Giving up anything for Lent??

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Replies

  • PrizePopple
    PrizePopple Posts: 3,133 Member
    drabbits3 wrote: »
    I think I may give up posting anything on MFP. Lots of us get all worked up and it really was just a silly, innocent question. Not meant to incite a big religious debate. I know this is not the place for that-jeez.

    You asked a question about Lent, Lent is in the title of the thread. If they didn't want to discuss Lent, or Christianity they can feel free to skip over it. The problem is theirs, not yours.


    15. Divisive Topics Are Better Suited For Groups, Not the Main Forums

    Divisive topics and posts, particularly those that seek input from or are relevant only to a select group of users, are better placed within an appropriate Group rather than the Main Forums. For example, topics relevant to only one religion should not be placed on the main forums but rather within a group related to that religion.
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
    VeryKatie wrote: »
    sjaplo wrote: »
    sofaking6 wrote: »
    I'm going to give up advertising my religion in inappropriate places.

    Perfectly put.

    Where were you guys when all those Ramadan threads were up? You had no problem with those. Not a negative comment in them.

    Well, to be fair I've never had a Muslim scream in my face about "keeping the christ in christmas"... I'll let you figure out what religion the person was who has done that.

    Also, Ramadan is very much about food, and I can see how there might be concerns about hitting nutritional needs during a period where they fast during daytime hours. And since this site is geared towards nutrition, that would be totally applicable.

    Wut? You are actually putting all people of a religion in the same boat?
    Often what is given up for Lent is related to food.

    (I'm not Christian but am surprised be these types of posts)
  • snarlingcoyote
    snarlingcoyote Posts: 399 Member
    Uhm. . .Lent is also a cultural event in some places. Where I'm from (not where I live now) it is a part of the culture, not just a religious thing. You are not required to do it you don't participate in a faith based group that doesn't include it in its tenents, but some people do and that's okay.

    Lent, it isn't just for Roman Catholics anymore. . .


  • Lourdesong
    Lourdesong Posts: 1,492 Member
    Why would a muslim scream in anyone's face about keeping the christ in Christmas? Lol
  • PrizePopple
    PrizePopple Posts: 3,133 Member
    VeryKatie wrote: »
    sjaplo wrote: »
    sofaking6 wrote: »
    I'm going to give up advertising my religion in inappropriate places.

    Perfectly put.

    Where were you guys when all those Ramadan threads were up? You had no problem with those. Not a negative comment in them.

    Well, to be fair I've never had a Muslim scream in my face about "keeping the christ in christmas"... I'll let you figure out what religion the person was who has done that.

    Also, Ramadan is very much about food, and I can see how there might be concerns about hitting nutritional needs during a period where they fast during daytime hours. And since this site is geared towards nutrition, that would be totally applicable.

    Wut? You are actually putting all people of a religion in the same boat?
    Often what is given up for Lent is related to food.

    (I'm not Christian but am surprised be these types of posts)

    Did I say "all" anywhere in my comment? Because looking at my quote I don't see me saying that. But go ahead and read into it how you like. I really don't care.

    And giving up a food item =/= fasting for 12+ hours a day for a month. Seriously, the nutritional implications of that over the span of a month can be quite detrimental.
  • sofaking6
    sofaking6 Posts: 4,589 Member
    drabbits3 wrote: »
    I think I may give up posting anything on MFP. Lots of us get all worked up and it really was just a silly, innocent question. Not meant to incite a big religious debate. I know this is not the place for that-jeez.

    You asked a question about Lent, Lent is in the title of the thread. If they didn't want to discuss Lent, or Christianity they can feel free to skip over it. The problem is theirs, not yours.

    So you would welcome my comments about Lent and Christianity then, would you? Because I really DO want to discuss them. Then we'll see who feels like "if anyone is offended it's their own problem for overreacting to something I posted".
  • snarlingcoyote
    snarlingcoyote Posts: 399 Member
    edited February 2015
    VeryKatie wrote: »
    sjaplo wrote: »
    sofaking6 wrote: »
    I'm going to give up advertising my religion in inappropriate places.

    Perfectly put.

    Where were you guys when all those Ramadan threads were up? You had no problem with those. Not a negative comment in them.

    Well, to be fair I've never had a Muslim scream in my face about "keeping the christ in christmas"... I'll let you figure out what religion the person was who has done that.

    Also, Ramadan is very much about food, and I can see how there might be concerns about hitting nutritional needs during a period where they fast during daytime hours. And since this site is geared towards nutrition, that would be totally applicable.

    Wut? You are actually putting all people of a religion in the same boat?
    Often what is given up for Lent is related to food.

    (I'm not Christian but am surprised be these types of posts)

    Did I say "all" anywhere in my comment? Because looking at my quote I don't see me saying that. But go ahead and read into it how you like. I really don't care.

