easter Season.

Feedback: charles.chambers@fijisun.c0m.fj