Fasting - does it work?

[nobspeople]

Many of us have heard about 'prayer and fasting', but does fasting work (for something other than loosing weight)?

What's the point of it, just to sacrifice something?
Have you done it?
What did it do for you, if anything?

Is fasting something we should do even if one isn't religious?
Or do you have to be religious to see any benefit?

[bjs1]

Many of us have heard about 'prayer and fasting', but does fasting work (for something other than loosing weight)?

What's the point of it?

To grow closer to God.

Have you done it?

Yes.

What did it do for you, if anything?

It helped me grow closer to God.

Is fasting something we should do even if one isn't religious?

Depends on the person. Talk to your doctor.

Or do you have to be religious to see any benefit?

If this is referring to benefits to the soul, then I assume a person would have to believe that he or she has a soul for that soul to receive any benefits.

[brunumb]

Many of us have heard about 'prayer and fasting', but does fasting work (for something other than loosing weight)?

What's the point of it?

To grow closer to God.

Well that explains why God allows there to be so many starving people in the world. They are clearly the fortunate ones that are closest to god. And when they die of starvation they get to be even closer, as long as they read the biblical fine print.

[JehovahsWitness]

Well that explains why God allows there to be so many starving people in the world. They are clearly the fortunate ones that are closest to god.

There is a difference between fasting and starving. Fasting is abstaining from food or drink especially for health (or spiritual) reasons; it is a voluntary action of self restaint. Starving on the other hand refers to the deprivation of food or drink to the point of harm or death; ie it is not self imposed but involuntary. I do believe bjs1 was refering to fasting not starving.

"Starving" and "fasting" should not be confused.

[nobspeople]

Well that explains why God allows there to be so many starving people in the world. They are clearly the fortunate ones that are closest to god.

There is a difference between fasting and starving. Fasting is abstaining from food or drink especially for health (or spiritual) reasons; it is a voluntary action of self restaint. Starving on the other hand refers to the deprivation of food or drink to the point of harm or death; ie it is not self imposed but involuntary. I do believe bjs1 was refering to fasting not starving.

"Starving" and "fasting" should not be confused.

That's not how I read this comment (aside from sarcasm, of course). I read it to mean those that can fast have enough favor with God to have the ability to fast, and not starve, instead of those that starve which don't seem to have favor with God.

[dnj231]

Many of us have heard about 'prayer and fasting', but does fasting work (for something other than loosing weight)?

What's the point of it, just to sacrifice something?
Have you done it?
What did it do for you, if anything?

Is fasting something we should do even if one isn't religious?
Or do you have to be religious to see any benefit?

Regarding religious reasons, fasting is food deprivation to counteract the sinful indulgences you have accrued, or to demonstrate your faith and adherence to God by such means. To the religious, fasting is a significant aspect to asceticism, which is considered a very favorable trait, and why it's done.

The materialists, the hardcore atheists on this board, would find this interesting cause it's faith with works, works being something we can measure, debate, and experiment with, in this case the deprivation of food.

The longest I've gone without food was for 11 days. It was a dry fast - only water allowed. I was at the time a theist experimenting with such tangible protocols. It did not get me closer to God or reveal any type of new revelation or significance about his existence. The only thing it did for me was realize that going without food for a day, or skipping meal, and saying you're starving in the modern day sense, is weak and way overblown. You are not liking what you feel, but you are far from true starvation.

The poster above tries to define the difference between fasting and starvation. The problem with those definitions are that you may not know if your voluntary actions are causing you harm. I had to stop my 11 day fast because my potassium levels got too low and it affected my heart rhythm, which could have been fatal if I continued.

Should you do it? The more you can define a precise goal, and do it safely, to learn something through valuable personal experience, I say go for it.

[Benson]

Many of us have heard about 'prayer and fasting', but does fasting work (for something other than loosing weight)?

What's the point of it?

To grow closer to God.

Have you done it?

Yes.

What did it do for you, if anything?

It helped me grow closer to God.

Is fasting something we should do even if one isn't religious?

Depends on the person. Talk to your doctor.

Or do you have to be religious to see any benefit?

If this is referring to benefits to the soul, then I assume a person would have to believe that he or she has a soul for that soul to receive any benefits.

Tell us how fasting helped you grow closer to God. Give specifics rather than vague generalities.

For instance, did you receive or learn anything not already disclosed in Scripture?

[Dimmesdale]

Fasting is something I should do a lot more of. It works in my experience.

People nowadays are so weighed down by heavy things: both mentally and physically. If you part with something, like food, it can have less of a hold on you. This is not to say you don't need it. But you create greater space for other things (like peace) if you lessen its influence.

So yes, fasting is spiritually very enlivening. When coupled with faith, it can't be beat.

But people knock it because they only focus on it itself, without including all the things in the spiritual toolbox (faith, prayer, contemplation, etc). And therefore they think they have proved that it is nothing but superstition instead of steeping themselves deeply in the matrix that is the true culture of spiritual life.

But try it out nonetheless. You may be pleasantly surprised.

[AgnosticBoy]

Many of us have heard about 'prayer and fasting', but does fasting work (for something other than loosing weight)?

What's the point of it, just to sacrifice something?
Have you done it?
What did it do for you, if anything?

Is fasting something we should do even if one isn't religious?
Or do you have to be religious to see any benefit?

Fasting definitely works to lose weight but it's not the most healthy way to do it. After being deprived of food for energy, your body will start using it's own fat to supply energy. You can lose some fat that way but it may not be in all of the places that you'd want to lose it.

I knew someone that fasted every other day, for a week. I'm not sure how many pounds she lost, but she definitely became slimmer and some of her jeans became too big for her.

From a religious perspective, I can see how it would work. I suppose fasting is a good way of separating the flesh from the 'will' (or spirit?). In fasting, you will experience all that the physical body can throw at you in terms of feeling all of its raw drives and feelings associated with hunger. Not giving into that is just a way of detaching yourself from it, experiencing that, and overcoming it for some time. Of course, you gotta give in at some point. Jesus's record is what, 40 days and nights?

[nobspeople]

Many of us have heard about 'prayer and fasting', but does fasting work (for something other than loosing weight)?

What's the point of it, just to sacrifice something?
Have you done it?
What did it do for you, if anything?

Is fasting something we should do even if one isn't religious?
Or do you have to be religious to see any benefit?

Fasting definitely works to lose weight but it's not the most healthy way to do it. After being deprived of food for energy, your body will start using it's own fat to supply energy. You can lose some fat that way but it may not be in all of the places that you'd want to lose it.

I knew someone that fasted every other day, for a week. I'm not sure how many pounds she lost, but she definitely became slimmer and some of her jeans became too big for her.

From a religious perspective, I can see how it would work. I suppose fasting is a good way of separating the flesh from the 'will' (or spirit?). In fasting, you will experience all that the physical body can throw at you in terms of feeling all of its raw drives and feelings associated with hunger. Not giving into that is just a way of detaching yourself from it, experiencing that, and overcoming it for some time. Of course, you gotta give in at some point. Jesus's record is what, 40 days and nights?

I always wondered what the benefit would be by trying to separate the flesh from the spirit, in reality. I think people try too hard to make those two things different. What's the point other than suffering? I know several beliefs believe suffering is beneficial and, to a point, I can see how that is. But forced suffering seems to be suffering for the sake of suffering. Which, in a belief system that's all mind and thought, I suppose. But it seems unnecessary to me. Surely we can benefit from the joining of body and soul more than separating the two?