IslandMix - Soca, Reggae, Zouk and Caribbean Entertainment

I found this article in the Guardian today and found it interesting the different views from people of other faiths about Lent. What are your views and please share some of your practices in your faith on fasting, prayer and meditation. I'm not trying to start any kind of debate or anything like that. Just a sharing of your own experiences.

Abstaining from Lent


BY AVALENE HARRIS

Lent starts today. As many Catholics and Anglicans take a trip to church to receive their ashes as a sign of repentance, a growing number of other Christian faiths reject the 40-day season of abnegation and fasting in favour of year-round righteousness.

Some of them believe the season is not biblically ordered but a man-made choice.

Baptist Archbishop Monica Randoo, in a telephone interview on February 3, said her faith does not observe Lent.

“Lent comes from the Roman Catholic body. We are a people who mourn,” she said.

Mourning is a period in which members of the community seclude themselves from their families and workplaces, going to a “mourning ground” where they pray and fast for seven to 14 days.

“Using the word Lent is one thing that we as a body should stay away from. There are some who will observe the period, but it is not something that we lend ourselves to.

“Being a Baptist is an everyday walk and under the scriptures we do not celebrate the 40-day period. We will fast and pray every day once the need arises.

“I cannot see a Baptist, after he has slipped away from the faith, playing mas and then going on Ash Wednesday to receive ashes as a sign of repentance,” she said.

She added while evangelical Christians will use the Carnival season to evangelise, do missionary work in their communities and pray for the nation, the Baptist community will at that time instruct their members to fast and pray.

Baptists have mourning periods all through the year, especially in the month of March leading up to Shouter Baptist Liberation Day.

“There are some Spiritual Baptists who still have Roman Catholic traditions in them and will find themselves at church to receive their ashes on Ash Wednesday,” she admitted.

“The pivotal point of fasting and praying in our church is not necessarily after the Carnival to bring the flesh into control, but during the entire year.

“When you play mas and engage in the revelry, you do it on your own.

“There is no ashes for you. You have to confess to God for your wrongdoings.

“I am not condemning any religious body, but that sort of thing is not of God.”

The Rev Knolly Clarke, special assistant and general secretary of the Caribbean Conference of Churches, had a different view. After one takes part in Carnival, he said, Lent is the time to reflect on one’s life and break the rhythm in order to discover one’s true faith.

“Lent is a time to educate yourself. We all are sinful people and there is a need to repent after the Carnival is over,” he said, in a telephone interview on February 4.

He added Lent was at one time in the Anglican body celebrated only on three days, called the triduum—Maundy Thursday (Holy Thursday), Good Friday and Holy Saturday (Gloria Saturday).

He said the 40-day fast had its roots in the Bible story of Christ being baptised and going up to the mountain to pray.

“Jesus Christ was led to fast and pray and it was while he was there he experienced temptations. The Lord spent those days as a time of reflection.

“We are not saying that you should not take part in Carnival. You can enjoy yourself and have a good time, but there is also a time to cool down and not heat up.”

He said Anglicans would fast and may go on retreats this week, or go on a meatless diet, abstaining from meat on certain days. This is in commemoration of Christ’s death on Good Friday.

“On Wednesdays and Fridays we will eat only fish and in addition will not engage in any luxuries.”

Roman Catholic priest Fr Clyde Harvey, in a telephone interview on February 4, said, “Repenting of your sins is an ongoing experience and not specifically to begin on Ash Wednesday.

“Everyday prayer allows you to get into a deeper relationship with God.

“All the fasting, repentance and Lent, it not about after Carnival, but it is about before Easter,” he added.

Easter marks the end of Lent. Christians believe after Jesus Christ was crucified he rose on that day. Though Easter is more than 40 days after Ash Wednesday, the season is officially that long because Sundays are not counted as part of Lent.

“It is about disciplining your hungers and appetites. It is also a time when you abstain from what you like the most—some need to abstain from the telephone,” he said, laughing.

He said Lent would be significant to a true Christian.

But Pastor Peter Regis, of the Valencia Pentecostal Assembly, said Pentecostals do not observe Lent.

“We do not believe in Ash Wednesday as a time of repentance.

“It is good to repent on Ash Wednesday and even on J’Ouvert morning. We must get into the attitude of repentance whenever we find ourselves falling short of the glory of God.

“Lent has become a non-issue and as such we do not observe it,” Regis said.

He added, however, Easter is a big thing in the Christian calendar.

“What they call Carnival is really Carnal Evil. We must as Christians be directed by the word of the Lord and not by what man has designed.

“Lent is not recognised by the Bible, but was originated by man.

“We are not anti-Lent, but we are anti-Carnival.”

What the people say

Sharon John, who is a Pentecostal, said she does not really acknowledge Lent, but she will be giving up cable TV for a while to spend more time with herself and God.

“I love BET, but I think that I should give up at least one thing that I enjoy.

“I want to focus less on entertainment and spend some more time in my studies and reading my Bible.”

Dexter Francis, 25, a self-employed carpenter of Morvant, is a Roman Catholic. After Carnival he plans to make a trip to Tobago to get his thoughts together. He added he would be receiving ashes on Ash Wednesday and will be making an extra effort to stay away from sex.

“I do not fast per se, but I will be abstaining from having sex and partying, as I cleanse my body in preparation for the 40-day period my church will be celebrating.”

Michelle Harris, 27, of Laventille, said she does not believe in Lent because after participating in Carnival celebrations, receiving ashes on one’s forehead cannot save them from the wrath of God.

“You must live your life every day according to the word of God.

“Your heart, mind, body and soul has to be always clean for his spirit to dwell within you.

“Repentance must come every day as soon as you have acknowledged that you have done something wrong, and not after you spend two whole months in carnality and ungodliness.

“Repentance comes only at the foot of the cross and not through any ashes or confession box.”

__________________
"If u put a small price on ur value.. rest assure that the world wont raise ur price! Love U 2day!" ~ Rev. Run

"If you keep believing in yourself and seek enthusiasm inside your soul, things will get simpler, more spontaneous." ~Paulo Coelho

"Knowledge is like the wind, once you obtain it, you can go anywhere." ~Yellow Hare(Native-American Chief)

Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit
the floor each morning the devil says:
"Oh Crap, She's up!"

I believe that Lent is definitely a worldly tradition...I was actually thinking of the significance of Lent today and I concluded based on what I have studied in the Bible and what I am still learning that for many people it is just something they do without really thinking about its significance. If someone were to ask them why are you abstaining from whatever for Lent I think that many people would not be able to give a definitive answer. Sacrificing for God and giving up things to be closer to God should be something that we do ALL the time. Because giving it up for forty days...whatever it may be...is acknowledging in a sense that it is something that competes with our devotion to God. Most of these things we go back to after Lent so what purpose does it really serve? If we think that there are things in our lives worth giving up for Lent then these are things we should be working on abstaining from ,as consciously as we do during Lent, all the time. I will reiterate...I believe or more accurately I have conclulded that Lent is a man-made tradition that ultimately does not really do anything to bring people closer to God since it lasts only 40dys...if Lent were ALL the time then it would really be something that is based in serving God.
my two cents....