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The Gospel of Nutrition
Wolves in sheep's clothing have for decades been peddling their mixtures and pills as the solution to all of the real or imagined health problems suffered by christians. While no one disputes the benefits of a healthy diet and moderate excercise, these charlatans use every trick in the book to entice unsuspecting and biblically-illiterate believers into buying the latest fad product purported to make them feel better.
Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint.
— Mark Twain
Medical and Scientific Analysis
- Snake oil salesmen.
- Not FDA-approved (conversely, warnings abound, and a few deaths have occurred).
- No one is really sure what is contained in the pills or liquids.
- Boatloads of supposed
research
and testimonials which contradict medical science. - Advice to disregard medical doctors' recommendations and take herbs instead is highly irresponsible and very dangerous.
- Vitamins and related supplements taken in medically-recommended doses as prescribed by a doctor is healthy. Self-medication using unknown and undocumented herbs, drugs, minerals and the like in uncertain quantities is russian roulette.
- Dietary supplements are no substitute for a balanced diet.
- Mixing different herbal concoctions or taking them alongside doctor-prescribed medication can have unintended, harmful and potentially life-threatening side effects.
Spiritual Analysis
- Nutrition has no place in the pulpit, which is dedicated to preaching the bible and saving souls.
- Another gospel distracts from the true gospel.
- Moneychangers aren't welcome in God's house.
- Deception is used to sell product.
- Verses taken out of context in effort to support latest product.
- Outright lies told about the worth and benefit of some herb (e.g. the flesh of the noni fruit is nutritious, while the hawked juice thereof is [practically worthless http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morinda_citrifolia#Nutrients_and_phytochemicals]).
- New revelation claimed in order to support product
God told me to take this stuff
: why are christians fooled in this manner? Does God also tell them to witness of Christ, and to support missionaries?. To jump off bridges? Isaiah 8:20 states:To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.
- The bible says to
take no thought for the body
. Emphasis is instead placed on the health of the soul:the outer man perisheth, but the inward man is renewed day by day
. - Healing is available for the Christian. God should be the first remedy turned to, even before the family doctor. Unknown elixers should be last on the list of things to try.
- Gullible christians see and hear ads on TV, radio, the Internet and in periodicals claiming new
biblical
herbal remedies and believe them. - Vladimir Lenin, the communist mass-murderer, said
A lie told often enough becomes the truth.
Christians that have for years read sales literature and listened to sales pitches authored by these con artists begin to believe whatever they are told, even to the point of refusing to receive sound medical advice from bona-fide doctors, nurses, etc..