Did anyone give something up for Lent?, Moral support required already!! Options

[Tortellini]

I haven't given anything up this year. Instead I'm writing a blog about being a 'down to earth' Christian... think what you will, but it's making me think a lot and appreciate things I'd perhaps been overlooking. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Is it a private blog or can we read it?

Here you go! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Wow! That's quite a read. And good on you for posting it on here. Generally whenever religion gets brought up on this board the thread gets closed! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) You're completely the other side of the spectrum to my beliefs but I absolutely appreciate your articulateness.

Thanks... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

But PLEASE don't anyone start arguing about it on here - enough interesting threads get closed as it is! If you really want to have a go at me, send me a PM. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

Thanks - I shall be taking a look!

[freda_bloogs]

I haven't given anything up this year. Instead I'm writing a blog about being a 'down to earth' Christian... think what you will, but it's making me think a lot and appreciate things I'd perhaps been overlooking. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Is it a private blog or can we read it?

Here you go! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Wow! That's quite a read. And good on you for posting it on here. Generally whenever religion gets brought up on this board the thread gets closed! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) You're completely the other side of the spectrum to my beliefs but I absolutely appreciate your articulateness.

Thanks... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

But PLEASE don't anyone start arguing about it on here - enough interesting threads get closed as it is! If you really want to have a go at me, send me a PM. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

Haha no no, I really don't feel the need to have a go at you!

[tonedeafmum]

I haven't given anything up this year. Instead I'm writing a blog about being a 'down to earth' Christian... think what you will, but it's making me think a lot and appreciate things I'd perhaps been overlooking. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Is it a private blog or can we read it?

Here you go! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Thank you for posting the link - it makes very interesting reading and I appreciate your bravery and honesty for sharing your beliefs online.

As a Reformed Evangelical, I don't do the whole Lent thing myself but I will keep an eye on your thought provoking blog.

Lovely to have a 'Religious' thread running on the forums without any ill feeling being generated. Well done us.

[Appassionata]

I've given up chocolate, sweets, biscuits and cake. Finding it hard today as I'm revising for an exam tomorrow and normally have something nice to nibble whilst reading through reams of notes!

[Misti]

Try a bowl of coco pops without milk? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

I'm investing in some raisins / seeds and similar for working and nibbling purposes.... but cereal without milk works quite well too.

[Misterioso]

The topic of religion is fairly safe, so long as no-one starts being too vehement on the actual thread itself. I'd appreciate this one staying open. Its interesting to hear how other people approach Lent, whether they take it very seriously, or have a lighter approach, or just consider it a good excuse for a diet!!

I approach Lent seriously: that means with imposition of ashes and a Eucharistic service on Ash Wednesday, and some sort of discipline during Lent. I mentioned earlier that I was giving up computer games, and this is so I have more time for spiritual and devotional reading. Just now it's Barefoot Disciple by Stephen Cherry - an interesting read. I'm also collecting 50 pence and 20 pence pieces for Self-Help Africa (a collective undertaking by members of our congregation).

I suppose it is a good excuse for a diet, but as I am already on a diet, I can't really use it as a Lenten discipline! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

[Misti]

It looks like an interesting read - I'll look out for it in charity shops once the 40 days are up! Plenty of time for considered reading this summer... but my nose is mostly stuck in journal articles for the moment. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blush.gif)

One that maybe Celeste could consider mentioning on her blog (dunno if you'll have read it or not, but it came to mind when you were outlining your aims) is C.S. Lewis's 'Mere Christianity'. While a little out of date now, I found it quite an enjoyable read, and helpful for drawing the line between being Christian and obscure theology. I find many agnostics I talk to, get caught up in flaws in the latter, while missing the former. Guess it depends on how much material you already have in mind! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[corenfa]

i'm not religious in the slightest but as a relative newcomer to Britain I was somewhat surprised (not in a bad way, just surprised) to find how many people I know (not on the forum) who are giving up something for Lent. In Asia there are similar things so I am used to the idea- Muslims fast the month of Ramadhan (no food or drink between sunrise and sunset) and Chinese Buddhists go vegetarian for a month in the Chinese calendar. I did not realise that it was quite this much in the public consciousness here. Most of the people I know who are "doing Lent" seem to be treating it as a diet or detox.

