Making sacrifices for Lent

Lingua Franca

If this is not from a religious point of view, why ask in Atheism and Agnostism, which is in the Religion and Spirituality section whether people make their children take part in a religious tradition? Why not just ask if atheist children are encouraged to be charitable? And why then mock people who discuss their charity?

jimd2

lazygal wrote: »

How can one focus on a religious tradition and say one is not focusing on it from a religious point of view? Why not ask if atheists get involved with Martin Luther King day, or the Fourth of July, or Bastille day?
Can you outline the inherent benefits for my non catholic children of partaking of a tradition lasting several weeks that's inextricably linked to a faith we don't practice? Why, exactly, is lent 'good practice', when I hope my children won't confine good deeds, healthy living and consideration for other over the entire year, not a Catholic period of some weeks.

I never said Lent itself was good practice, I said the practice of giving up things that kids have come to expect as standard that are often not there for those in other parts of the world and giving some of the money saved to those less well off in that it allows the kids to think of others and also realise that these things might not always be as plentiful for them.
It was just a suggestion in the thread, you of course know what is best for your own kids and how to give them the values you have and awareness of the less well off.

Lingua Franca

My children do indeed give things up for people less fortunate than themselves. I would give examples but I don't want a medal.

lazygal

jimd2 wrote: »

I never said Lent itself was good practice, I said the practice of giving up things that kids have come to expect as standard that are often not there for those in other parts of the world and giving some of the money saved to those less well off in that it allows the kids to think of others and also realise that these things might not always be as plentiful for them.
It was just a suggestion in the thread, you of course know what is best for your own kids and how to give them the values you have and awareness of the less well off.

Why did you ask people in an atheist/agnostic forum about Lenten practice though? Do you think people like me would practice bits of a faith because we wouldn't bother teaching our children to have consideration for others and realise not everyone has what they have otherwise? Did you ask in the Christianity or Islam forums if people practice Lenten sacrifice?

jimd2

Lingua Franca wrote: »

If this is not from a religious point of view, why ask in Atheism and Agnostism, which is in the Religion and Spirituality section whether people make their children take part in a religious tradition? Why not just ask if atheist children are encouraged to be charitable? And why then mock people who discuss their charity?

If you were reading the thread you would have seen that it wasn't just the charity aspect I had discussed.

If i had mocked people then I would explain why. Your selective memory may refer to one individual that came on here listing all of the charity work they were involved in and I explained that many of us (Atheists and Christians ) are involved with schools, sports clubs and other charities. My point was specifically about encouraging self sacrifice for a period and giving savings to charities including those in poorer parts of the world.

Lingua Franca

I have been reading the thread. If you were reading it you would have noticed that I've posted in it several times.

Giving up time to volunteer IS a sacrifice.

I've said many times I don't get the point of the thread. You don't seem to believe that anyone here does encourage charity or sacrifice in their children. You uncharitably mocked someone for listing things that they did, and now you seem to be saying that they are not self sacrificing enough for your tastes. I for one don't feel comfortable with telling you what exactly my children do because of your mocking.

carpejugulum

jimd2 wrote: »

And giving up things during lent teaches kids to make sacrifices which can't be a bad thing whether you are Christian or not.

It teaches them to be irrational.

Bannasidhe

jimd2 wrote: »

If you were reading the thread you would have seen that it wasn't just the charity aspect I had discussed.

If i had mocked people then I would explain why. Your selective memory may refer to one individual that came on here listing all of the charity work they were involved in and I explained that many of us (Atheists and Christians ) are involved with schools, sports clubs and other charities. My point was specifically about encouraging self sacrifice for a period and giving savings to charities including those in poorer parts of the world.

No I did not by any means list all the 'charity' work I do - I listed stuff my grandchildren and I had done during this time period called 'Lent' while making it clear that for myself and my grandchildren it had nothing to do with it being 'Lent'.

They do not know what 'Lent' is - they do understand that there are children with a lot less than they have and so they decided to share.

Galvasean

Apparently we don't have to abstain from eating alligator at Lent because it is a type of fish...

jimd2

Lingua Franca wrote: »

I have been reading the thread. If you were reading it you would have noticed that I've posted in it several times.

Giving up time to volunteer IS a sacrifice.

I've said many times I don't get the point of the thread. You don't seem to believe that anyone here does encourage charity or sacrifice in their children. You uncharitably mocked someone for listing things that they did, and now you seem to be saying that they are not self sacrificing enough for your tastes. I for one don't feel comfortable with telling you what exactly my children do because of your mocking.

