I’m not a religious man. I believe religion is exclusive. Believe in what we believe in or you’re not in the club. In the old days, they might even kill you (hello The Crusades.) Also, you’d better do things a certain way or else risk burning in hell for all eternity. Mardi Gras is one of those things that reinforces my non-religious position. Ash Wednesday is a holy day and the start of something like six weeks of abstinence from a thing that you like as a way to show God that you believe in Him. But don’t fret, there is a day to fulfill your appetites before you ‘sacrifice’ for God for six weeks. It’s called Fat Tuesday and it’s when you try to jam as much sin and debauchery into one day as you can so that the next six weeks of ‘sacrificing’ don’t hurt as much. Drink till you can’t stand. Walk around naked. Eat until you vomit in the street. Dance. Sing. Throw beads. It’s the last day before you have to sacrifice everything in the name of God for six weeks, so party your asses off! We’ll show God.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against partying. Hell, I used to attend Mardi Gras in NOLA when I lived in Houston. And I’m not against religion either. I’m just more spiritual than religious. I’m a God guy. My issue is with hypocrisy. Does any good Catholic really believe that Mardi Gras is justifiable in the name of religion? Or are all the sit up, sit downs at church each Sunday akin to something like God boot camp that you must endure to get to heaven?
Anyway, enjoy your day. As always, thanks for reading my words.
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Andy Ciordia
Mar 8, 2011
It’s like lent– you hear people giving up soda, wine, or chocolate.. yea that’s an effort. A real sacrifice there! My mother-in-law worked many year for the Catholic dioceses and it always got under her skin. Instead of giving up some simple pleasures why don’t you endeavor in a labor of love, pay it forward; if you are spiritual then show the world your capacity.
Nichole Brown
Mar 8, 2011
Do most people even realize the religious aspect of Fat Tuesday in relation to Ash Wednesday? I certainly didn’t until a few years ago. (Not being Catholic might explain that.) And I wonder if people just want an excuse to let it all hang out with no thought to what comes next — the sacrifice.
Jim Mitchem
Mar 8, 2011
I don’t know either, Nichole. I just know what I’ve experienced.
Dennis Bernhard
Mar 8, 2011
You don’t have to go all the way back to the Crusades to see religion being used as a justification for killing. Just look to the middle east.
Bill Free
Mar 8, 2011
As a fellow spiritualist, I’m inclined to believe that God attends Mardi Gras. Faithfully, every year. Maybe in a Krewe, maybe as a hurricane-swilling senior lubrication technician from Dubuque, Iowa. I don’t know. But if I were God and I could travel anywhere, I’d swing by NOLA on Fat Tuesday just for the spectacle.