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Editor's note: Each week, the Record Searchlight will pose a question to the religious leaders of our community. We will print the responses as space allows and post the remainder on Redding.com. We invite all faith leaders in the north state to participate and share their beliefs with our readers. Those who would like to participate are asked to contact news assistant Jessica Skropanic at jskropanic@redding.com or call 225-8265.

Q. Does your religion or faith practice fasting? When and why?

•Judaism has a number of fast days on the calendar. The best known and most widely observed fast is on Yom Kippur. It is a sunset to sunset fast that requires an individual to neither eat nor drink. Children under the age of 13 and those who are advised by physicians to eat are exempt. The purpose of the fast is to engage in self denial and moderate discomfort. Yom Kippur day focuses on atonement for transgressions, and physical discomfort and refraining from ordinary concerns helps in the process.

Other fast days in Judaism are in reaction to historical events such as the destruction of the ancient Temple in Jerusalem. The purpose of this fast is to heighten the sense of sadness.

Fasting is also common by couples on the day of their wedding until after the wedding ceremony. The purpose of the wedding day fast is to increase anticipation and the heightened emotion of the day.

Rabbi Matt Friedman

Temple Beth Israel, Redding

• Do I, (we) practice fasting? I must confess, no.

Of course this confession is not an admission of disobedience. (I'm sure that I'm plenty disobedient in other areas.) I can't find anywhere in my Bible where fasting would be a requirement.

Fasting, as I understand it, was and still would be an act of humbling ourselves before God who is our provider. What I read about fasting is that it usually accompanies prayer. I don't mean the day to day prayer, but the intense, get in the face of God kind of prayer that He encourages us to do. Many of the Psalms will begin with a humble but firm request to "Hear my prayer…."

Also, fasting is not something that is to be made obvious to others. In Matthew 6:16-18, Jesus himself instructs followers, "But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen …" Jesus was quite clear in his displeasure with the legalistic pharisees of the day and their insistence to be noticed for what they were doing in the name of God.

One last thing. Fasting is not a requirement or condition of my salvation. There is nothing that I can do to be saved other than accept what Christ did on the cross and turn from my old sinful ways to a life of serving Jesus.

Jim White

Follower of Jesus Christ

• Buddhists do practice fasting. And since my fellow contributors will no doubt discuss the benefits of fasting, I'd like to address the flip side of fasting, which is mindful eating or, more broadly speaking, mindful consumption.

Mindful eating can have many components. When we eat mindfully, we are in the present moment, fully experiencing and enjoying our food. We often gulp down our meals without being fully present for the experience, the beautiful arrangement of the food on the plate, the wonderful aroma, the initial burst of taste on our taste buds that fades as we continue to chew.

Eating is an opportunity to acknowledge our interconnection with everything else in the world. To practice appreciation for everything that supports our existence, we might say a short grace: "This meal is the labor of many beings; let us remember their toil."

When we eat mindfully, we can also practice deep looking to examine if the food we consume has been raised in a cruelty-free and sustainable manner that does not harm the environment.

Finally, it's interesting to note that the Buddha achieved enlightenment only after breaking a regimen of fasting that lasted many years. After consuming a nourishing meal offered to him in kindness and compassion, the Buddha proceeded to meditate continuously until he achieved enlightenment. This also established the principle of the Middle Way between extremes; in this case, the extremes of mortification (fasting) and sensual indulgence (overeating).

We may fast occasionally. We can eat mindfully at every meal.

Chris Carrigan

Buddhist, Redding

• We Catholics do not fast nearly as much as we used to. In the olden days, all the weekdays and Saturdays of Lent were days of fast. And all Fridays yearround were days of abstinence from meat. Today we are only mandated to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday and to abstain just on Ash Wednesday and the Fridays of Lent. However, many people still follow the old discipline voluntarily out of respect for the tradition of fasting and abstinence. Fasting gives us some sense of self-denial — and it always seems that the temptation to feast comes up just as we know we are going to fast! It also puts us in solidarity with the plight of many around the world who suffer from hunger daily.

