Let anyone only read the atrocities that were commemorated during the “sacred fast” or Pagan Lent, as described by Arnobius and Clemens Alexandrinus, and surely he must blush for the Christianity of those who, with the full knowledge of all these abominations, “went down to Egypt for help” to stir up the languid devotion of the degenerate Church, and who could find no more excellent way to “revive” it, than by borrowing from so polluted a source; the absurdities and abominations connected with which the early Christian writers had held up to scorn. That Christians should ever think of introducing the Pagan abstinence of Lent was a sign of evil; it showed how low they had sunk, and it was also a cause of evil; it inevitably led to deeper degradation.
-Alexander Hislop “The Two Babylons”
1 Timothy 4:1-4
1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.
4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:
Pagan Roots of Lent
In the Nordic pagan religion, placing ashes above one’s brow was believed to ensure the protection of the Norse god, Odin. This practice spread to Europe during the Vi-kings conquests. This laying on of ashes was done on Wednesday, the day named for Odin, Odin’s Day. The Norse practice which has become known as Ash Wednes-day was itself, drawn from the Vedic Indian religion. Ash-es were believed to be the seed Agni, the Indian fire god. Ashes were also believed to be symbolic for the purifying blood of the Vedic god Shiva, which it is said had the power to cleanse sins.
Lenten Fasting Also Has Pagan Roots
“The forty days’ abstinence of Lent was directly borrowed from the worshippers of the Babylonian goddess (Ishtar). Such a Lent of forty days is still observed by the Yezidis or Pagan Devil-worshipers of Koordistan.” “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”
-Alexander Hislop “The Two Babylons”
According to English scholar John Landseer in his Sabean Researches (1823), ancient Egyptians held an annual fast of 40-days in honor of their god Osiris, ruler of the underworld.
Matthew 15:7–9
v7- Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,
v8- This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
v9- But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
Is Christian Fasting Biblical?
Matthew 6:16–18
v16- Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
v17- But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;
v18- That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.
Lent Today
Today Christian Lent is still celebrated with its pagan roots in mind. Some “holy week” ritualistic celebrations include the Great Power Procession where thousands of people dress in pointy hooded robes to signify the “great power of Jesus”. There is also “the dance of death” in which people dress as skeletons to signify the pain of Jesus’ death, and the “procession of the drunken” This procession is a tribute from respect to the mockery that Jesus Christ suffered while dragging the cross to Mount Calvary to be crucified. The “Rafter Man” celebration is a
representation of the death of Judas. From the Clock House located in the Plaza, a doll with a firecracker inside is shaken, to then make it explode.
