Re: This is what she said

Good post Mouseclick :),

i hadn't seen this until now and it's nice to have this additional information.

Olivia: "I assure you, I will NOT risk death. If at any time I feel my life is in danger, I will stop without hesitation."

Meaning that she didn't intend to go 80 days no matter what, but that she would respect what her body was telling her.

Olivia: "I am aware of the admonitions to keep fasting private, along with the consequence of losing rewards for not doing so. I am normally a very quiet and private person. However, I feel information like this, being made available to the public, could be both motivational to the Spiritual, and informational to the Scientific. I searched for specific knowledge on fasting, but found few details concerning fasts lasting longer than a week or so."

This resonates with me as well. I have always believed (as do seemingly most pastors i have heard on the matter) that Jesus' intention was not for us to keep a fast "unshared" necessarily, but rather that the motives for doing it not be to boast of "how wonderfully religious we are". Much in the same way of what Jesus taught on prayer. If he meant that praying publicly was bad, he wouldn't have done so in several instances. He meant for us to watch our motives and not to pray to "show off" how righteous we are.

I agree whole heartedly with Olivia that this kind of open display can serve to educate and encourage others towards this amazingly beneficial practice and that it is thus with noble and worthwhile intentions.
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