laurainlimbo: (bugs people watching)
laurainlimbo ([personal profile] laurainlimbo) wrote2009-02-25 12:37 pm

so I'm just wondering...

I just saw someone reply to that "writer's block" question stating that they are giving up LJ and blogging for Lent.

So that got me wondering if anyone on my f'list is Catholic, and giving up anything for Lent.

Is anyone giving up blogging or LJ?

Good thing I'm not Catholic - I don't think I could give up anything for 40 days, especially LJ!

someone else replied to the writer's block question that they were giving up food! haha that's funny - I guess they have a death wish?

that is all...
ext_249520: (Crabby bitch)

[identity profile] toadflax234.livejournal.com 2009-02-25 06:56 pm (UTC)(link)
A lot of people give up things for Lent - I didn't think it was just Catholics...

Anyway, I never give up anything! I know I wouldn't stick to it.

[identity profile] bitchygrrl.livejournal.com 2009-02-25 07:43 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm an ex-Catholic (praise be lol) I do give up things this time of year I find it's a good way to break bad habits. I am giving up junk food though. I gave up tabloids last year and haven't looked back. Though when I was in Catholic school the nones made us commit to a good deed for 40 days like doing chores at home or saying a rosary or skipping our snack and giving the money to the poor. I think thats more in the spirit of things if you believe in all of that.
wolfpurplemoon: A cute cartoon character with orange hair, glasses, kitty ears and holding a coffee, the colours are bright and pinkish/purple (atheism: why so religious?)

[personal profile] wolfpurplemoon 2009-02-25 07:54 pm (UTC)(link)
I know a lot of people give things up for lent and none of them are even christian let alone catholic! Oh and isn't today the first day of lent so they should've not even seen the writer's block question! (I definitely couldn't give up the internet for that long!!)

Last time I did anything lent-related was in high school when a group of my (all non believer) friends gave up chocolate and I don't think any of us made it the whole 40 days, I failed because I had to eat up the last of some cereal with chocolate bits in!

I remember my crazy christian flatmate at uni saying that fasting during daylight hours at the weekend was a traditional thing but then she spent a whole Saturday sitting at the kitchen table and I definitely saw her eating (tough to abstain with people making meals in front of you!).

[identity profile] ladyjaja.livejournal.com 2009-02-25 07:54 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah, Lent is strictly catholic practice, but other religions have a similar practice, where they give up certain things certain time of the year, but they call it something else.

[identity profile] ladyjaja.livejournal.com 2009-02-25 07:55 pm (UTC)(link)
i give up nothing!
lent is silly to me.

[identity profile] ladyjaja.livejournal.com 2009-02-25 07:56 pm (UTC)(link)
let me clarify.
"lent" is a catholic practice that other non-catholics may partake in, of course (who cares if they do and arent catholic!) but the name is from the catholic religion.

[identity profile] bitterbird.livejournal.com 2009-02-25 09:00 pm (UTC)(link)
I went to a catholic school so Im used to seeing people give things up
personaly I donr bother I suck at sticking to it and you just go back to it after anyways

[identity profile] laurainlimbo.livejournal.com 2009-02-25 09:55 pm (UTC)(link)
yea after I posted this, I looked up Lent, and realized that it's associated with "Christian" religions - I guess not only Catholics. I don't know much about it, but just know I can't give up stuff for very long. I tried giving up coffee - that didn't work!
I need my coffee!

[identity profile] laurainlimbo.livejournal.com 2009-02-25 09:56 pm (UTC)(link)
I try giving up stuff that's bad for me - but I have no will power!
I'm weak in the face of cake ... LOL!

ext_249520: (Default)

[identity profile] toadflax234.livejournal.com 2009-02-25 09:56 pm (UTC)(link)
Ah OK. Thanks for that. :-)

[identity profile] dove95.livejournal.com 2009-02-25 10:11 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah, I don't really get why it's important, especially if people "can" go back to their "old" ways after the 40 days. If you want to give up something, give it up because you know you should and stick with it--don't do it for 40 days or because a religion tells you you should.

(That's a "you" in general terms.)

So yeah, I'm obviously not giving anything up. :)
ext_249520: (Chocolate)

[identity profile] toadflax234.livejournal.com 2009-02-25 10:16 pm (UTC)(link)
Hehe. Fair enough!

[identity profile] laurainlimbo.livejournal.com 2009-02-25 10:19 pm (UTC)(link)
well since I'm not religious, the whole concept doesn't work for me. I've given up stuff, but never for long (junk food, coffee, etc...) - and it's always for health reasons.

by the way, thanks for your email - I'm meaning to reply, hopefully tonight or tomorrow...

