Everything Wrong With "Lent"

Lent - "The 40 weekdays from Ash Wednesday until Easter observed by Christians as a season of fasting and penitence in preparation for Easter."

Sounds like a good idea, except that like everything else in Christianity, it has been completely bastardized.

So "Shrove Tuesday" (today) was initially intended to be the last day before Lent starts, that you use up/get rid of all of your excess lard, butter, sugar etc to prepare for the fasting, etc. But instead of using things up, people actually go out and buy MORE pancakes, donuts, fritters, etc. Exactly counter-productive to what it's supposed to be about. Then there is Mardi Gras, which is supposed to be based upon the religious holiday, but is also completely counterproductive. Also, it is called "fat tuesday", but it isn't even celebrated on the Tuesday any more!!! What up with that?

So in the end, people are actually doing the exact OPPOSITE of what their religion tells them to do. Instead of using up what you have and then fasting for 40 days, people are actually getting MORE. And on top of that, although they celebrate Shrove Tuesday, they don't even actually celebrate the fasting part. Because our society doesn't like anything hard or that inconvieniences them. The holiday is the opposite of what it is meant to stand for. Sort of like the people who only go to church on Christmas and Easter, yet proudly call themselves Christians. Give me a break. It's just another bandwagon they hop on without knowing what the heck they're doing.

On top of all that, is Lent really about getting rid of extra food and fasting for a month.? Isn't it supposed to be about spiritually 'trimming up'. It's about cleaning out your SOUL from your confusing, cluttered, busy life. It's supposed to be a spiritual cleaning, not a cupboard cleaning.

If I am seeing this whole thing wrong, please feel free to correct me.

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