Is anyone participating? I'm not catholic, but I have many catholic friends, so this year I've decided to participate in Lent. I'm not doing this for religious reasons, rather to just give something up. If you're participating, what are you giving up?

I'm giving up potatoes, bread, and pasta. Figured that would eliminate quite a few carbs in my lifestyle, and allow me to drink more booze.

Bonus:
Dumbest thing I've ever heard of someone giving up on Lent, was a female friend in college. She gave up BUYING beer. Not drinking, but BUYING. She said it was ok to drink other people's beer, but she wasn't going to waste her own money on it. DERP.

ernest_t_bass;1588003 wrote: Dumbest thing I've ever heard of someone giving up on Lent, was a female friend in college. She gave up BUYING beer. Not drinking, but BUYING. She said it was ok to drink other people's beer, but she wasn't going to waste her own money on it. DERP.

Dumb? That's brilliant

^^^^and it could be noble also if the idea was to take the money that she would normally spend on beer and donate it to a charitable cause...say a soup kitchen, or to families in need.


Lent is about sacrifice that moves you closer to god or to enhance your spiritual well being. Unfortunately a lot of Catholic ritual is misunderstood, incorrectly interpreted, or taken too literally....even by Catholics themselves.
Lent is meant to be a period where you sacrifice worldly items or actions for spiritual improvement....that's a pretty broad spectrum.
Sometimes kids give up stuff they like, such as candy, as an exercise in sacrifice for a good cause, but giving up "potatoes" so that you lose weight, probably doesn't qualify as a Lenten sacrifice for an adult.

The Catoleigh religion is the most corrupt organized crime syndicate in the world. I grew up a good little lamb of the Pope until I was old enough to understand how much BS they pulled off in "the name of God". So for Lent I'm giving up Not drinking.

If I feel like altering something or giving it up, I do so out of that desire; not superstition.

Lent is not exclusive to Catholicism, correct?

Tiernan;1588113 wrote:The Catoleigh religion is the most corrupt organized crime syndicate in the world. I grew up a good little lamb of the Pope until I was old enough to understand how much BS they pulled off in "the name of God". So for Lent I'm giving up Not drinking.

Get felt up by a priest or two in your time?

Heretic;1588114 wrote:If I feel like altering something or giving it up, I do so out of that desire; not superstition.

We get it already.

I do not do empty traditions.

Lent is so dumb for many (most) people.

I don't give up anything because I'm not out to prove anything.

Hope this helps.

I don't give up anything because I'm not out to prove anything.

It is not about proving anything.

I do not do empty traditions.

It is not an empty tradition.

If I feel like altering something or giving it up, I do so out of that desire; not superstition.

It is not a superstition.

So for Lent I'm giving up Not drinking.

Thanks for sharing!

HitsRus;1588126 wrote:It is not about proving anything.

Then why do it?

I like a good fish fry, but that's about as "lent" as I get.

justincredible;1588138 wrote:I like a good fish fry, but that's about as "lent" as I get.

You also like to get fried in other ways amirite?!

dlazz;1588130 wrote:Then why do it?

That was explained above, too bad you missed it.

Pick6;1588140 wrote:You also like to get fried in other ways amirite?!

I don't particularly like sun burns, no.

Good thread.

QuakerOats;1588142 wrote:That was explained above, too bad you missed it.

No, it wasn't.

HitsRus;1588072 wrote: Lent is about sacrifice that moves you closer to god or to enhance your spiritual well being.

HitsRus;1588126 wrote:It is not about proving anything.

Isn't that proving something?

So... Anyone participating in lent?

HitsRus;1588126 wrote:It is not an empty tradition.

Sure it is. When all the talk is "I'm giving up facebook, pop, chips, beer, etc. etc. etc." the Lenten season is empty. It's not about "giving up" these trivial things in our lives.

As you mentioned in your previous post, it's about sacrifice AND enhancing your spiritual life. "Giving up" facebook for 40 days does nothing if you don't do the other side. Oh, not eating meat...empty. That comes from no Biblical context. But...I can eat fish on Fridays. Oh ain't that special.

^^^Well, the traditions are surely empty...for you.

Lessons of sacrifice of some earthly things we love serve to remind us of the sacrifce that Christ made for us on the cross. The sacrifices we make are small but constant reminders of the ultimate sacrifice made on Good Friday. We do these things this time of year, because it is a time of renewal of baptismal vows as we prepare to celebrate the resurrection and our redemption.
While these are Christian values, you don't have to be religious to appreciate that spring is a time of growth and renewal. Secular humanists can use the time as a reminder to improve their lives and focus on the common values of human dignity that we all share.

HitsRus;1588218 wrote:Lessons of sacrifice of some earthly things we love serve to remind us of the sacrifce that Christ made for us on the cross. The sacrifices we make are small but constant reminders of the ultimate sacrifice made on Good Friday. We do these things this time of year, because it is a time of renewal of baptismal vows as we prepare to celebrate the resurrection and our redemption.
While these are Christian values, you don't have to be religious to appreciate that spring is a time of growth and renewal. Secular humanists can use the time as a reminder to improve their lives and focus on the common values of human dignity that we all share.

As I said, the sacrifice only means something if the individual were to "remind us of the sacrifice that Christ made for us." Giving up facebook and doing nothing else is not a sacrifice. Giving up potato chips and doing nothing else means nothing. This is what Lent has become.

An individual can use this time, but it's not that way. It's become an empty tradition amongst many (and I'd venture to say most) religious persons. There's much more to Lent than just giving up some trivial object.

So... Anyone participating in lent?

^^^yes.

ernest_t_bass;1588223 wrote:So... Anyone participating in lent?

I gave up reading your posts.

OSH;1588221 wrote: ....There's much more to Lent than just giving up some trivial object.

This.

IM giving up water for 40 days