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Giving up Chocolate for Lent!

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  • 01-03-2009 3:59pm
    #1
    Calibos
    Registered Users Posts: 7,807 ✭✭✭


    I really had to bite my sarcastic tongue the other night while serving a customer.

    Mid 40's Guy comes in in his business suit and briefcase. Looks like an intelligent chap. He starts browsing the chocolate bar displays.

    "I've given up chocolate for lent" He says.

    I said, "Really?"

    What I wanted to say was, "I am sure the Lord Jesus will be very humbled by the 40 day chocolate sacrefice you have made in his name"

    He picks out a Nutrigrain Apple bar...

    "There's no Chocolate in that, is there?" he says

    I said, "No"

    What I wanted to say was, " I am sure our all seeing and all knowing benoveolent Lord Jesus Christ will be very impressed by your ingenuity in finding the loophole in the 'giving up chocolate for lent commandment' "

    Are religious people for real?? :rolleyes:

    NB. This wasn't tongue in cheek on his part. Didn't crack a smirk or a smile during the whole exchange.


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    #2
    Overblood
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,359 ✭✭✭Overblood


    You should have lent him a hand.


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    #3
    PCPhoto
    Registered Users Posts: 6,584 ✭✭✭PCPhoto


    its not a sacrifice for christ to give up something is it ?

    I've decided to give up scratch cards and chocolate - mainly using lent as an excuse to stop spending money on such things - I am catholic - albeit non church going.


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    #4
    Mickeroo
    Administrators, Computer Games Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 32,293 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Mickeroo


    The guy wasn't necessarily religous at all, plenty of non religious people give stuff up for lent in much the same way they buy their loved ones christmas presents :)


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    #5
    Zombrex
    Closed Accounts Posts: 25,848 ✭✭✭✭Zombrex


    Every year I give up smoking for Lent. Not particularly hard considering I'm not a smoker, but you know I like to feel I do my part for little baby Jesus


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    #6
    CDfm
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,649 ✭✭✭✭CDfm


    [quote=Wicknigh
    t;59234184]Every year I give up smoking for Lent. Not particularly hard considering I'm not a smoker, but you know I like to feel I do my part for little baby Jesus[/quote]

    That was mean.

    Ask lots of people who use Lent as a health kick to detaxify etc. Nothing wrong with that.

    Traditionally - Jesus avoided temptation in the desert and prepared himsel. If petrol station guy can use Lent as an excuse for shedding a few pounds or lowering his cholesterol -so what.


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    #7
    Rev Hellfire
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,346 ✭✭✭Rev Hellfire


    CDfm wrote: »
    Traditionally - Jesus avoided temptation in the desert and prepared himsel. If petrol station guy can use Lent as an excuse for shedding a few pounds or lowering his cholesterol -so what.
    It's yet another example of religious people oppressing others.
    What if the person beside them wanted a Wispa, and lets face it who wouldn't want one of chocolate temptresses. But now feels awkward because Jesus doesn't want some guy to have a chocolate bar.
    You should have refused to serve him, that would have shown him and his non-chocolate eating ways.


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    #8
    JordanDC
    Closed Accounts Posts: 89 ✭✭JordanDC


    I dont really believe in God although I still participate in masses in school and with family etc to keep everyone happy. I still strictly use lent as more of a "diet" period. I give up all junk food and loose quite a lot of weight as a result, but I do it for myself, not for God or anyone else.


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    #9
    CDfm
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,649 ✭✭✭✭CDfm


    Rev Hellfire wrote: »
    It's yet another example of religious people oppressing others.
    What if the person beside them wanted a Wispa, and lets face it who wouldn't want one of chocolate temptresses. But now feels awkward because Jesus doesn't want some guy to have a chocolate bar.
    You should have refused to serve him, that would have shown him and his non-chocolate eating ways.

    Even meaner.

    This Atheist Guy may have a need and by serving only chocolate you could kill him.


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    #10
    livvy
    Registered Users Posts: 216 ✭✭livvy


    Calibos wrote: »
    I really had to bite my sarcastic tongue the other night while serving a customer.

    Mid 40's Guy comes in in his business suit and briefcase. Looks like an intelligent chap. He starts browsing the chocolate bar displays.

    "I've given up chocolate for lent" He says.

    I said, "Really?"

    What I wanted to say was, "I am sure the Lord Jesus will be very humbled by the 40 day chocolate sacrefice you have made in his name"

    He picks out a Nutrigrain Apple bar...

    "There's no Chocolate in that, is there?" he says

    I said, "No"

    What I wanted to say was, " I am sure our all seeing and all knowing benoveolent Lord Jesus Christ will be very impressed by your ingenuity in finding the loophole in the 'giving up chocolate for lent commandment' "

    Are religious people for real?? :rolleyes:

    NB. This wasn't tongue in cheek on his part. Didn't crack a smirk or a smile during the whole exchange.

