Hello. Thank you for taking the time to read my post.

I’ve been concerned regarding some of my family members getting more deeply involved in Christianity to the point of talking about hoarding holy water and avoiding taking responsibility for issues and problems in their lives because “God will take care of it/fix it/keep us safe.”

Recently, a conversation came up regarding lent and I wasn’t sure how to address it. A brother (early to mid-twenties) is seemingly searching for meaning in his life but I can’t see this direction going well for him, and that all that awaits him is empty beliefs and practices, while being a pawn to people in his church.

Below are examples of what he’s said he’s searching for in eating no meat, dairy, or oils for lent.

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I want to be spiritually better, I’ve felt empty inside for a while, chasing vanity, little highs and rushes of fun but ultimately mean nothing. Maybe sometimes I want these things, but then I remember it gets me nowhere as they’re bad habits. It’s fun to give into everything I crave, but then it just slowly eats away at me. I’ll live in cognitive dissonance knowing deep down there’s something wrong and the more I ignored it the worse it got. I’ve done a lot of research, inquiring, and things happened it’s clear this is the path

He said having a strict diet on lent is “practice to make myself in this world, but not of it”. I asked what that means and he said this.

“To not put my values in worldly things. It’s a theological concept that, even tho I’m man and live in the world, I shouldn’t put my basis for everything here. I sleep and wake up everyday, I eat, drink, work, and have fun, but there are greater things than this world. And it’s not because “if I don’t do what I want here, I get what I want later” but rather I’ll start glorifying shitty things, chasing highs, becoming addicted. These cravings become my values if I’m not careful, but my values don’t come from the world”

I want to help him find what he seems to be looking for, while directing him to things which don’t involve religious belief. I don’t really know what most of this means or what to do. I personally caused a huge issue in my family as a child (losing my ‘door privileges’ as a result) when I locked my door one day and refused to go to church anymore. So I’m not the most familiar in what’s happening at places like this anymore.

Thank you again for your time and any advise or direction is greatly appreciated.