FASTING in different religions

[glo]

With Ramadan coming up, I thought it might me interesting to look at why and how different religions fast.

I found this in Wikipedia, which gives a rough idea:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fasting

I found this site useful to give more information about fasting in Christianity.
You have to bear in mind that Christians fast in different ways and at different times. This site is by a evangelist Christian, so it may not reflect so much the Catholic and orthodox practices ... although I guess that there will be many similarities.

http://www.billbright.com/howtofast/

* Fasting was an expected discipline in both the Old and New Testament eras. For example, Moses fasted at least two recorded forty-day periods. Jesus fasted 40 days and reminded His followers to fast, "when you fast," not if you fast.
* Fasting and prayer can restore the loss of the "first love" for your Lord and result in a more intimate relationship with Christ.
* Fasting is a biblical way to truly humble yourself in the sight of God (Psalm 35:13; Ezra 8:21). King David said, "I humble myself through fasting."
* Fasting enables the Holy Spirit to reveal your true spiritual condition, resulting in brokenness, repentance, and a transformed life.
* The Holy Spirit will quicken the Word of God in your heart and His truth will become more meaningful to you!
* Fasting can transform your prayer life into a richer and more personal experience.
* Fasting can result in a dynamic personal revival in your own life-and make you a channel of revival to others.

Fasting and prayer are the only disciplines that fulfill the requirements of
II Chronicles 7:14: "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." If you fast, you will find yourself being humbled as I did. You will discover more time to pray and seek God's face. And as He leads you to recognize and repent of unconfessed sin, you will experience special blessings from God.

Does anybode else want to comment on fasting in different religions?

Peace.

[Malaikah]

Glo, how do christians fast? i think for them it just means they cant eat certain foods for 40 days? rather than not eating anything at all for a certain period of time like muslims do?

also, do jews fast?:?

[lolwatever]

^ ya jews fast... i think even today, sabath to an extent is a form of fasting for them as well... coz deres a fair bit they cant do.

[syilla]

thank you :thankyou:

here is for some comparison...

source : http://pakavenue.com/webdigest/islam/article_003.htm

Ramadan: The Holy Month of Fasting


Fasting is another unique moral and spiritual characteristic of Islam. Literally defined, fasting means to abstain "completely" from foods, drinks, intimate intercourse and smoking, before the break of the dawn till sunset, during the entire month of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic year. But if we restrict the meaning of the Islamic Fasting to this literal sense, we would be sadly mistaken.

When Islam introduced this matchless institution, it planted an ever-growing tree of infinite virtue and invaluable products. Here is an explanation of the spiritual meaning of the Islamic Fasting:

1. It teaches man the principle of sincere Love: because when he observes 2 2. Fasting he does it out of deep love for God. And the man who loves God truly is a man who really knows what love is.
3. It equips man with a creative sense of hope and an optimistic outlook on life; because when he fasts he is hoping to please God and is seeking His Grace.
4. It imbues in man the genuine virtue of effective devotion, honest dedication and closeness to God; because when he fasts he does so for God and for His sake alone.
5. It cultivates in man a vigilant and sound conscience; because the fasting person keeps his fast in secret as well as in public. In fasting, especially, there is no mundane authority to check man's behavior or compel him to observe fasting. He keeps it to please God and satisfy his own conscience by being faithful in secret and in public. There is no better way to cultivate a sound conscience in man.
6. It indoctrinates man in patience and selflessness, as through fasting, he feels the pains of deprivation but he endures them patiently.
7. It is an effective lesson in applied moderation and willpower.
8. Fasting also provides man with a transparent soul, a clear mind and a light body.
9. It shows man a new way of wise savings and sound budgeting.
10. It enables man to master the art of Mature Adaptability. We can easily understand the point once we realize that fasting makes man change the entire course of his daily life.
11. It grounds man in discipline and healthy survival.
12. It originates in man the real spirit of social belonging, unity and brotherhood, of equality before God as well as before the law.
13. It is a Godly prescription for self-reassurance and self-control.

Dr. Arafat El-Ashi (Director)
Muslim World League Canada Office

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[glo]

Glo, how do christians fast? i think for them it just means they cant eat certain foods for 40 days? rather than not eating anything at all for a certain period of time like muslims do?

also, do jews fast?:?

Forgive me, sister cheese, but have you looked at the links I provided??? :?
You will probably find some answers there.:giggling:

Fasting for 40 days before Easter (during the period called Lent) is - as far as I know - largely a practice in the Catholic church. It relates to Jesus fasting for 40 days in the wilderness before he started his mission. Check out the Wikipedia link, or perhaps Jayda or duskiness can explain a bit more. :)

Some people just abstain from certain foods or luxury foods, others fast completely.
Personally, I tend to do a weekly 24-hour fast. That means I don't eat solid food at all during that time - just drinks and fruit juices.
But Christians fast in different ways. If you check out the other link I provided(!!), you will see that the author (Bill Bright) did 40 day fasts (those were full fasts, during which he didn't eat at all, if I read it right). Now that takes some doing! :uuh:

Fasting in Christianity is not as prescribed as in Islam.
It is largely about your personal relationship with God, how much you want to know him and how close you want to be to him.