    Jesus ..... I can't wait till Christmas - you will have a field day. :)


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    #11
    Zillah
    Registered Users Posts: 17,371 ✭✭✭✭Zillah


    Girl I met last night: Oh I'm not drinking for lent.
    Me: Oh? Seems a bit pointless denying yourself like that for 40 days just for the sake of Lent.
    Girl: Oh, well I'm also turning into an alcoholic *laughs* It's really bad for me.
    Me: I see, so you're giving up alcohol because you're developing a drinking problem then?
    Girl: No it's just for lent.
    Me:...

    There's also the other girl who decided to give up drinking for the first half and cursing for the second.


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    #12
    Calibos
    Registered Users Posts: 7,807 ✭✭✭Calibos


    Fair Enough.

    I didn't consider the, "Now is as good a time as any" diet brigade.


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    #13
    Red Hand
    Registered Users Posts: 4,986 ✭✭✭Red Hand


    Zillah wrote:
    irl I met last night: Oh I'm not drinking for lent.
    Me: Oh? Seems a bit pointless denying yourself like that for 40 days just for the sake of Lent.
    Girl: Oh, well I'm also turning into an alcoholic *laughs* It's really bad for me.
    Me: I see, so you're giving up alcohol because you're developing a drinking problem then?
    Girl: No it's just for lent.
    Me:...

    Did you respond by going,

    "This does not compute. You are using lightheartedness to deflect my analysis of your alcohol detoxing. This does not compute".:pac:

    I'm an atheist and give stuff up for Lent. It is a time of the year when many people resolve to change something for the better. Cutting out sweets/drink etc.

    Like, the op, how do you know that the guy was religious? Maybe he was using it as a point in the year to cut down on something that was getting to be a problem for him?


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    #14
    MatthewVII
    Registered Users Posts: 825 ✭✭✭MatthewVII


    I think the worst part about Lent is Ash Wednesday. I work in a hospital with a pretty Catholic ethos and it's horrible that people walk around with the "I am christian" piece of dirt on their foreheads. It turns into a "find out who isn't devout" hunt. People peer at your forehead and wonder why you haven't done it like there's something wrong with you. I definitely got a few strange looks from patients when I was around the wards. It's ridiculous.


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    #15
    Malari
    Registered Users Posts: 18,150 ✭✭✭✭Malari


    MatthewVII wrote: »
    I think the worst part about Lent is Ash Wednesday. I work in a hospital with a pretty Catholic ethos and it's horrible that people walk around with the "I am christian" piece of dirt on their foreheads. It turns into a "find out who isn't devout" hunt. People peer at your forehead and wonder why you haven't done it like there's something wrong with you. I definitely got a few strange looks from patients when I was around the wards. It's ridiculous.

    Do a lot of people still do this? I haven't seen anyone with a smudge on their head since I left school.

    Which is disappointing because I would give anything to point out that they have something on their forehead, to avoid their further embarrassment.


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    #16
    Obni
    Registered Users Posts: 424 ✭✭Obni


    Zillah wrote: »
    There's also the other girl who decided to give up drinking for the first half and cursing for the second.

    I can picture it now, 20 days of screaming "I need a f**king drink!" followed by 20 days of being too drunk to speak, let alone swear..


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    #17
    CDfm
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,649 ✭✭✭✭CDfm


    MatthewVII wrote: »
    I think the worst part about Lent is Ash Wednesday. I work in a hospital with a pretty Catholic ethos and it's horrible that people walk around with the "I am christian" piece of dirt on their foreheads. It turns into a "find out who isn't devout" hunt. People peer at your forehead and wonder why you haven't done it like there's something wrong with you. I definitely got a few strange looks from patients when I was around the wards. It's ridiculous.

    Matthew - are you sure it wasn't something else other then the absence of askes on your head?:pac:


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    #18
    Soul Winner
    Registered Users Posts: 2,534 ✭✭✭Soul Winner


    Calibos wrote: »
    What I wanted to say was, " I am sure our all seeing and all knowing benoveolent Lord Jesus Christ will be very impressed by your ingenuity in finding the loophole in the 'giving up chocolate for lent commandment' "

    What commandment would that be and where is it written? I've looked and cannot find it :confused:
    MatthewVII wrote: »
    I think the worst part about Lent is Ash Wednesday. I work in a hospital with a pretty Catholic ethos and it's horrible that people walk around with the "I am christian" Catholic" piece of dirt on their foreheads. It turns into a "find out who isn't devout" hunt. People peer at your forehead and wonder why you haven't done it like there's something wrong with you. I definitely got a few strange looks from patients when I was around the wards. It's ridiculous.

    There fixed :D


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    #19
    MatthewVII
    Registered Users Posts: 825 ✭✭✭MatthewVII


    CDfm wrote: »
    Matthew - are you sure it wasn't something else other then the absence of askes on your head?:pac:

    It may have been my stunning good looks now that you mention it.


