"Religious fasting is intended to put the body into a special state in order to facilitate access to transcendence," explains Heimerl. "It prepares people for intense communication with God and is therefore a kind of spiritual boost." While other religions also use hallucinogenic substances for this purpose, Christianity, Judaism and Islam reject this and rely on physical practices. This is not just about going without food for a limited period of time. "In the past, it was also common to go without sleep," reports the researcher. Today, there are also modern versions such as auto-fasting or digital detox. However, Heimerl only understands the term in connection with luxury foods. In Western tradition, many people give these up in spring. "This goes back to Easter and the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert," explains Heimerl. Advent was also a period of abstinence in the past. "That has been forgotten today," says the religious scholar.
Conscious abstinence
Ramadan does not always fall in spring, but follows a lunar calendar. Muslims do not eat anything during the day. In Christianity, meat and dairy products are traditionally omitted. Heimerl emphasises: "Religious abstinence means conscious renunciation, not unhealthy starvation. It is never about eating less." Because fasting to death is also considered suicide and is a sin in Christianity. "Some movements promote dangerous practices, such as so-called light nutrition. This has nothing to do with true spirituality," emphasises the theologian.
Fasting is about a specific experience, adds religious scholar Heimerl. "It is a tradition that goes back thousands of years and opens the consciousness to contact with God." It should always be a positive experience – for the soul and the body.