Does fasting actually have health benefits?

[Minimalist]

It most certainly does.  Especially in muslim countries.  If you fast they won't bash your head in with rocks.

Doctors have determined that having rocks thrown at your head is very bad for your health.

[Godscreated]

I've noticed that fasting fast change to a way of losing weight, fasting is a bad idea for losing weight, it can be very harmful to the body. Water is essential in fasting, most churches will instruct those who fast to take water ever so many hours and sometimes a little fruit juice with no pulp. I've never heard of a church condoning an extended fast, usually they suggest a day or two and not outside of four.
Fasting in Christianity has nothing to do with weight loss, it would be ridiculous for one to even believe this is a part of fasting. Though fasting does deal with the body, it is a spiritual activity that includes much prayer and Bible study so one can grow closer to God. The fast is a representation of denying one's self a physical need and concentrate on the spiritual growth with God. The greater the commitment to grow through pray and Bible study helps one to ignore the strong urges of self preservation, fasting is considered a cleansing act before God, it is a representation of commitment, it was never intended to be a harmful act that God called one to. Yes, fasting is a personal calling from God, it's not to be a church sanctioned activity, that would take all the personal need out of what God wants to teach us. I personally have never been called to fast, but if I knew God was calling me to fast I would and knowing me and my love of food I would eat like a mad man after the fast.   But seriously, I would be very much in contemplation of the results of the prayer and Bible teachings that happened during a fast, while I stuffed my face with good Mexican food.    Hope this clears things up a bit about Christian fasting.

GC

[robvalue]

This kind of crap is a blatant attempt to make a stupid and dangerous act look reasonable by inventing rationalisations.

[ReptilianPeon]

I should add that the best argument I've seen in favour of fasting is that you're showing solidarity with those who are starving. Still, that doesn't mean you should stop drinking water like the Muhammadans do. I find it hard to accept that a deity would want you to harm yourself and I don't understand how it brings one "closer to a deity". Is that something that can be quantified?

[robvalue]

The very fact that people are starving would give me pause as to the nature of our "caretaker".

[The Grand Nudger]

Sunrise to sunset without falafel...and that's solidarity with the starving?  Man, religion buys respect cheap, don't it? Nitwits stuff their faces to bursting before sunrise and after sunset, let's not forget.  It's gorging season.

[paulpablo]

This is something many religionists love to yell about yet they only ever utter statements and don't provide any evidence (as is usual for religious claims). I'm sure there have been studies on fasting, but I can't imagine going for an entire day without drinking or eating is healthy. I'm sure a lot of people could cut down on the food intake, but it seems counter productive to dehydrate yourself. I've heard that drinking water often makes you feel less hungry.

If I remember rightly, if you starve yourself you will then be reaching for unhealthy foods when you finally decide to start eating again. That's why you have to be so careful when going on a diets because many diets are actually bad for you. If there have been any studies on fasting, I wonder if the Saudis or some other nefarious entity had a hand in their creation.

There's obviously some cases when it definitely is harmful, I listened to an audiobook called freakonomics which was talking about why it's better to be born at different times in different parts of the world.  And it said women giving birth in a muslim part of the world at a certain time kept giving birth to deaf babies and it was because they were fasting during pregnancy. 

I think these days Muslims have added extra precautions to the quran as usual.  Like the other verses where they add things in brackets next to them to make them look more reasonable, beat your wife (only lightly) everyone who disbelieves the quran will burn repeatedly (if they read and fully understand the quran) make sure you fast during Ramadan (only if you really feel like you can do)

The quran itself actually only excuses travelling or ill people from fasting and doesn't mention pregnancy.  Any excuse for a pregnant woman to not fast was created by Muslims after the quran from what I can tell.

[ReptilianPeon]

Can you imagine a baby being forced to fast? As far as I'm aware there is no lower or upper age limit on fasting listed in the Quran. And I imagine there must be some very silly people out there who refuse to consume their prescribed medication because they believe it will invalidate their fast.

I was listening to Abdur Raheem Green talk about Ramadan the other day and in the question and answer portion of his presentation he was telling listener about how his eight year old daughter can fast for Ramadan and that basically you should be ashamed of yourself if you're an adult and want to use Meccan times for Ramadan to make it easier for yourself. But he subsequently twisted the Quran himself anyway when talking about places with 24 hours of sunlight and saying you then shouldn't use local sunrise and sunset. Double standards I think.

[Godscreated]

I should add that the best argument I've seen in favour of fasting is that you're showing solidarity with those who are starving. Still, that doesn't mean you should stop drinking water like the Muhammadans do. I find it hard to accept that a deity would want you to harm yourself and I don't understand how it brings one "closer to a deity". Is that something that can be quantified?

If you had bothered to read my above post you would've seen were I stated that God doesn't call us to harm ourselves, the fast is not for everyone, and Christians do drink water and or pulpless fruit juice during a fast. We are directed not to go into an extended fast. The fast for Christians is a representation of our willingness to forgo solid food while in deep study and prayer with God. Only those who are called by God to fast should, otherwise one is doing something God had no intention of with that person at that time. Remember this, God does not ask us to hurt ourselves in our spiritual relationship with Him. If there are still those who do not want to believe this is Christian doctrine then fine, you have no idea what you're talking about anyway. Our way of fasting doesn't bring harm to us, we are not a cult, cults do harmful thing to others and themselves, so this approach to fasting is just one proof Christianity isn't a cult. Though I do imagine there are a few churches that might call their members to fast in a dangerous way, but this is a direct denial of the way our relationship with God is to work.

GC

[ReptilianPeon]

I had no idea some Christians fasted. I know one may give up something for lent but I would not call that fasting. I guess Christianity is Western Europe is very watered down compared to other parts of the world.

That aside, my post was mainly speaking in terms of Ramadan. How people try to rationalize dehydrating themselves. I could not understand why people, on the longest day of the year, would want to deprive themselves of hydration. If you don't drink enough water your skin will become unhealthy and spotty and then that got me thinking. There is this trope that Muhammadan women tend to become more modest during Ramadan, at least according to Abdur Raheem Green. And might wear the Hijab during Ramadan only and I thought this might be because the dehydration is causing them to become spottier than a dalmatian and they are ashamed of that but don't want to admit it.