religion

[Enver Pa�a]

do also the jews and christians fast?

[archbishop]

Well Christians should fast during "Lent".

 

[2nd row]

    being a CHRISTIAN  old aged pensioner.... yes! ... every  saturday and sunday !   'til  i can get my money from the post office on the monday !!!!

[Slainte]

Catholics (and I assume most Christians) are supposed to fast for Lent - the 40 days before Easter.  This is mindful of the time Jesus spent 40 days and nights in the desert with Satan trying to tempt him.  Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day) was traditionally the day that people would have a feast to use up all their food for the fast that would begin on Ash Wednesday.

I don't know anybody that does actually fast anymore, but the Catholic church encourages you to give up something meaningful during this time.  As a child, this always meant Chocolate, especially as we would be getting lots of Easter Eggs at the end of it!  Also Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are Holy Days of Obligation, which means avoiding meat on those days.

[Cetti]

I don't know any  Christian that  fasts for Lent - 40 days is an awful long time to go without food and what purpose does it serve except to overtax the Health Service with all those limp bodies?

The church I went to as a child everyone was almost ordered to give up sweets chocolate or something enjoyable - this is legalism and has nothing to do with the Bible.

[Ouisch]

Catholics in the old days were supposed to give up meat on Fridays, and completely for Lent.  Not a "fast" per se, but a "sacrifice."  Catholics technically are not supposed to eat before receiving Holy Communion, so that's a temporary fast on Sunday mornings.

 

My former boss is Jewish, and his wife (who is more religious than he) fasts during the first day of Rosh Hashanah.