[Willie Bee]

Happy Fat Tuesday everyone! As my good friends on the east side of the Sabine say, "Let the good times roll!"

Ok, so I haven't been a practicing Catholic for so long, well, I'm out of practice. God and I came to an understanding about my religion some 24 years ago which was about eight years after a previous understanding that we reached while I was belly down in a Thailand jungle while it rained cats and dogs and someone discharging his ack-ack gun stood between me and my safe quarters even though I had been promised there was no more fighting going on over there. Of course, that's a different story for another time and today's story is Mardis Gras.

For many years, more than I can rightly recall at the moment, my Lent offering has been to give up days in which I have less than two alcoholic beverages. But this year the Mrs. has told me I have to make a real sacrifice. So I'm giving up ice cream, which I'm addicted to almost as much as the liquified spirits.

Anyone else giving up something?

[mofome]

Happy Fat Tuesday everyone! As my good friends on the east side of the Sabine say, "Let the good times roll!"

Ok, so I haven't been a practicing Catholic for so long, well, I'm out of practice. God and I came to an understanding about my religion some 24 years ago which was about eight years after a previous understanding that we reached while I was belly down in a Thailand jungle while it rained cats and dogs and someone discharging his ack-ack gun stood between me and my safe quarters even though I had been promised there was no more fighting going on over there. Of course, that's a different story for another time and today's story is Mardis Gras.

For many years, more than I can rightly recall at the moment, my Lent offering has been to give up days in which I have less than two alcoholic beverages. But this year the Mrs. has told me I have to make a real sacrifice. So I'm giving up ice cream, which I'm addicted to almost as much as the liquified spirits.

Anyone else giving up something?

no ice cream? borderline insanity.

[Willie Bee]

I'm likely to drop two or three pounds, which would be the equivalent of removing a pail of water from the Atlantic.

[cobra_king]

I'm going to give up reading the "Food Stamps" thread. It's starting to hurt my head!

[Sportsgirl]

I find it amusing that people are supposed to to sacrifice something for God during lent, but generally give up something which benefits themselves. **Not directed toward anyone in particular***

anyway, as a nonbeliever in organized religion and their traditions, I'm giving up nothing and will instead make a daily and continual effort to sacrifice for God and not just limit it to 40 days.


Man, that was deep

[Sportsgirl]

I'm going to give up reading the "Food Stamps" thread. It's starting to hurt my head!

Excellent choice

[Sportsgirl]

Oh, and Happy Fat Tuesday!

[Willie Bee]

I find it amusing that people are supposed to to sacrifice something for God during lent, but generally give up something which benefits themselves.

Like I said, it's been a while since I really paid attention to the stuff, but I never understood it to be sacrificing something that benefitted me. I've always believed it to be a 40-day span for fasting, prayer, repenting, etc.

But, like you, I'm certainly not into much of the stuff any longer. Just don't believe you get into heaven because you're a good Catholic, good Jew, good Muslim, good Hindu, et al. Believe you get into heaven because you're good, period.

[Sportsgirl]

Like I said, it's been a while since I really paid attention to the stuff, but I never understood it to be sacrificing something that benefitted me. I've always believed it to be a 40-day span for fasting, prayer, repenting, etc.

But, like you, I'm certainly not into much of the stuff any longer. Just don't believe you get into heaven because you're a good Catholic, good Jew, good Muslim, good Hindu, et al. Believe you get into heaven because you're good, period.

I just don't get a lot of the denominational traditions. I mean, they claim these churches are based on the Bible, but some of the stuff they do " in the name of God" isn't even in the book they believe in. I find that odd. I mean, don't you think you should do the stuff God asks you to do in the Bible before yuo go creating extra stuff to do?

[brock]

Happy Fat Tuesday SBR

[Cabo]

I'm going to give up reading the "Food Stamps" thread. It's starting to hurt my head!

[Willie Bee]

I just don't get a lot of the denominational traditions.

I don't either, other than they're 'traditions' and those are as hard to break/change as giving up ciggys in many cases (which I happen to know something about since I've been cancer stick free for five years, one month, four days and, oh, about 15 hours).

The denominations aren't really based on the Bible, but someone's interpretation of the Bible, looking just inside the Judeo-Christian sects for now. And even with regards to the Bible you have controversy since several books were not included and some of them -- Jesus' "brother" James' writings, for example -- offer some fairly controversial accounts that, in my opinion, just didn't fit with what some people wanted included way back when.