to wonder why Lent fasting has become so diluted?

[Wonderingwhyyy]

I was talking to a Christian who told me she fasts the traditional way in Lent. No food or water from sunrise to sunset. She was the first I had met who actually abstains from food and drink for a significant period of time.

Other Christians I know choose to give up one food e.g. chocolate, wine, tea, coffee. One Christian told me she gave up Facebook for Lent.

The Christian who said she fasted the traditional way told me she gained many benefits such as spiritual closeness to God, self discipline, greater self control.

It did make sense. Giving up Facebook doesn't seem likely to bring many benefits although may it did for that one person.

I wonder why it became diluted and whether Christianity has lost its followers by allowing most things it did not used to.

It became diluted because the churches need bums on seats. There are very few Catholics, according to the scriptures. Let's face it, even our heads of the COE (the royals) make a mockery out of the religious teachings.

I was brought up Anglican, Most religious people I know, Anglican, Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, and Plymouth Brethren etc, don't fast for Lent, and it just isn't the done thing. Never has been in my 60+ years. In fact I've never heard of anyone doing it.

Perhaps some of the super-devout fundamentalist denominations fast, but it is certainly not usual.

Making it diluted also makes it easier to achieve and increases likelihood that they will do it again next year.

Because dehydration isn't next to godliness?

But generally its because religion isn't a major feature in people lives now.

My mum's family are very religious and I had no idea that was a thing for Lent - to me, you've just described Ramadan. To be honest I find the average Christian picks and chooses the bits they like so maybe that's why it disappeared.

I was bought up Catholic and no one I know has ever fasted in the way you describe. You didn't eat meat on Ash Wednesday or on Fridays during Lent, but that was it.

The only thing I do know is that churches tend not to have floral displays during Lent.

I’ve never heard of fasting for Lent, and my family was quite devout. Abstaining from meat and sweet dessert was as far as it went.

I’m Catholic, from a Catholic background - I have never known fasting done like this. In fact “fasting” in Catholism, meant 2 small meals and a snack. I was joking with a Muslim friend of mine about it.

Eh sorry I've been a catholic for the last 50 years and neither my generation or my parents or grandparents ever fasted in that way for lent, we just gave up something like sweets or coffee or whatever treat we enjoyed for the period of lent, or sometimes catholics would try and go to mass every day over lent, but fast for 12 hours no that just isn't or wasn't a thing, where did you get that idea op, are you sure your not confusing us with Muslims fasting at Ramadan?

Christians have never fasted for Lent, that’s Muslims (for Ramadan)

You and your friend have made up the idea that this is the "traditional" way of fasting for Lent. It's as though neither of you has understood the principle, and just want to judge other people. Maybe you could give up being judgey for Lent?

I know more people doing Ramadan than Lent

That sounds like Ramadan. Tradition Lent fasting involved no meat on certain days and no butter, eggs, sex, marriage ceremonies or similar. Noone outside of a monastery would actually fast completely during daylight hours.

I didn’t know this and some of my extended family are strict Roman Catholics, mass every Sunday, prayers before meals, etc. I’ve never known anyone do anything for Lent apart from avoid sweets or meat. According to Wikipedia fasting stopped in most denominations in the 6th century, so that’s possibly why I’d never heard of it!

I fasted for Ramadan for several years because ExH did it, and it does make you think about your life and what you’re doing but I was never properly a Muslim so probably missed the point!

The Catholic rule for Lent was "one small meal and two collations" per day, and no meat on Ash Wednesday or Good Friday. A collation is a light snack BTW.

We were given the ashes on Ash Wednesday from the fire grate by my late father, who thought getting up an hour early to get to the church before school was a waste of time. We then had the ashes on our forehead so Sr. Mary Cecilia couldn't berate us! We didn't turn into heathens.

Nowadays some kids give up sweets and chocolate for Lent, but (as a non practicing Catholic), I don't know of anyone who does the daily fast.

A Christian told me this is the way she observes lent. She was not Muslim and not talking about Ramadan. I haven't confused the two. She said there are still groups of Christians in the UK who fast the traditional way. She laughed when I told her a Christian I know gave up Facebook.

Mainstream Christians never, as far as I am aware, since the very early days of Christianity, fasted for Lent as observant Muslims do for Ramadan. Where did you get the idea they did? It’s hardly surprising that customs have changed since the 5th c BC.

I grew up in a devout Catholic household in a devoutly Catholic culture, and while fasting for Lent was common, it meant abstaining from treat foods, apart from ‘Black Fasts” on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday (one meatless meal, two collations).

That’s not a traditional fast. Abstaining from meat and sweet foods is.

Many that fast will not make it known as scripture says it should be a personal thing between them and God.

She sounds like a bit of a tool. I wouldn’t regard her version of Christianity as in any way doctrinaire.

They have fasted for Lent if you look into historically. It has been diluted. That is my point. There are Christians in the UK fasting the traditional way but it is not the majority. They want to fast properly not just give up one or two food items.

I think it's a variety of things, people overall are less serious about religion being a major one would be a huge reason in the UK. There are a lot of tepid Christians in the CofE.

There is also a lot of variety depending on the tradition. Some of the Protestant groups like Baptists for example, saw fasting as a negative observance, so they stopped doing it, so there are large sections of Christianity with no fasting tradition. Most don't have a liturgical calendar either so no Lent as such. Where you see it remained is Catholicism, Anglicanism, maybe Lutheranism and some related offshoots, and the Orthodox.

The Orthodox Church are serious about fasting according to the calendar and the rules are pretty clearly set out unless there is a reason someone can't fast like infirmity, there is a real sense of everyone in the congregation being in on it together.

Sometimes people will fast for smaller things because they can't do a full fast, or change the traditional rules - it used to be that no eggs were allowed but you could have fish - people often reverse that now because the economics are so different.

As far as things like FB - Lent disapline isn't just fasting. It also includes abstention, almsgiving and prayer, and withdrawal from certain things like parties, luxuries, etc, in order to have time and money for these things. So giving up social media really fits right into it. Traditionally people gave up sex, too. (Abstention means eating but not certain foods, and traditionally Catholics did this on Friday. The Orthodox continue that tradition more often, usually Friday and Wednesday.)

I think if someone claims to follow a faith it's not unreasonable to think they will participate in the rituals of that faith, no