Fasting

Purpose: to experience what it might be like to fast as is done in various religions

Summary of activities: (you may choose to do any or all of these)

• Do a bit of research to learn what fasting entails in Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Baha'i and other religions.
• Compile a list of basic guidelines (do's and don'ts) for each religion regarding their rules for fasting: who fasts, when, how, what to avoid, why they fast, etc. You may create a comparison chart with your findings, present it using PowerPoint, or simply write it up as a more standard report. Be sure to include your resources along with your research findings. Reflect on what you have learned: compare and contrast fasting methods in different faiths, what common themes did you discover?
• Complete this quiz on fasting in various religious traditions. Submit via e-mail (see directions below) or print results. You may preview the questions and look for the answers as you do your research, then return to take the quiz once your research is completed.
• Select one method of fasting and try to follow it as directed by the guidelines for that kind of fast/religion. Will you fast for a full 24 hour period? Or will you choose to fast just during daylight hours but for a full month (OK, you can try it just for a week), what other methods might there be to choose from?
• At the end of your fast, reflect on the experience: How difficult was it to maintain your fast? Where did you fall short? Were you able to maintain it the entire time frame? If not, why not? Why do you think fasting is done within a religious context? What spiritual value might it have? Draw some general conclusions based on what you have learned about what various religions have to say about fasting as well as your own experience.

Sources:

• Here are some results from Google to get you started
• How to Fast (the "why fast" page explains fasting as a sacred practice in various religions)

A comparison chart:

Submit 

1. Research findings (chart, report, etc.), including "works cited"

2. Reflections on what you learned and on your own fasting experience

3. Completed quiz 
   For distance learners, submit via e-mail or in your course site: save the Web page results using the "save as" feature in your browser. Use the dropdown menu to change the file type to .mht format ("web archive, single file). Give the file a new name, including your own last name (e.g.: SMITHfastingquiz). Verify that your saved file maintains your responses and the indication if these were right or wrong. If this process does not seem to work: highlight the quiz results on the Webpage, copy and paste this into an MSWord file. Verify that your responses and the indication if these were right or wrong are included. Add your name to the top of the page and save the file. Attach your saved file to an e-mail you send to me or submit directly to your course site along with the other parts of the project.