Should Ash Wednesday be banned?

Question

It is an insult to have catholics walk about with ashes on their forehead considering the tens of thousands that were burned at the stake in the name of their religion during the inquisition.

Answer 1

+ Ashes in the Bible +

"O daughter of my people, gird on sackcloth, roll in the ashes." (Jeremiah 6:26)

"I turned to the Lord God, pleading in earnest prayer, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes." (Daniel 9:3)

"When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in the ashes." (Jonah 3:6)

"And all the Israelite men, women and children who lived in Jerusalem prostrated themselves in front of the temple building, with ashes strewn on their heads, displaying their sackcloth covering before the Lord." (Judith 4:11; see also 4:15 and 9:1)

"That day they fasted and wore sackcloth; they sprinkled ashes on their heads and tore their clothes." (1 Maccabees 3:47; see also 4:39)

Jesus refers to the use of sackcloth and ashes as signs of repentance: "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes." (Matthew 11:21, Luke 10:13)

+ Ashes Wednesday +

As the beginning of Lent, Ash Wednesday calls us to the conversion journey that marks the season.

As those preparing to join the Church enter the final stage of their preparation for the Easter sacraments, we are all called to walk with them so that we will be prepared to renew our baptismal promises when Easter arrives.

When we receive ashes on our foreheads, we remember:
+ Who we are
+ That we are creatures of the earth
. "Remember that you are dust"
+ That we are mortal beings
. "and to dust you will return"
+ That we are baptized
+ That we are people on a journey of conversion
. "Turn away from sin and be faithful to the gospel"
+ That we are members of the body of Christ
+ That smudge on our foreheads will proclaim that identity to others, too

http://www.americancatholic.org/Newsletters/CU/ac0204.asp

+ The Inquisition +

Modern historians have long known that the popular view of the Inquisition is a myth. The Inquisition was actually an attempt by the Catholic Church to stop unjust executions.

Heresy was a capital offense against the state. Rulers of the state, whose authority was believed to come from God, had no patience for heretics. Neither did common people, who saw heretics as dangerous outsiders who would bring down divine wrath.

When someone was accused of heresy in the early Middle Ages, they were brought to the local lord for judgment, just as if they had stolen a pig. It was not to discern whether the accused was really a heretic. The lord needed some basic theological training, very few did. The sad result is that uncounted thousands across Europe were executed by secular authorities without fair trials or a competent judge of the crime.

The Catholic Church's response to this problem was the Inquisition, an attempt to provide fair trials for accused heretics using laws of evidence and presided over by knowledgeable judges.

From the perspective of secular authorities, heretics were traitors to God and the king and therefore deserved death. From the perspective of the Church, however, heretics were lost sheep who had strayed from the flock. As shepherds, the pope and bishops had a duty to bring them back into the fold, just as the Good Shepherd had commanded them. So, while medieval secular leaders were trying to safeguard their kingdoms, the Church was trying to save souls. The Inquisition provided a means for heretics to escape death and return to the community.

Most people tried for heresy by the Inquisition were either acquitted or had their sentences suspended. Those found guilty of grave error were allowed to confess their sin, do penance, and be restored to the Body of Christ. The underlying assumption of the Inquisition was that, like lost sheep, heretics had simply strayed.

If, however, an inquisitor determined that a particular sheep had purposely left the flock, there was nothing more that could be done. Unrepentant or obstinate heretics were excommunicated and given over to secular authorities. Despite popular myth, the Inquisition did not burn heretics. It was the secular authorities that held heresy to be a capital offense, not the Church. The simple fact is that the medieval Inquisition saved uncounted thousands of innocent (and even not-so-innocent) people who would otherwise have been roasted by secular lords or mob rule.

Where did this myth come from? After 1530, the Inquisition began to turn its attention to the new heresy of Lutheranism. It was the Protestant Reformation and the rivalries it spawned that would give birth to the myth. Innumerable books and pamphlets poured from the printing presses of Protestant countries at war with Spain accusing the Spanish Inquisition of inhuman depravity and horrible atrocities in the New World.

For more information, see:
The Real Inquisition, By Thomas F. Madden, National Review (2004) http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/madden200406181026.asp
Inquisition by Edward Peters (1988)
The Spanish Inquisition by Henry Kamen (1997)

+ With love in Christ.

Answer 2

Pastor Billy says: well after reading what iamcatholic wrote we have the answer!
Seriously, for all those so-called "bible believers" how can you deny the practises of Ash Wednesday? Clearly it is written that from ashes we come and from ashes we go.

