Lent: Should Christians Observe it?

As the winter months come to an end and we look forward to spring, churches around the globe get ready to celebrate Easter (a name derived from pagan holiday). But, before that, the church has something called “Lent” on the calendar. For many Christians around the world, this is very Holy time. Unfortunately, most are not aware of how this practice started and why they are observing it. As a Born again Christian, should you observe it? Btw, once again I like to remind you unless you are born again you are not a Christian (not my opinion, rather according to Bible) and if you happen to be a person who just practices Christian religion, it does not matter what rituals you observe.
People who observe Lent may be religious, dedicated, and sincere, leaders in the church, pastors —but they are sincerely wrong.
Let’s look at what Lent is, why Church celebrates it, what the origin of it is. In the end, you decide if you should observe it or not.
What is Lent:
Lent starts 40 days ( 46 days counting Sundays) before the resurrection day. It is a period of fasting and repentance in order to be prepared for resurrection day. During this time, some give up something that they love, such as smoking, meat, candy, cursing, etc. This practice was started by the Catholic church and adopted by Protestant churches. Most bible believing church does not observe Lent. So, on the surface, this sounds very good. You are fasting and repenting, but in reality, it is not biblical. We are purified by the blood of Christ. If we are walking by the spirit that resides in us as soon as we are born again, we have no reason to purify ourselves again ( Galatians 5:16). Paul warned us about self-denial. Look what he says in Colossians 2:20-23, ²⁰ Therefore,^[e] if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations— ²¹ “Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,” ²² which all concern things which perish with the using—according to the commandments and doctrines of men? ²³ These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.
God did not design fasting as a tool for penance, “beating yourself up” or developing willpower. The prophet Isaiah tells us what a Biblical definition of fasting is. Isa 58: 5-7
Is it a fast that I have chosen,
A day for a man to afflict his soul?
Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush,
And to spread out sackcloth and ashes?
Would you call this a fast,
And an acceptable day to the Lord?
⁶ “Is this not the fast that I have chosen:
To loose the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the heavy burdens,
To let the oppressed go free,
And that you break every yoke?
⁷ Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out;
When you see the naked, that you cover him,
And not hide yourself from your own flesh?
History of Lent:
Lent comes from pagan religion of Babylonians.“The forty days’ abstinence of Lent was directly borrowed from the worshippers of the Babylonian goddess, Semiramis. 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” (The Two Babylons By Alexander Hyslop).
Tammuz was the false Messiah of the Babylonians – a satanic counterfeit of Jesus the Messiah! The Feast of Tammuz was usually celebrated in June (also called the “month of Tammuz”). Lent was held 40 days before the feast, “celebrated by alternate weeping and rejoicing.” This is why Lent means “spring”; it took place from spring to early summer. This is mentioned in Book of Ezekiel chapter 8.
13 And He said to me, “Turn again, and you will see greater abominations that they are doing.” 14 So He brought me to the door of the north gate of the Lord’s house; and to my dismay, women were sitting there weeping for Tammuz. 15 Then He said to me, “Have you seen this, O son of man? Turn again, you will see greater abominations than these.” 16 So He brought me into the inner court of the Lord’s house; and there, at the door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs toward the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east, and they were worshiping the sun toward the east.
Catholic church adopted this festival and just changed the story to include Jesus and his resurrection. BTW, Easter is a pagan holiday, too, along with Christmas. Neither of those days has anything to do with Jesus. Please read what Hyslop writes in his book.
But why did the church at Rome institute such a pagan holiday?
“To conciliate the Pagans to nominal Christianity, Rome, pursuing its usual policy, took measures to get the Christian and Pagan festivals amalgamated ( Combine or Unite), and, by a complicated but skillful adjustment of the calendar, it was found no difficult matter, in general, to get Paganism and Christianity — now far sunk in idolatry — in this as in so many other things, to shake hands” (The Two Babylons).
The Roman church replaced Passover with Easter, moving the pagan Feast of Tammuz to early spring, “Christianizing” it. Lent moved with it.
“This change of the calendar in regard to Easter was attended with momentous consequences. It brought into the Church the grossest corruption and the rankest superstition in connection with the abstinence of Lent” (The Two Babylons).
Before giving up personal sins and vices during Lent, the pagans held a wild, “anything goes” celebration to make sure that they got in their share of debaucheries and perversities — what the world celebrates as Mardi Gras today.
You might say to me, “Yes, this is all true, but I am not a pagan worshipper.” I am praising Jesus and doing it to honor his sacrifice. what is wrong with observing Lent or giving up something for 40 days. And, that is a valid argument but one I do not agree with. Here are some of the reasons why I don’t observe Lent, and I believe no true mature Christian should.
Lent is not Biblical. Nowhere in Bible Lent is mentioned. Just because Church observes or has it on the calendar, it does not make it OK. Our final authority is scripture in all what Church says.
Why repent for only 40 days? Christians should be repenting all year around. If something is not good for us, why give it up for only 40 days? What does it accomplish by not eating meat? God is concerned about our hearts. Remember, Jesus said what comes out of your mouth defiles a man, not what you eat. If you believe giving something up will make you grow closer to God, you have the wrong conception of salvation and the process of sanctification. Both are achieved by grace, not by our efforts. Look at what Paul says in Timothy 4 about giving up food.
Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, ² speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, ³ forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. ⁴ For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving;
The Lord’s Day is the only Holy Day, according to the Bible. we can not put religious significance on any other day. Doing so would not be according to the church established in Acts( 2 Thessalonians 2:15).
We are supposed to honor resurrection every time we take communion, not just on one specific day in the year. Jesus said to do this in remembrance of me. He was not talking about ritual but rather the sacrifice he was about to make and the price he paid for our salvation. We are to remember his death on cross and resurrection. I don’t need days of fasting and repentance to remember what my Lord and Savior did for me.
Some of you might be saying, what is the big deal if I observe or what is wrong with it? After all, fasting and repentance are a good thing. I believe that by openly observing such pagan practices, you are giving bad witnesses and causing someone else to follow into false practice. Not to mention, you are giving approval to the Catholic church’s practice of relying on works. Here is what Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 8. ¹⁰ For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will not the conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things offered to idols? ¹¹ And because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? ¹² But when you thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. ¹³ Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.
I do not want to be a stumbling block for anyone, and I certainly do not want to sin against Christ
If you still feel that God is telling you to practice Lent, I respect your judgment. All God demands is sincerity in our worship and our full obedience to his word. Anything we do must be under the authority of Jesus and in agreement with his scripture.
Feel free to make a comment. Please do not hesitate to share your point of view, and if I have misrepresented any facts, correct me. May God continue to use us all for His glory.