Ellen G. White on the importance of diet in your spiritual life:
“Those who have received instruction regarding the evils of the use of flesh foods, tea and coffee, and rich and unhealthful food preparations, and who are determined to make a covenant with God by sacrifice, will not continue to indulge their appetite for food that they know to be unhealthful. God demands that the appetites be cleansed, and that self-denial be practiced in regard to those things which are not good. This is a work that will have to be done before His people can stand before Him a perfected people.” (Testimonies for the Church, Volume Nine, page 153, paragraph 4.)
“Greater reforms should be seen among the people who claim to be looking for the soon appearing of Christ. Health reform is to do among our people a work which it has not yet done. There are those who ought to be awake to the danger of meat eating, who are still eating the flesh of animals, thus endangering the physical, mental, and spiritual health. Many who are now only half converted on the question of meat eating will go from God’s people to walk no more with them.” (Counsels on Diet and Foods, page 382, paragraph 1.)
“We have seen the poor wrecks of humanity come to our sanitariums to be cured of the liquor habit. We have seen those who have ruined their health by wrong habits of diet, and by the use of flesh meats. This is why we need to lift up the voice like a trumpet, and show ‘My people their transgressions, and the house of Jacob their sins.'” (The Medical Evangelist, 01-01-1910, paragraph 16.)
What the Bible Says:
Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer. 1 Timothy 4:1-5
As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. Rom 14:1-4
To begin, I have no quarrel with anyone who wishes to be a vegan or vegetarian just because this is their preference. As the verse above states, each to their own. This is a discussion explaining why I personally don’t believe this lifestyle is ordained by God as taught by the SDA denomination. The scriptures above give us clear instruction to not ever make food an issue between believers. I cannot find any scriptural foundation for teaching your choice of diet and level of health will affect your ability to be holy. The Seventh-day Adventist church, from its very origins, has made this a monumental issue. Ellen White presented this as a vital part of process of sanctification, without which your very soul could be in danger. I heard more than once as an Adventist that the health message was the “right arm of the gospel” and this avenue is often used to gain proselytes, using health seminars as a way to get their foot in the front door of people’s acceptance.
We left the SDA church several years ago, but long after we left I was still absolutely convinced a vegan diet was the most healthy, even if I wasn’t following the regimen. I had constant guilt and fear that I was damaging my health by eating animal products. A few years after we left the church we were introduced to the Hallelujah Diet which we tried for several months. We tried for a second time to follow a vegan diet, but this time it called for 80% raw food. We soon discovered what many people find on this diet. We were hungry!! We were in a constant war with our bodies which were screaming for more substantial meals. I found an article by a former teacher of this diet who did the math on the calorie intake and concluded it was far below a normal person’s nutritional needs, and deficient in some important areas. The same research shows that cheating is a common way to cope with such a diet, and we certainly did our share of that! Read the full article here
“58% of the Hallelujah vegetarians ate animal products, and that food cravings appear to be quite severe on the diet suggest that cheating is being driven by the deficient nature of the diet.”
–Greg Westbrook, former Hallelujah Diet Health Minister
Soon after this failed attempt, I began to notice passages in Scripture which contradicted my indoctrination about food. I also noted that except for a chapter in Leviticus, diet and health are not an issue at all in the rest of the Bible. Here are a few examples that prompted me to re-evaluate my convictions.
God gave Noah everything that moves as food. Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. Genesis 9:1 I know some people think everything doesn’t mean everything, but Jews who have had the scriptures longer than anyone have always understood it to mean exactly that. Nowhere does God imply this is a temporary situation until the crops were grown, as demonstrated by the relationship of Israel to meat.
God commanded the Israelites to eat meat. “However, you may slaughter and eat meat within any of your towns, as much as you desire, according to the blessing of the LORD your God that he has given you. The unclean and the clean may eat of it, as of the gazelle and as of the deer. Deuteronomy 12:15 Here God is actually calling meat a blessing. Why would God put his chosen people in this kind of a relationship with a food source that creates all manner of chronic disease? In fact, He promised them health, wealth and prosperity for their obedience to the covenant He made with them.