"from ashes to ashes"

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent which is 40 days, 40 days is a regular occurrence biblical and in the traditions of Judaism and Christianity.

What I find pagan are all those people who worship a book instead of the living word Jesus can't you anti-Catholics get a better stick?

King Will Ash Wednesday has nothing to do with any Inquisition whether it be a Protestant, Jewish or Catholic one. ;) oh and BTW tens of thousands did not die in any Catholic Inquisition that is a myth propagated by Protestant Reformers. The records keep by the Inquisitors are complete and do not add up to what you claim.

Do the research before you spread further misinformation Mr. Paisley.

Now can I get an Amen?

Answer 3

No one in a free society has the power to ban Ash Wednesday. Also, you do not know history. I know you think that thousands were burned at the stake, but you just don't know history. Also, whatever sins others have committed in the name of Catholicism, doesn't mean all Catholics were/are bad or responsible for the crimes of people long dead. GET A LIFE.

Answer 4

I honestly see it as a sign of ignorance. If you see someone with ashes on their forehead, ask them why. Of course they will say because of Ash Wednesday, but again ask them where Ash Wednesday came from. I would venture to say that 99 out of 100 wouldn't have an answer. There is no more authority from the Bible for Ash Wednesday than there is for sacrificing animals as a relgious practice today.

Answer 5

Hmm ... thousands of viking warriors were burned on funeral pyres after their deaths to ensure their spirit was free to travel to Valhalla. How do you know all those Catholics aren't unconciously honouring them? Your logic lacks, my friend. Lenten ashes have about as much to do with vikings as they do with stake executions. The wearing of ashes as a sign of repentence is *ancient*. There are references to it at least 4000 years ago. It pre-dates the advent of Christianity.

Additionally:

a) most excecutions authorized by the various Inquistions (it was an office, not an event) were done by by hanging or beheading, not burning. If burning was involved, it was usually done after death.

b) Although the Inquistions did excute a significant number for heresey of various forms over the years, they were not solely responsible for the European witch hunts (which is what I believe you are actually alluding to). An equal, if not greater, number of protestants (who were usually *opposed to* the office of the Inquisition) were involved in this sad chapter in history.

c) The witch hunts lasted from 1450 to 1750. Scholars concerened about real numbers have sifted through the documents from the period and the best estimate is that 60,000 men & women were executed for witchcraft over this 300 year period, in all of Europe. That's fewer than were executed for other reasons, died of the Black Plague, or were killed in war.

Answer 6

My beliefs on this are a little more complicated than black or white. I do believe it counts as freedom of speech...and I believe that the same should apply if you put "666" on your forehead. You shouldn't be discriminated against for either one at a public school. BUT, schools DO have a right to not allow students to use their right to "free speech" in a way that will cause a distraction. In my elementary school, face paint and temporary tattoos were not supposed to be worn -- except for special occasions when school-wide celebrations were held -- because they caused a distraction. The same kept students from wearing sunglasses, hats, and distracting jewelry. I don't believe that kids should necessarily be "banned" for displaying their religious affiliation in these ways, but if it is expected to cause a distraction among other students, I believe a school should have every right to ask the student to remove such a symbol or leave for the day.

Answer 7

is it an insult, I'm guessing your a little king billy worshipper, who has no education, its not an insult how about yous who killed innocent catholics with the British army, so I'm guessing that some ash on a forehead isn't an insult but a respectable belief, get a life

Answer 8

It should be banned. It is a heretic gathering of heathens celebrating demonic crimes of burning innocence at the stake. When they burned the parents, what do you thing happened to the babies? My take on this is the Catholics fear the murderous past. Even the Islamic hordes never did this kind of nightmarish activities, and they are the worst heathens that ever lived.

Please click this web site. You will be amazed.
http://www.amaluxherbal.com/the_scandals_of_the_catholic_church.htm

With great praise for Jesus Christ

Answer 9

I don't think any of them that you will see were involved in the Spanish Inquisition. Have some respect for the beliefs of others.
All religions have traditions and it won't hurt you to respect that and accept it - even if you disagree with it. It shows the type of person you are.
Lighten up.

Answer 10

No. I like Ash Wednesday. I like to give up a vice of mine for 40 days. BTW: All religions were persecuted at one time of another in history.

Answer 11

It is absurd to try and ban a religious practice simply because it might be offensive to some. If you start doing that then you would have to ban religion all together. You dont seem as if you are in support of our freedom of speech/religion.