Passover vs. The Easter Bunny

I think an important function of religion that people tend to overlook nowadays, is the call for self sacrifice.

      Now obviously it's a bad thing to go chopping off your limbs to satisfy some blood thirsty deity, but when people are challenged by religion to fast every now and then during Ramadan or eat some nasty-ass Gefilte fish, it can only be a good thing.  Traditionally the main part of Easter was lent where you would give up something you enjoyed to represent, on a slightly less severe scale, the sacrifice of Christ.

      In modern times that's apparently too hard on people however, so most passively religious folk prefer to hide eggs around the yard and give candy to their children.
      I think if religion has a place at all in modern society, it is to build people's characters by teaching them (hopefully) good moral conduct, and by pushing them outside of their comfort zone so that Sunday mornings can't be occasions for sleeping in and holiday meals can't just be wine and Charoset with no Maror and salt water.