Viewing 40 posts - 81 through 120 (of 146 total)
  • Ramadan Fasting
  • crikey
    Free Member

    …and I just seed that Rachel, eatin’ a cheesey tater and bacon pie…

    teamhurtmore
    Free Member

    Re the OP – its a good question. A few years ago, I was in a car driving from Dehli to Agra to see the Taj Mahal (tip, go by train its much less stressful). Long and tiring journey on dangerous and busy roads. On the way back, I was increasingly concerned about the Muslim driver (although I was not conscious of his religion at the start). He was starting to fall asleep at the wheel. I asked him to pull over and take a break and I offered to buy him a meal. He declined, explaining that it was light and Ramadan. After a quick discussion, we agreed to wait til dusk – he got his meal, and we got a less stressful journey!

    ernie_lynch
    Free Member

    I really thought all religion was dead.

    Why do people post nonsense ?

    wobbliscott
    Free Member

    I’m not sure its nonsense. There does seem to have been a resurgence in the popularity of religion since I was a kid in the ’80’s, though I would’t describe it as being dead. Not sure why this is – I’ve read somewhere that due to our ‘survival of the fittest’ style of capitalist economy where people succeed and thrive at other peoples expense (i’m no socialist by the way), that the general feeling amongst most people is one of unhappiness and pessimism so they turn to religion. I have no idea if that is true, but there has definitely been an increase in popularity in all religions over the last 20yrs or so – unfortunately.

    crikey
    Free Member

    I seed that ernie lynch eatin’ the heart of a guardian reader once, and it was still beatin’.

    ernie_lynch
    Free Member

    I’m not sure its nonsense.

    Of course it’s nonsense. When the poster made the comment “I really thought all religion was dead” he knew full well that he didn’t believe that.

    He would have been fully aware throughout his life that churches and mosques existed, that the Queen is the head of the Church of England, that Northern Ireland had some religious issues, that bishops sat in the House of Lords, etc, etc.

    At no time did he think that all religion was dead.

    binners
    Full Member

    A sausage is a vegetable, right?

    crikey
    Free Member

    It is if you eat 5 a day.

    cheekyboy
    Free Member

    I’m not sure its nonsense. There does seem to have been a resurgence in the popularity of religion since I was a kid in the ’80’s, though I would’t describe it as being dead. Not sure why this is – I’ve read somewhere that due to our ‘survival of the fittest’ style of capitalist economy where people succeed and thrive at other peoples expense (i’m no socialist by the way), that the general feeling amongst most people is one of unhappiness and pessimism so they turn to religion. I have no idea if that is true, but there has definitely been an increase in popularity in all religions over the last 20yrs or so – unfortunately

    Fantastic !

    Drac
    Full Member

    All that post needed on the end was the old. FACT

    Cougar
    Full Member

    there has definitely been an increase in popularity in all religions over the last 20yrs or so

    Has there?

    Last I looked, in the UK Christianity was on the decline, Islam was on the rise, and Atheism was also on the rise. Projecting, the dominant ‘religious’ demographic in this country is going to be Atheism (rah) with Islam bringing up a distant second. I’ve not looked at figures for a while though so this might have changed.

    Maybe globally that holds true, but in the UK I doubt it.

    Cougar
    Full Member

    Sorry, I’ve just realised that last post is hypocritical. Fasting, then?

    5thElefant
    Free Member

    Of course it’s nonsense. When the poster made the comment “I really thought all religion was dead” he knew full well that he didn’t believe that.

    Nope. That appeared to be the case. Other than a vague awareness that some old people might go to church (none I knew) religion appeared to have come to an end.

    You may have grown up somewhere or sometime different. The throwbacks I subsequently encountered had to come from somewhere.

    ernie_lynch
    Free Member

    So you managed to go to university but you didn’t notice any churches or people wearing dog collars or the hijab, or listen to the news, etc. You “really thought all religion was dead”. Yeah OK.

    binners
    Full Member

    Can we please get back to the main point here. Now we know that sausages count as one of your 5 a day, does this include sausage rolls? Just asking because Greggs do packs of 5, and this could solve mine, and a lot of other people’s nutritional lifestyle choices

    konabunny
    Free Member

    Re read it. It appears to have been written by a Muslim, possibly in the US. Who needs to write it before it becomes non-presumptive?