The promised land was called “The land of milk and honey”. Milk, a delicacy used describe the most desirable land God promised His people, now gets bad press as well. I guess God didn’t get the memo about how milk was only made for baby cows or goats. Maybe we should rephrase it to “I will give you the land of milk and honey, but since they both come from animals I know you will be satisfied to use soy milk and stevia instead.” Instead of being thankful for this very versatile food source we can culture and preserve many different ways, we now think can do better with processed substitutes from soy and rice.
Jesus called an egg a good gift . If eggs were unhealthy, would Jesus refer to it as a good gift for your child? Do you know an egg yolk is one of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet? What an amazing, easily-sustainable, quickly- reproducing food source!! An egg is a good gift indeed, from our heavenly Father!
Jesus ate animal foods! The first thing to notice about Jesus and food is how the gospels are very uninterested in what Jesus ate. In the few examples we do have, food is mentioned merely in passing unless it involves a miracle. At the Last Supper, actually a Passover meal, I am fairly sure he would have eaten of the Passover lamb that symbolized his own impending death. He ate fish. He not only ate it, but he cooked some for breakfast for His disciples after His resurrection. He multiplied it thousands of times over when feeding the 5000. He came “eating and drinking” as opposed to John the Baptist who lived on locusts and honey. (Now that’s a Biblical diet I have not heard anyone try to promote!).
With these examples and others I began to see a very different picture. I realized I’d accepted all I had been told about nutrition as fact without question, and considered it “God’s way”. When I just let the Bible speak, I really did begin to see it God’s way.
***Common Arguments of Religious Vegetarians.
Some try to assert that because Adam and Eve were given only plant life for food, this diet must be ideal and God always intended for humans to eat this way. The above examples already refute this stance, but I also believe Eden enjoyed a completely different ecology than we have today. After the flood everything changed; climate, lifespan, the size of most creatures decreased, etc.. etc.. It doesn’t make sense to conclude we need to go back to a diet of a completely different environment we don’t live in anymore. When God gave them plant life for food, death had not entered the picture yet, so a vegetarian diet makes complete sense.
I remember being taught the Israelites were sick in the wilderness from eating quail. This also does not make sense when examined logically. God allowed for them to eat these types of birds under the Law of Moses, so how could this be seen as the cause of their illness? Their plague came from gluttony and grumbling against God for what He had initially provided. Meat is not the offender in this story.
We often heard of Daniel and his friends, probably my favorite food story as a vegetarian! We believed Daniel and his friends were the picture of health and wiser than all the King’s men because they had eaten only vegetables and water. If you remember the story, they refused the rich food of the King’s table and implored their steward to give them only “pulse” and water. Under the Law of Moses, Israelites could not eat meat from an unclean animal, or even a clean animal that had not been properly butchered.
But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king’s food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself. Daniel 1:8
Another possible factor could be the idol worship associated with the King’s food. In the ancient world, an animal killed to be eaten was nearly always done in association with worship, even in the case of the Israelites. They were not avoiding food because they didn’t want to get sick, but because they did not want to sin against their God. Circumcision, Sabbaths, and dietary restrictions were the three most notable marks of the Israelite nation, and remain so to this day.
I now see the above event as a miracle from God who sustained them as a blessing for their obedience. Not only this, but it’s clear that Daniel did not eat this way the rest of his life. If they had believed food made them superior, I think the diet would have become a permanent fixture considering their vulnerable circumstance. But here we see later as Daniel describes a fast….
I ate no delicacies, no meat or wine entered my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, for the full three weeks. Daniel 10:3
Not only was it evidently his custom to eat meat, but he was drinking wine as well. The actual Hebrew word there for “meat” is flesh – not food.
Science and History
Disease has increased in affluent cultures beyond belief in the last 100 years or so. But the truth is that nearly every culture group on earth has obtained nutrition from animal products since Noah’s flood. This raises an obvious question. How can animal products be at the root of modern human disease?
This question brought a final light-bulb moment which sent me searching for actual evidence. I’d never read any argument from a scientific standpoint stating it was actually healthy to eat animal products – especially meat. I had never before even considered it as a plausible alternative. But at this point I realized there must be some research done with my new hypothesis in mind.
