Fasting in solidarity

Originally posted by FMF
Why do you think Christ thought - and demonstrated that - fasting had spiritual value but Christ's followers don't seek to emulate him?

Then the disciples of John *came to Him, asking, “Why do we and the
Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them,
“The attendants of the bridegroom cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom
is with them, can they? But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken
away from them, and then they will fast.
(Matthew 9:14-15)

“Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they
neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are
fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you
fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that your fasting will not be
noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees
what is done in secret will reward you.
(Matthew 6:16-18)

Originally posted by RJHinds
Then the disciples of John *came to Him, asking, “Why do we and the
Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them,
“The attendants of the bridegroom cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom
is with them, can they? But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken
away from them, and then they will fast.
(Matthew 9:14-15)

“W ...[text shortened]... in secret; and your Father who sees
what is done in secret will reward you.
(Matthew 6:16-18)

All well and good. So why don't Christ's followers fast? Or are you suggesting that Christ's followers do fast but do so in secret?

Originally posted by FMF
Why do you think Christ thought - and demonstrated that - fasting had spiritual value but Christ's followers don't seek to emulate him?

To respond to both your previous posts here:

I don't know why more Christian's don't fast but I do know it's clearly spiritual, which I why I wouldn't fast with someone who believed in a different god.

Originally posted by FMF
All well and good. So why don't Christ's followers fast? Or are you suggesting that Christ's followers do fast but do so in secret?

This is very possible. Those who I know who do fast don't talk about it much until afterwards; perhaps there are others who don't talk about it at all.

Originally posted by divegeester
...I wouldn't fast with someone who believed in a different god.

You seriously believe that Christians have a "different God" from Muslims and that they are not simply two different Earthly traditions approaching the same God in differing cultural or historical contexts?

Originally posted by FMF
You seriously believe that Christians have a "different God" from Muslims and that they are not simply two different Earthly traditions approaching the same God in differing cultural or historical contexts?

They do not worship the God of Abraham, Issaac, and Jacob that is
told of in the Holy Bible. They have created another god for themself.
Their god, they say, has no son and there god's prophet is Mohammed.
Their god's name is Allah. The name of God in the Holy Bible is Yah.

"The Sacred Mosque", is a large mosque in the city of Mecca, and the
largest in Islam. All Muslims turn towards it each day in prayer because
it is considered by Muslims to be the holiest place on Earth. The Jews
and the Christians consider the temple mount in Jerusalem the most
holy place on earth.

Originally posted by FMF
You seriously believe that Christians have a "different God" from Muslims and that they are not simply two different Earthly traditions approaching the same God in differing cultural or historical contexts?

Yes seriously. Why so incredulous?

Originally posted by divegeester
Yes seriously. Why so incredulous?

It's the very mind set that turned me into a post-Christian. So I suppose the incredulity is somewhat of an affectation. Whatever floats your theological boats. 🙂

Originally posted by RJHinds
They do not worship the God of Abraham, Issaac, and Jacob that is
told of in the Holy Bible. They have created another god for themself.
Their god, they say, has no son and there god's prophet is Mohammed.
Their god's name is Allah. The name of God in the Holy Bible is Yah.

I believe you are completely sincere in these beliefs and assertions.

Originally posted by RJHinds
"The Sacred Mosque", is a large mosque in the city of Mecca, and the
largest in Islam. All Muslims turn towards it each day in prayer because
it is considered by Muslims to be the holiest place on Earth. The Jews
and the Christians consider the temple mount in Jerusalem the most
holy place on earth.

You honestly think monotheism can be dismantled and turned into polytheism by books and buildings?

Do you support Manchester United or Manchester City? Some people tell me that only one of them plays real soccer and that to say the other represents Manchester is a travesty. Different stadiums. Established in different years. They are completely different.

Originally posted by FMF
You honestly think monotheism can be dismantled and turned into polytheism by books and buildings?

Do you support Manchester United or Manchester City? Some people tell me that only one of them plays real soccer and that to say the other represents Manchester is a travesty. Different stadiums. Established in different years. They are completely different.

Believe as you wish.

Originally posted by FMF
Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset for a month here! And yes I remember Lent and Sunday mornings from when I was a kid. But it strikes me as a rather insipid emulation!

My Muslim friends do the same thing here. Generally I would agree that it's not as demanding as Ramadan, but I guess it depends on the person, or the parish's degree of emphasis. It was a pretty big deal in ours. I only experienced it as a child. I see on one website that Muslim children don't fast as you describe. We were supposed to use Lent as an opportunity to break a bad habit. I don't know what my parents did. Anyway, it started with Ash Wednesday and went 40 days.

Originally posted by FMF
It's the very mind set that turned me into a post-Christian. So I suppose the incredulity is somewhat of an affectation. Whatever floats your theological boats. 🙂

I think it likely that every theist worships his or her own deity. That is, if you were to compare every single belief of two theists about their deity -- its degree of benevolence, what it has in store for them depending on their worthiness, etc. etc, I think you would find differences. It is true that a religion is marked by general agreement on certain essentials, but who is to say how many other beliefs are held and what they are?

Originally posted by FMF
You honestly think monotheism can be dismantled and turned into polytheism by books and buildings?

Do you support Manchester United or Manchester City? Some people tell me that only one of them plays real soccer and that to say the other represents Manchester is a travesty. Different stadiums. Established in different years. They are completely different.

No, I do not support Manchester United or Manchester City. I live in the
United States of America. We have a different kind of football and I am a
a fan of the Dallas Cowboys.

Originally posted by FMF
You honestly think monotheism can be dismantled and turned into polytheism by books and buildings?

Do you support Manchester United or Manchester City? Some people tell me that only one of them plays real soccer and that to say the other represents Manchester is a travesty. Different stadiums. Established in different years. They are completely different.

The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. Our fathers
worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place
where men ought to worship.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, an hour
is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the
Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for
salvation is from the Jews. But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true
worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the
Father seeks to be His worshipers.
(John 4:19-23)