Again, good points.seraph03October 6 2005, 00:11:55 UTC
I agree that I do think fasting is to "deny the flesh to bring you closer to spiritual things." However, like so many other things in the church today, it tends to either be done to the point of being meaningless (where it's just about ritual) or it's taken too far and it's so legalistic that it does nothing but bring condemnation. And what does that have to do with opening your eyes, heart or mind to spiritual things? I found that it gets thrown around in churches like a common solution for everything. "You don't know where to go to school? Well, fast and I'm sure God will show you!" Hhhhmmm...I'm pretty sure the scriptures say something along the lines of "knock and it will be answered" not "fast and then and only then will I tell you." I have found that God is more approachable than that! However, I do believe there are times when it is needed. For instance, let's say there's a time in your life when you're so busy with everything going on around you (work, friends, tv, entertainment, news, etc.) that you start losing perspective of things. To me, that's a time to shut out certain distractions (be it food, tv, what not...) and focus in on Him. And that doesn't even mean locking yourself in a closet for three hours to pray...it may just be that every time you skip that certain thing, it reminds you of Him and sets your thoughts back on the right path. Basically, here's what it comes down to: Whatever it is you fast, whatever it is that you do in place of it is a personal conviction. Which means that it shouldn't come as a mandate from any man...but something that's in your heart...or it means nothing. Again, just my opinions :)
Re: Again, good points.illiconOctober 10 2005, 18:38:34 UTC
You always have interesting things to say, Sally. :)
I hadn't thought too much about the Christian perspective to meditation and fasting -- at least beyond the surface.
Where I grew up, meditation was considered weird and dangerous. Unfortunately my 'Christian Experience' was tainted a lot by ignorance and deceit, which made me distance myself. In this case I was told something to the effect of, "Your mind goes away and it lets demons in."
...Even though I know now that meditation has roots in Judaism. (Then again, if you follow Jewish history back far enough there's a lot of mystical stuff that I wouldn't want to experiment with. And also there are many different kinds of meditation.)
But it's kind of like, "It doesn't matter if the words are nice, the demons are attracted to the beat." Didn't you love that one? ;)
*grumble*
Anyway, I'm starting to rant so I think I'm going to cut this short. :)
However, I do believe there are times when it is needed. For instance, let's say there's a time in your life when you're so busy with everything going on around you (work, friends, tv, entertainment, news, etc.) that you start losing perspective of things. To me, that's a time to shut out certain distractions (be it food, tv, what not...) and focus in on Him. And that doesn't even mean locking yourself in a closet for three hours to pray...it may just be that every time you skip that certain thing, it reminds you of Him and sets your thoughts back on the right path. Basically, here's what it comes down to: Whatever it is you fast, whatever it is that you do in place of it is a personal conviction. Which means that it shouldn't come as a mandate from any man...but something that's in your heart...or it means nothing.
Again, just my opinions :)
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I hadn't thought too much about the Christian perspective to meditation and fasting -- at least beyond the surface.
Where I grew up, meditation was considered weird and dangerous. Unfortunately my 'Christian Experience' was tainted a lot by ignorance and deceit, which made me distance myself. In this case I was told something to the effect of, "Your mind goes away and it lets demons in."
...Even though I know now that meditation has roots in Judaism. (Then again, if you follow Jewish history back far enough there's a lot of mystical stuff that I wouldn't want to experiment with. And also there are many different kinds of meditation.)
But it's kind of like, "It doesn't matter if the words are nice, the demons are attracted to the beat." Didn't you love that one? ;)
*grumble*
Anyway, I'm starting to rant so I think I'm going to cut this short. :)
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