However, many because of physical infirmities cannot fast. So we also have many other opportunities to fast from attitudes such as: consumerism, waste, self-­indulgence, violent and prurient entertainment, gambling, and uncharitable thoughts and words. Instead, we can feast on peace-making, conservation, prayer, meditation, simplicity of life, and enhancing social and family relations with others. Fasting can sometimes be only about self; but extending one's efforts to serve others and be in communion with others takes much more — it's about all of us in this divine soup together.

Deacon Mike Evans

Sacred Heart Church, Anderson

•Fasting in the traditional sense is not a part of Unity's tradition: Rather, we focus on the underlying spiritual intention of fasting which is to bring us closer to God. We view the Easter Lenten season as a time for spiritual growth and transformation — a time to release all that no longer serves us in order to merge our minds with God-Mind. In Unity we fast from negative thinking — which is the main way we separate ourselves from the Divine. Each spring, we encourage a "40-day mind fast" where we abstain from negative thoughts and words and meditate on spiritual Truth,

We teach about the power of denials and affirmations as a wonderful support for fasting from negativity. Everyone is encouraged to take time for prayer and inner reflection and to look at what is and is not working in their lives. The spiritual work is to deny the power of our error thinking about ourselves and our world. One of my favorite denials is simply "This is not so — I release this and let it go back into the sea of nothingness from which it came." We can then make positive statements of affirmation about God's healing presence working in and through all things for the highest good. With all that is going on in our world right now — I invite all of us to fast from negative thinking and affirm the Spirit of God is present and active and guiding us through these times to our highest good.

Rev. Sandra Soley Keep

Unity in Redding

• The answer is NO, although many members of our tradition do fast. I feel funny giving a one-word answer as a response to this fine newspaper. If I look at the question from another point of view, I can offer a more elaborate response.

We practice "slowing" whenever possible. Multitasking suggests the possibility of getting more done and often does more to disconnect the doer from the depth and beauty of mindful doing. Whenever possible we encourage our spiritual family to slow down, engage, savor and, if appropriate, taste the moment. Most of us eat too fast and live on a self-inflicted timeline. We don't want our life to end, but we seem to be in a rush to get it over with. Maybe a spiritual practice in preparation for fasting could be slow and mindful eating.

Fasting as a spiritual practice can lead to a deepening spiritual awareness. In order to fully grasp the idea and value of fasting it may be helpful to have a rich grasp of what is being given up. After a cleansing fast I was amazed to find how little food I require for good health and how often my food is a fix instead of fuel for the body.

Too many Americans are slowly dying or are experiencing compromised health from starvation. Fasting may offer its greatest lessons to the well and overfed.

Rev. Bob Luckin, Redding

Spiritual Enrichment Center

• Fasting as a spiritual discipline is an integral component of Christian spirituality. The context may be private or communal. The intention of the fast is always toward a deeper awareness of one's connection with life, with others and with the divine. When you fast, you sit in solidarity with all in need; poverty and hunger become real to you. It is very common for youth groups in the United Church of Christ to have weekend fasting retreats, which focus on issues of world hunger.

Last year Rev. David Duncombe, a United Church of Christ minister from Washington state, held a 40-day fast on Capitol Hill. His goal was to secure a hearing on the Jubilee Act in the House of Representatives and introduction of the bill in the Senate. In his words: "Most people who work on Capitol Hill never meet a starving person. It is an uncomfortable experience to hear your name spoken by someone who is wasting away. In some small way, I am doing what I can to put a living face on global poverty and starvation and represent millions of faceless, voiceless and powerless people, about 50,000 of whom die each day." His fast was focused on raising others' awareness, not just his own. During the 40 day fast, up to 20,000 people of faith and conscience around the country fasted for one or more days and wrote to their members of Congress on symbolic empty paper plates, which Rev. Duncombe delivered.

Rev. Ann Muir

Pilgrim Congregational UCC

• Fasting is good for health but has no religious merit in the Sikh religion. Sikhism does not regard fasting as meritorious. God has given us the human body — the temple of the soul — which has to be nourished and cared for. Fasting as an austerity, as a ritual, as a mortification of the body by means of willful hunger is forbidden in Sikhism. Guru Nanak says: "Penance, fasting, austerity and alms-giving are inferior to ‘The Truth'; right action is superior to all."

According to Guru Nanak, true fasting is the renunciation of the fruit of one's actions.

