Capital, representing the application of labor, is a sacrifice of the present for the sake of the future, as seen in the development of food hoarding and savings for survival and security. [1] Jesus did not teach fasting and other forms of self-denial. [2] Sowing seeds of self-denial reaps subsequent harvests of augmented happiness in the kingdom of heaven within their own hearts. [3] Self-control, not extreme self-denial, is the key to balanced living and true freedom. [4] Self-mastery, not self-denial, is the path to spiritual development and true freedom. [5]
Renunciation of physical pleasures, including sexual ones, was a common practice in many ancient religions and has been carried on to modern theological systems through fasting rituals. [6]
Man's first self-denial, food saving, became the foundation of society's agelong struggle for balance in a world overwhelmed by excessive desires and luxury. [7] Self-denial was seen as a powerful tool for coercing spirits, particularly in sexual suppression practices. [8]
Men sought approval of their gods by practicing self-denial through vows of self-torture and fasting, believing that pleasing the ghosts with discomfort would earn them extra credits on the self-denial ledgers of their gods. [9]