this or that?

[adrienmundi]

this:

practicing strict self-denial as a measure of personal and especially spiritual discipline

that:

the subjection and denial of bodily passions and appetites by abstinence or self-inflicted pain or discomfort

(in the intereests of fair and accurate reporting, that was modified by "mental")

Comments

[grendel317.livejournal.com]

What are you seeing as the difference between the two? The first seems to have some spiritual context, the second includes mention of self-inflicted pain, but otherwise they look pretty similar at first glance....

[adrienmundi]

I deferred to Meriam Webster: the difference between asceticism and mortification.

[grendel317.livejournal.com]

Ah, ok. Well, I'd say "spiritual context" versus "self-inflicted pain" pretty much sums up my understanding of the difference between the two, then.

Are we supposed to be choosing which better applies or something? Neither really matches my conception of you.

[adrienmundi]

See above: comments made to me that I'm trying to digest and work out.