So Hungry!

Posted by: Andee / Category: , , ,


Know something that has always made me chuckle?

Fasting.

Does your God hear prayers better when people pray on an empty stomach?

Do tummy rumblings make your God smile?

Does your God sit back and say, "Well, I will grant you this prayer... you *are* hungry."

When I would ask my grandpa why he was fasting he would tell me that the money he would have used for food on that specific day would be given as an offering to the church for people in the ward. I asked him many times why he needed to starve himself and donate the money, and to be honest I don't recall what his reply was.

I mean, if you want to donate even more money to the church (besides tithing) then go for it. Whatever. They don't need it, but whatever floats your boat... My point is that there is no need to starve yourself on top of making that donation. What is the purpose? To suffer a little?

Personally, I don't think it's by chance that testimony meetings take place at times when you are fasting. When you are without food, your body isn't functioning normally. You become more emotional, and it's easy for people to get you to agree with the words coming out of their mouths.

Religious cults use fasting all the time. It's a common way for the leaders to gain more mental control over the people in the group.

I remember sitting in testimony meetings. I was starving. You know when you are so hungry that you feel a little sick to your stomach? Thats how I would feel. Icky. One minute I would be daydreaming about a cheese-lover's pizza hut pizza and the next the thought of eating something grossed me out completely. It can't be healthy.

Person after person would get up to share their testimony that Joe was a good guy and that they would be lost without the gospel and I wanted to scream, "Shut up! I need food! Let's end this nightmare!"

It makes no sense at all.

If you want to make your God happy, wouldn't He be happier if you spent more time volunteering than spending so many hours on a church pew? Couldn't you approach this in a way that actually makes a difference to someone?

What good does fasting do?

Andee


1 comments:

  1. Anonymous Says:
    January 2, 2010 at 12:29 AM

    I used to read this blog all the time during late 2008, and then got behind with school work and only popped in one in a blue moon. I was the one who asked you a question about caffeine, if you remember me :). Doubt you do, but oh well.

    It was interesting to see your evolution from an ex-Mormon to one who chose to explore the faiths and question them, and then see you finally become an atheist. It is a compelling journey.

    I just felt leaving that note since there isn't a "Comment on everything" box :).

    Anyway, on the topic of fasting, I think you are looking at it from an all too-Judeo-Christian angle.

    You seem to ask, "What's the point"?

    From how I have understood it from my journeys in researching the faiths of the world, I would like to say that perhaps you should look at fasting from a philosophical viewpoint instead of that of someone who is doing it because "someone said so".

    In my opinion, from a philosophical perspective, fasting can be seen as "letting go" of necessities in order to focus more on one's inner self. Prayer, albeit futile to depend on, helps one think, to sort out -- meditate. It has many forms. By fasting for a period of time, it allows the body to ignore such earthly things and focus on one's thoughts, life, etc.

    The removal of need is surprising. Humans accomplish much when we are pushed to the edge. It is not so much deprivation but rather purification of the mind.

    Now of course, you don't need a religion to tell you to do this. But I am trying to bring some sense as to why fasting over all isn't such a pointless thing.

    And this is coming from a once-fellow atheist, so don't think I'm trying to "spread the word" or anything.

    Fasting from each religious perspective is debatable however. I will acknowledge the fact that fasting in some faiths is often times shallow.

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