Why Mormons Do Not Believe In Ash Wednesday And Lent
Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent. It was established many years ago, the exact date this practice started has been lost. It goes back at least to the 10th Century. The Catholic Church realized that many Catholics were not going to confession, they wanted to change that. The reasons why they wanted people to go to confession is debatable. Many scholars say it was for money, others say it was out of concern for the welfare of souls. Personally, I will give them the benefit of the doubt.
Either way, the Catholic Church decided on the first day of Lent to be the one day a year that everyone would be required to go to confession. After confession they will receive an ash Cross on their forehead, this mark on your forehead was a way to distinguish a believer who had gone to confession, and a believer that has not. It also served as a reminder to everyone that they need to go to confession.
(The ashes come from burned palm branches from Palm Sunday the year before, and the use of ash is symbolic of “repenting in sackcloth and ashes”.)
Today it has evolved, but that is how it started. The mark on the forehead has become a point of persecution for many people. They act like if you don’t have the cross on your forehead, it means you’re not Christian. Many Christians do not believe in Ash Wednesday, as it lacks any biblical support, and it started in the 5th century, years after the death of the last Apostles.
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