Two Easters, one Christ: The complex calendar politics of faith

Why Orthodox Christians and Catholics celebrate Easter on different days

It is Lent in the Christian world, but in reality, it only alters the lives of monks and Moscow restaurateurs, who rush to invent Lenten menus to profit from the public’s fear of living in sin. However, Lent inevitably leads to the most important Christian holiday: Easter.

This year, Orthodox Easter coincides with that of other denominations – a rare event, last seen in 2017. But why do they usually fall on different dates? The answer lies in history, astronomy, and religious identity.

The calculation of Easter’s date is famously complicated. For Orthodox Christians, Easter is determined by the Julian calendar. It must fall on the first Sunday after the full moon following the spring equinox – but only if it also occurs after Jewish Passover (Pesach). This rule is based on the Bible’s account of Christ’s crucifixion during the Passover season. Christianity, like Islam, is an Abrahamic religion deeply rooted in Judaism, even if it has often distanced itself from those origins.

Catholic Easter follows similar logic, but uses the Gregorian calendar. It too changes annually, but is calculated using rules introduced in the 16th century by Pope Gregory XIII. The result is that Orthodox and Catholic Easter only align once every few years.

There are four main reasons why the Russian Orthodox Church has held on to the Julian calendar:

First, it is a statement of independence. The Orthodox Church sees itself as distinct from Rome. While it may not always be stated directly, in Orthodox theological thought, Catholicism is often viewed as schismatic. Maintaining a separate calendar reinforces that divide.

Second, tradition has weight. Every day in the Orthodox calendar commemorates saints, texts, hymns, and rituals. With thousands of parishes following this system, shifting to a new calendar would cause logistical chaos.

Third, Church leaders fear that calendar reform could provoke unrest. A failed attempt to modernize the Church in the early 20th century, when the “Renovationists” tried to introduce reforms, remains a cautionary tale. The memory of that upheaval still lingers.

https://www.rt.com/russia/616022-two-easters-one-christ-why/

Biden-Appointed Judge Orders State Dept to Provide Passports to Trans People Using Chosen Sex Marker, Against Trump Order

A Biden-appointed Massachusetts judge has ordered the State Department to provide passports to transgender people using the incorrect sex marker, in violation of President Donald Trump’s executive order.

On the first day of his second term, President Trump signed an order saying the federal government would only recognize two sexes.

The order states, “sexes that are not changeable, and they are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality.”

In compliance with the order, the State Department changed its policy to only issue passports that “accurately reflect the holder’s sex,” as it was assigned at birth. Previously, the department was allowing people to choose their own sex, and the Biden administration even added an option for people to choose just an “X.”

The change prompted a lawsuit from six people who claim to be transgender and/or “non-binary.”

In their lawsuit, the plaintiffs claimed, “Having a sex designation on a passport that involuntarily discloses someone is transgender, nonbinary, or intersex can also cause harassment and discrimination while traveling within the United States.”

U.S. District Judge Julia Sobick ruled on Friday that since the plaintiffs are likely to win their case, the State Department must just issue them passports.

Sobick called the new policy of accurately listing a person's biological sex “arbitrary and capricious.”

“The plaintiffs have also demonstrated a likelihood of success on their separate argument that, under any standard of review, the Executive Order and Passport Policy are based on irrational prejudice toward transgender Americans and therefore offend our Nation’s constitutional commitment to equal protection for all Americans,” Sobick wrote in the order, according to a report from USA Today.

“In addition, the plaintiffs have shown that they are likely to succeed on their claim that the Passport Policy is arbitrary and capricious, and that it was not adopted in compliance with the procedures required by the Paperwork Reduction Act and Administrative Procedure Act,” the judge continued.

Sobick's ruling does not apply nationwide at this time.

The USA Today report stated, "The litigants who can receive passports by marking X for their sex on their applications, under the judge's ruling, are Ashton Orr of Morgantown, West Virginia; Zaya Perysian of Santa Clarita, California; Sawyer Soe of Salem, Massachusetts; Chastain Anderson, who lives near Richmond, Virginia; Drew Hall of Wisconsin and Bella Boe of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Soe and Boe are pseudonyms."

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/04/biden-appointed-judge-orders-state-dept-provide-passports/

Bush-Era Swamp Creature Revealed To Be Key Figure In OKC Bombing Coverup

“As I have always said: The only difference between the KGB and the FBI is that the KGB has never claimed to be a legitimate law enforcement agency.” ~ Jesse Trentadue

Readers may know the name John Ashcroft, attorney general under George W. Bush.

Well, good old Ashcroft was at the heart of a high profile cover-up: the Oklahoma City bombing, according to attorney Jesse Trentadue. The following comes from a court filing provided to ZeroHedge by Trentadue, attorney to OKC bombing accomplice Terry Nichols.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/okc-anniversary-bush-era-swamp-creature-revealed-be-key-figure-bombing-coverup