February 24, 2009
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Lent
A disclaimer before I begin:
I am a Christian...I grew up in an awful church environment. Backstabbing, sedition, church splits, lies, hypocrisy, etc. So my opinion of religious ceremonies, etc., is probably jaded. And I in NO way wish to demean or ridicule anyone's beliefs in this post.
Lent has always bothered me. And it's probably because I don't fully understand it...so if anyone reading this practices Lent, please try to explain it to me.
Firstly, there's Mardi-Gras. Loud, drunken partying, and then...Lent. I guess my issue here is the need to 'get it out of my system.' I've never felt that need. I've always been a person who, if I think I need to change something or stop doing something, I'll stop then and there. I don't wait for New Years, don't wait for graduation, Lent, etc., I just stop it then and there. So why is the day/week leading up to Lent a get-it-all-out type of deal? Why do people need to indulge themselves right before they deprive themselves?
So, for Lent, people traditionally give up certain things...coffee, chocolate, cheeseburgers, texting, etc. My question to those who practice it is this - is that permanent, or does it just last the 40 days? Because everyone I know has always just given it up for the 40 days and then gone back to eating/drinking/doing whatever they gave up...and I don't understand it. Why did you decide to give up something that is essentially trivial, like texting for example, instead of something more concrete, like, I am going to focus extra hard on stopping this sin I've been struggling with, and I'm going to spent more time praying/reading my Bible, etc? And when you give up something like texting for the 40 days...if you felt it was something you needed to give up during Lent, why not just stop it entirely for the rest of your life?
I dunno. It confuses me. If anyone could help me out here, I'd appreciate it.
Later folks.
Comments (2)
I don't fully comprehend it either and yet I should cause it's been rammed into me by parents and 4 years of catholic high school. I take it as a "If Jesus can do it for 40 days, you can too." I know it's a poor excuse for an explanation but that's how I was lead to understand it. And it should be something one is perhaps morally struggling with. I threw in "morally" because I think it's something most people believe they a have a problem with.
In my own logical mind, I say if I truly wanted to change I shouldn't wait for a religious observation to do it. That's just an excuse for laziness, I think. Even my religious mum would agree with that.
The reasoning for Lent is to deprive yourself of something that you feel God has given you and you take it for granted. Yes, you can use it to better yourself by giving up something that will be better for you in the long-run, and continue it after Lent, but to each his own. Mainly, you're supposed to be reminded of all of God's goods every time you crave that thing you've given up.
Mardi Gras is a poor excuse for people to go overboard. I think it's just how our society is... people get drunk for any insignificant reason. So if you're giving up something for 40 days, there goes another reason to party it up before you commit yourself to doing it. I don't believe in this, but there are people who live on extreme ends--working hard, and playing hard. I guess you can say that I do neither hard.
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