The other day (between bites of something, no doubt) it occurred to me that I haven't heard anybody talk about fasting for some time.

Of course, I haven't been to church, conference, or the temple for months, so maybe it's come up in my absence. Is fasting still a thing?

yep, and fast offering is still a thing, too.

And I bet cheating is still a "thing" too. I used to tank up on Diet Coke before Sacrament Meeting. No way in hell was I going to endure a caffeine headache while fighting with 5 little kids during 3+ hours of church.

But I didn't eat. So that's still Mormon fasting, right? Right???

;o)

twin pregnancy.

Yes. Hated it with a passion. Thought is was stupid then, Still do (unless for medical reasons). Making small children fast is child abuse. Skipping SS and heading for a confectionery became my and my pals quest every fast Sunday.

RB

"Making small children fast is child
abuse."

So is whispering words in their ear for them to parrot once a month before a congregation and then dunking them underwater at the age of eight to confirm them as fully 'paid-up' (in every sense of the term) members before putting the frighteners on them by telling them of their 'sins'.

"



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/16/2016 10:35PM by want2bx.

Yes, I remember fasting before my last colonoscopy. It was a shitty experience!

Indeed. Been there, done that...twice. Fuckin' torture. Melba toast don't cut it...

RB

Very few Mormons fast correctly, according to the scriptures:

When fasting, Christ's followers are to ritually anoint the head and wash the face. (3 Ne 13:17, Matt 6:17) "But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thy head, and wash thy face..."

No Mormon does this.

Aren't you ignoring the next verse in Matthew? (Not touching the LDS one). But to my mind this is saying don't make it look like you're fasting, carry on with your day, wash yourself, put on your make up type thing (okay maybe not the men!) I've always imagined that maybe prior to the NT there were people fasting who would make a big deal about it, leaving themselves unwashed maybe wearing dirty clothes etc etc, and generally turning themselves into a spectacle to gain others sympathy and praise.

Hamster

I've been happy to fast when I want to, and how I want to. As in, with water. It feels good sometimes. I'm serious... it has some serious medical benefits. But I really wonder about the LDS thing about not drinking either. That sort of kills the whole benefit thing, I'd think.

Fasting is a thing that pre-dates Mormonism. They tacked on fast offering. It's a good way to reboot your digestive tract and give your body the no-food experience it used to get in the hunter gatherer days.

It's also a good way to make you weak both mentally and physically, and more open to manipulation and suggestion.

Fast Sunday was the slowest Sunday of the month, and they were all slow.

I didn't really have a problem with it because I'm to this day seldom hungry in the morning and we always had a big yummy dinner that night anyway. Mom was an excellent cook and our Sunday night meals were always something to look forward to. Oh those spare ribs oh my could go for some of them right now but all I have is leftover chicken casserole which is a mom recipe and pretty good too

I fast on a semi-regular basis - at least two or three times a month. Maybe a cup or two of green tea during the day to get me through work. I'm paleo, though not strict and definitely not fanatical. It's just something that's worked for me in terms of staying healthy and watching what I eat. There's plenty of scientifically backed evidence supporting occasional caloric restriction as healthy.

One of the few positive souvenirs I've kept from Mormonism.

It was not a thing we ever did. I had to do it only on my mission, where you couldn't get away with NOT fasting. But when I used the bathroom, I would drink from the tap in there. Fasting always caused my palate to hurt terribly, and it would take about 48 hours to go away, and I couldn't figure that out. It's a weird reaction. I always hated how everyone had extraordinarily bad breath during fasts.

cludgie Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I always hated how everyone had extraordinarily bad breath
> during fasts.

Maybe they should rename it "Bad Breath Sunday."

I member

Because of a chronic kidney condition, I was not ALLOWED, per my doctor, to get dehydrated. It was OK not to eat, if I chose, but under no circumstance was I to go without fluids.

I even got a letter from my doctor saying so, for the bishop, so I wouldn't get the stink-eye when I drank at the water fountain between Sacrament and classes.

One of the counselors in the bishopric told me, "You really could get past this, just once a month." Meaning, he didn't think that going without liquids just one day a month should be a big deal. I was shocked by his insensitivity. BTW, this man was NOT a medical professional.

I SO wish I had told him, "Dammit, YOU didn't watch your father die by degrees from this horrible disease! These are MY kidneys and I am pampering these little mothers just as much as I can!!!"

I don't miss that nonsense one bit.
I think that was about the time the "E" lit up on the EXIT sign for me.

I am afraid that fasting made me prideful and arrogant rather than humble and receptive to the spirit.

I was sort of like, "Ha! I laugh at hardship! I am a true warrior. I can function without food! These other whiny people in the congregation are weak! They have no courage and no honor!"

In hindsight, maybe fasting made me insane and delusional.

I had the same reaction when I fasted. It became purely an ego thing...all happening inside my own twisted mind...