How does religious fasting work

The holiday of Paryushan, observed annually around August to September, is the time when Jains connect communally on the core tenets of the faith through fasting and studying. For eight to 10 days, Jains focus on the values of forgiveness, humility, straightforwardness, truth, contentment, self-restraint, penance, renunciation, nonattachment and celibacy.

Fasting is also possible throughout the year by individuals, but this celebration is the common communal embracing of fasting across sects. Religious fasting is meant to shock the body from its routines. The individual physically enters sacred time. According to the 20th-century Romanian historian of religion Mircea Eliade , sacred time lies outside of ordinary time and fasting is one way to step into it.

The physical needs and desires give way to spiritual reflection and contemplation on the world to come. Traditionally, fasting is coupled with prayer and meditation to further develop these goals. The spiritual benefits of fasting are said to accrue over time, leading to a type of wisdom that the Confucians call ren , loosely translating as humanity, humaneness, goodness, benevolence or love. Sign up today. As religions show, fasting is much more than denying the body.

In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives His followers instructions on how to fast, specifically telling them not to make a show of fasting like others in their culture Matthew — However, when Christians discuss fasting, two key passages often come up: one from the Old Testament prophet Isaiah and one from Jesus himself.

But neither of these passages gives us specifics on how to abstain from food. Rather, both focus on the heart of the person fasting. In Isaiah 58, God sees the nation of Israel abstaining from food for a day in order to seek help from God: justice for Israel and judgment on those who have oppressed Israel. However, the help does not come, and the people complain. God turns the tables on Israel, pointing out how the Israelites are oppressing their own people. Employers withhold pay from the workers, and the people act violently toward each other.

Likewise, when Jesus instructs His followers on how to fast, he tells them not to do so for show. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. Fasting is a practice of humbling yourself before God. Fasting is not limited to the believers the Bible mentions.

Knox fasted and prayed so much that Queen Mary said she feared his prayers more than all the armies of Scotland. John Wesley, the renowned English preacher, missionary and founder of Methodism, fasted twice weekly from sunup until late afternoon. Charles Finney, a revivalist in the s, fasted regularly each week and would often go three days without eating when he felt his revival meetings were not effectively introducing people to Jesus. Biblical fasting is not a hunger strike between you and God.

It can be easy to think of fasting as a way to add an extra oomph to your prayers. Fasting is a means of humbling ourselves before God. In the Old Testament, fasting was often accompanied by other signs of humility and brokenness, such as weeping, mourning, and lamenting, as well as wearing sackcloth and sitting in ashes.

He believed it played a vital role in what God did through him and through Cru as a ministry. He listed several benefits he gained from fasting:. Rather, true fasting is a means of fostering a better humbler approach to prayer. A partial fast. This is described in the book of Daniel. A complete fast. A complete fast means drinking only water or sometimes juice when fasting for an extended period.

Juice fasts will provide you with more energy than water-only fasts and still lead you into the humbling experience of denying your desire for solid, chewable food. If you are new to fasting, start slow. Progressive steps help your body become accustomed to the drop in food intake. You can start by fasting for one meal a day, one day a week or one week a month.

The normal fast involves abstaining from all forms of food, but not from water, and commonly lasts 24 hours, from sunrise to sunrise. If you are fasting for the first time, you might begin by missing a meal or two. Over time, you can build up to a full day or more. Begin by refraining from solid food, but drink liquids.

Water is the best, since soft drinks are not good for the digestive system, and coffee and tea stimulate the nervous system. Before beginning a fast, it is best to eat lightly and cut back on caffeinated drinks. During the first few days of a multi-day fast, it is common to experience headaches as the body withdraws from caffeine. If you are planning for an extended fast more than 14 days , you should prepare mentally and physically by cutting down on food intake one week before the actual fast, taking on a vegetarian diet to control cravings for food.

Reduce your intake of beverages like coffee, tea and soft drinks as well. During your fast, set aside specific and significant time to worship and seek God in prayer. Plan ahead so your time can be unhurried and conducive to enjoying the Lord. This is essential to ensure that sin is not hindering your communication with God. Then plan time to make your requests known to God and to seek His will. Take breaks to study Scripture passages you have chosen. Take time to listen.

Keep a notebook and pen nearby to record the ideas, insights, directions and instructions He impresses on your mind. Continue to drink plenty of water. Apple or watermelon juice is a great morale booster. Sleep early — the first few days of the fast are usually the most challenging. It's considered the holiest day of the year and is observed eight days after Rosh Hashanah. More: Lent is here, and fish is on the menu at these fast food joints. The rabbi said it's a 25 hour fast that's mandated in the Torah for men, women, boys over the age of 13 and girls over the age of The fasts require observers to refrain from all food and drink even water.

Depending on which sect believers follow, bathing and physical contact with the opposite sex can also be prohibited. Herzfeld said believers typically spend this period of fasting in a synagogue praying. It's a time for repentance and asking God for forgiveness. The Daniel Fast begins with the biblical story of the prophet Daniel and his three friends who were brought to the king of Babylonia's palace.

They were to train for three years to be the king's servants. The king offered them food, but Daniel did not want to "defile" himself with the king's food, so he and his friends committed to eating only vegetables and water. Lavarin says the scripture doesn't mandate the Daniel Fast for Christians, so it's a voluntary journey. Although Daniel and his friends fasted for 10 days during their time with the king, there was another fast that he did for 21 days. Lavarin says there isn't a set amount of time that people tend to participate in the fast but the range is three days to 21 days.