‘The season of Lent is upon us… a time of abstinence, fasting and penance.’ And alms giving… Or is it?
…‘When you fast, don’t be as the hypocrites’. And ‘When you do your alms, don’t sound a trumpet as the hypocrites do… that they may have the glory of men…’ and…
‘Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees/Priests which is hypocrisy.’
Jesus (Matt 6:1-2, 16; Luke 12:1)
Oh what a time of pure chaos and confusion! This day for instance, Ash Wednesday, a day of “penance and prayer” for “Christians” to remember their mortality because after all: “from dust thou art and to dust thou shalt return” Coincidentally, it happens to land on Valentine’s Day, a day of indulgent love and sexual rituals with all the candy, surf and turf, cakes and goodies and wine you can eat and drink. What a contradiction! What are you gonna do? The Lenten period is supposed to be a time of penance, abstinence and fasting. The truth of the matter is that it’s all worthless paganism! Just leave it alone.
During this time of year – some might ask – Why don’t you do lent? My answer is Why do it? Anyone who has had a child knows that the number one question asked of a parent is “Why?” This is a valid question that must needs be answered here. If you consider God’s Word, there is no mention of Lent the way it is practiced today. Why?! Lent is the pre-cursor to the most important “holy-day” according to some, so why is the practice not found in the Word of God? Did Moses say “thou shalt put ash on your forehead on the Wednesday after Fat Tuesday and give up something for forty days?” Most definitely-he did not! Therefore – we can deduce that this practice has It’s roots elsewhere.
According to Alexander Hislop in his book The Two Babylons, the forty days’ abstinence of Lent was directly borrowed from the worshippers of the Babylonian goddess (Ishtar – Astarte – the Queen of Heaven) … Among the Pagans this Lent seems to have been an indispensable preliminary to the great annual festival in commemoration of the death and resurrection of Tammuz, which was celebrated by alternate weeping and rejoicing …
…