Comment by Graham E. Lau on February 18, 2010 at 4:09am

I remember the first time I heard about Ash Wednesday. I was 18 and working in a restaurant. One of my servers came in to work and had this smudge on her head. I'm like, "you have some crap on your forehead there". I forget how she responded, but I remember her being surprised to discover I had never heard of this practice before. Even worse for her she had no idea why I thought it made absolutely no sense whatsoever. I still don't really get why the smudge is so important. I would look it up, but I have some other stuff going on.

Don't worry about spending some time trying out other religious viewpoints and seeing what other people in the world think. When i decided to officially separate myself from the beliefs of my christian family members I spent a lot of time looking into other religions and trying to figure out exactly what I thought and who I was. Having a knowledge of Buddhism, Daoism, and other religions is awesome.

Comment by Pinko Commie on February 18, 2010 at 9:43am

I still don't know exactly what the whole smudge/40 days/palm leaves/Easter bunny thing is all about about but I suspect even if it were carefully explained to me, I would still be pretty confused. All I know is, cadbury creme eggs are the shit. :D Good luck on working this stuff out. I can't imagine what it's like to leave religion - the guilt alone would give me ulcers. :/

Comment by Misty: Baytheist Living! on February 18, 2010 at 11:24am

Lent- Yet another superficial expression of self righteous twattery intended to make the participant feel equally superior and victimized.

Yeah. Have fun with that.

Comment by B. on February 18, 2010 at 11:32am

I've never done the Lent thing, or really knew much about it until I was a teen (I guess I still don't really get it).

Is this unique to Catholicism?

Comment by Apple on February 19, 2010 at 1:18am

Well stated Misty. This thinking applies throughout all the catholic teachings.

Comment by Shine on February 19, 2010 at 7:48am

This was also the first time I noticed how ridiculous those ashes actually looked on people. My parents got home from church shortly after I got home from school, and for the rest of the night I couldn't stop looking at their foreheads. I didn't feel bad, or anything like that, they just looked really silly. It was an oddly liberating feeling.

Jake, I completely understand. I grew up in a very Catholic family; my aunt is a nun and observance of all holidays and sacraments was basically required. I remember in my teens finally gaining enough of an individual perspective to realize just how batshit crazy everything around me was. In particular, I remember sitting in Mass one Sunday during the recitation of the Apostles' Creed and suddenly realizing just how much it sounded like some sort of Satanic chanting by a pack of mindless zombies. I can still hear that sonorous, disconnected tone; honestly, the Apostles' Creed haunts my nightmares more than anything.

Anyways, the let-an-old-dude-smudge-black-junk-on-your-forehead is another one of those creepy rituals that really strike a note of fear when you really just how insane it really is. It is so irrational that it makes it difficult to seriously converse with anyone who partakes in it, especially since they walk around like the ashes are some badge of pride.

Oh, and my favorite part of Lent is that people usually give up something that will benefit them and totally defeat the supposed ascetic aspect of the event. For example, most people give up chocolate or alcohol hoping to lose a few pounds. But even if they genuinely do give up something that "hurts" them, it's a self-imposed victimization like Misty said. Catholics are all about the "voluntary" martyrdom, even though the voluntary nature of such an act really removes any element of persecution.

I remember my mother got all pissed during Lent when I was six because I decided that instead of giving up candy or soda, I was going to give up the use of my bureau. I mean, in my mind it was a perfect plan; I was "giving up" something, and I wouldn't have to put my clothes away for forty days. That one didn't go over so well. :(

Comment by Misty: Baytheist Living! on February 19, 2010 at 11:56am

Oh Shine! You make me so happy!
You know what MY favorite part of Lent is?
The fact that Cadbury Eggs are about to go on sale!


OOOOoooohhhhh yeah!

Comment by Shine on February 19, 2010 at 12:41pm

You know what MY favorite part of Lent is?
The fact that Cadbury Eggs are about to go on sale!

Yes! I remember those being used as bribes to be quiet during the epically long Easter vigil services sometimes, lol. I seriously think that I associate Easter with being happy, even in spite of all the ridiculously boring ceremonial junk, because of Cadbury eggs.

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