For many Christians, today — Ash Wednesday — marks the beginning of Lent, a 40-day fasting season preceding Easter Sunday. These days, practitioners are ceremoniously designated with a smear of ashes on their foreheads, and in recent years, priests have attempted to spread the Word by posting selfies with #ashtag and #shareyourashes hashtags.
While the photos may seem harmless enough, there are many critics of the priests' promotion of their own good deeds. "If people find it meaningful to trumpet their inevitable death on social media, I'm not opposed. Just strikes me as odd," tweeted Greg Hills, an associate theology professor at Bellarmine University.
So far, none of the priests have drawn an actual hashtag with the ashes, but maybe next year.—Stephanie Talmadge
The Week
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