Lent

[Lori]

Do you observe it? Are you doing anything for it?

[Shana]

The denomination I was raised in never acknowledged Lent. In fact, the one I am in now (Vineyard) doesn't either :dunno I've always thought, maybe it's something for the more religious type denominations -- but then again, I don't know. Isn't it more of a man-made type of thing.... see, I am just clueless here :D

How is that for a definitive answer LOL

[teawhisk]

The Bible refers to fasting, as in "when you fast," not "if you fast." Therefore we know that fasting was done from the time of the first Apostles onward. It is not a "man-made" thing anymore than prayer is.

The early church baptized new converts on Easter, and the 40 days preceeding that were a time of prayer and fasting for the entire church. 40 days is the amount of time Jesus spent alone in the desert. Christians from the earliest recorded history fasted and prayed during Lent in order to better identify with Jesus and with the poor.

The Roman Catholics, Eastern Rite Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and the other churches who have retained the disciplines of the early church still celebrate Lent. The rules on fasting and abstinence vary from rite to rite, but the point is the same: to identify with the poor and the fatherless.

Among the churches who still observe Lent, you are also supposed to perform corporal acts of mercy. This means that you can give up a luxury, such as ice cream, and give your ice cream money to the poor, or you can devote your time to charitable works, or you can make a positive change in your prayer life, or all of the above.

It takes 40 days to make or break a habit. Lent is a time when the church grows together in forming beneficial habits and in renouncing luxuries in preperation for Easter.

[Jo]

I don't observe Lent anymore. Being raised Catholic though, I can't quite shake the guilt that I am supposed to be observing it though.

[quickmom]

I observe Lent, but not as well as I should. I "give up" something each year and follow the "don't eat meat on Ash Wednesday and Fridays" during Lent, but that's all I do.

[Corey]

I was raised by my grandma most of my childhood and I remember observing Lent (they were Methodist) but I don't now.

[Lori]

The church I attend now observes Lent, and I usually do something to observe it. I was raised Catholic and we always observed Lent by giving something up, but because I was never really told why we were doing it--it was just something you did--it always felt very arbitrary to me. I'm sure that for some people giving something up can be a good form of preparation for Easter, but I usually try to add something now, rather than taking something away. But I really like the idea of a Lenten fast from violence, which I've seen described, so that's what I'm planning on doing this year, because it's giving something up but it doesn't seem arbitrary to me.

[Kristen]

Fasting isn't made up, but deciding you have to do it for x number of days at x time of year is made-up, so I don't do it. ;) I don't think it's necessarily bad, but neither do I think it's necessary(Lent, not self sacrifice or fasting).

[gr8mommy]

As a practicing Episcopalian, I do observe Lent. I try to find a discipline to practice that will be of benefit to others, or will enrich me spiritually, rather than giving up something 'frivolous' that I should be doing without anyway---though, this year I'm banning candy and soda in the house for the duration. I thought that was a good way of getting the kids' attention (and the husband, too).

[Jejune]

I like Lent, although I'm not Christian. When I was a practicing Catholic, I observed it. Now I stand at a distance and admire it more than I participate. It seems like it would be glib of me to observe it when I don't believe in the divinity of Christ.

[teawhisk]

Fasting isn't made up, but deciding you have to do it for x number of days at x time of year is made-up...

Why would you think so? Because it's not written in the Bible? If that's your reasoning, then I will point out that you (probably) observe Sunday as the Sabbath, but nowhere in the Bible was the Sabbath switched from Saturday to Sunday. If you worship on Sunday, you can't argue against a two thousand year-old practice such as Lent on the grounds that it isn't in the Bible. Neither is Sunday worship, altar calls, monogamous marriage, accepting Jesus into your heart, prohibitions against abortion, or the Trinity.

The early Church fasted and prayed for the 40 days before Easter from the very beginnings of Christianity. The practice was established by the first Apostles and the fathers of the Church. Just like Sunday worship, it was practiced by all Christians everywhere from the very beginning. It has only been very recently that the new denominations have decided that Lent is optional or "man-made" or somehow unworthy of being observed. They are free to ignore Lent, that is their right. But a denomination that was created by a man less than 400 years ago can't logically object to a practice on the grounds that it is man-made.

