-laughs- I am a Christian, but I dont do lent. Surprise! :)
We do a fast, though, on the first sunday of each month, although it isnt required (like many things in my faith). Normally it amounts to not eating 2 meals, and then the money that you would normally spend on those two meals gets donated as "fast offering", the bulk of which is the church's welfare fund, among other humanitarian aid.
Of course, a fast is, well, just that - going without food (which for some of us isnt a bad plan in itself). To make it meaningful, we use it as a re-focus. A lot of praying usually goes into it, and many believe they get closer to Heavenly Father because they ignore the physical needs of your body, and submit your physical body to the will of your spirit.
Also, in Sacrament Meetings on fast sunday, instead of the normal "asking people to give talks" thing that usually happens, people voluntarily get up and give their own testimonies, i.e. a precis of the things that they rely on for their faith. On a lighter note, I paraphrase a line in "Mormonism for Dummies" regarding fast and testimony meeting: "If someone seems to be a bit wonky when giving their testimony, remember they havent eaten for a couple of meals."
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rosecarmine
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Date: 2006-03-03 06:55 pm (UTC)We do a fast, though, on the first sunday of each month, although it isnt required (like many things in my faith). Normally it amounts to not eating 2 meals, and then the money that you would normally spend on those two meals gets donated as "fast offering", the bulk of which is the church's welfare fund, among other humanitarian aid.
Of course, a fast is, well, just that - going without food (which for some of us isnt a bad plan in itself). To make it meaningful, we use it as a re-focus. A lot of praying usually goes into it, and many believe they get closer to Heavenly Father because they ignore the physical needs of your body, and submit your physical body to the will of your spirit.
Also, in Sacrament Meetings on fast sunday, instead of the normal "asking people to give talks" thing that usually happens, people voluntarily get up and give their own testimonies, i.e. a precis of the things that they rely on for their faith. On a lighter note, I paraphrase a line in "Mormonism for Dummies" regarding fast and testimony meeting: "If someone seems to be a bit wonky when giving their testimony, remember they havent eaten for a couple of meals."