Although they do it at different times and for different reasons, the faithful followers of many religious traditions participate in some kind of fast.
The Jewish fast day of Tisha B'Av, a day of mourning, began on the evening of July 15.
In Spokane, temperatures are above normal too. Weather.com reports that July's average high temperature is in the mid-80s, and already Spokane is in the mid-90s.
The annual 30-day fast known as Ramadan, one of Islam’s five pillars, began Tuesday (July 9) and requires that believers forgo food and drink. At this time of year, that means 15 hours of parched throats and unquenched thirst.
Since converting to Islam more than five years ago, Paul K. DeMelto of Cleveland has done all he could to become a more knowledgeable Muslim, attending a new converts class and hiring Arabic tutors to help him learn to read the Quran.
Following attacks on seven U.S. mosques in the last two weeks, including three attacks last weekend, many Muslim Americans are approaching the end of Ramadan on Sunday (Aug. 19) under a cloud of fear as Muslim groups try to increase security without spurring panic.
Our year of exploring Christian food practices hasn't unfolded exactly according to plan. Life circumstances have made it challenging but I'm back in the saddle this month with another immersion experience of faithful food practices.