I have never been able to adapt to the concept of total vegetarianism. On this fellow forum members I need your feedback. I have seen an ever increasing pressure put on people who enter the SDA, to convert to vegetarianism. Our church sponsors constant health symposiums, which are vegetarian orientated. Also constant "cooking classes" on vegetarianism is pushed on the ladies as well. I did some research on my E.G White Library and I do not find in the writings of the SDA pioneers such a stress on vegetarianism as is emphasized in the SDA today. Why is this? I know you may say, oh it's for HEALTH reasons. O.k., but isn't this issue being so forced upon our membership, where it's almost like it's become an SDA church DOCTRINE? I do not find this as the primary message that Ellen White tried to relate to the early SDA movement at all. How did this thing get so big? What happened to the third angels message? The Sabbath message and the Second Coming of Christ message? Has the SDA turned into a general vegetarian movement and social issues program? You tell me? Maybe, I'm super critical, but hey, I hear this every sabbath. I was also shocked to hear our minister say at our sermon this week, that we need not be so concerned about doctrine as "just believing in Jesus alone." I feel the SDA church is drifting away from the early message E.G.White intended. What do you think?
Ron

Hi,

I believe that transforming our diet is part of our preparation for heaven and our fitness for service. The Gospel affects the whole man. Not only does God pardons our past sins, He effected His righteousness in our life, imparts it to each fibre of our soul, mind, body and life on a continuous level. Part of the Imparted Righteousness has to do with a transformation of our diet, a return to the source.

It is not always easy to leave behind the meat and chicken but when we understand the times we are living in, the opportunies for service, and the cost of our soul and souls of others, we will move forward.

It is not a matter of salvation. It is Jesus who saves us from our sins. Vegetarianism does not save. You eat meat, you do not eat meat ... have no bearing power over your election.

In matters of eating, we should be guided by principles. EGW stated twice that meat eating is no sin but it does affect our health.

God Bless U.
Nicolas.

Dear Brethren,
I have been a seventh-day adventist for about forty years but became a vegetarian prior to taking any genuine interest in the church. The simple reason for my change was because I was an export meat grader in what Americans call a packing house, but what is referred to in New Zealand as a Freezing Works.
By watching the condition of the carcases the meat inspectors and the graders could pounce on extremely cheap meat since any carcases weighing under 20lbs. were rejected and priced accordingly.
To obtain one under that weight was almost the height of impossibility so we watched for one with an arthritic joint which the meat inspectors cut off, and we would buy the resulting carcase.
One day we hit gold and soon had the beast dismembered and in our cars, but on eating it we found - quite independantly, that it was sour. This indicated that there was something very wrong, and we all gave the habit of eating animals away. It was frankly, not wise.
When I joined the church I was quite surprised to find that many joined it, not because they were very interested in spiritual things, but because of its so-called health message. Something I have always found to be bizarre.
As to the pressure, well just two weeks ago on the Sabbath morning a Sister approached me and asked me what I ate. I told her mainly cheese and biscuits. That was to get her going, and it surely did, with admonitions of what Sis. White would say etc.
It just happens that Sis.White suffered a life threatening condition and to ease it, she drank tea. I suffer the same condition and do the same, to the astonishment of the passers by because they don't understand.
A pastor visited me one day and became quite angry when he saw a cup of tea sitting in front of me. He sat there and glared at it for about an hour, and it didn't say anything. As he was about to leave I said, "There's is something I want to impress upon you." "Never forget, one man's meat is another man's poison." That brought him to his senses.
Sincerely,
Ross

Hi,

To be a vegetarian can be a life's blessing or a threat to health. In the SOP and the Bibles, one can finds the principles of health. However, the application depends on one's personal context.

I have seen many people left to die with cancer and other diseases restored to "perfect" health and attitude through a synergy of the 8 principles of health taught in the Spirit of Prophecy.

In personal evangelism, some times ago, we ENCOURAGE and COUNSEL people to eat nothing but raw fruits and vetetables, drink pure water and fresh juices on a set period of time, say about 2-4 weeks. We not only encourage but we help them through providing them with the fruits and sometimes with the vegetables and juicer facilities. We encourage them to pray and read the bibles, get into aerobic exercises, walking in nature, have positive throught and listen to good music and hymns.

We do not talk about the illness and negative aspect of life i.e how life is cruel, what will happen to their children and so forth. And of course, we do not say YOU WILL BE HEALED IN TWO WEEKS. We do not even talked at all about meat, poultry and so on.

