Going to give up coasters for lent.

LOL!

No Chitown, it's not just about meat. Lent is a symbolic rememberence of the 40 day fast that, according to the Bible, Jesus did while he was in the wilderness. Many Christians take this period of time to fast (or give up) something as a symbol. Traditionally, many Catholics abstain from meat on Fridays. I'm a Protestant, so my past fasts have included candy, red meat, liquor (very difficult that year ;)), cussing, etc. It's completely up to the person.
lata,
jeremy

Historically, catholics didn't eat meat on any friday. Now, the church tries to confine this "terrible" sacrifice to only lent.

Being a vegetarian and an ex-catholic, its all a moot point to me anyway!

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2Hostyl said:
"Many Christians take this period of time to fast (or give up) something as a symbol."

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I always thought the term "fast" was specifically giving up food, not just anything.

What do most people do in the morning? Get up and eat, thereby ending their fasting from the previous night... "Breakfast."

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Matt Lynch
Co-Webmaster, Kennywood Boulevard
http://kennywood.coasterbuzz.com

To some religions, a "Fast" is, indeed, doing without food for a certain period of time. Catholics have modified it. To "fast" for a day means you can only one full meal. you can even get of it if you're a special case (very young, very old, pregnant, sick, etc.). Maybe instead of giving up coasters you can just have a coaster fast. Only one full coaster (of course you could ride as many incomplete circuit coasters as you wanted)!

Lynch, I meant that some Christians fast (specifically abstain from foods) OR give up something else. Fast DOES specifically refer to food, but biblically, people who fasted often also abstained from other 'creature comforts', like shaving, wearing perfumes, etc.

Also, there are degrees of fasts. A full fast is no food or water whatsoever. A partial fast would be like juices and vitamins, etc.
lata,
jeremy
--who will break his coaster 'fast' in 13 days!

Man this brings back bad memories of Catholic school. I was going to give coasters up for Lent (mainly cause I live up North), but that would mean I would miss KW's Preview Day (day before Easter) and there is still a possibility I will go to PKD/BGW the first weekend of April.

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Joe Cernelli
Head Webmaster, Kennywood Boulevard
http://kennywood.coasterbuzz.com/

I don't know much about lent or the background of it or about the bible or Jesus. I do know that lent is giving up the eating of meat and that Jesus was once a Jewish carpenter and that he supposedly walked on water and turned water into wine, but that's about it. I know a few friends of mine who do not eat meat on Friday nights. I am Jewish and Friday night is Shabbat, the time of rest. In our family we always eat meat on Friday night, it's a tradition, whether it be roast beef or steak or turkey or chicken or any other meat except any meat from a pig such as ham or bacon because a pig is not kosher. But I know that I could never give up riding roller coasters because that would be too big of a temptation over my head. It is impossible for me to stop riding the coasters I love.

David Feldsott
Co-CEO, RN Web Design & Hosting Inc.
http://www.rnwebdesign.com/