Some Honest Thoughts Reflecting on The Day of Atonement

For a good part of my life, the time of the year that I dreaded the most would have begun tonight.

I would have spent the good part of the day pretty much eating my way out of house and home to prepare for the mandatory fast without food or without water. Because once the sunset had officially begun, that would be the last liquid and the last sustenance to enter my stomach for twenty-four long, arduous, and time-crawling hours.

For many of the first part of those years, I was very young - and as much as my folks tried to explain to me why we did what we were doing, I could not understand it. Quite literally, the only thing that went through my mind was the need for the relief of a parched tongue and food.

For those who were baptized members of the Church who understand the concept - which I completely disagree with now - I can see there could have been personal benefit on a physical level (everyone needs a good clean-out), and I can see their comprehension of it in accordance with their belief system. Yet what I could never understand was why children were expected to do so (and yes, they were expected to do so. That is not the point of this article, though.)

There was nothing spiritually gained as a child from taking part in something that honestly only the adults could understand the meaning of (according to the Church's understandings of it). The truth is, growing children should have been totally exempt from he practice - nearly every pediatric source I've read about fasting confirms this. Sustenance and energy is required for children to develop properly.

Here's my take. If a child cannot understand or be ready for baptism, a child can not understand or be admonished to participate in a fast only adults can understand. Again, lining this up only in comparison to the doctrines of the church that enforced this kind of thinking.

Many in the Churches of God will condemn me as one of those who has forsaken the Faith Once Delivered, disrespecting the importance of the Holy Days, forsaking the Master Plan, and headed for destruction for my rebelliousness. If they wish to condemn, I'm powerless to stop them.

But their condemnation is futile, and powerless to me. My security is not in their ill-conceived judgements. My salvation is not dependent on meat or drink. The Law is not the basis of my atonement with God. Jesus is - He is the atonement between man and God, and He's already taken care of it all. Eating or not eating on one day is not going to determine the stance on my salvation. No, it's not rebellion. It's understanding who and what Jesus did, not focusing on the physical, but completely on the spiritual - which is what's truly the important thing.

I do understand that scripture says if it's sin to one, it's then sin. So for those who do feel they have to do so, that's between them and God. I don't judge that. If it's of benefit to you, there you go, good on you. I'm not saying anything against that. Hopefully you'll be good and cleaned out and ready for that restaurant tomorrow night to break the fast at exactly sunset and prepare for the Feast. So don't take this as me condemning you for your choices, I'm not.

Personally for me, I'm glad I don't have to worry about it anymore. That headache, nausea, fatigue, tiredness, and achy body I don't miss. Not for one second. (and...shhhh....  honestly, between you and me.....  I couldn't do it anyway - I've got to eat with my medications.)