All Doves:
This will close this series of posts on SDA doctrinal errors, beliefs, and teachings. It is by far the least of serious concern for orthodox Christian scholars and theologians, but none the less an example of how the SDA cult intrudes into the life of its members.
The powerful cult leader Ellen G. White warned against eating meat and promoted vegetarianism. For many people, learning that fact was enough to abandon going to an SDA church. I met a man who had been attending an SDA church with his family for about three years before learning about the veggie health diet. He and his wife were invited out to dinner with their pastor. They went to the local "Denny's", and when it came to ordering, he and his wife ordered burgers after the pastor and his wife ordered their favorite salads. The pastor took him to task about ordering burgers and began to instruct the man and his wife about what Ellen White taught about not eating flesh of animals. This man and his wife were members at a United Methodist Church I was resident pastor of in Pennsylvania. What surprised me was that it took him that long to discover the SDA veggie life style.
"Among those who are waiting for the coming of the Lord, met eating will eventually be done away; flesh
will cease to form a part of their died. We should ever keep this end in view, and endeavor to work steadily
toward it. I cannot think that in the practice of flesh eating we are in harmony with the light which God has
been pleased to give us. All who are connected with our health institutions especially should be educating
themselves to subsist on fruit, grains, and vegetables" -(Ellen G. White, 'Counsels on Diet and Foods', pgs. 380-381).
"Let not any of our ministers set an evil example in the eating of flesh-meat. Let them and their families
live up to the light of health reform. Let not our ministers animalize their own nature and the nature of their
children" -(Ellen G. White, 'Spalding and Magan', pg. 211).
This teaching was part of White's health programs, which she claimed was given to her by divine revelation in 1863. Today the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventist's Nutrition Council recommends abstaining from meat, fish, coffee, and tea. It is part and parcel of the 3ABN television programming, one of the voices of Adventism on television programming.
Here, we will only deal with the issue of vegetarianism. From Adam to Noah, men were vegetarians, stemming from God's command in Genesis 1:29-30, but after the flood, men were instructed to eat meat as well as vegetables -(Genesis 9:3). Under the Law of Moses, the nation of Israel continued to eat meat, and some animals were designated clean and other unclean. The Lord Jesus Christ lived under the law as a Jew and followed the Mosaic dietary system. He was NOT a vegetarian. We know that He ate fish -(Luke 24:42-43) and He likely ate lamb, which was required during the Passover -(Exodus 12:6-8).
There are only three teachings about diet in the entire New Testament.
First, Peter was taught that the Old Testament dietary restrictions are no longer in effect for the New Testament believer -(Acts 10:9-16). The truth of this was emphasized in that the command to rise, kill, and eat was repeated three times. This passage single-handedly refutes the following claims: that the Mosaic dietary restrictions are in force in the New Testament churches, that the Mosaic dietary restrictions were for health purposes (if that were true, God would have kept them in force), and that eating meat is unhealthy, that vegetarianism is a superior program, and lastly, that it is cruel to kill animals.
Second, we are taught that in the New Testament dispensation diet is entirely a matter of personal liberty -(Romans 14:1-6) and we are not to judge others in such matters -(Romans 14:13).
Third, we have a warning about those who teach against eating meat -(1 Timothy 4:1-6) and we are told that to require a vegetarian diet is a doctrine of devils. This one minor heresy is sufficient to mark Ellen G. White as a heretic who was under the control of the Devil.
To go beyond the Bible's clear teaching in this manner and to create dietary programs that purport to have a Scriptural basis and or to be derived from extra-biblical prophecy or otherwise to have divine approval is flat out heresy.
The New Testament plainly states that "every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer" -(1 Timothy 4:4-50. Thus, according to Scripture, diet in this dispensation is a personal and individual matter. Each person is different, with his own metabolism, taste, culture, lifestyle, health, and occupation; and diet must be determined on this basis and not on some plan purporting to be from the Bible.
This is not to say that all diets are equally healthy; it is merely saying that there is no one diet that is required by the Bible, and furthermore, vegetarianism is certainly not upheld by Scripture.
The writer of Hebrews warned: "Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace, not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein" -(Hebrews 13:9).
Salvation and spirituality are not determined by what you eat by whether or not you have submitted to the gospel of Christ's grace. A doctrine of meats or special diet is a strange and unscriptural doctrine!
In spite of her own teachings against eating meat, which she claimed was based on a vision she had in 1863, Ellen G. White, herself, continued eating meat most of her life. This is documented extensively in a document, 'Oysters and Herrings' by M. Chugg and D. Anderson. It can be read at http://ellenwhiteexposed.com/contra6.htm
This issue of vegetarianism is in the media, and often when investigated, you will discover that is being pushed by SDA adherents. A lot of web sites push vegetarianism and I have no doubt that many are run by SDA teachers. They go to great length to hide from their religious affiliation. The cost of meat at the supermarket today has probably becomes a bigger reason to follow the veggie lifestyle.
This post concludes my coverage of the SDA Cult/Church. It goes without further comment other than to recommend that the summary of the very first post on this series addressed the characteristics of cults, taken from the 'Apologetics Study Bible' where we showed that the SDA's actually met 19 out of 27 characteristics of a Cult. In this series of posts I have listed the major areas where SDA heresy is found, despite the fact that they may not identify themselves as a SDA follower.
In this series, if you have paid close attention, numerous references from the Bible raise the point that a curse is placed upon those teaching heresy as well as those that submit to those teachings.
God Bless,
Pastor Bob