Let's hear em.'

In years past, I've given up alcohol. This year I've decided to make a general effort to eat less and more healthy.

Shame and decency.

/thread

Trying

Is this something exclusively catholic or Christian in general?

I thought Catholic but not totally sure. But I know many non-religious types who partake because they believe an annual period of self imposed abstinence is healthy.

Nobody, you can't give up what you never had.

Until I was 24 or 25, I never met a Lenten abstainer who was not Catholic. So, like Fish-fries, I'm going to guess it's mostly a Parish thing.

/needs a fish-fry now

Yeah, my folks do it and they're Methodists.

Me = nothing. Femdisco = beer

Try giving up childhood-learned superstition for a month.

For Lent one year, I gave up going to mass. Twenty years later, it's like Lent all the time.

or, I can try to give those with one foot in the grave a little nudge

Pizza. Not as easy as it sounds. Especially if you're me.

let's just say i aim to be master of my domain for a month

wait toots, that can mean a lot of things.

you know what it means

edit: already failed

I do a daytime fast.

Not a goddamn thing.
I haven't drank since lent started, but that was due to a wicked respiratory illness.
I could follow Toot's lead, but it just seems stupid to deny myself of that simple pleasure.

Why are most of you giving up things...because its what you do and the church told you to, or because you genuinely feel moved to cleanse yourself? Just wondering.

It honestly has nothing to do with the church. Well, maybe a little.

I really do it for two reasons: 1) The self-satisfaction of doing something difficult that requires determination over an extended period of time; 2) I find that the self-denial causes me to get out of my routine of thinking about my desires, which makes me reflect on things bigger than myself. Basically, it's practicing not being selfish, which I can use more of in my life.

Well put, but I was hoping for a Catholic vs. Protestant clash right here on the board. It's what would rouse me out of my lapsed state.

I still think 'what the fuck' every time I see someone with ash on their forehead