Looking for God: an Ongoing Tale - Facing fasting obstacles is tough
“I brought a friend with me today,” Tamara begins. “Since it is Ramadan, a month of fasting for Muslims, I thought you might like to meet a Muslim friend of mine. Aadil, meet Mitch, the Christian chaplain I told you about. He's the one who has been meeting me here for lunch once a week.”
Mitch extends his hand. “Pleased to meet you Aadil. But isn't a restaurant a tough place to be when you are fasting?”
“It's a little difficult, I admit. But in the evening, after sundown, I will be allowed to eat, so I will be ok. Besides, it's an honour to fast during Ramadan.”
“If I remember correctly, Ramadan is the month during which the angel Gabriel is said to have come from heaven, met Mohammed, and gave him the Islamic holy book, the Quran, right?” Mitch always wanted to make sure he understood the topic being discussed.
Tamara interrupts: “What I'm wondering about is, don't Christians ever fast? I mean, I hear about so many Muslims fasting every year at about this time. It does seem like a very good thing to do. It does seem very religious, very devout, something you could admire somebody for doing.”
“Well, in the Christian way of looking at things, fasts are an option, and many Christians don't really fast,” Mitch explained. “As with Islam, fasting in Christianity is considered a way of showing your devotion to God. You put aside your personal need for food — and in the case of Islam, sex and other things too — and focus on God, on trusting him. It is just that with Christians, it is an option that not everyone is required to take.”
“An option?” Aadil asks.
“That's about the best way I can put it. Some Christians in some places and some times have found it very helpful. And others have found it less so. There is no hard and fast requirement about fasting such as you find in Islam.”
“If you will forgive me for saying so,” Aadil says, “I sometimes find that you Christians are not very devout, not very religious. How would you respond to that?”
“It's a bit difficult because some Christians are indeed, as far as I can tell, in need of sprucing up their lives, the way they talk and behave.”
“Yes, we have some Muslims like that too.”
“What I really want to say in response to your question, though, goes back to the teachings of Jesus. In a way, you could say that he got rid of religion.”
“I don't get what you mean.”
“Neither do I,” says Tamara. “I thought Jesus was the founder of the Christian religion.”
“Let me explain it this way,” Mitch says, taking a deep breath. “Jesus was active in what is called the early first century in what we call Israel, in Jerusalem and the surrounding region. The Jewish people of that time and place were very much focused on the keeping of Jewish religious law as a kind of means to cultivating their relationship with God. At the same time, their devotion to the temple in Jerusalem knew no bounds. The religious leaders of the time adored the place and made it the centre of their religion.”
“Jesus, himself a Jew, looked at things differently. He claimed that the true Jewish faith was much more about the heart and caring for our neighbour than it was about keeping traditional laws and venerating a temple. He claimed that real worship could take place anywhere and that it was not bound to places such as temples or other official meeting places. And, to get back to fasting, he generally did not put much stock by it. His immediate followers were sometimes attacked for not fasting.”
Aadil thinks for a moment. “Then, according to you, Jesus was not a particularly religious person.”
“I think you are on to something very important about Jesus and about Christianity. I hope we can talk again sometime. I'm afraid I have to move along this afternoon. It was great to meet you today. All the best with Ramadan!”
To be continued.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
Mitch extends his hand. “Pleased to meet you Aadil. But isn't a restaurant a tough place to be when you are fasting?”
“It's a little difficult, I admit. But in the evening, after sundown, I will be allowed to eat, so I will be ok. Besides, it's an honour to fast during Ramadan.”
“If I remember correctly, Ramadan is the month during which the angel Gabriel is said to have come from heaven, met Mohammed, and gave him the Islamic holy book, the Quran, right?” Mitch always wanted to make sure he understood the topic being discussed.
Tamara interrupts: “What I'm wondering about is, don't Christians ever fast? I mean, I hear about so many Muslims fasting every year at about this time. It does seem like a very good thing to do. It does seem very religious, very devout, something you could admire somebody for doing.”
“Well, in the Christian way of looking at things, fasts are an option, and many Christians don't really fast,” Mitch explained. “As with Islam, fasting in Christianity is considered a way of showing your devotion to God. You put aside your personal need for food — and in the case of Islam, sex and other things too — and focus on God, on trusting him. It is just that with Christians, it is an option that not everyone is required to take.”
“An option?” Aadil asks.
“That's about the best way I can put it. Some Christians in some places and some times have found it very helpful. And others have found it less so. There is no hard and fast requirement about fasting such as you find in Islam.”
“If you will forgive me for saying so,” Aadil says, “I sometimes find that you Christians are not very devout, not very religious. How would you respond to that?”
“It's a bit difficult because some Christians are indeed, as far as I can tell, in need of sprucing up their lives, the way they talk and behave.”
“Yes, we have some Muslims like that too.”
“What I really want to say in response to your question, though, goes back to the teachings of Jesus. In a way, you could say that he got rid of religion.”
“I don't get what you mean.”
“Neither do I,” says Tamara. “I thought Jesus was the founder of the Christian religion.”
“Let me explain it this way,” Mitch says, taking a deep breath. “Jesus was active in what is called the early first century in what we call Israel, in Jerusalem and the surrounding region. The Jewish people of that time and place were very much focused on the keeping of Jewish religious law as a kind of means to cultivating their relationship with God. At the same time, their devotion to the temple in Jerusalem knew no bounds. The religious leaders of the time adored the place and made it the centre of their religion.”
“Jesus, himself a Jew, looked at things differently. He claimed that the true Jewish faith was much more about the heart and caring for our neighbour than it was about keeping traditional laws and venerating a temple. He claimed that real worship could take place anywhere and that it was not bound to places such as temples or other official meeting places. And, to get back to fasting, he generally did not put much stock by it. His immediate followers were sometimes attacked for not fasting.”
Aadil thinks for a moment. “Then, according to you, Jesus was not a particularly religious person.”
“I think you are on to something very important about Jesus and about Christianity. I hope we can talk again sometime. I'm afraid I have to move along this afternoon. It was great to meet you today. All the best with Ramadan!”
To be continued.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
