Rules and Guilt

One of my nieces is fun to follow on Facebook (to be honest, a lot of people are). She has grown up with technology, and is quite well digitally connected; hardly a thought escapes her that is not immediately posted. If you are thinking that you just don’t get the whole posting-every-thought-on-Facebook thing, you are probably older than 30. Hahahaha! This seems to be the eternal burden of each new generation: that they are not understood by the older generations.

Now, my niece is in college, a whole lot of fun, and (like most of my relatives) a practicing Roman Catholic. At Lent, this means giving up stuff, and fasting. Most Catholics believe that fasting during Lent means no meat on Fridays… even though the US Bishops rescinded that rule for American Catholics.

Her recent Facebook post made me laugh:

“Man do I hate Fridays during Lent! This ‘no meat’ rule sucks!”

After my chuckle, I posted the following short reply:

Ask yourself... did God institute the no meat rule, or is it an arbitrary construct of religion? Jesus came to free us from religion, so we could have a real relationship with God. Jesus gave us simple commands: "Love God and love your neighbor as yourself." Religion, churches, and self-proclaimed holy leaders give us Lenten rules, food restrictions, and guilt. Lent and Easter are a time to rejoice... your debt has been paid! Jesus paid the ultimate price to free us from the bondage of guilt, and sin, and death. You can choose to be controlled by centuries of man-made church law, restrictions, and guilt... or you can simply follow Jesus, and be free... and eat what you want on Friday.

Now, I don’t have any problem with anybody who is led by the Holy Spirit to fast… but eating fish on Friday instead of eating meat has never really struck me as much of a fast. Besides, trumpeting to everyone that you can’t eat meat on Friday, or bemoaning such a sacrifice, flies in the face of what Jesus had to say about fasting:

“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
Matthew 6:16-18

I’m not necessarily picking on Catholics here. If you belong to any church, whether it’s Catholic, Lutheran, Baptist, or whatever… you live by some arbitrary constructs of religion. You have doctrines, traditions, and rituals that are mostly man-made. I’m not saying that they are all bad, I just pose the question:

Do doctrines, traditions, and rituals keep you from being the light in the world? Do they help, or impede an effective walk with Christ?

On Wednesday nights during Lent, we discuss these types of questions. Come join us in some rousing discussions as we prepare to celebrate Easter.

Your brother in Christ,

Dave