Katelyn Antuna

Cosmin Ritivoiu
English 102
February 4, 2014
What Do Seventh!ay A!ventists "elieve about Diet#
A $ommon mis$on$e%tion among evangeli$al Christians, an! the general %ubli$,
%ertains to the A!ventist stan$e on health& 'any believe A!ventists $on!emn all
$arnivores to hell, or even that A!ventists see the $onsum%tion o( !airy as sin, )*unt+& ,n
reality, the Seventh!ay A!ventist $hur$h has a message o( health that is less (o$use! on
the nittygritty !etails an! more (o$use! on holisti$ healing o( min!, bo!y, an! soul&
-n!erstan!ably an! un(ortunately, many $ommon misun!erstan!ings regar!ing
A!ventists. health belie(s have arisen be$ause o( the in$onsistent $on!u$t o( Seventh!ay
A!ventist $hur$h members& Along /ith other !o$trines an! stan!ar!s, the A!ventist
health message is o(ten misre%resente! by its o/n su%%orters& 0i1e ty%i$al erring humans,
s/inging (rom one si!e o( a %ers%e$tive %en!ulum to another, A!ventists ri$o$het ba$1
an! (orth bet/een stri$t legalism an! /ea1 o%inions& 2n one han!, some vehemently
$on!emn their (rien!s an! (amily (or eating !airy or $hi$1en, /hile themselves
!is%laying unChristian %assions an! a la$1 o( brotherly love& 2thers /ave a/ay or !ilute
the $lear %rin$i%les o( healing u%hel! by the $hur$h, robbing the health message o( its
%o/er& 3hese none4am%les %rove the im%ortan$e o( loo1ing to the sour$e o( truth itsel(
rather than blin!ly a$$e%ting the %resentations o( men&
For this reason, the "ible /ill be use! as the su%reme authority in this matter&
Revere! by Christians as the holy /or! o( 5o!, the "ible serves as the (oun!ation to all
A!ventist !o$trine, in$lu!ing A!ventist belie(s on !iet& ,t is there(ore (itting, an! even
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ne$essary, to sear$h the "ible (irst /hen loo1ing (or the true health %rin$i%les o( the
A!ventist $hur$h&
3he (irst mention o( (oo! or eating in the "ible a%%ears in 5enesis $ha%ter one&
*ere 5o! gives humanity their (irst home, their (irst relationshi%s, an! their (irst rules on
!iet& 6erse 27 $learly lays out the menu8 9every herb that yiel!s see! /hi$h is on the (a$e
o( all the earth, an! every tree /hose (ruit yiel!s see!: to you it shall be (or (oo!&;
)Biblegateway, 5en& 1827+ "e(ore sin, a %lantbase! !iet /as not sim%ly en$ourage!, it
/as the only o%tion& *erbs an! (ruit /ere the only available (oo!s& 3his li(estyle,
$om%atible /ith mo!ern veganism, abstaining (rom all animal %ro!u$ts, is $onsi!ere!
i!eal by some be$ause it is the original !ietary %lan %ra$ti$e! by A!am an! Eve an!
given by 5o!& A(ter humanity (ell into sin, ho/ever, other (oo!s be$ame %art o( the
human !iet&
"y the time o( the (loo!, $lean meats /ere a!!e! to the menu& Although
mentione! as early as the ante!iluvian years, a re$or! o( gui!elines !es$ribing the
$lassi(i$ation o( 9$lean; an! 9un$lean; meats is not (oun! until 0eviti$us 11& ,n this
$ha%ter 5o! $learly lists the $hara$teristi$s o( animals (it (or (oo! an! o( those un(it (or
$onsum%tion& From this %oint on *is %eo%le (ollo/ these la/s %re$isely& <ot only have
5o!.s $hosen %eo%le 1e%t these %rin$i%les, but s$ien$e has gra!ually gro/n to su%%ort
them& Re4 Russel, '&D&, re%orts in his boo1 What the Bible Says About Healthy Living8
As /e loo1 at mo!ern s$ien$e an! nutrition, /e /ill (in! that=there is an
ama>ing overla% bet/een 5o!.s original la/s o( $lean an! un$lean an!
soli! hygieni$ %rin$i%les&&&S$ri%ture an! me!i$al resear$h agree that
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mo!ern li(estyles live! /ithout re(eren$e to 5o!.s la/s an! !esign shorten
li(e an! hasten !eath, )?t!& in A Matter of Health?+&