    Ya, thanks, I clocked it was written in the voice of a Muslim. It’s not who that writes it that makes it twaddle, it’s what they write.

    Maybe you should drop your bigoted prejudices and concentrate on what is written instead of who says it.

    PJM1974
    Free Member

    My boss is a Muslim so he’s observing Ramadan.

    Aside from this he loves beer – the Qur’an takes a dim view of people being intoxicated but according to who you talk to, says very little about the odd tipple.

    I’m fine with this…Islam is a faith that’s changing and growing. It’s not as if Christianity has avoided controversy, is it?

    Cougar
    Full Member

    Islam is a faith that’s changing and growing.

    Is it? News to me, but that’s good if so. My perception of Islam is that it was one of the most set-in-the-ways religions out there. I’d be happy to see that that wasn’t the case.

    crikey
    Free Member

    I seen that hora, eatin’ a French Fancy in that Didsbury once.

    enfht
    Free Member

    Growing yes, changing no.

    binners
    Full Member

    So… These sausage rolls? I’ve got them sat in front of me and I’ve not eaten for 18 hours

    crikey
    Free Member

    …and because religions of all flavours are social constructs, bound in time, they cannot possibly ‘change’ without abandoning the original ‘sacred’ texts upon which they are founded. They are then condemned to attempting ever more theological high jumps in order to cope with an ever changing world.

    I seed that Pope once, eatin’ a lasagne….

    ernie_lynch
    Free Member

    Of course religions change over time. It is precisely because changes have happened that schism occur.

    crikey
    Free Member

    they cannot possibly ‘change’ without abandoning the original ‘sacred’ texts upon which they are founded.

    I seed that ernie, but he couldn’t read very well…

    enfht
    Free Member

    Islam ain’t just a religion though is it. And the spoken word ain’t open to interpretation in quite the same way as e.g. the bible is. Not sure why folk lump everything into one tidy category.

    spw3
    Full Member

    Errm, no I really think it is.

    Northwind
    Full Member

    crikey – Member

    …and because religions of all flavours are social constructs, bound in time, they cannot possibly ‘change’ without abandoning the original ‘sacred’ texts upon which they are founded.

    I give you the New Testament.

    Islam in some ways is quite a flexible religion. It had to be, when you think about it in product terms- it was launched into a pretty saturated market, so unlike christianity it’s (supposed to be) relatively tolerant of other religions. (christians, jews and zoroastrians are all specifically identified as being bros not infidos) And the quran doesn’t claim to be a complete or all-encompassing work, it’s supposed to be the word of god as handed down to the prophet with relevance to a certain place and time- so you have the hadith first of all as ways of expanding on/clarifying/filling in the gaps. And then there’s another thing which I forget what it’s called, which is essentially “best practice”- things which islam has solidly incorporated since. And then you have ongoing patches. So lots of room for divergence, argument and new stuff.

    But, the trouble is, humans on top of a pile tend to act in a way that keeps them on top- whether that’s resisting change or implementing it for self interest reasons. And there’s the DRM aspect of religion, which basically means that being closed in and extreme polarises your followers and strengthens your identity, so leaders often lurch towards the hardline- it’s easier to lead a mob than a flock.

    konabunny
    Free Member

    it’s easier to lead a mob than a flock.

    No way, man – sheep are far more co-operative than kangaroos.

    RustySpanner
    Full Member

    Islam & Christianity have both been through several bouts of bouncing between enlightenment & repression.

    The problem is, they’re on different cycles. 🙂

    teamhurtmore
    Free Member

    Ernie, I guess those who believe that religion is dead will relish the sight of the Pope visiting Rio’s favelas next week and being totally ignored! Imagine an old book dressed in white being completely and utterly ignored by all those around him. At least it will make the logistics of the trip nice and simple. It might as well be any of us taking a stroll.

    binners
    Full Member

    Islam ain’t just a religion though is it.

