Why was she so explicit? Because the practice of meat eating is detrimental to physical, mental, and spiritual health. · Physical impact: Ellen White wrote that meat eating increases the “liability to disease . . . tenfold.” Further, it causes obesity,22 sudden death (heart attack or stroke),23 “unwholesome condition” of bones (probably osteoporosis),24 and cancer.25 Contrary to conventional thinking, she called it “a mistake to suppose that muscular strength depends on the use of animal food. The needs of the system can be better supplied, and more vigorous health can be enjoyed, without its use.”26 In addition, “the use of the flesh of animals tends to cause a grossness [obesity] of body.”27 · Mental impact: She cautioned that “students would accomplish much more in their studies if they never tasted meat. When the animal part of the human agent is strengthened by meat eating, the intellectual powers diminish proportionately.”28 · Spiritual impact: Even more important than the physical and mental liabilities of meat eating is the fact that the “religious life can be more successfully gained and maintained if meat is discarded, for this diet stimulates into intense activity lustful propensities, and enfeebles the moral and spiritual nature.”29 For Ellen White, “diet reform is progressive.”30 For this reason, she said frequently that she never felt it her “duty to say that no one should taste of meat under any circumstances. To say this when the people have been educated to live on flesh to so great an extent, would be carrying matters to extreme.”31 At the same time, she did not soften her words when eternal issues were at stake. In the context of those who were proclaiming the messages of the three angels (Rev. 14) and thus were preparing for Christ’s return, she said: “Among those who are waiting for the coming of the Lord, meat eating will eventually be done away; flesh will cease to form a part of their diet.”32 Meat eating will be eliminated “before His people can stand before Him a perfected ppeople.”33 Ellen White spoke directly to church leaders regarding meat eating: No one should be a “teacher of the people” who, by teaching or example, “contradicts” the principles of health reform.34 Physicians “who use flesh meat and prescribe it for their patients, should not be employed in our institutions.”35 Ministers who eat meat “set an evil example,” and make it difficult for others to have “confidence” in them.36 Talking refraining from foods However, again demonstrating Ellen White’s common sense as well as enlightened counsel, she also said that, in her day, “as the situation now is,”102 the time to “discard” or “exclude” milk had not come. She gave two reasons: (1) The poor were not able to make the dietary adjustment immediately: “I cannot say to them, ‘You must not eat eggs or milk or cream. You must use no butter in the preparation of food.’ The gospel must be preached to the poor, and the time has not yet come to prescribe the strictest diet.”103 Common sense indicated that “until we can teach them how to prepare health reform foods that are palatable, nourishing, and yet inexpensive, we are not at liberty to present the most advanced propositions regarding health reform diet.”104
Posted on: Fri, 25 Oct 2013 05:44:35 +0000
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