[tcl]

Jesus

+1 Gave up god for lent 20 years ago and haven't looked back.

 

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I was raised catholic and still have a warm spot for them. The once-catholic bit was what my previous post referenced though I see it seemed a bit brusque, at the very least.

As far as lent, IIRC, the point was not necessarily to give up vices (that you should give up anyway) but to give up something you love as a sacrifice. But that was 20 years ago- who knows what the "bible says" now.

 

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Without getting into a super heated religous debate. (I ain't christian)

I gave up being an american last year.
This year I will be going back to america.

So I guess you can say that last years lent is ending during this years lent

You're army, right?
You didn't give up your "American"- just your freedom.

 

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lol wut?

Other religions think that Catholics are crazy idol worshipers what with the little statues of Mary (crying or not) and view of the pope as a near deity.

 

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Exactly! wut?
Fasting is good. Prayer is good, but putting men (Pope, Mary)before God is not good.

OK dude, YOUR religion is the correct one. Whatever you say.

 

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It's not MY religion, I did not make it up. I looked it up. In the Bible, not what some dude in a tall, shiny white hat encased in a bullet-proof box told me to believe.


Again, I don't know why I brought that up.. My bad. I have no contentions with people practicing or observing "lent." My bad. :-[

You don't have to apologize to me. I don't know what religion you are but whatever it is, think you are just as wrong (or right) as the Catholics. It's mildly amusing to me that that you apparently feel strongly about how christianity is practiced; I can only imagine how you feel about how Muslims worship god [Muslims, who are just as wrong (or right) as you and the Catholics].

 

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I hope you are simply joking and not completely stupid. If you're stupid, then you're idiocy has just greatly offended me.
I gave up no freedoms when I served my country.
I earned them.
(edit)
Read your clarification of your post. I see it was a joke.
So yes, now it's funny.

Actually, the clarification was for the other post. Nonetheless, the "freedom" post was completely tongue-in-cheek and actually meant as a reference to the discussions you've had with other service members here regarding the "freedoms" given up when you enlist (and I do recall which side of the discussion you fell on). But mostly, I wanted to point out that suggesting he wasn't American, despite being "confined" to Iraq, was silly. Honestly, best of intentions.

 

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You've hit one of the most difficult question I've come across. So who's version is the correct one? I believe it is one that doesn't contradict, for "truth" cannot contradict. God's Spirit cannot contradict. (my beliefs in a nutshell)

As far as the term "Catholic" and it's association with new doctrines that are blatantly against what is being taught in the Bible, I do not subscribe to those believes. They are contrary to scripture. It is difficult if not impossible to not be guilty of idolatry if you subscribed to the Catholic doctrine. (e.g. purgatory, praying for the dead, etc. etc.)

Now you are annoying me. Even if there is a god, to which I do NOT stipulate, he did not write the bible or koran or whatever so said texts are pretty irrelevant to the minutia of how one practices their faith. They exists as a set of rules for those that have adopted that particular text to use and interpret as they wish. The Catholics can argue among themselves to come up with way to worship and the Protestants among themselves, as well as jews, muslims, etc but there s no point to for any of these groups to argue with or deride each other for their practices. It's a fictional book. You might prefer one ending or chapter over another but that we have actual wars over this preference is absurd.

 

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Faith is a gift from God. You can have some too if you would only ask God. It is that simple.

Ugh, that is almost my point. I am not debating the existence of god; rather, that "holy" texts and "God" have little to do with one another. They are a set of rules adopted by a group of people that define how they worship. _I_ don't care how they worship. You are the one saying there is a right and wrong way.

 

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I just don't like the way many non-religious people are such a$$holes toward religious people. I see more of that than the other way around.

It seems the religious people are being @55holes to the OTHER religious people more then the non-religious are are being a-holes to anybody. The point of my last three posts was to say that Solid shouldn't be giving the Catholics sh!t for how they choose to worship "God" and I'M an a-hole?