    Is it a ‘lifestyle’? 😉

    gonzy
    Free Member

    wading in going ‘your religion is shameful and not welcome’ isn’t particularly constructive. It doesn’t progress the discussion, it derails it. Hence my polite request to knock it off. I can do that formally if you’d prefer? (-:

    cougar – its for that reason that i suggested the islamophobia…as the fact that he’s calling a religion shameful without any real foundation and moving the context of the conversation away from original discussion…it could have been seen as islamophobic…i may be wrong about him…and i hope i am…if i accused him accused him of being islamophobic then that is not what i intended but to merely suggest that his comments may be viewed as such…so i apologise for that

    gonzy, do you properly gorge yourself in the evenings?
    I wouldn’t go to bed. Just get some fried chickan and eat and eat and eat. It’s beyond me, I’m rubbish if I have to skip breakfast!

    i try not to but the temptation is always there…the meal to end the fast usually consists of dates, water, and a variety of other foods such as kebabs, samosas, pakoras etc…the other night we had home made burgers…so there is no hard rule on what you should or shouldnt eat…but i’ll tell you this….water never tasted so good as it does after a days fasting…again makes me appreciate what we as a society take for granted whereas there are people out there who dont even have access to clean drinking water….

    in the past we’ve tended to overcook and have a table full of various food….you end up doing this cos you’re hungry and want to eat everything….but the reality is that after a few bits you feel stuffed and a fair bit of food goes to waste…therefore i try not to gorge myself…

    usually during ramadan its quite easy to lose a bit of weight but during short nights its hard to do because you eat at around 9.30pm and can continue to do so until around 2.45am…in between that you need to get some sleep and going to sleep after a heavy meal usually means you gain weight….so i tend to be careful about what i eat. the meal at 2.45am usually is pasta based or something that consists of slow release carbs that can keep me going throughout the day…i’ve even been getting through a fair bit of fruit too so i’ve been hitting my 5 a day…..to keep Binners happy i even had a couple of chicken sausages last night…

    gonzy
    Free Member

    I give you the New Testament.

    Islam in some ways is quite a flexible religion. It had to be, when you think about it in product terms- it was launched into a pretty saturated market, so unlike christianity it’s (supposed to be) relatively tolerant of other religions. (christians, jews and zoroastrians are all specifically identified as being bros not infidos) And the quran doesn’t claim to be a complete or all-encompassing work, it’s supposed to be the word of god as handed down to the prophet with relevance to a certain place and time- so you have the hadith first of all as ways of expanding on/clarifying/filling in the gaps. And then there’s another thing which I forget what it’s called, which is essentially “best practice”- things which islam has solidly incorporated since. And then you have ongoing patches. So lots of room for divergence, argument and new stuff.

    northwind – the first part of that is pretty much spot on…you’ll also find that the vast majority of the Quran contains more about all the other prophets (jesus, moses, abraham etc) and there is virtually no reference to mohammed at all…
    the quran is the word of god handed down to mohammed by the angel gabriel and this was done over a 23 year period…the quran in its original text cannot be fully translated and is seen as a set of guidelines on all aspects of human life…it can therefore be adapted into any context and have these guidelines applied logically…but obviously you get those who distort it for their own gains
    the hadiths are actually statement and recorded actions of the prophet mohammed…so basically about what he did during his lifetime and how he applied the teachings of islam onto the society he lived in…the problem is that most of these were written 2.. to 3.. years after his death and were as a result of stories passed through generations although there is a great deal of accuracy in the majority as they can be verified with other records of the time…it is widely believed that ther is a still sizeable proportion of the hadiths which are inaccurate or have been fabricated…
    the hadiths are usually referred to as a terms of reference to go alongside the teachings of the quran in order to contextualize the quran…but they alongside the sharia should always be seen as secondary to the quran

    binners
    Full Member

    gonzy – good call on the sausages. Its one of your 5 a day remember

    Do you find that your fasting alters your behavior with what activities you undertake? I know we’ve spoken about work, But the obvious one I’m thinking about is biking.

