« Really it does | Main | Everyone's here now »
March 01, 2006
Next: snake handling
Tradition catching on with Baptists
Baptists realized that putting ashes on your forehead and walking around like that all day was considered strange and off-putting by many, so they thought, "We have got to get some of that!"
Story contains an explanation of just what Easter is.
Posted by Mac Thomason at March 1, 2006 08:32 AM
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.bravesbeat.com/mt-tb.cgi/10595
Comments
The rector opened his sermon this morning with a story about a friend whose (clearly Southern Baptist, although he didn't say) secretary offered to "wipe that dirt off your forehead." After he'd explained the ritual, the lady reached forward with one finger to share his ashes, saying gently, "I need some of those, too."
Guess if the Baptists are going to be doing ashes from now on, he'll have to retire this particular sermon.
Posted by: Del at March 1, 2006 11:42 AM
Anything to make people make fun of you so you can pull the "I'm a Christian victim of persecution" card, I guess.
Posted by: Poser at March 1, 2006 12:15 PM
"Anything to make people make fun of you so you can pull the 'I'm a Christian victim of persecution' card, I guess."
There's something to that, though I've seen it more among individual people, like Catholics who don't go to Mass on Easter or Christmas or observe Lent in any meaningful sense, but go to church Ash Wednesday for shock value at work (sad but true). The main person who comes to mind was affronted when a surgeon said "if you're in my ER today, wipe off your forehead."
Posted by: Susan at March 1, 2006 02:57 PM
A priest I know once said, when asked about whether one should wash off the ashes after the service or leave them on all day: "If you feel like you want to wash them off, you should probably leave them on. And if you want to leave them on, then you should probably wash them off." Sounds like your person was in the latter camp.
Posted by: Del at March 1, 2006 04:25 PM
I think you're right, Del. I mistyped, though. That should have been "OR" and the person in question was a nurse, so there was a lot of "I can't express my religion in my workplace" talk, though I'd never seen this person express their religion, in word or deed, before then.
Posted by: Susan at March 1, 2006 05:10 PM
I wondered why an ER would have to be quite so sterile. I'm surprised she didn't try to claim that they were blessed ashes and so couldn't possibly cause an infection by falling into the thoracic cavity or whatever.
Posted by: Del at March 1, 2006 05:31 PM
Whoops, sexism revealed, I assumed your nurse was a woman...
Posted by: Del at March 1, 2006 05:32 PM
"Story contains an explanation of just what Easter is."
I thought for sure it was an AP article when I saw this. Can't believe Greg Garrison thought he had to define Easter here in B'ham.
Posted by: Kathy at March 1, 2006 10:31 PM
Easter is too liberal for my blood. In my house, we have "Heartlander" Sunday.
Posted by: JoeyT at March 1, 2006 10:43 PM