I found plenty. When I weighed all the evidence from the Bible, my own (albeit limited) common sense, and other research – I came to agree with the findings supporting a diet that includes animal products. The recent rise in chronic disease I believe can be easily explained by the high volume of refined, processed food, unnatural chemicals additives, poor farming and ranching practices, and many other changes to our food sources. The scientific studies are beyond my scope of expertise to comment or report on, but I would encourage any vegan and vegetarian to honestly look at the opposing data. The guidelines for good nutrition I now ascribe to can be found on the website for the Weston Price Foundation. This is a great place to find volumes of information and resources. I agree that a restricted diet can be helpful in times of severe illness, but not as a healthy ongoing lifestyle, and certainly not as a path to come closer to God.
I also don’t believe in being irresponsible. If my decisions in life are motivated by love for God and man, I will want to be a good steward of my health in order to serve both to the fullest. This is a natural desire for someone walking in love. However, if the drive to be healthy is driven by a striving to reach closer to God, or to gain His approval, this lack of assurance and doubt that enters into a person’s relationship to God can in itself be very harmful to one’s health. Stress and fear wreak havoc on the body.
I no longer believe God desires for me to be overly distracted with what I put in my mouth and make another religion out of it. While I may suffer natural consequences for bad choices, my standing with God is in no way affected by what I eat and I trust Him in sickness, and in health. I do not see my diet as having any affect on my relationship with God because I can find no Biblical basis for it whatsoever.
Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do.
1 Corinthians 8:8
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Romans 14:17
(As Paul also wrote, many people may have a weak conscience concerning some things, and we are to be patient and accommodating in these areas. I am not advocating purposely offending anyone at the dinner table.)
In a modern marriage ceremony, brides and grooms often vow their commitment to each other “in sickness and in health”. Our Savior, who we are also betrothed to and have the seal of His Spirit in us – the surety of His redemption and return (think engagement ring), will not waiver in His commitment to us based on “sickness or health”. I pray for all those in bondage to a false obligation in their spiritual lives to come boldly before the throne of grace to receive freely all the spiritual blessing we have in Christ Jesus.
Excellent resource to begin further study:
More in depth information. … on the “health message” and its fallacies
[…] SDA Health Message […]
Can’t believe I forgot to add this one in!
Gen 18:1 And the LORD appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day.
Gen 18:2 He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth
Gen 18:3 and said, “O Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant.
Gen 18:4 Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree,
Gen 18:5 while I bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on–since you have come to your servant.” So they said, “Do as you have said.”
Gen 18:6 And Abraham went quickly into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quick! Three seahs of fine flour! Knead it, and make cakes.”
Gen 18:7 And Abraham ran to the herd and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to a young man, who prepared it quickly.
Gen 18:8 Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them. And he stood by them under the tree while they ate.
Before I was SDA, I asked God~What would God want me to eat? Before I was done saying it VEGAN popped out. I said outloud I really don’t know what that is and how would I ever even know how to do that!!! I guessed that it must have just been that God was telling me how he had origionally made things. Then the very next day, I went to a friends for a tea party. While there one friend said that she was taking a class to learn how to get better from disease’s or prevent cancer and they were teaching how to cook and eat a VEGAN diet! She was inviting me to come take this wonderful class. She was not SDA and neither was the class. I knew this was from God! So, I went to the class and was Vegan seven months. I got pregnant and stopped being Vegan while pregnant because I had been on a no or little fat Vegan diet so it was not sustainable while pregnant. So I just went by clean and unclean. After my pregnancy I became Vegetarian and received a great health video from a friend. It was of Barbara O’Neil speaking at a health retreat she runs in Austrailia. It was very scientific about how food, drink, fat, and other things effects our health. It was a blessing to me and my family. I believe God will lead us to what is right if we follow his directions. He will never leave us, we can only leave Him. Such LOVE!!!