Fasting for reasons of health is understandable when done on medical advice. Sikhism encourages temperance and moderation in matters of food. Neither starve nor overeat — this is the golden mean. Men who want to engage in meditation should only eat simple and nourishing food. Healthy food but in small quantities (Alap Ahar), just to keep body and soul together and to prevent sleep and sloth, this is recommended for the devotee. On the other hand, gluttony is not only socially bad, but also morally reprehensible.

The golden rule about fasting is: Fast only when you must, in the interest of your health. Sikhism accepts and respects the authenticity of every other religion/culture/faith of the world.

Amarjit Singh

The Sikh Centre, Anderson

• Fasting is part of the tradition for Christians. The scriptures contain references to it as an aid in the spiritual toughening of warriors in the Old Testament, such as when the army of King Saul was placed under orders to refrain from eating until a military victory had been won. In the New Testament Jesus says that certain types of healings and deliverance can only come about through sustained prayer and (in some translations) fasting, such as in Mark 9:29. Other than that, Jesus makes scant reference to it except to say that the time for fasting would come after His death and before His glorious return.

But the practice has always been part of a pattern of self denial intended to bring believers closer to God not because of something inherent in fasting, but because of something inherent in putting Him ahead of physical comfort. Fasting was — and is — very prevalent in monastic circles and during seasons such as Lent, when Christians keep vigil for one reason or another. It has never been — in Christian circles — understood as a path to vision or enlightenment, but simply as a way to release believers from worldly or fleshy distractions for a season so that they can concentrate on prayer.

In modern times the understanding of fasting has greatly expanded to include avoidance of some kinds of behavior, like recreational activities or otherwise unhealthy practices such as smoking. In the body of Christ fasting is generally known as good but voluntary thing.

James Wilson

PrayNorthState

• Fasting is an ancient practice in the Christian tradition. It is a spiritual discipline of self-­denial, which can help cleanse the soul and deepen one's connection to God. Jesus affirmed the spiritual power available in this practice when he said that there are certain issues, problems and illnesses that can only be dealt with through prayer and fasting.

For Christians, the most common time for fasting would be during Lent, the 40 days leading up to Easter. A typical pattern might be to fast one day per week during that time. (Be sure to drink plenty of water on those days, however, to avoid dehydration.) Many, many years ago I thought perhaps the reason for fasting was to remind us of Jesus' suffering for us, but my spiritual director assured me that my missing a couple of meals really did not compare. She was right, of course.

One of the real, practical reasons for fasting is to simply leave more time for prayer, with the time freed up from meal preparation, eating, cleaning up after, and any travel involved in the process. More prayer is always a good thing. What to pray for in that time? Give praise for health and strength, wisdom and healing. Ask for guidance, and to grow in kindness, love and hope. Ask God's help to seek justice, to live with integrity, to live simply, to be generous and helpful to others.

How much more wonderful this world will be when we all pause to fast and pray in such a manner, no matter what our religious tradition may be.

Rev. Martin Murdock

First United Methodist Church of Redding

• Before he achieved enlightenment, the Buddha spent six years as an ascetic and believed that by abandoning the attachments to worldly affairs he could obtain peace. He fasted regularly and was quite literally skin and bones. He discovered, though, that extreme measures such as fasting and living as a recluse did not bring happiness and did not improve the lives of others.

The Buddha taught that eating the right amounts and type of food in a mindful and grateful manner was necessary to satisfy the mind and body. He always advocated a middle way: neither obsessive self-denial nor excessive consumption.

The Zen Buddhist master, Dogen (1200-1253), stressed the importance of mindful eating as a way of demonstrating gratitude for the plants and animals who gave up their existence for us. All Buddhists, regardless of the tradition, understand the middle path to be very beneficial for themselves and all sentient beings.

For a Buddhist, fasting is not required nor given any great spiritual meaning. However, if one wishes to live simply and eat a minimum amount of food in respect for those who have nothing than that is fine. If one becomes attached to certain types of food then they feel unhappy when they can't get it. The middle-path approach is to eat mindfully, take care of your body, and share what you can.

Dennis Kessinger

Buddhist of the Soto Zen Tradition, Redding

Next week's question: How do you define the term spirituality?