The majority of Christians still observe Lent, as they always have. Lent is a time when the Church comes together, there is solidarity in knowing that your Christian brothers and sisters are fasting and praying with you. It is a spiritual opportunity to recognize that we are a people.

[Kristen]

Sure, I think worshipping on Sunday is made-up. I wouldn't care if we had a Sabbath on a Tuesday. :p I think it's fine to do it on Sunday, but not necessary. I have no problem with 7th day adventists worshipping on Saturdays, for example.

I don't think altar calls are a good idea, and I don't use the phrase, "accepting Jesus into your heart"(because I think it's more about Jesus accepting us). I do think the Trinity, monogamous marriage, respect for innocent life, and the Trinity are taught in the Scriptures(in principle, not necessarily in those words), but those are separate debates for another thread.

The bottom line is that while I think good things can be learned from the early church, and I think many things they did were wise, I don't look at their behavior as authoritative. and I think I do this consistently.

[gr8mommy]

and I don't use the phrase, "accepting Jesus into your heart"(because I think it's more about Jesus accepting us)

Romans 10:9 (New International Version)

9That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.



I think our acceptance comes before His.

[Lori]

I think the issue isn't whether it's okay/good to observe Lent, but whether it's necessary or required. Personally, I find, for me, it's good to observe Lent because there is value in engaging in shared spiritual disciplines, which is the same reason why I personally like attending a more liturgical church. I like knowing that other people in other churches are praying the same prayers and hearing the same readings and considering the same texts. It helps me feel a sense of community.

But, I also don't think it's a requirement, whether it be for salvation, or being a good Christian, or a good church member, or whatever. To me, "man-made" isn't necessarily pejorative. I think all religions are man-made, but that doesn't mean I don't think there's value in them. I think that people are capable of having very real experiences with God, so I don't think there's any reason to dismiss traditions that people have found helpful in their spiritual lives for centuries simply because they were created by humans. At the same time, I think that conflating practices that can point us to God with practices that are required by God is a problem. I think Lenten disciplines can be very helpful in pointing us to God and preparing us to be more receptive to God, but I think that when not fasting enough, or the right way, or anything like that, is seen as necessarily sinful, or as somehow shirking a duty, then that's reading more into a tradition than should be there. (I feel the same way about doctrines, as well.) Lenten observance may be very helpful in making us receptive to God and helping us to practice useful disciplines in community, but I don't think it is or should be a requirement. I don't agree with Lent simply being dismissed because it is "man-made"--I agree with Teawhisk that that would mean dismissing a whole lot of aspects of Christianity--but I also don't think that just because it's been around for a long time, that means it's somehow a requirement.

[Kristen]

That's what I was trying to say Lori...lent is not bad, but I don't think it's REQUIRED. I don't think people should feel bad for doing it or bad for not doing it.

[Maria]

We observe Lent since we are Catholic. Today we are going to church for Ashes and from now until the end of Lent we wont eat meat on fridays.

The one thing we dont do is the fasting, my parents never made us fast during lent.

[teawhisk]

I think our acceptance comes before His.

Yes, I agree. My point was this: nowhere does the Bible say, "accept Jesus into your heart as your Lord and Savior." The concept is definitely there, but it is implied, not stated outright.

No matter what denomination you belong to, I can guarantee that if you're a Christian, you believe things that are not explictly stated in the Bible. If you worship on Sunday, believe in monogamous marriage, condemn homosexual marriage, approve of homosexual marriage, or hold to the doctrine of the Trinity, you believe things that are not stated in the Bible. Therefore, you cannot logically object to any belief or practice solely on the grounds that, "it isn't in the Bible."

[Kristen]

The thing is, I don't think Lent is even implied in the Bible....fasting and self-sacrifice, yes, but not at a specific time of year, for a specific number of days.

I don't think Lent is bad, just that it's not required because it's not taught(even in an implicit sense) in the Bible. I look at it like Christmas...not bad, but not necessary either.

[MistressAndMaid]

Lent is observed for forty days because that's how long Jesus spent wandering the desert, going without for those forty days, which is why it lasts for that long. Lent leads up to Easter, which is why we observe it at this time.

Can you tell I'm Catholic? :D

[Kristen]

I understand the rationale for doing it for 40 days, around Easter time, I really do. I just don't think that it's required in the Bible, and since I'm not Catholic, church traditions don't hold the same weight as the Bible for me. ;)