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.

I think that most people who follow a faith feel that their relationship with God will be judged by Him and their observance of ritual is a private matter between Him and their conscience.

Well, as I said, my mother and her entire living family dating back to 1886, devout Catholics all, didn’t do this. These were Scottish Catholics of Irish descent.

Exactly - I had no idea that there were some people who did fast in daylight hours during this time, and having read other responses on the thread now, I see that my understanding is actually normal within UK history. What has interested me has been that historically many people gave up meat / fish / dairy as I’ve actually done that myself (in a more limited way), but only because I found that easier than giving up chocolate or alcohol! I think the idea of giving up Facebook for lent is a really good one. May try it with MN next year!

That’s what the majority of posters have been telling you throughout the thread .

@Wonderingwhyyy -back in Tudor times, the Lent fast did not involve no food or water from sunrise to sunset - it meant giving up certain foods - for example, meat. So you are right that, historically, Christians did fast in Lent, but not that the fast was as strict as you outline.

Fish was fine, and there was plenty of it on Henry VIII’s dinner table. And the Church redefined waterfowl, like ducks and geese, as fish, so Tudors could eat them in Lent.

I was brought up Christian, and I have never heard of such a strict fasting practice for Lent.

Interesting that words like strict and extreme are used for this type of fasting.

I was using those words to differentiate between what I understand to be Lenten fasting (giving up some things, usually treats/nicer stuff) versus the nil by mouth from sun up to sun down that you described in your OP, @Wonderingwhyyy. The latter is stricter or more extreme than the former.

But Christian fasting tends to mean giving up particular things e.g. Lent would mean no meat (except Sundays), no eggs, or any foods containing butter etc., and no sex.

Seems odd that it is called fasting. It is more avoiding some things while eating and drinking normally. A bit like veganuary.

Just accept that this is something you know little or nothing about, maybe.

Lent is a fast. That does not mean giving up eating or drinking for large parts of the day, except among the religious e.g. monks, nuns, priests etc. The Lent fast is a matter of discipline, of avoiding or doing without things which we normally have. Lent is not there to teach us what it means to be hungry but to discipline ourselves and prepare for the celebration of Easter. The discipline can include daily prayers, Bible reading and giving up of pleasures e.g. one could give up listening to music, or give up going to the cinema etc. Lent is not Ramadam, nor does it serve the same purpose.

That's because whole day fasting including nil by mouth sun up to sun down, is pretty extreme in a Christian sense.

I never thought Lent was Ramadan. I was interested because some Christians are fasting sunrise to sunset. Other posters have mentioned coming across Christians doing the same. The Christian I spoke to who fasts this way felt her relationship with God deepened much more and she had a stronger connection. She felt giving up the odd thing didn't make much difference.

Each to their own.

It clearly isn't for some Christians. The one I spoke to said giving up the odd thing is barely worth doing. Again each to their own.

Not really, the term fasting has had that meaning in the English language for many centuries. It seems odd that you'd decide it only applies to certain forms of fasting.

I'd hope that fasting for religious reasons would lose popularity as people see more sense.

One Christian, out of 27.5 million in the UK, over 2 billion globally.

Why are you so insistent that this one Christian is representative of “proper” Christianity? You were presumably on board with Lent in the UK up to speaking to her?

Are you a Christian? What’s your faith?

Quite. Along with not actually knowing what Lent entails for many Christians for many centuries, the OP also doesn’t know what “fast” means. I assume she does t know what “breakfast” means either.

Brought up in a very strict Catholic house and never heard of Lent fasting like this.

Well, it is isn’t it?

it’s also all a load of made up bollocks, with churches changing rules to suit themselves and keep bums on seats and hold on to money and power and a lot more people now recognise that the ever before.

Strict Irish Catholic background here for generations and I echo others who didn’t fast restrictively from sunrise to sunset. I have a very vague remembrance of one of the more pious nuns (and she had stiff competition) doing a restrictive fast for Lent and it being a rare event.
Lent was a time of giving something up and we did eat smaller, plainer foods.

Why? People have been fasting for thousands of years for religious reasons to become closer to God and to develop self discipline.

I wouldn't describe it as extreme. Other faiths have not changed the rules around their fasting and their numbers keep growing.

Which other faiths?

Islam. The OP is so obviously a Muslim sneering at the Christians for not being as devout as she is, because she’s measuring devotion with fasting.