[fast5] Re: Need encouragement/ spiritual practice?

Thursday, August 6, 2009

[fast5] Re: Need encouragement/ spiritual practice?

Hi Erica-

I have a friend who is Mormon (LDS) and she says that the church recommends that they fast once a month. They are supposed to skip two meals and take the money they would have spent and donate it to the church, where the church then takes it and puts it to use feeding the poor in developing countries. There's a really good article here: http://www.whatdomormonsbelieve.com/2009/02/fasting/ . I'm not Mormon, but that article makes some good points about fasting and spirituality.

The point I like the most is that fasting brings to my mind the Buddhist idea of mindfulness. When your belly starts grumbling, you can use that opportunity to think of all of the people in the world with no access to food and how fortunate we are. Or, depending on your spiritual persuasion, you can use the rumbling as a reminder to say a prayer to your god and give thanks for all that we do have and for the fact that we have the luxury of making a choice as to when we eat.

You make a good point as to what would happen if we all fasted one day a week. I think I posted a few months back something about the effect Fast-5 would make on the economy if only one million people went on Fast-5. If I save $200 a month by not eating lunch or dinner, you multiply that times one million, you would take $200,000,000 out of the food industry per month! That would be quite a hit to the food growers and animal farmers. BUT... along the same lines, since they wouldn't have to make so much food, we might be able to go back to a more humane way of raising animals than what is used now, like Heather mentioned. The animals would be happier and we might be as well.

-Rick

--- In fast5@yahoogroups.com, "erica.stelcik" <erica.stelcik@...> wrote:
>
> Yea, I know. It was a touchy question to ask. I do not associate myself with any religion, but I think many religions do use fasting as a spiritual practice, just not on a regular (monthly, weekly, daily) schedule. If I'm wrong about this, let me know.
>
> I know some groups that try to do meatless Mondays. I wonder if we should also have Fasting Fridays, for those of us who eat multiple times a day. Or maybe, one day just doesn't cut it, but can you imagine if everyone did fast one day a week, what could happen!?
>
> ~Erica