May I ask without causing an uproar???

Yeah its no land animal (which includes chicken).

Pre Vat II you couldn't even have animal products, so no dairy, no eggs, etc... but now you can even use chicken/beef stock or gravy as long as you don't have the meat.

I just read a bit of theology stuff, I mean if I am going to follow the religion and go to church I should at least know what I am following.

A lot of christians observe good friday fasting because most christian sects (catholic, presbeterian, CofE, Lutheran, etc etc etc) initially came from the same basic religion. So the orthodox (eastern europe) and catholics sort of do things a bit more traditionally (well you know what I mean, I'm not saying it was how Jesus intended just that that's how things were done to start with) then after the reformation (creation of the Lutheran Church and therefor protestant religions) some of the dogma/practices were kept by the new churches.

At school we got to study other religions (not in a ha ha look how wrong and silly they are way) and this was the part of RE I enjoyed most. I loved comparing the similarities and diffrences between the religions and take the basic belief that if someones faith in a religion makes them a better person and better fellow man then that is what is right for them. I find it hard to take the belief that I am right and someone who fundamentally believes the same thing but just practices it differently is wrong, or that someone who is a positive member of society and caring and giving is actually evil because they are of a different faith.

Oh and don't get me wrong, I have issues with the catholic church about some of their beliefs/laws/practices/history but I just know that for me being catholic makes me a better person than if i didn't have my religion.

i'm catholic, and i didn't know the exact reasoning. my grandparents told me you shouldn't eat meat on good friday, so it's just something we did - it's probably one of the few days i actively go about cooking fish or prawns or something (not a big fan, but i can make an effort once a year!). it's actually really interesting to have read a decent explanation - thanks for that Jo!

Kerry, thanks for the explanation.

I'm an Anglican and we also observe "no meat on Fridays" and the Lenten traditions such as fasting but many no longer partake in full.

I loved comparing the similarities and diffrences between the religions and take the basic belief that if someones faith in a religion makes them a better person and better fellow man then that is what is right for them. I find it hard to take the belief that I am right and someone who fundamentally believes the same thing but just practices it differently is wrong ...

Yes, I agree with you there.

Edited to change "fish" to "meat" (DER)

Tracey - forgot to say, great question!... I have found on BB that religion seems to be one topic that rarely causes an uproar... most of us just seem to be more interested in learning about different customs/beliefs than we do about spouting who is right or wrong (not that anyone is!). There was a great thread Yael started in the child lead weaning forum about Jewish beliefs on b/f... I learnt some really interesting things from Yael, natalie and many others and noone got heated or annoyed it was just a really peaceful sharing experience.

Yeah I'm from an irish presbyterian background and we still observed Good Friday.

Marc & his family are Catholic, and our children go to a Catholic school. MIL is a devout Catholic. I love asking her questions about everything, just as she likes to hear how my church did things when I was a child. MIL & I were discussing Eucharist a little while ago and she was saying how they now allow 65+ to not fast but she was going to make FIL do it anyway LOL!

ETA: I'm like you too Kerry in that I LOVE learning about other religions their similarities and differences...

*hugs*
Cailin

Haha my grandmother would say the same thing too Cai ;)

It was drummed into us as kids no meat or any sweets/chips etc, do not enjoy yourself, do not eat between meals, do not fill yourself up during Good Friday until midday Easter Saturday, so this has continued into my life as a wife and mummy.

Thank-you Jo & everyone else...

It just amazed me that agroup of about 15 of us at work & mostly Catholics were discussing it & ages rannge from 55 to about 23 & noone really knew why...
We tried googling it & it really never used words any of us understood so we just figured it was a catholic tradition...

So THANK-YOU to sharing JO & educating us & too everyone else for being kind & caring & respectfgul...

Now pat yourselves on the back... (OOOh maybe I should be a teacher LOL)


Have a Happy Easter Y'all & remember Cadbury is the land of real Chocolate from the REAL Easter Bunny....(LOL)

Thanks for the info Jo - I am Catholic also, and in my years at Catholic high schools I never had the issue explained so well. In fact, I don't think it was ever really explained at all! Funny how many people are practising 'no meat on Good Friday' without really knowing why! Reading your post has made me want to go to mass :)

Tracey - LOL the Easter Bunny is a brand snob

OH NO Bon, Easter Bunny just knows the best Chocolate there is!!!! ;)

Plus it keeps me employed longer, I hope you all like the new Retro Bunny foils!!! LOL

Ill let you know if I like it or not when you bring me some ;)

PPPFFFT, You should see what I was given as I was leaving OMG it's a huge basket! LOL Hmmm, now how to eat it all???

i had never even heard of that before :D we will just eat whatever we want for dinner that day as like any other day :D

I was brought up with Fish on Friday (especially Good Friday) to commemorate that Jesus was to make us Fishers of Men and because He ate lots of fish, or something like that. It was more pro-fish than anti-meat, I do remember that. Thanks for the explaination fully, Jo, always good to learn why we really do things!

Good thing I like fish! btw, this is the first year I can remember where I didn't give anything up for lent, I figured that I'd need my calories to BF - no religion asks pregnant or nursing women to fast or go without any sort of food for the health of the child.

This is a little off the topic, just a reply to

:

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no religion asks pregnant or nursing women to fast or go without any sort of food for the health of the child.

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I fast twice a year, both pregnant and BF. There are 6 fast (4 minor - i.e. daytime, and 2 major - dusk to following nightfall, 25hrs), in the Jewish calander, of which pregnant and BF women are required to fast for the 2 major ones.

Obviously this is done only if you are in good health, and there is no danger to you or the baby. Also, you are commanded to stop fasting if you are ill during it. You are exempt from fasting if your life is in danger, and preg/bf women/other sick people are exempt from minor fasts.

I have spoken about it to my obs, and GP, and they basically say there is nothing wrong with the occassional fast and you won't do damage (if your health is fine). Our fasts are without food or water, and they really aren't such a big deal, its not so hard (you have an early dinner, and just have to make it through the day). Minor ones are even easier.

Just thought i would responed (not to attack you Ryn, just so people know), that there are some of us who still do it. I actually find it quite refreshing in a way to do it.

Although this year I will be like 37 weeks for the last major one (Yom Kippur), so we will see how it goes.

Thanks for this thread, i found it quite interesting, as its something I know nothing about.

ETA - oh, and i've never had a problem with my milk supply during the fasts either, i just make sure i drink a lot during the days before it.

I think we used to have fish occasionally on a Friday, but I suspect it was fish and chips because my parents were exhausted after a long week! I think it was also a generational thing in our family - I remember my older relatives having fish because it was Friday.

We're having fish tomorrow at a family meal, but this is probably more a coincidence than anything: my wonderfully unconventional mother is the woman who once served rabbit on Easter Sunday!!

Yael - so glad to see you posted just before me - I'd love to hear about celebrating Passover if that is OK with you!

This thread puts me in mind of a slightly tangential question for everyone, which I hope doesn't make anyone feel uncomfortable - are there any traditions you have or you hope to institute for your children?

Queenie - feel free to ask any questions.. we are right in the middle of it.. It started Monday night (and had all the strict laws like our sabbath until Wed night), and now we are in the intermediatry days (we can use electricity etc and drive, but still are some restrictions, and all of the food ones etc), until Sunday evening, when we start the strict days until Tuesday night...

and then.... BREAD!!! yum!

Thanks for the correction Yael. But you don't have to do it - in fact have to stop - if there's a problem, so to me that indicates that health and life are more important than fasting, which is the way it should be (imo)!