*hugs*


[identity profile] laurainlimbo.livejournal.com 2009-02-25 10:20 pm (UTC)(link)
very true!

*hugs*

[identity profile] laurainlimbo.livejournal.com 2009-02-25 10:25 pm (UTC)(link)
to give up something and say it's for lent, without being christian or catholic, is kind of sacrilege. and just silly - it doesn't mean anything. the point of lent is that giving up something should have some purpose, I think.
and you're right - someone being serious about lent shouldn't have even been on LJ today - LOL!

omg I could absolutely never give up chocolate, even for a couple days. if someone said I could never eat it again, I might just die!!

I've known Muslims who fast during Ramadan, and that makes sense. if they are really devout, they stick to it. and then they totally feast when it's over. I went to a traditional Ramadan feast, and it was fantastic!!

[identity profile] laurainlimbo.livejournal.com 2009-02-25 10:29 pm (UTC)(link)
giving up tabloids seems like a very good thing - LOL! I am trying to give up junk food, but mostly because as you say it's a bad habit. and I need to be more healthy, like exercise more ... (my new year's resolutions are what I'm trying to stick to)

I like the idea of doing good deeds - like volunteering or helping others - that's always a good idea:)

[identity profile] zeecha.livejournal.com 2009-02-25 11:55 pm (UTC)(link)
well...I'm a Catholic, and I think I'd be what would be considered a liberal Catholic.

As a kid, I always gave something up...usually gum or candy or some such thing. As an adult, I don't really 'give' anything up, rather I try to do something to either improve myself in some way, or try to do something to improve my spirituality.

Giving something up for Lent is suppose to make you aware of the sacrifice Christ made, so giving up treats or bad habits or things that you have too much than is better for you...for me personally, I don't consider blogging or using LJ a bad habit or something that is not good for me. In fact, quite the opposite! I've made some excellent friends here!

[identity profile] bayareajenn.livejournal.com 2009-02-25 11:58 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm an ex-Catholic, thankfully...though the Catholic guilt still sticks with me (yeah, the Jewish don't have a monopoly on that! lol). I haven't given anything up for lent since I was a kid. I believe in moderation, not omission/punishment.

What a weird thing to give up (lj/blogging) in the name of writer's block. I was always taught that if you have writer's block, you need to write more, not less, and just be unstructured about it (write whatever comes to mind, stream-of-consciousness).

[identity profile] linds-sunshine7.livejournal.com 2009-02-26 12:23 am (UTC)(link)
Giving up LJ? Are they fuckin CRAZY??????????
I'm SO GLAD I'M NOT RELIGIOUS!!!!!!!!!!:)

[identity profile] tyler-cassidy94.livejournal.com 2009-02-26 01:29 am (UTC)(link)
Not me.

[identity profile] amphigory.livejournal.com 2009-02-26 01:42 am (UTC)(link)
What a ludicrous concept. I saw people giving up facebook for Lent. Which may actually be a good thing, as they can get more homework done. But I'm too weak for that business.

[identity profile] hue126.livejournal.com 2009-02-26 04:05 am (UTC)(link)
I'm Catholic. It's funny, I used to always think it was strictly a Catholic practice, but I've learned that it is for Christian faiths. I guess it's really just been habit to give things up for Lent. I did hear on the radio that some people are giving up Facebook for 40 days. Seemed a little odd to me. As I was taught, you give up something important in your life (not just junk food or stuff that's bad for you) as a way to emulate Christ's journey through the desert, where he was tempted by Satan. That may be incorrect, as I haven't checked into it much during my formative years. But it's how I practice the faith.

I'm giving up sending out texts. People can still text me, but I just won't reply. I figure it would help decrease the charges on my phone bill since my texting has picked up in the last couple of months and it's been outlawed while driving in California (which I've been doing from time to time). So that helps.

And yes, it is sacrilege to do the practice and not believe in any faith. It would just be mocking those who already do it regularly.

[identity profile] mrs-kutcher-21.livejournal.com 2009-02-26 04:38 am (UTC)(link)
One year I gave up watching the movie Mulholland Dr. because I was so obsessed with it and watched it everyday, LOL.

I'm a "non-practicing" Catholic. I don't really give up anything for Lent anymore, although the challenge would be fun.

[identity profile] dawnie1970.livejournal.com 2009-02-26 02:12 pm (UTC)(link)
Food? lol, usually it's candy, that's really common. At my church they encourage people to do extra volunteer and community work rather than give something up. So my family is doing more volunteer work at the local animal shelter and nursing home.

