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Encyclopedia entry: fasting
- Article from:
- The Oxford Companion to the Body
- Author:
Copyright© The Oxford Companion to the Body 2001, originally published by Oxford University Press 2001. (Hide copyright information)
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fasting
In fasting, individuals or whole communities abstain from food and drink, usually for a specific reason and a specific amount of time. Fasting differs from
dieting
or avoidance of certain foods, in that it implies complete abstinence from food, with only small modifications such as time limits or subsistence liquids. Documented in a wide array of cultures and throughout history, the motivations for fasting are many. Religious tenets have most commonly instigated fasts, but so have
rites of passage
, special occasions, political beliefs, and health ideals.
All of the major religions have called for some form of fasting. Though many factors motivate religious fasts, successful fasting ...
Related newspaper, magazine, and journal articles:
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Article: In Zimbabwe, fasting in the midst of food shortages: A ...
The Christian Science Monitor;
September 17, 2002 ;
700+ words
... ... atoned for their sins in observance of Yom Kippur. In Zimbabwe, in the midst of widespread ... would turn out for prayers on the eve of Yom Kippur. Families were assigned to specific ... Harris, flew over this year to lead Yom Kippur services. He came, he explains, to ...
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