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    #20
    Genghiz Cohen
    Registered Users Posts: 7,182 ✭✭✭Genghiz Cohen


    MatthewVII wrote: »
    It may have been my stunning good looks now that you mention it.

    A likely tale! :pac:


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    #21
    Calibos
    Registered Users Posts: 7,807 ✭✭✭Calibos


    Soul Winner wrote: »
    What commandment would that be and where is it written? I've looked and cannot find it :confused:



    There fixed :D

    There you go again.....taking everything literally!

    :D


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    #22
    Calibos
    Registered Users Posts: 7,807 ✭✭✭Calibos


    Put it this way, Imagine I hadn't just forgotten about the possibility that this guy was just a member of the "Good a time as any" diet brigade. Imagine if in my original post I actually had confirmation he was religious. Thus imagine that this guy really had given up chocolate as a religiously based gesture for the lenten period. Imagine that him asking whether there was chocolate in a nutrigrain bar was like him almost re-writing the lenten contract he made with jesus about giving up sweets, "In his head he is thinking, OK Jesus I didn't mean all sweets, I meant specifically chocolate sweets"

    Are you telling me that you don't get my underlying point about how ridiculous the whole scenario is. Are you really arguing about how giving things up for lent is not a commandment or binding. Another religious person was arguing about my use of the word sacrefice, ie Jesus does not ask us to sacrefice at lent blah blah.

    Are you totally missing the point that if you really believe this Christian stuff, do you not think its pathetic for an adult to be giving up sweets for lent or guinness even :D If you really believed in it would not a better gesture be to give up the guinness and give the money saved in those 40 days to charity etc

    If you can't see my point and are getting hung up on irrelevencies then I can understand how you guys turn off the rational parts of your brains and became religious in the first place


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    #23
    CDfm
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,649 ✭✭✭✭CDfm


    MatthewVII wrote: »
    It may have been my stunning good looks now that you mention it.

    Boycandy for nurses:rolleyes:

    They need to give that up.


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    #24
    ChocolateSauce
    Registered Users Posts: 2,892 ✭✭✭ChocolateSauce


    Give up Chocolate for lent?

    Not my bag...


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    #25
    Undergod
    Registered Users Posts: 2,858 ✭✭✭Undergod


    Seriously, so what if he gives up chocolate for lent? Why does it bother you?


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    #26
    Genghiz Cohen
    Registered Users Posts: 7,182 ✭✭✭Genghiz Cohen


    Undergod wrote: »
    Seriously, so what if he gives up chocolate for lent? Why does it bother you?

    Well if you believe that yer man Jesus went into the desert for 40 odd days fasting, then giving up chocolate (replacing it with other things) is pretty pathetic.


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    #27
    CDfm
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,649 ✭✭✭✭CDfm


    ChocolateSauce wrote: »
    Give up Chocolate for lent?

    Not my bag...

    It might do you good:)


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    #28
    CDfm
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,649 ✭✭✭✭CDfm


    Genghiz Cohen wrote: »
    Well if you believe that yer man Jesus went into the desert for 40 odd days fasting, then giving up chocolate (replacing it with other things) is pretty pathetic.

    What if someone gives up smoking or say someone decides to lower their cholestoral or get more exercise because of the ethos of lent. Are those bad things -well they are not.A kid giving up sweets and saving for easter holidays.

    If a leaving cert student who has been lazy for 2 years spends the next 40 days getting up to speed and applying themselves. Is that a bad thing? No.

    So it depends on your perception and if you approach it from a negative angle -you will see it as a ridiculous tradition.

    I was wondering why you posted and I think I figured it out.You own a sweetshop beside a school and your taking it personally. Maybe you should.:)


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    #29
    Genghiz Cohen
    Registered Users Posts: 7,182 ✭✭✭Genghiz Cohen


    CDfm wrote: »
    I was wondering why you posted and I think I figured it out.You own a sweetshop beside a school and your taking it personally. Maybe you should.:)
    LIES!!

    CDfm wrote: »
    What if someone gives up smoking or say someone decides to lower their cholestoral or get more exercise because of the ethos of lent. Are those bad things -well they are not.A kid giving up sweets and saving for easter holidays.

    If a leaving cert student who has been lazy for 2 years spends the next 40 days getting up to speed and applying themselves. Is that a bad thing? No.

    So it depends on your perception and if you approach it from a negative angle -you will see it as a ridiculous tradition.

    Giving up smoking and improving your health is all great stuff, really, more power to people like that.
    But Jesus gave up next to everything for 40 days (if you believe OFC), and some guy thinks that buying nutri-grain bars instead of chocolate is a suitable sacrifice?
    It's just funny that some can claim they have giving up something for lent when they are replacing it with something equally delicious and tempting.

    That's all.


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