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8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fasting from a Christian prespective, December 8, 2008
I found this book to be a very good moral example which tells Christians of all the benefits of fasting. From a Muslim point of view, I found many things that Mr. Franklin says to be good advice. The author has had a lot of experience doing fasts and he says some things in the book that make me nod my head in approval. One of those things can be found in the chapter titled Dethroning King Stomach where he says that without the spiritual aspect of fasting and without prayer, "fasting is little more than dieting." I think that makes a lot of sense and it shows how fasting is not merely resisting food, but resisting temptation in general. When Muslims fast, they not only stay away from food, they do not have sex, they do not smoke, and they do not do anything which can be considered immoral.
He also said some things outside of subject of fasting such as when he said that people in America are so used to sin and immorality that when they see filth, they "giggle" instead of withdrawing or turning away. Americans have become desensitized to the sickness that pervades them through T.V., movies, and magazines that they no longer feel shame when their moral instincts tell them they should. He also talks about how being gay is now an alternative way of living and we ignore its averting procreation and producing sexual diseases among men. I commend the author for criticizing the gay lifestyle in these politically correct times we are living in.
With that said, there is something in this book that astounded me to the point that I almost fell off my chair in Barnes and Nobles. On page 64, he mentions Ramadan, the holy fast that Muslims undergo for thirty days every year. He says that Muslims "pray to their god, Allah "and they sacrifice and pray to a god "who isn't even alive; his bones are still in the grave."Those are his exact words and he ends the only paragraph where he mentions Islam in the whole book by saying it is the fastest growing religion in the United States with 1 in 4 people being a Muslim in the world. I have seen ignorance of Islam before but I have never seen it as such a level that Jentezen demonstrates. This is inexcusable considering the man is a pastor of a Church in Irvine, California, which is known to have a sizeable Muslim population. It is possible that he purposefully stated that Allah is dead and his bones are in a grave to insult Muslims or to ensure the superiority of Christianity over Islam (why the lowercase g in god), but I give him the benefit of the doubt and I do not think that he would stoop down to that level which is why I gave the book 4 stars.
I think the person he was referring to as the one in the grave is the Prophet Muhammad. Let me clarify that Muslims never worshiped and do not worship the Prophet Muhammad. They worship Allah, which is the Arabic name for God and the same name that Arab Christians use when they say God. It is the same Allah who is the God of Abraham and Moses who are mentioned in the Quran. Jesus is also in the Quran and his mother, Mary, has a whole chapter named after her which explains the virgin birth of the messiah who is considered among the greatest Prophets in Islam. It would have been nice if Jentezen had wrote at least one more paragraph to explain this to his readers in addition to explaining that fasting is one of the 5 pillars of Islam, but I guess he was too busy telling people that fasting is a Christian thing that only followers of Christ can do.
If you want to know about doing fasting the right way and for free, then I recommend you go to this site called ezsofttech(dot)com and type in fasting in the search bar and select number 5. You will read that fasting is "not just refraining from eating and drinking but carries the added significance of worship, psychological comfort, morality and legislation....the building of one's character, control over desires, and an inspiration towards social and scientific creativity." Also read the Quran at least once in your life to get an idea of what this religion is about.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Insightful, March 18, 2009
I agree with the previous reveiws. Excellent book of fasting and its powerful multi-faceted benefits. The book is clearly written with nice pacing making for an easy read while delivering a potent message. I ditto the comments from the earlier reviewer regarding the gross mis-characterization of Islam. As a Christian it gives me pang to read, hear, and see Christians in general and leaders specifically continue to make these errors. A remedial study into Islam and even the origins of Judiasm and Christianity would clarify this damaging confusion. It is no longer acceptable in today's information age to be well...un-informed.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
If you are looking to learn more about how to fast this is the book!, July 9, 2009
I had been looking for a book that what help me understand fasting better. This book beyond just an explanation but gave biblical and real life examples of the power of fasting. It was powerful to realize that even though Jesus was the son of God that he too fasted. This is a book worth buying if you are looking to learn more about fasting!
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