Atheists, have you ever participated in Lent just to use the opportunity to give something up?
I haven’t, but I know a few who do. They want to give up smoking or something and they use Lent as a chance to try and do it. There’s no religious belief behind it, just the challenge.
March 21st, 2011 at 4:02 pm
I’m a Christian, but my church does not celebrate or participate in Lent. However, I don’t see the harm in what you are suggesting. It doesn’t make you more or less a Christian (or atheist).
March 21st, 2011 at 4:03 pm
Uh, no. I wasn’t even raised Catholic so the thought has never occurred to me.
March 21st, 2011 at 4:07 pm
Maybe some of them will cut their porn collecting in half this year.
March 21st, 2011 at 4:26 pm
no never.
March 21st, 2011 at 4:39 pm
Sounds interesting. When is it?
March 21st, 2011 at 5:33 pm
Let me try to explain this one more time… oh, never mind, I give up.
March 21st, 2011 at 6:26 pm
Nope — if I want to give something up, I just stop.
March 21st, 2011 at 7:08 pm
No.
I also don’t offer up human sacrifices as some religions do as well.
I fail to see the point in giving something up just for the challenge of it. If I want to quit something, I just do it and don’t need a supernatural reason to do so.
March 21st, 2011 at 7:13 pm
If something is bad for you and you want to quit, just do it. This is so similar to the “new year’s resolution” that people do. It’s just another day of the year and if one is not willing it do it on any other day, then it won’t be permanent; there is nothing magic about these particular days.
That’s the way I see it. In short, my answer is “no.’ 🙂
March 21st, 2011 at 7:50 pm
I’m giving up religion.
March 21st, 2011 at 7:52 pm
I haven’t in conjunction with Lent or any other religious observance. I have in the past given things up for a period for various reasons of eliminating something I decided was potentially harmful, developing will power, or restablishing equilibrium. I don’t see anything wrong with an atheist though using something that has religious background or association in a secular way.
March 21st, 2011 at 8:40 pm
Sure I’m going to give up steak on fridays. so no more burning Christians at the steak. Of course after Lent all bets are off. 😉
Practicing Shaman… quantum physics rocks.
March 21st, 2011 at 8:56 pm
No. If I want to quit doing something, I quit doing it. Doesn’t take a particular time of year, or an “excuse” – just willpower.
March 21st, 2011 at 9:36 pm
No I haven’t. And I have no plans to cut my porn collecting (to the idiot who said that).
March 21st, 2011 at 10:24 pm
No. I have however celebrated Christmas, which seems to be essentially the same principle (not equating Christmas with Lent, rather that for an atheist to practice one religious holiday is essentially the same as practicing any other religious holiday in the context of this question). I don’t see what your point is though.
March 21st, 2011 at 10:58 pm
If I want to give something up, I just give it up. I don’t wait for spring to roll around to do it.
March 21st, 2011 at 11:26 pm
Why use Lent? Why not just do it?
And no
March 22nd, 2011 at 12:11 am
No because I don’t have the desire to give up anything.
March 22nd, 2011 at 12:37 am
Only when I was forced to when growing up in a Catholic house…and now that I’m living with a family member who was an ex-nun…I’d hate to know what’s in store for me now….-sigh-
March 22nd, 2011 at 12:38 am
No and I didn’t do it when I was a Christian either. To me it seems pointless, like a diet. If one wants to make a change for the better then they should change their whole life not just plan for 40 days of deprivation.
I personally would get no satisfaction from a 40 day change, but a life change definitely.
March 29th, 2011 at 3:11 pm
I gave up alcohol for ‘Lent’, because I’m currently bored of drinking, and I wanted to experiment with how much money I would save each week by not drinking at the pub.
So far…enough to pay for half of the camera lens I bought last week. (£60)
Doesn’t mean I’m giving up drinking permanently or interested in christanity, just means that I can buy my lens without cutting into my new laptop money. 🙂