The result is most of the time more than expected. Illness not specified by the diseased person are healed and health is really felt. I believe that health reform is a blessing, a most blessing in life. However it can become dangerous when:

1. we consider meat-eating a sin and a test of fellowship in the church.
2. when we make it a theological dispute
3. when we enforce it on fellow brother, sister and member of the household
4. when in the place of meat, we are continuously eating noodles, biscuits and so on. This is far from a health-conscious individual.
5. when we are not involved in eating fresh fruits and vegetables, drinking much water, having air in our room and doing exercises and praising the Lord. This is health reform. Not eating-meat is only 1% of health-reform and does not contribute to health. It is what we DO that help and not what we DO NOT do esp. when we have been involved in the bad habbits and pattern for so and so years.
6. when we are too radical in our thoughts like saying that even eggs should be discarded in every place on earth, when we refuse vitamin supplement to diseased and much needy people and so on.

We must not turtn the blessing into a curse.

God Bless U.
Nicolas.

These are all good reasonings but first we must looki at what God desires of His people. That is to recreate us in His image. The way Adam was before the fall. No animal or animal products were part of Gods original diet. And they wont be in Heaven. now is the time to prepare for eternity in Heaven. Also EGW said that the Health message is the Right Arm of the Third Angels Message and that The Health message is a entering wedge in evangilism.The desire to EAt as God planned for us and giving up meat eating is a great sacrafice but remember that we are to be a living sacrafice for God and that our bodies are a temple of God.

All sounds good, but why God did not implement this health plan to be restored in the nation of Israel? God commanded Israel to eat meat... I'm sure you are aware of it. Jesus was by far not a vegitarian, even after he resurrected he came back and ate fish.

Any type of killing is inhumane. Killing is killing. You can't humanely kill somebody because life in any form is better than no life.

Does healthy diet really prepare you for heaven? Kingdom of heaven IS NOT a matter of food and drink.

I agree that there is a tremendous pressure on people to except vegitarian lifestyle, and discourage them from eating unclean foods from get go. But we fail to realize that it is all about transformation of the way we think first. We have a desease in our bodies that is called death, and it does not matter who you are and what you eat ... you will die :(. We are not on this earth to alleviate the suffering and to prepare ourselves for heaven... that's God's job. We are here to do EVERYTHING POSSIBLE to plant seed in minds of people so that they will be able to realize that their way of life is not in synch with God's plan. Sure it is better to be healthy and energetic, but you have to realize that Majority of people on this earth do not have luxury not eating meat or drinking milk. In 1931 millions of people died in Ukrain because they did not have anything to eat. People ate their own fecies, and people ate people. What would you rather do.... die, or eat unclean meat? It's simple for you to say healthy lifestyle, while most of the world simply does not have the luxury. Even Israel did not. So emphasis should be on cleaning the minds up, and everything else will follow naturally.

I'm completely new to SDA. Haven't even gotten to church yet. One thing that is attracting me is the holistic nature of the faith. I believe in clean living and that the body is a temple. When I found out about Adventist's being vegetarian, I looked into it.

When I was introduced to SDA, through an amazing friend/brother, I was obese, toxic and an by no coincidence an atheist.
I changed my diet first, eliminating meat, with the exception of fish(which I have reduced considerably). As I progressed, physically, my mind began to change towards Christ.
Three challenging years later, my heart has changed (not to mention unclogged! lol). I think better, I heal quicker, and my life is better.
It is a life long commitment and I hope only to progress, not to be perfect, I aspire to only eat fruits, vegetables and nuts.

I guess my point is, for me the vegetarian principles were the key to my soul, true heart. Dr. Phil's diet book was a best seller, while peoples copy of the book of Daniel gathers dust, I feel the information about this principle is more vital than ever....as in our modern world, we eat like farmers and work like Dilbert! Anyway, just one imperfect man's testimony.

P.S.
The transition for me, is and has been slow and marked by baby steps leading to occasional strides..my friend who has been there the whole time, (bringing me food/EW/SDA books/videos, being transparent with his own struggles with sugar and showing me recipes) never judged me, which has made all the difference. Something to consider when reaching out to somebody not in the fold.

Health of body tends to health of soul, just naturally. It makes it easier. Try it. Eat a balanced variety of raw food for a month, lots of water, get plenty of exercise and compare how you feel. Don't struggle with it, just DO IT. You WILL feel the difference. White flour and refined sugar are just as bad as meat, sodas are poison, and any packaged processed food are definitely inferior nutrition, if not toxic. At the end of a ten day raw juice fast you will find it almost impossible not to have a spiritual revival within your heart and mind, and if you do it in a group, the experience is amplified.
If you're being a vegetarian because someone else is pressuring you, you're missing the point. It's about YOU. You need the experience to bring you to a place where God can get through to you. The real question is, do you want that or do you not want that?