“Is a healthy diet a remedy or honouring the temple?”Let's take the second part of the question first. The phrase "honoring the temple" I would understand to mean honoring the institution that teaches you of God, his Truth, and your relationship to Him. If we are truly grateful for the good we receive, then we will always honor the source of that good. Gratitude is definitely an element of healing.
Now, as to the first part of the question, a "healthy diet" implies faith in matter. Mary Baker Eddy said in "Science and Health", "Our dietetic theories first admit that food sustains the life of man, and then discuss the certainty that food can kill man. This false reasoning is rebuked in Scripture by the metaphors about the fount and stream, the tree and its fruit, and the kingdom divided against itself." (S&H 398:13)
Notice that she says "dietetic theories". After reading a book on survival I came away with a very different take on what constitutes a healthy diet previously. Did you know that most of the nutrients are in the fats? This book cited a case of a man who died of starvation in the woods because he ate only a variety of fish that had no fat.
Apparently our forefathers were aware of this. The novel "Arundel", published in 1929, is about the American Revolution. In this book the hero finds a man in the woods dying of starvation. The first food he gave the starving man was bear fat.
The reason we need to avoid fats today is that we get too much of them in our modern diets. The food companies know that the fats are where the flavor is. Unfortunately, when we consume fats in excess, the body stores the nutrients. At least, this is the material belief which is prevalent today. Our true spiritual bodies, in God's image and likeness, can never be obese or emaciated.
So in the human experience how do we decide what is "healthy" for us to eat? A young woman I knew told me this story years ago. Her mother had a stomach ache, so she called a Christian Science practitioner (someone in the public healing practice of Christian Science) to ask for help. The practitioner asked the mother what she had eaten that day. "Eight Mangos", the mother replied. The practitioner told her, "My dear, CS not only stands for Christian Science, it also stands for "common sense".
How do the animals in the forest know what they should and shouldn't eat? They don't have dietitians to tell them. Do you think that they count calories? I believe they intuitively know what to eat and what not to eat. Intuition is a spiritual sense. Learn to listen to it. And remember...
Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man. (Matt. 15:11)
...Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? (Matt. 6:25)Sukhmandir Kaur, who posted the question, is the About.com guide to Sikhism. She is a dear friend, and have I great respect for her beliefs.
I like your definition of temple :)
ReplyDeleteI had been thinking along the lines that this human body is the temple with which we are blessed to be able to worship the divine and honoring it by taking care of it as best we know how. I believe in intuitive eating. Animals in the forest probably do not eat a large proportion of processed foods, because they do not have access to it. They are most likely to eat food in its most natural original state, and to partake of foods most suited to their particular dietary needs. We humans are such complicated beings. We analyze almost to a fault. Grocery stores are our forest so many choices available. Does intuitive eating for us mean making choices are picking of the shelves and from the stalls and bins what appeals at any given time? I met a family who have been eating raw for years and years. She said exactly that. They would go to the store and each pick out what appealed to them most. Gradually all their ailments and complaints ceased to exist naturally without other effort all though intuitive eating.
I enjoy your blog Randal. It’s nice to have company of a 'conscious thought' provoking thinker :)