-n$hanging as the 2ne /ho gave them, the vali!ity o( the 0eviti$al la/s an! the
$onse?uen$es o( !isregar!ing them $an be seen in me!i$ine to!ay& @et these stan!ar!s
have signi(i$an$e that goes !ee%er than the %hysi$al level&
,n a!!ition to hastening !eath through %hysi$al $om%li$ations an! !iseases,
ignoring 5o!.s !ietary $omman!s results in leaving the %ur%ose o( those $omman!s
un(ul(ille!& ,n his letter to the Christians in Corinth Aaul the a%ostle e4%lains8
2r !o you not 1no/ that your bo!y is the tem%le o( the *oly S%irit /ho is
in you, /hom you have (rom 5o!, an! you are not your o/n# For you
/ere bought at a %ri$e: there(ore glori(y 5o! in your bo!y an! in your
s%irit, /hi$h are 5o!.s=3here(ore, /hatever you eat or !rin1, or
/hatever you !o, !o all to the glory o( 5o!& )Biblegateway, 1 Corinthians
B8 1720: 108C1+&
Aaul i!enti(ies the reason behin! living health(ully as glori(ying 5o! (or /hat *e has
!one& 5o! !oes not $all man to a high stan!ar! o( health so that he $an be save! but
be$ause man has alrea!y been save! D 9bought at a %ri$e&; Rather than $on!emning
others or restri$ting onesel( to obtain salvation, the %ur%ose o( "ibli$al A!ventist health
regulations is to bring 5o! glory& When the li(e 5o! has given is maintaine! an!
nurture!, 5o! sees it as an a$t o( than1(ulness: it gives *im the glory *e !eserves
be$ause o( the ama>ing re!em%tion *e has /rought in giving li(e to man&
3his %ur%ose o( maintaining %hysi$al health an! vitality in or!er to glori(y 5o! is
the 1ey to the Seventh!ay A!ventist %ers%e$tive o( health& "ase! on the s$ri%tures, the
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$hur$h $learly %resents their belie(s in a !o$ument title! 28 Fundaental Beliefs& *ere, in
the t/entyse$on! (un!amental belie(, it says8
=be$ause our bo!ies are the tem%les o( the *oly S%irit, /e are to $are (or them
intelligently& Along /ith a!e?uate e4er$ise an! rest, /e are to a!o%t the most health(ul
!iet %ossible an! abstain (rom the un$lean (oo!s i!enti(ie! in the S$ri%tures& Sin$e
al$oholi$ beverages, toba$$o, an! the irres%onsible use o( !rugs an! nar$oti$s are harm(ul
to our bo!ies, /e are to abstain (rom them as /ell& ,nstea!, /e are to engage in /hatever
brings our thoughts an! bo!ies into the !is$i%line o( Christ, /ho !esires our
/holesomeness, Eoy, an! goo!ness, )7+&
3his means that the A!ventist $hur$h $alls its members to $are (or their bo!ies in every
as%e$t to the best o( their ability&
3he A!ventist $hur$h %ro(esses a li(estyle (oun!e! on "ibli$al %rin$i%les an!
su%%orte! by s$ien$e an! me!i$ine& 3he 0eviti$al la/s are (ollo/e! be$ause 5o! gave
them (or the health o( *is %eo%le& *arm(ul (oo!s an! !rin1s are avoi!e! be$ause they
!amage the %hysi$al bo!y 5o! has given an! lo/er the ?uality o( the li(e that Christ %ai!
(or /ith *is bloo!& 3he A!ventist $hur$h %romotes abstinen$e (rom these things be$ause
they hin!er members. ability to glori(y 5o! in their bo!y& ,t %romotes health(ul living as
a result o( re!em%tion, not as the $ause o( salvation, an! it $alls (or its members aroun!
the globe to live as health(ully as they $an, right /here they are&

Wor1s Cite!
91 Corinthians B8 1720: 108C1F Bible !ateway& <&%&, n&!& Web& 04 Feb& 2014&
F2G Fun!amental "elie(s&F Seventh!ay A!ventist Chur$h, n&!& Web& 04 Feb& 2014&
F5enesis 1827&F Bible !ateway& <&%&, n&!& Web& 04 Feb& 2014&
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*unt, 5regory 5& A&, '&D&, "&S$&, F&R&C&A& F"e/are 3his CultHF Beware "his #ult& Ellen White
Resear$h AroEe$t, n&!& Web& 04 Feb& 2014&
FA 'atter o( *ealth#F $nited #hur%h of !od& <&%&, n&!& Web& 04 Feb& 2014&

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