You Might Also Like: How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
The Sarah Fraser Show
Sarah Fraser
3.8 • 1.5K Ratings
🗓️ 12 April 2025
⏱️ 33 minutes
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Summary
Introducing Fasting for the Soul from How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality.
Follow the show: How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
Many would agree there are few things better than sharing a delicious meal with the people you love, which is one reason why breaking bread together is a cornerstone of religions the world over. But so too is the opposite - going without food. From Ramadan to Yom Kippur to Lent, fasting is an important ritual in many faiths. But why do so many religions periodically take away the very thing that nourishes our bodies and souls?
On this episode we'll talk with Khalil-Abdur Rashid about the role fasting plays in Islam, and why not eating and drinking is actually the easy part. And we'll talk to Adam Cohen about some new research that suggests even one day of fasting could help deepen religious commitment and overall well being.
Imam Dr. Khalil Abdur-Rashid is the first full-time University Muslim Chaplain at Harvard University, Instructor of Muslim Studies at Harvard Divinity School, and Public Policy Lecturer at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
Adam Cohen is a Professor of Psychology at Arizona State University. Learn more about his research here.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Have you noticed anything about your neighborhood church? |
| 0:04.3 | Maybe it's boarded up, converted to some other use, or just abandoned. |
| 0:10.0 | I'm Mateo Schimpth, host of the final service. |
| 0:13.0 | It's a new podcast series that answers a really big question in four parts. |
| 0:18.0 | What does a community lose when a church closes its doors for good? |
| 0:22.1 | And how will the ones that survive manage to keep them open? |
| 0:26.1 | The final service drops April 10th, wherever you listen to podcasts. |
| 0:30.4 | Food is our lifeblood. |
| 0:32.3 | We can't go long without it. |
| 0:34.6 | But for most people, it's more than just a fuel. It keeps us alive, but it also helps |
| 0:41.1 | us live. Think about some of your favorite memories, a family celebration, first date, |
| 0:48.1 | memorable trip. I bet food was a part of it. A good meal helps us connect with other people. And that's a reason why |
| 0:57.0 | breaking bread together is a cornerstone of many religions. But so is its opposite. Going without food. |
| 1:05.4 | Across the world, fasting plays a role in personal growth in many faiths, which, as someone who gets hungry if I haven't had lunch by noon, |
| 1:14.5 | made me wonder, why? |
| 1:17.4 | Why do so many religions periodically take away the very thing |
| 1:20.8 | that nourishes our bodies and souls? |
| 1:27.1 | On this episode, we'll talk with a mom and Harvard chaplain Dr. Khalil Abduhrashid |
| 1:33.3 | about the role fasting plays in Islam. |
| 1:36.3 | And why not eating and drinking, that's actually the easy part. |
| 1:40.3 | The challenge of Ramadan is not avoiding the food and drink and beverage. |
| 1:45.1 | It's the unavoidability of the self that you're faced with. |
... |
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