Thank you for your input Marie. I don’t argue that this diet can be beneficial in some situations, and have no problem with anyone preferring it and choosing it. My post here is addressing the issue of using the Bible to prove it’s ordained by God and using it as a measure of spiritual obedience, as often presented within Adventism. I believe there is a great body of scientific evidence also that refutes much of the vegan claims, and the Weston Price Foundation has done a great job of making this information available. How do you reconcile what you “heard” with the overall example of scripture? I believe God can speak to us, but never out of accordance with the foundational truth in His Word. This is also why I cannot accept the writings of Ellen White as a spiritual authority. Blessings to your health and mine!
MARK TWAIN ONCE SAID,- A FOOL CONVINCED AGAINST HIS WILL, WILL REMAIN A FOOL STILL!!!!!!, FAITH IN GOD’S WORD WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD. USING FALLEN HUMAN REASONNING TO COME WITH MORE REASONS TO CONTINUE JUSTIFYING THE FACT, THAT THIS BODY IS GOD’S TEMPLE AND YOU NEED TO TREAT IT THE BEST THAT GOD WILL ALLOW, IF GOD REALLY MEANT FOR US TO CONTINUE LIVING UNHEALTHY, WHY WOULD HE ALLOW THIS INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF INFORMATION ABOUT GENECTICALLY MODIFIED FOODS ANIMAL AND VEGETATION TO EVEN REACH OUR EYES, DO THE MATHS AND STOP TRYING TO JUSTIFY SIN!!
I agree with you!
THANK YOU FOR PROVING THAT YOU ARE HIGHLY PLUGGED TO YOUR DEADLY APPETITE!!!! DON’T FORGET THAT WHEN ISRAELITE CRIED TO MOSSES THAT THEY WANT MEAT, WHAT WAS GODS ANSWER? LATER GOD GAVE THEM MEAT, WHAT DID GOD DO TO THEM WHEN THE MEAT WAS STILL IN THEIR TEETH?
SEE ALSO THESE VERSES,
READ ISAIAH 66:15 For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.
66:16 For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many.
66:17 They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one [tree] in the midst, eating swine’s flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the LORD.
ISAIAH 22:12 And in that day did the Lord GOD of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth:
22:13 And behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let us eat and drink; for to morrow we shall die.
22:14 And it was revealed in mine ears by the LORD of hosts, Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.
BRETHREN, GOD IS NOT MAN TO CHEAT!!! THAT SOME FEW GLUTTON BEINGS CAN USE SOME FEW SELECTED VERSES TO APPEASE AND COVER UP THEIR APPETITE.
Well I won’t argue with you there. I do have a deadly sugar addiction and have been giving into temptation all day with a bag of marshmallows. But I am so thankful to no longer have a deadly addiction to man-made religions.
The Torah in one place commanded the Israelites to enjoy the feast of Sukkot with much sacrifice and strong drink. He also told them when they entered the Promised Land, they could could and eat as much as they desired to eat. So I wonder what the problem was with the meat in the wilderness? Was it the form of food or the grumbling in their hearts?
Isaiah is also speaking of idolatry, and mindless revelry without any thought of God whatsoever. This has nothing to do with dietary issues. There has never been a command against eating meat, but plenty in affirmation of it. I have vegetarian family members and I respect their convictions. I hope we have come to the place that neither of us believe the other is going to hell over a plate of food.
In a world of religious insanity, I want to thank you for your courage, wisdom and honesty. My wife and I have dropped coffee from our lives, not because the Bible forbids coffee, but because we were overdoing it, and for some medical purposes. We have cut back on eating meet for health reasons. I have always read the scriptures in the light of the New Testament’s emphasis on self-control. Nothing but God should “master” us.
Yes, God wants us to take care of our bodies, but never makes that a condition of our salvation or our relationship with him. The concern I have for people who make these kinds of rules and laws a condition of our salvation, is that they are missing out on the beauty of God’s grace and unconditional love for all of us.
We would be a much wiser people if we allowed each other to work out these things in a loving relational and non-judgmental community. How I long for the followers of Jesus to become mature in their love for Him and for one another.
We would probably all be better off to follow Paul’s admonition in Romans 14, “Whatever you believe about these matters, keep it to yourself before God.”
