Dutch Catholics have re-branded the Lent fast as the “Christian Ramadan” in an attempt to appeal to young people who are more likely to know about Islam than Christianity, says The UK Telegraph.
The Catholic charity Vastenaktie, which collects for the Third World across the Netherlands during the Lent period, is concerned that the Christian festival has become less important for the Dutch over the last generation. So they’re switching things up a tad.
“The image of the Catholic Lent must be polished. The fact that we use a Muslim term is related to the fact that Ramadan is a better-known concept among young people than Lent,” said Vastenaktie Director, Martin Van der Kuil.
Three decades ago the Catholic Church was as strict as many Muslims are about Ramadan with a total ban on meat and alcohol during the 40-day Lenten period between Ash Wednesday and Easter.
The charity said that most Dutch Catholics now focus on charitable work after the Vatican loosened fasting strictures for all but the first and last days of Lent back in 1967.
HA!!!!!!! What they mean to say is that Dutch Catholics completely ignore Lent. They might say that instead of giving something up they focus on charitable work. But that’s not the truth. If it were true, then why is this charity having to attempt to publicize Lent when there are supposedly 4 million Roman Catholic Dutch who are out doing charity work then? That’s right they’re washing down their steak with beer.
Four million Dutch describe themselves as Roman Catholics and 400,000 people attend Mass every week but only a few tens of thousands still mark Lent by fasting, said Mr Van der Kuil
Vastenaktie organisers hope that by linking the festival to Ramadan they can remind Christians who may be less observant than Muslims of the “spirituality and sobriety” of Lent.
Europe is in big trouble folks. Unless a mass re-conversion occurs, Islam will be the future of Europe.
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