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Mormonism: Fasting
Monday, April 15, 2019My son is in the military, and one of his platoon mates is a Mormon. My son was told by this young man that he was fasting. When my son asked him why he was fasting, the other soldier said the Bible says to fast every first Sunday of the month. He said it is a sin not to fast. What verse is he using? Is this a verse out of the Mormon Bible? Is it a sin not to fast? When is an appropriate time to fast?
Sincerely,
MREs For Me
Dear MREs For Me,
Your son’s platoon mate is referring to a verse in a Mormon book called ‘Doctrine and Covenants’ (D&C), specifically D&C 59:12-13. D&C is one of the Mormon religion’s major holy books and is most definitely NOT part of God’s Word. God condemns any book other than the Bible. Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, said that he was a prophet that was guided by the angel Moroni. It is ironic that the apostle Paul says that even if an angel says something different than what is in the Bible, they are to be condemned (Gal 1:8).
Fasting is a Biblical practice, but there are no specific guidelines for when to do it. Fasting is the practice of not eating for a designated period of time. Jesus once fasted for forty days (Matt 4:2). Fasting is often associated with times of grief and difficult decisions (Joel 2:12). Jesus’ disciples were noted for not fasting as often as the rest of the Jewish community (Matt 9:14). There is a time for fasting, but it is purely up to personal discretion. SB