When we try to push our convictions on others we give them no room to hear from God for themselves. We actually hinder their spiritual growth by supplanting the work of the Holy Spirit, who leads and guides us into all the truth.
Peace.
Thank you Terry! I am very very sorry to hear about the coffee issue! lol. That would be a huge trial for me there. I am so far past the food controversy, but this remains the most read blog post ever on this entire site. Which tells me food issues are larger than life for many people. I am a big proponent of getting back to the way the Creator intended for things to be grown and raised – for the good of all mankind. But the Kingdom of God is NOT food and drink. It’s people. I find it interesting that the secular or New Age granola crowd (where I fit in pretty well) can be just as militant and legalistic in their own way. The world needs Grace. 🙂
God gave us fruits and vegetables to eat in the Garden, Daniel and his friends knew what the best was..
People are dying in their millions from cooked food and the SAD diet..
Eat raw, you will feel the best, you will have the clearest mind, you will have no chance of acidity in your body where cancer can grow in.
No one is forcing anyone to eat in a specific way in the SDA church? I have never come across this..
There have been guidelines from EG white and they are for your best interest and according to the bible. Choose it or leave it.
The verses you gave to try and proof that we can now accept anything with thankfulness is crazy.. Can I accept and praise God and start eating pork chops and fries every night? Slowly killing myself? Let us reason mindfully.
Have a good week,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
Thank you for allowing my opinion on your page.
well said! I have recently been introduced to the raw diet and I am trying to become 100% raw. I have been a vegetarian for 1 year, and transitioning to raw is a challenge but only because we have “caressed” sin and unhealthy lifestyles so long that it numbs our reasoning. I know that it is not a salvation issue but I don’t see how we can tell people “don’t drink, don’t smoke because it is bad for your health”, yet eat meat which research shows that it is bad for our bodies.
When God says the word may – this does not equal the word command… that being said – how we eat is not about earning salvation, salvation is a gift not a payment to be earned. Because of the gift of salvation out of love for the Savior I choose to treat my body as a temple and not a grave yard for dead animals. God created animals to be loved and cared for by man, not to be eaten by them. Also keep in mind that just because something is “allowed” does not mean it is sanctioned by God. He allows divorce (because of infidelity) but He also says He HATES divorce. You confusing the two. As for SDA’s it is not a requirement to be vegetarian let alone vegan to become a member. Well over 50% of SDA’s are meat eaters. The health message is the “right arm of the Gospel” because Jesus did much more healing than preaching. The health message is not just about what you eat either. There are many more aspects to being healthy. And whether you believe it or not your health has a great effect on the brain. Your brain is not some separate entity from your body… if you are unhealthy your whole body is unhealthy including your brain. If you cannot think clearly, you cannot reason clearly and you cannot therefore understand scripture as well as you could. Jesus says “Let us reason together” and reasoning involves a clear mind not one that if unhealthy. It is a scientific fact that fat deduces respiration of the cells (ALL CELLS) and without proper oxygen in the brain cells you cannot REASON. Cause and effect are natural laws whether you believe them or not. Jump off a building and you will fall down – not up. Eat an unhealthy diet and you will be sick not healthy. We are to be a clean sacrifice and to be a living sacrifice unto God not an unclean or sickly one. And what about the commandment “Thou shalt not kill?” I don’t see anywhere where it says “Accept for anything with fur, feathers or fins,” you can just kill all you want and no problem. Yes, Jesus ate meat, He also was born 4000 years after sin, not before sin. He came to set us free from sin. He followed the customs of the day. But now we are 2000 years further down the road, and we are being fit for heaven while we are here. Are you going to be eating your current diet in heaven? I think not! If you cannot let go of worldly things, including diet, you will never be happy in a place where you have no access to these things. I pray that you reconsider your choices and CHOOSE LIFE not death, sickness and sorrow. A clean diet makes for a clear mind, and you will not feel the need to kill innocent animals for food, that of which you are supposed to be protecting and loving. Dominion is not of power and force, it so God (having Dominion) would be forcing us to obey Him and not drawing us to Him out of love. All of Creation was given the right to live and we as humans are really going down a slippery slope when we take on the mindset that we can kill and and what God has created. Keep in mind not all stories in the Bible are there for us to follow, many of the stories are there so we can see what the consequences are… death and destruction is all around but you need not be a participant in the slaughter of innocent animals that have just as much a right to live as you do.