    And giving up a food item =/= fasting for 12+ hours a day for a month. Seriously, the nutritional implications of that over the span of a month can be quite detrimental.

    Tell that to all of us who do 5:2 for completely non-religious reasons.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    We talked about this on another thread recently, but I'm happy to see it again, as I think it's an interesting discussion.
    I am not Christian but I grew up in that culture so am somewhat familiar with the concept of lent, and I am curious, how does giving up something that is bad for you and you know giving it up will benefit you fit with the idea of lent? (ETA - I mean the ideas of giving up junk, sugar, etc)

    I think of the Lenten practice as having a couple of different components. One--as you note--has to do with giving up something that is good but just maybe too much of a crutch or habit, to have you both experience doing without (in essence being like the disciples trying to wait with Jesus in the Garden is one way I link to think of it, and of fasting in general) and to remember why you are doing it when you think of it. Thatkind of sacrifice should be something just for the season and that you can return to in a positive way afterwards.

    But I think that there's also a way in which Lent is to remind us of what we should be doing in the rest of the year, the idea being that conversion (for a Catholic, at least) is a process, not something that is ever ended, and Lent is a time to refocus and turn back to God. So in that sense I think a focus on giving up permanently something that is spiritually negative is a good thing, although I never have it be my only sacrifice (since I should be doing it anyway). When I quit drinking I didn't do it "for Lent," but it was part of my focus that Lent.

    That said, for me any sacrifice that is about diet would not work, since I think the motives get mixed up. Not saying it couldn't work for others, though, if you genuinely believe it is about living a healthier life and tie that to religious observance.
    Won't it make more sense not to give up any food (unless forbidden during lent) since your food is already presumably restricted if you're on this site, and do something non-food instead? I am genuinely interested, I hope it's not an inappropriate question.

    This is 100% how I thought of it last year (I had just seriously started trying to lose weight in late January and knew I would confuse the meaning of what I was doing). So although I traditionally have done a food-related sacrifice as part of it all I did last year (re food) was the required fast days and Friday discipline. This year, since I'm about at maintenance, I'm giving up all meat but fish (fish also on Friday) and coffee. This is a compromise I feel a little uncomfortable with since I normally go veggie and I just think it would be too hard to shift my eating that much. I'm telling myself it's baby steps and I can go back to that next year, and it's why I'm doing coffee too.

    In general, though, I think of Lent as a time when one should live and eat more simply (I'm not planning to go out and have lobster and crab all the time) and that includes eating a lot less sweets and desserts and the like, although I'm not specifically giving them up.
  • PrizePopple
    PrizePopple Posts: 3,133 Member
    VeryKatie wrote: »
    sjaplo wrote: »
    sofaking6 wrote: »
    I'm going to give up advertising my religion in inappropriate places.

    Perfectly put.

    Where were you guys when all those Ramadan threads were up? You had no problem with those. Not a negative comment in them.

    Well, to be fair I've never had a Muslim scream in my face about "keeping the christ in christmas"... I'll let you figure out what religion the person was who has done that.

    Also, Ramadan is very much about food, and I can see how there might be concerns about hitting nutritional needs during a period where they fast during daytime hours. And since this site is geared towards nutrition, that would be totally applicable.

    Wut? You are actually putting all people of a religion in the same boat?
    Often what is given up for Lent is related to food.

    (I'm not Christian but am surprised be these types of posts)

    Did I say "all" anywhere in my comment? Because looking at my quote I don't see me saying that. But go ahead and read into it how you like. I really don't care.

    And giving up a food item =/= fasting for 12+ hours a day for a month. Seriously, the nutritional implications of that over the span of a month can be quite detrimental.

    Tell that to all of us who do 5:2 for completely non-religious reasons.


    So fasting for 2 non-consecutive days per week and then eating unconstrained for 5 days in the week is the same as fasting every single daylight hour for a month. Got it.
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
    George-Michael-Bluth-GIF.gif

    Ok sports fans, here's the deal. As we've already covered in this thread, certain topics are better suited for groups:

    15. Divisive Topics Are Better Suited For Groups, Not the Main Forums

    Divisive topics and posts, particularly those that seek input from or are relevant only to a select group of users, are better placed within an appropriate Group rather than the Main Forums. For example, topics relevant to only one religion should not be placed on the main forums but rather within a group related to that religion.

    But to be fair, we often see discussions on these forums which are relevant to only certain groups, especially about food related to holidays or celebrations, whether religious or secular, which is why we also have this guideline:

    4. Show Respect to All Groups and Individuals

    No derogatory references to sex, gender, age, weight, body-type, disability, ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation, or endorsement of violence against any person or group, even if couched in humor, will be permitted. This includes expressing stereotypes about any group or community.

    This thread is now closed, and in the future, if you have any concerns about a post, please just report it to the mod squad for review.
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