[identity profile] laurainlimbo.livejournal.com 2009-02-26 03:47 pm (UTC)(link)
yea someone else said the same thing about volunteering - that's what I'd do if I Had time. maybe I'll do some of that when I go back to my parent's place in the summer.

you are made of awesome Dawnie!!
*hugs you*

[identity profile] laurainlimbo.livejournal.com 2009-02-26 03:49 pm (UTC)(link)
that's funny about Mulholland Drive. I've been that obsessed with movies before - I think I did the same thing with The English Patient, but not sure I watched every day.

[identity profile] laurainlimbo.livejournal.com 2009-02-26 03:53 pm (UTC)(link)
I like the idea of doing something to improve oneself or to help others. that's more meaningful than giving up sweets or a bad habit.

and me too - my friends on LJ give me something to look forward to, so I couldn't go without them!

*hugS*

[identity profile] laurainlimbo.livejournal.com 2009-02-26 03:53 pm (UTC)(link)
me too!!

[identity profile] dawnie1970.livejournal.com 2009-02-26 04:00 pm (UTC)(link)
Naw, you are far more awesome, sweetness!

[identity profile] laurainlimbo.livejournal.com 2009-02-26 04:01 pm (UTC)(link)
I have trouble enough texting when I'm just sitting - I wonder how anyone can do it while driving:) i finally bought a bluetooth so i can talk while driving - the fine here is $500 if you're caught without hands-free devices.

I'm not religious, but I think the idea of giving up something that is important in your life seems more valuable - but then I wonder what that would be.

[identity profile] laurainlimbo.livejournal.com 2009-02-26 04:01 pm (UTC)(link)
*blushes*
we'll just agree that we're both awesome! - how's that??

*snuggles*

[identity profile] laurainlimbo.livejournal.com 2009-02-26 04:02 pm (UTC)(link)
that's good. I don't want friends to disappear.

[identity profile] dawnie1970.livejournal.com 2009-02-26 04:03 pm (UTC)(link)
Sounds like a plan! :D

Laura and Dawnie are awesome!

[identity profile] laurainlimbo.livejournal.com 2009-02-26 04:03 pm (UTC)(link)
I don't even have a facebook account - LOL!
I'm way too weak to give stuff up too - I love my addictions - hehe!

*hugs*

[identity profile] laurainlimbo.livejournal.com 2009-02-26 04:09 pm (UTC)(link)
it's amazing how many ex-catholics I have on my friends list. my sister married a Catholic, and I'm wondering if they'll decide to raise their kids with religion or not. they don't go to church now, and they coudn't marry in a Catholic church because he was married before and the marriage was never annulled.

those writer's block questions and the answers I read are always entertaining. it's less writing and more just short answers and thoughts on some subject.
wolfpurplemoon: A cute cartoon character with orange hair, glasses, kitty ears and holding a coffee, the colours are bright and pinkish/purple (house: evil laugh)

[personal profile] wolfpurplemoon 2009-02-26 06:51 pm (UTC)(link)
I suppose it's a bit like all us non-believers celebrating xmas, that's surely just as sacrilegious! I suppose christianity and it's rituals are just part of the culture so we just have our advent calendars and our xmas day and give a passing thought to giving something up for lent whether we believe in the religious stories behind it all or not.

I'm not that in to chocolate, I don't have much of a sweet tooth and I can't eat sugary things if I'm really hungry, but I have a few brands and varieties that I really like such as Cadbury's Crunchie and Lindt from Lindor (omg, they have that liquidy chocolate centre *melts*!).

[identity profile] laurainlimbo.livejournal.com 2009-02-27 03:15 pm (UTC)(link)
I guess that's one reason I don't celebrate Christmas. if I'm with my family, I'll do the tree and presents, but I really don't get into that holiday much.

I wish I could say I wasn't into sweets - but they are my biggest weakness! especially chocolate. Cadbury is actually my favorite brand...sooo good!

[identity profile] laurainlimbo.livejournal.com 2009-02-27 03:36 pm (UTC)(link)
yes we are!
*hugs tight*

[identity profile] pnksaph.livejournal.com 2009-03-02 06:33 am (UTC)(link)
I'm not giving up anything for Lent. I'd rather do something extra. So I'm reading the Bible (a chapter a day) and I've found a couple of books about spirituality and I'm reading a chapter a day. Then I found a new charity to donate to during Lent.
I wouldn't want to give up LJ for Lent.

[identity profile] laurainlimbo.livejournal.com 2009-03-03 10:46 pm (UTC)(link)
the spiritual stuff and the charity work is the best thing to do for Lent. it is much more meaningful!

*hugs*