Christianity is an Easter religion. A Press Statement By United Christian Forum (UCF) Easter is one of the principal feasts of Christians. It is one of the principal feasts because it commemorates the marvelous Resurrection of the Lord Jesus from death.
It is significant to note that all the four Gospels in the Bible (Mathew, Mark, Luke and John) agree that it is women who are the first witnesses of the Resurrection of Jesus. This is unusual particularly in a male-dominant society in which women's testimony was largely reduced in law and public debate. Although some have reasoned that the Resurrection was simply "invented" by the early Christians, the fact remains that they would have had to be pretty foolish to invent a story with women's testimony as the cornerstone, that also in a culture that would have dismissed it; it would have been far more logical to "invent" a story with Peter or James or John as the key figure. Many scholars agree that this particular detail argues strongly in favour of its historicity, since people do not normally invent stories with positively unhelpful details.
Based on the testimonies of "over five hundreds" [1 Cor. 15:5-8] believers who have witnessed the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus, it cannot be denied that "the Lord has risen indeed." [Lk. 24:34] In order to appreciate the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus, we have to consider what the outcome would have been if there had been no resurrection. Saint Paul summarizes this subject in the following words: "Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain". [1 Cor. 12-9].
For Christians, Easter Sunday is a day of joy. It is a day of joy because of the new life that we have received in Christ. The joy in Christ is manifested many ways. It is manifested through the works of charity, through the works of peace through instilling hope to the people without hope.
Christianity is an Easter religion. On the Feast of Easter, Christians commemorate the most important turning point in the history of mankind. We honour the fulfillment of the "blessed hope" of every living being, "the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ." [Tit. 2:13] We do not deny or turn away from the evils that surround us: the violence that have rocked our region, bomb blasts that killed several innocents and left several injured, the poverty that grips us (Karbi Anglong is one of the poorest districts of the region); the hunger that affects and ruins the lives of thousands in the rural areas ; the discrimination that divides the human family into contending parties. We Christians do not deny these miseries, but we refuse to surrender to their powers because of our faith in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Violence has no meaning, Suffering will be vindicated; death will be overcome; a new life will arise: that is the Easter message.
UCF will have an ecumenical Easter celebration at KAPC, Birla on Easter Sunday at 3 pm. The main message will be given by Rev.Allan Chan from Singapore. Tom Mangattuthazhe (Secretary, UCF) | 
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