Here is another quote from the Bill Bright link (check it out now! ;D )

When it comes to making your final decision about what type of fast is right for you, the best advise I can give you is to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. He will guide your heart and mind as to what is best for you. Remember, the most important consideration in fasting is your motive. Why are you fasting? To seek something personally from God's hand or to seek His face in worship, praise and thanksgiving?

Peace.:)

[Jayda]

Glo, how do christians fast? i think for them it just means they cant eat certain foods for 40 days? rather than not eating anything at all for a certain period of time like muslims do?

also, do jews fast?:?

for catholics we are encouraged to eat just one meal during the waking hours... so most people have lunch and no breakfast or dinner and some people have dinner and no breakfast or lunch... but the church said you can substitute fasting by giving something up for forty days like some kind of food or even your time... we are also encouraged to practice abstainance...

im a lot more strict.. im trying to join opus dei.. so i stick to one meal and practice abstainance and try to reflect on how to not invite the seven deadly sins into my life... not all catholics are like that...

[UmmSqueakster]

The way orthodox christians fast make my head spin. They abstain from different animal products on different days.

I prefer the straight forward approach - no food, drink, marital relations from fajr until maghrib, Mondays and Thursdays and in Ramadan.

[glo]

I prefer the straight forward approach - no food, drink, marital relations from fajr until maghrib, Mondays and Thursdays and in Ramadan.

You would ... you are a Muslim! :D

[UmmSqueakster]

You would ... you are a Muslim! :D

It just seems simple and straightforward to me :happy:

[glo]

This being an Islamic forum, most of us are probably well aware of the practice in Islam to fast during the holy month of Ramadan.

The Old Testament describes fasting as a practice regularly carried out by the Israelites - usually as a demonstration of humility and repentance.

So I am wondering, how many of you non-Muslims fast for religious reasons?
Do you want to share how, when and why you fast?

It would be interesting to find out about other religions in that way.

Peace to you all. :)

[Walter]

Hi Everyone:

I normally participate in a food fast with my local Church. However, I am not sure whether such a fast by itself can bring anyone closer to God.

The type of fast that the Lord proclaims is not to forsake food simply for forsaking food. Rather, you sacrifice your food, money, shelter, clothing and anything of personal comfort and safety I order to help someone else. Fasting then is not for selfish reasons, but to benefit oppressed persons in a meaningful and preferably sustainable way. There is no room for apathy in this type of fast.

When this type of fast is performed, the attendant benefits include: influence, healing, and intimacy with the God of Abraham. This is what God says:

Isaiah 58:5-9
"Is it a fast that I have chosen,
A day for a man to afflict his soul?
Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush,
And to spread out sackcloth and ashes?
Would you call this a fast,
And an acceptable day to the LORD?

Is this not the fast that I have chosen:
To loose the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the heavy burdens,
To let the oppressed go free,
And that you break every yoke?

Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out;
When you see the naked, that you cover him,
And not hide yourself from your own flesh?

Then your light shall break forth like the morning,
Your healing shall spring forth speedily,
And your righteousness shall go before you;
The glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.

Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer;
You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ "

Regards,
Grenville

[Grace Seeker]

When I fast, it is one of two forms for the entire length of the fast. And I don't mean just the daylight hours, but all 24 hours of a day.

1) Nothing by mouth at all, this includes even water. I might do this once a year from the end of the Maundy Thursday ssrvice (on the Thursday before Easter) which commemorates Jesus' "last supper", till following the Easter Sunrise service when most churches have an Easter breakfast. In place of the mealtimes, I look forward to spending that time in extended private prayer.

2) Taking only water and fruit juices. This is something I might do when I am on a retreat. The retreats can be anything from just part of a day to a whole week. (Though I don't think I have ever done the fast portion for an entire week.) And the days are spent in a variety of faith nurturing activities: Bible study, private prayer, corporate prayer, worship, hymn sings (remember I'm Christian, not Muslim, so this is halal for me), and times of just plain relaxation and fellowship (sans computer and TV).


I guess there is a third form I have done, and that is when I have had Muslims living in my house during Ramadan. In that instance I just observed the Ramadan fast along with them, and we ate our meals either before sunrise or after sunset. During the winter my typical meal patterns might be close to that anyway. I've never experienced Ramadan during the summer. So, for me this didn't even seem much like a fast at all. In fact, at times, it seemed more like an invitation to gluttony in the evening. There was value in the reminder to be more intentional with my prayer life during that time.