Not What They Think It Means

Normally an article like this one wouldn't rise to my attention here on Augoeides. It's just another conservative group protesting same-sex marriage, which has become pretty run-of-the-mill and increasingly ineffective these days. Perhaps in an effort to step it up, the group has called for a 40-day fast as part of the protest, which sounds pretty hardcore. At least, until you get to this part:

Only the “fasting” part of Fasting and Repentance for Marriage, won’t be as dramatic as one would think. In a follow-up, the group added that they “are asking the entire Body of Christ to join us for this feast – giving up physical food isn’t necessary – but feeding on the spiritual food provided is vital.”

Emphasis added. In other words, you don’t have to really fast, just kind of think of yourself as fasting. You know, go through the motions. It’s official: Family Foundation found the laziest form of protesting possible – protest by imagination.

So what they're calling a "fast" is actually a bunch of people pretending that they're fasting? Because the word "fast" does mean to give up food in some fashion. Some traditions with more nuance than Family Foundation's version of Christianity don't give up fasting entirely, but impose limitations during extended fasts such as giving up food during daylight hours. The point is they do something that rises to the level of physical action.

It's profoundly confusing to me how threatening these groups seem to find same-sex marriage for other people. I get that they disapprove on religious grounds, but nobody is telling them who they can and can't marry. Furthermore, the constitutional separation of church and state protects any church from the sort of government intrusion that they imagine might force them to perform same-sex weddings.

So it seems to me that if Family Foundation wants to hold an imaginary fast they can, but everyone involved would probably be better off if they just minded their own business.