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Why Lent annoys me...

Started by YaarghMatey487, March 11, 2011, 12:27:49 AM

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YaarghMatey487

Okay so as I'm sure everyone knows...Lent is upon us. I think this could be my least favorite "holiday season" of the entire year. Why?- Well...hang on to your hats, kiddies. Lent is SUPPOSED to be about giving up something that will help you as a person or that makes you closer to God (Yes I'm an atheist so just keep reading). However, many protestant churches have gotten on the Lent bandwagon in the past few years and seem to use it as a means to assert their superiority over Catholic/Episcopalian doctrine as well as to bitch about the things individual followers "give up." Firstly, giving up chocolate or coffee is not only insulting to the very idea of Lent, I personally don't want to listen to you whine about how difficult it is to not have your morning cuppa' joe. Secondly, most of the protestant churches (especially the holier than thou mega churches so popular in the South) not only criticize but outright demonize the Catholic church the rest of the year. Lent is NOWHERE in protestant doctrine- it's just not. Why choose this time to make excuses to do Catholic things? Oh...right I almost forgot...it's so I can listen to you brag about how much you're saving by not buying 3 pounds of peanut M&M's each week.

Fellow atheists...what do you think? Am I right to want to punch Lentists (feel free to use this word, it's quite catchy) in their stupid, misinformed faces?
"Don't you love the Oxford Dictionary? When I first read it, I thought it was a really really long poem about everything."- David Bowie

JoeBobSmith

im still a little confused about what lent is.
JoeBobSmith

fester30

Lent is a period of 40 days preceding Easter when Christians sacrifice.  Jesus fasted for 40 days before he was tempted by Satan.  He then turned away the temptations despite his hunger.  This is the story in the Bible.  Lent is 40 days of sacrificing in remembrance of Jesus' suffering and sacrifice.  Christians are supposed to give up something significant to reflect on what Jesus did for them.  It starts with Ash Wednesday, which was this week, and continues 40 days until Easter Sunday.  Mardi Gras developed out of a pagan festival, and falls on the day before Ash Wednesday.  It is a day of excess preceding 40 days of sacrifice.  It's the last big party before what is supposed to be 40 days of no partying.  

Lent doesn't annoy me.  I laugh when I hear of someone sacrificing something for lent, while I eat all the chocolate and drink all the beer I want.

Asmodean

As long as they continue spending money in a way that makes some trickle my way, I don't mind much.  :D
Quote from: Ecurb Noselrub on July 25, 2013, 08:18:52 PM
In Asmo's grey lump,
wrath and dark clouds gather force.
Luxembourg trembles.

The Magic Pudding

Quote from: "YaarghMatey487"Fellow atheists...what do you think? Am I right to want to punch Lentists (feel free to use this word, it's quite catchy) in their stupid, misinformed faces?
I think you should give up hitting Lentists until Easter, it will bring you closer to god.  Yes wait until Easter then hit them and take their chocolate.

Feanor Thunder

Y'all kinda missed the point of lent, which is fine, you have to have a religious background of some type to see it. No problem. This is the way a lot of christians view it:

Lent is the 40 days before Easter, a time when christians ponder all that Christ did for them, dying, saving them from their sin, etc. Giving up a certain food or drink for lent is something that WAS required by Catholisism, but not anymore. It is advised by Catholics, the logic being that since Jesus gave up all for us, we should give up something back to honor/respect him. Protesants don't neccesarily endorse fasting or giving something up, but they won't stop you either.  I have never heard of a protesant church using this time to slam and distance themselves from the Catholics, but then again, theres a lot I don't know!
Lent also includes Holy Week.

Take it or leave it!

Just clarifying the terms!

Peace out!

--FT

Tank

In the UK if you blink you miss it. You know something is happening because the supermarkets start selling frying pans and pancake mix for a couple of weeks.  :|
If religions were TV channels atheism is turning the TV off.
"Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt." ― Richard P. Feynman
'It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it's called Life.' - Terry Pratchett
Remember, your inability to grasp science is not a valid argument against it.

Ulver

Um, *kicks a rock*, pretty much everything religious people do annoys me to some extent, because it's so nauseatingly proud, self-pitying, and delusional. So yes, Lent annoys me. Come around me with ashes smeared on your head. I dare you.  :D

GAYtheist

I was raised Catholic...Lent never made a lick of sense to me. The whole "choose something to give up for a while and god will like you more" thing was a bit rediculous. I thought his love was meant to be unconditional and forever, but apparently not unless you give soem bullshit up for a while...wha?
"It is my view that the atomic bomb is only slightly less dangerous than religion." John Paschal, myself.

"The problem with humanity is not that we are all born inherently stupid, that's just common knowledge. No, the problem with humanity is that 95% of us never grow out of it." John Paschal, myself

Cecilie

I had never heard the word "Lent" until today. I saw it all over the internet, so I looked it up.
The world's what you create.

Whitney

Quote from: "Tank"You know something is happening because the supermarkets start selling frying pans and pancake mix for a couple of weeks.  :|

Is that so they can make Jesus pancakes?


Couple Claims Jesus Appeared On Pancake

AnimatedDirt

Quote from: "Whitney"Is that so they can make Jesus pancakes?

Couple Claims Jesus Appeared On Pancake
Looks more like Ginghis Khan to me...

Whitney

btw...I don't get annoyed by lent.  Regardless of the reason, I think it is good that people give up stuff that is bad for them.  

I gave up sodas for lent one time when I was young (didn't know what lent was just that all my friends were doing it because their friends were doing it and it apparently made God happy).  I had withdrawals for like 3 days but never picked back up the habit (at least not to the point of addiction...still have sodas on occasion).

Asmodean

Quote from: "AnimatedDirt"Looks more like Ginghis Khan to me...
That right there is my buddy Petter. :hmm:
Quote from: Ecurb Noselrub on July 25, 2013, 08:18:52 PM
In Asmo's grey lump,
wrath and dark clouds gather force.
Luxembourg trembles.

YaarghMatey487

@Whitney- that's my point though. Lent isn't supposed to be about just giving up something that gives some people fat asses. It's about actually sacrificing something that affects you in a negative way. For example: if you know that you gossip you should cut out gossiping since it actually affects your person on a spiritual level. Giving up bullshit like candy and fried foods may make you lose weight but in the end most people give them up for self serving reasons.
"Don't you love the Oxford Dictionary? When I first read it, I thought it was a really really long poem about everything."- David Bowie