    I’m just asking as I did a big ride last Friday evening. Purely because I fancied getting out. It was roasting hot, and I emptied a 2.5 litre camelbak before I got home. So the idea of doing something that strenuous without that liquid, before you even get to whole food thing (as you’ve probably gathered – I don’t slack on that front) would be inconceivable.

    But I suppose it would be logical that if you’re meant to be sacrificing something (which I personally think is something we could probably all do with from time to time), then your biking and suchlike would be considered a sacrifice too. Is that the correct gist?

    wrecker
    Free Member

    in the past we’ve tended to overcook and have a table full of various food….you end up doing this cos you’re hungry and want to eat everything….but the reality is that after a few bits you feel stuffed and a fair bit of food goes to waste

    Where might that be, and at what time? 😀
    Gots Bhajis? I ****ing LOVE Bhajis.

    gonzy
    Free Member

    Binners – i only managed 2 sausages…sorry i have failed you!! 😉

    regarding biking while fasting….any sport can be done within reason…obviously with biking there is a need for fluid intake especially in this heat…but usually if i’m going to be riding during Ramadan i try to plan it more carefully so i will think more about what i eat in the days leading up to the ride…so i try to do all the carbo loading and eat as much slow release energy foods as possible and try to get as much fluid in before i start fasting..when i’m on the bike as i have no water to drink i still have to be careful about my performance as i cant go at it 100% so i may ride at say 50% so that way i’m not overexerting myself…does that make sense?
    when i was younger i was a lot fitter so i would easily function as normal…i remember when i was about 15, during Ramadan i had a school football match on a Saturday morning…this was then followed up by a game for a Saturday league side i played for…the days fast ended quite late so after all of this a couple of my mates decided we’d have another game of football in the early evening against a rival group of lads….this was a usual occurrence and i never felt any worse at the end of it and my performance during it never changed because it was Ramadan…but could i do something like that today….no effing way!!…my body isn’t what it was back then and my mindset is a bit different (back then i had a bleep test score of 14.7…now i would struggle to get to 10 without dying at least twice)

    with regards to the sacrifice bit…i think nowadays i have to sacrifice a lot more as a bike ride during Ramadan, although it can be done, would leave me taking longer to recover from…this would have a knock on effect elsewhere such as at work so i have to think about that so where i may have gone out every couple of days in the past, during Ramadan i would maybe decide to ride once a week or once a fortnight..so in effect the riding isn’t sacrificed per say but more compromised…

    i’ve got karate tonight…i’ll be going but again i’ll just have to take it a bit easy and not give it the full beans…otherwise i’ll be shattered tomorrow…but like i said…we try to lead as normal a daily routine as possible during Ramadan…makes the food more fulfilling at the end of the day

    Northwind
    Full Member

    gonzy – Member

    it is widely believed that ther is a still sizeable proportion of the hadiths which are inaccurate or have been fabricated…

    Yep, tbh it’d be uncanny if they weren’t. I heard it from a man who heard it from a man who heard it from the son of a companion… We know how well that works today.

    What’s the other thing, sunna? Observations rather than teachings…

    gonzy
    Free Member

    wrecker – i’ve been told we’re having pasta tonight which a good thing as i’ll need all the energy i can get after tonight’s karate session… 😆

    i know some mosques and muslim communities usually use ramadan to reach out to the wider community…they do this by organising an iftar event which is open to people of all religions…it allows them to interact with muslims who are fasting so they may learn about the concept behind ramadan and at the end of the session, when its time for the fast to be ended…the big feed is put on for all the guests..

    wrecker
    Free Member

    Pasta? Pah. Nothing fuels like spicy, deep fried goodness.

    the big feed is put on for all the guests..

    Is it free? They gots Bhajis?

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