I suppose we will have to agree to disagree as I never counted my involvement in primary and secondary parents associations, sports clubs and collections for invalids as a sacrifice. I just do it and am happy to do it even though it is tough sometimes when you are just in from the days work. I am just happy that I can do it and, as I said, I never regarded it to be a sacrifice. That is why I answered Lazygal's query the way I did.

jimd2

Bannasidhe wrote: »

No I did not by any means list all the 'charity' work I do - I listed stuff my grandchildren and I had done during this time period called 'Lent' while making it clear that for myself and my grandchildren it had nothing to do with it being 'Lent'.

They do not know what 'Lent' is - they do understand that there are children with a lot less than they have and so they decided to share.

Ok, I didn't want to resurrect that argument, it is certainly more than most people do be they religious or non religious.

jimd2

carpejugulum wrote: »

It teaches them to be irrational.

Not really sure where you are come from here.

Bannasidhe

jimd2 wrote: »

Ok, I didn't want to resurrect that argument, it is certainly more than most people do be they religious or non religious.

Apology accepted.

Hotblack Desiato

jimd2 wrote: »

Not really sure where you are come from here.

Ditto.

legspin

Galvasean wrote: »

Apparently we don't have to abstain from eating alligator at Lent because it is a type of fish...

As is beaver (fnarr) according to an episode of QI.

kylith

legspin wrote: »

As is beaver (fnarr) according to an episode of QI.

And Capybara. Don't quite know where in Ireland you'd get your hands on one, but it's nice to know you have the option.

Dades

You want a capybara?

I can get you a capybara by three o'clock.

kylith

Dades wrote: »

You want a capybara?

I can get you a capybara by three o'clock.

In steaks? I don't really have room for a guinea pig the size of a man, although the dogs'd probably think all their Christmases had come at once.

Galvasean

Apparently the human body is 80% water... fish!

darjeeling

kylith wrote: »

And Capybara. Don't quite know where in Ireland you'd get your hands on one, but it's nice to know you have the option.

Porpoises, turtles and barnacle geese too, apparently, and again because they lived in water.

Strangest of all, monks were allowed to eat newborn baby rabbits in Lent, because they'd just emerged from the amniotic waters and so were obviously fish, and not Hairy J... rats. Pope Gregory the First gets the credit for this bit of mad logic.

It's not clear if monks restricted themselves to baby rabbits or ate babies of every species. We also have yet to hear if they ate rhinosaurs, or just kept them for milk and eggs.

The Black Oil

Saw one person with ashes on their forehead on a bus last week. But listen to some people and you'll get the inevitable 'isn't it terrible, no one going to mass any more, no respect..blah blah'.

Anyway...

Azure_sky

jimd2 wrote: »

Anyone else here encourage their children to give up something, whatever small, for lent?

Trolling.

Kiwi in IE

I make a point of baking nice things and then asking devout members of my partners family around for coffee.

Hotblack Desiato

Do you invite Jewish and Muslim friends round, then start discussing the Middle East a nice bacon fry-up? Yum

Bannasidhe

ninja900 wrote: »

Do you invite Jewish and Muslim friends round, then start discussing the Middle East a nice bacon fry-up? Yum

That has actually happened in my flat in London. But not because it was Lent...my mate Ali used to drop round during Ramadan or else hide in my office to have his forbidden treats where his mother couldn't see him. Ali was in his 30s and married with kids.

There are á la carte Jews and Muslims too ya know .

Hotblack Desiato

Careful, once he sets off down that road who knows where it'll lead to...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacon_vodka

Sarky

It's a slippery slope to be sure. I present to you the Super Munchkin:

A perfectly baked donut, slathered in maple icing, with 3 candy fried eggs on one side and strips of bacon on the other. Once you have selected your donut, the shop gets a tiny little blowtorch and crisps up the bacon for you.

Large image, not going to embed.

Snickers Man

Never mind about giving up chocolate for six weeks.

That's for wimps!!!!

In the Philippines the faithful consent to re-enacting the crucifixion FOR REAL!!


Surely a warning to the religious among us. We've got plenty of Filipinos in our health service at the moment; if they take over our dwindling priesthood (and there's plenty of jobs vacancies) we're rightly screwed.

Or perhaps nailed is the more appropriate word.

Sierra 117

Sarky wrote: »

It's a slippery slope to be sure. I present to you the Super Munchkin:

A perfectly baked donut, slathered in maple icing, with 3 candy fried eggs on one side and strips of bacon on the other. Once you have selected your donut, the shop gets a tiny little blowtorch and crisps up the bacon for you.

Large image, not going to embed.

I'm sickened, yet curious.

Peregrinus

I'm sickened, and not at all curious! Frankly, I'd be quite glad of the "it's Good Friday" excuse for turning that down!