Personally I like the discipline of either giving something up, or starting something productive, but I can't hold myself to a particular calendar time as that just sets me up for failure. I've tried giving up various things at various times usually for health reasons, I realised after a few years of New Year's diet reform that that just didn't work. I've just started another eat-healthy phase, which happens to coincide with Lent I suppose, but wasn't planned that way.

[Misti]

I think it reflects the cultural aspect of Christianity in the UK. After all, some of the secular organisations / campaign groups have felt it necessary to run a campaign to tell people not to declare themselves Christian on the census, unless they, y'know, 'really are'. As I recall from the news articles, in the last census over 70% of the UK population declared their religion as Christianity.

Lent also benefits from its start and end being easy to remember. After all, we get very excited about 'Pancake Day' (or rather Shrove Tuesday), and celebrations of Easter are hard to miss (chocolate eggs anyone). The festivals are as wide spread as Christmas, and celebrated in a similar secular way.

[Aeolienne]

I wonder if the origins of the Lenten fast are in part secular? Since I got into the habit of having a weekly veggie box delivery, I've become familiar with the "hungry gap", i.e. the time of year when the vegetables from storage are almost running out but the new produce of late spring hasn't arrived yet. Of course the official reason for Lent - to commemorate Jesus' sojourn in the wilderness - is religious, but as far as I can recall the gospels don't say anything about what time of year it took place, other than it wasn't immediately before Passover.

[porilo]

I wonder if the origins of the Lenten fast are in part secular? Since I got into the habit of having a weekly veggie box delivery, I've become familiar with the "hungry gap", i.e. the time of year when the vegetables from storage are almost running out but the new produce of late spring hasn't arrived yet. Of course the official reason for Lent - to commemorate Jesus' sojourn in the wilderness - is religious, but as far as I can recall the gospels don't say anything about what time of year it took place, other than it wasn't immediately before Passover.

It does state, in the Gospel of Matthew, that the fast took place immediately after the baptism of Jesus. I preached about this in church on Sunday afternoon. If anyone would like a copy of my sermon, please PM me with an email address and I will be happy to send it. It's a metaphysical sermon but not too deep, and also has a touch of good humour (I hope).

[MDSS]

A couple of years ago I persuaded my boyfriend to give up SlashDot (a rather geeky news forum) for Lent.

I call fake on this one. Everyone knows that any guy who was an avid SlashDot reader would never have a girlfriend!


(IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

Lol, love it! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

I wonder if the origins of the Lenten fast are in part secular?

More than likely. The Christmas and Easter festivals borrow heavily from pagan traditions. Eastre was the ancient name for spring...or so Google tells me.

[Aeolienne]

Etymologically the word Lent comes from "lengthen" because that's what the daylight hours are doing at this time of year. What's it called in other languages?

[Roseau]

Etymologically the word Lent comes from "lengthen" because that's what the daylight hours are doing at this time of year. What's it called in other languages?

In French it's called "careme" which apparently comes from a Latin word meaning "40 days" because it starts 40 days before Easter.

[Misti]

It occured to me this morning, that as the end of my design project was coming closer, so must Lent. And it was probably about time I resurrected (oh dear, that's a bad choice of words, no?) this thread, and asked:

So how has everyone been getting on?



I've had a few lapses (mostly when visiting people, and refusing whatever delicious things they'd created would have been quite rude), and seem to have substituted chocolate for increased amounts of coffee (IMG:style_emoticons/default/huh.gif) Not entirely suprising given my current workload, but not exactly in the spirit of Lent...

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