I fully support a healthy diet because that is how I believe my God wants me to take care of my body, which is the temple of His Holy Spirit. If I stuff myself day after day with mind-dulling foods, the Holy Spirit cannot get through to me because my mind will not be open to Him. However, God has made us all different – for one person a vegan diet might work wonders, but for another it might cause havoc (and also dulls the mind as a result). For one person a vegetarian diet might be all he/she needs to be healthy, but for another a non-vegetarian diet might be healthier. My point is, I cannot force my own beliefs and health experiences on anybody else, because we are not carbon copies of each other. God has given us very clear guidelines in His Word of what we could and could not eat. Here I just want to make one point very clear – the Seventh-day Adventist faith does NOT force anybody to eat a certain way – it promotes an ALL-OVER healthy life style – it’s not just about food! If you don’t have enough knowledge yourself, there are many wonderful dieticians, nutritionists, and other health professionals who can help you find the right and healthiest diet which is best for YOU (within God’s guidelines). Personally, I am mostly vegetarian but sometimes I still eat a small piece of poultry (organic is the healthiest) or fish (caught wild). I also like a cup of coffee or a chocolate from time to time and I know the quantities that I “indulge” in, cannot harm my health, neither does it take away or deny the love that I have for my Savior. IF these things ARE then a hindrance to God, then He will convince me to stop partaking of it in HIS time and not in the time that someone else THINKS it should happen. Who is it that said he looks at the heart and not at the outside???? (wink, wink). “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”(Micah 6:8) – this is our duty, and not to judge others for the way they eat – or don’t eat. We can be examples, and that’s ALL – nobody but God does the convincing and convicting. May He help us all to develop a passion for souls instead of debating about who eats right and who eats wrong. God bless you all.
http://nourishingplot.com/2013/11/05/good-fats-and-vitamin-b12-imperative-brain-fuel/
Hi, I just found your site on doing research regarding the health message and although I struggle with the meat issue and try to eat healthy, I find it offensive that many Seventh Day Adventist proponents to the health message are getting fanatical about it and saying its a salvational issue and that if we eat meat we will not be allowed into heaven. I have heard this from two very well known speakers. I cannot believe that God would shut the door on me if I eat a piece of fish, or chicken. And it saddens me that people will use threats or scare tactics and make this issue about ones salvation. What is your view on this?
God bless
Sister Donna
Hi Donna! Thanks for your input. I find it very distasteful, unbiblical, and un-Christ-like to present any dietary regimen in this way. I am disappointed to hear that it’s still being done, but it’s far from new. I’m 45 and grew up around these teachings. While I no longer believe, based on my own research, that vegetarianism is the most healthy diet, I respect anyone’s conviction in this area to follow what they think is best for them. And not everyone has the same health needs. But to tie food choices in with God’s approval is spoken AGAINST in the New Testament Scriptures, and when it comes to rejecting all meat, nowhere to be found in Scripture anywhere. I think we all have enough struggle with being healthy in this modern food culture without adding an unnecessary guilt complex on top of it.
Hi, as humans we tend to label fanaticism that which widely differs from our own ideas and opinions (including myself). That being said, I don’t disagree that there are fanatical ideas in regards to health but there are also fanatical ideas by those who are using it the other direction as well. The tendency is that if something doesn’t agree with my opinion or the majority thought that it must be wrong. Someone once said: “God is not going to keep me out of heaven for eating a little bit of chocolate.” Someone answered: “The problems is not your eating little bit of chocolate but your arrogant attitude in which you are saying, ‘I am perfect and the only thing that I lack in is that I eat a littlest of chocolate.’ Those who truly love God are not asking how little I can do and yet get to heaven (I am not advocating salvation by works but speaking of an attitude) but how can I please Him because he loves me and has died from me to save me and I want to response to His love! It is interesting when people argue that such and such is not a salvation issue and yet the Bible is full of examples of people were lost on almost any issue including a disregard of the laws of health. Esau is called a profane person in the NT (Hebrews 12:15-16) for selling his birthright for a “morsel of food” (lack of self-control), the children of Israel in the wilderness for tempting “God in their heart by asking meat for their lust.” (a desire for that which in not good; Psalm 78:18; Psalm 106:13-15), Nadab and Abihu who drank (alcoholic) wine and put strange or common fire which God forbade and were destroyed as a result of confused/intoxicated minds (Leviticus 10:1-10). And listen to what God promised to His people:
26 And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee.
Exodus 15:26King James Version (KJV)
Notice health is not a meatter of “luck” but is a gift from God promised to those who obey His moral (ten commandments) and health laws (cause and effect). The Bible is full of plain instructions in regards to health principles and it’s effect on our salvation.
Philippians 3:18-20
King James Version (KJV)
18 (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
19 Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)
20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
Notice those who’s god is their belly and called “the enemies of the cross of Christ.” It sounds like a salvation issue to me.
Romans 12:1-2 King James Version (KJV)
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Notice that the only way we can present our bodies “a living sacrifice” is by the “by the mercies of God” – that is by His power (Philippians 2:13 “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”). Some may call this extremism but God calls it a “reasonable service” because He can give us the power to do so. Notice the reasoning of the verse: God’s desire is for us to demonstrate His perfect will, the only way we can do this is by presenting our bodies a living sacrifice (sacrifices in the OT were examined by the priest for any blemishes before offered because they typified Christ – the perfect sacrifice). And he doesn’t tell us you got to do it on your own by trying really hard but i will supply you with power!
In Christ’s ministry on this earth, He held many people of their psychical disease. In one instance he held a man who was paralyzed most of his life and when He met him later on Jesus told him:
John 5:14 (KJV)
14 Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.
Jesus clearly pointed that what the man’s did to bring about the disease was a sin. As far as I understand sin is a salvational issue.
As someone already pointed out the Bible is full of examples some to follow and some to avoid. It needs to be studied with prayer and desire to follow whatever God reveals and we will understand God’s teaching on the subject:
John 7:17 (KJV)
17 If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.
If stil in doubt listen to how much health is important to God:
3 John 1:2 (KJV)
Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in HEALTH, even as thy soul prospereth.
Even as our salvation. Than one cannot overemphasize it, and if it is important to God than as Christians it should be important to us!
On the personal note. I have been total vegetarian (plan based food only) for about 9 yrs. I feel great, sleep better, and my temper has significantly gone down (my wife’s words since she met me:). I am a fitness trainer and a depression and anxiety recovery coach. In the last 2+ yrs. I have been working with hounders of people in helping them overcome depression and/or anxiety and have seen tremendous results (Glory to God!) in folowing the Daniel/Genesis diet. The program we recommend is based on Biblical principles of health (8 laws abbreviated in the NEWSTART acronym) including physical activity in the fresh air, sunshine, plenty of water, adequate rest, temperance/self-control (abstain from everything harmful, moderation in that which is good), trust is God, and yes total plant based diet which affords everything our bodies need with out the harmful effects (as far as possible in the sinful world). Contrary to some claims this diet is completely scientifically based and produces amazing positive mental effects in combination with the rest of the principles. This is not something I or my friends follow because we want to earn salvation but because we are bought with the price (the death of God’s dear Son Jesus) and want to glorify God in our bodies and our spirits which are really His (1 Corinthians 6:20) Glory to God!
Good points. I have no problem with this as a lifestyle choice, and I understand it works well for some, and not for others, such as the author of the Maker’s Diet. My chief disagreement has always been tying it in with evaluating a person’s level of spirituality, especially considering that veganism is not suggested as necessary at any point in Scripture. Everything we do is spiritual – food or otherwise – but I don’t see it as a performance for approval or disapproval with God. I agree with your points about humility – a difficult growing process for all of us. Thank you for your comment!
always learning and never coming to the truth. deceiving and been deceived
Beware! The Enemy doesn’t care if I self-destruct on Twinkies, Alcohol, Tobacco…or PRIDE regarding my favorite positions on the Bible and Health
practices!