Health Is a Blessing(PDF)
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Health Is A Blessing A Guide to the Scriptural Laws of Good Health by Steven H. Horne Health Is A Blessing A Guide to the Scriptural Laws of Good Health by Steven H. Horne Copyright © 1994 by Steven H. Horne Published by: Tree of Light Publishing P.O. Box 911239 St. George, UT 84791 800-416-2887 www.treelite.com Table of Contents Chapter One : The Blessing of Health .................................................................. 1 There Are No Shortcuts, We Are Commanded to Strive For Health, Illness Is Not Always the Result of Sin Chapter Two: Words of Wisdom ........................................................................... 5 The Word of Wisdom “Do’s”, The Lord Knew What He Was Doing, Daniel and the King’s Meat, The Teachings of Brigham Young, We Are Not Commanded, But..., The Purpose of the Word of Wisdom Chapter Three: Nutrition and Health................................................................. 10 Dr. Weston Price, The Effects of Good Nutrition, Pottenger’s Cats, Correlations Chapter Four: All Wholesome Herbs.................................................................. 15 The Fruit of the Trees, Fruitarianism, Herbs Bearing Seed, Grain Is Good for Man, Time to Take a New Look Chapter Five: The Staff of Life............................................................................ 19 Our Daily Bread, White Flour and the Church, That Which Is Not Bread..., Wheat Grass, Sprouted Wheat, Barley for Mild Drinks Chapter Six: Flesh of Beasts ................................................................................ 24 Winter, Cold and Famine, Restrictions on the Shedding of Blood, Eat Meat Sparingly, Vegetarianism Chapter Seven: Clean and Unclean..................................................................... 28 Clean and Unclean, Swine’s Flesh, Shellfish, Healthier Meals, Blood and Fat, The Meat Industry, Raw Meat Chapter Eight: Prudence and Thanksgiving...................................................... 34 Not to Excess, The Body Needs Regular Nourishment, In the Season Thereof, Eat Simple Meals, Agricultural Concerns Chapter Nine: Walking in Obedience ................................................................. 39 Exercise, Adequate Rest, Environmental Concerns, Stress Chapter Ten: Faith to Be Healed......................................................................... 43 The Lord, Our Doctor, Where is Our Trust?, Limitations of Medicine, Developing Faith to Be Healed, Mental Power, Light and Darkness, Healing by Faith Chapter Eleven: Herbs and Mild Food............................................................... 50 God Planned for Man's Needs, A Controversy, The Key Issue, Reasons for Using Isolates, Modern Herbal Research, Are Herbs Dangerous? Chapter Twelve: The Gift of Healing.................................................................. 57 The Genuine Physician, Parents Entitled to This Knowledge, We Are Commanded to Heal the Sick, Gift of Healing Needed Today Chapter Thirteen: Cranks and Fanatics............................................................. 63 Faddists, Fanatics, Quacks, Church Members Lead the Way, Proof, Legal Considerations, Free Agency Is Vital, Cooperation Chapter Fourteen: Conspiring Men.................................................................... 70 A Prior Warning, Secret Combinations, A Commandment for our Salvation, For our Tem- poral Salvation, Deceived by Sorcery, Other Poisons Chapter Fifteen: Be Ye Doers............................................................................... 76 Mental Health, Run and Not Be Weary, No Shortcuts, Improving our Nutrition, Fruit First, Salads and Vegetables, Whole Grains, Vegetarian Dishes, Fats and Oils, Other Health Laws, Health Is Within Our Reach Chapter One The Blessing of Health Health is a blessing. Who would argue with that? To have good health is one of the joys of life. When we are healthy we are better able to serve our fellowman and do the Lord’s work. We all indicate that health is a blessing when we talk of being “blessed” with good health. But if health is really a blessing, then it is not bestowed by the whim of God or by an accident of Nature. Like all blessings, we qualify for it by obedience to Divine law. There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated—and when we obtain any blessing from God it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated. (D&C 130:20-21) This concept probably seems strange to those of us who have been brought up with the idea that disease is something you “catch.” But if we can believe the testimony of the scriptures, it is clear that health may be gained by learning and obeying the laws upon which it is predicated. In fact, there are several places in the scriptures where the Lord specifically promises health as one of the blessings resulting from obedience to certain laws. Note these promises God gave to His ancient people Israel. If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee. (Ex. 15:26) Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep, and do them, that the Lord thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he sware unto their fathers: And he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee: he will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land... Thou shalt be blessed above all people: there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle. And the Lord will take away from thee all sickness, and will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest, upon thee: but will lay them upon all them that hate thee. (Deut. 7:12-15) It appears that the Lord promised His ancient people Israel that they would be free from ALL disease if they obeyed His judgments and statutes. Surely He could not have actually meant that, could He? Is freedom from all illness really possible? Did He mean that they would be free from ALL disease, or just that they would be healthier than other people? It seems too good to be true, and yet it appears the Lord was promising ancient Israel that He would “take away all sickness” if they would obey His laws. Joseph Smith seemed to feel that this was possible for he stated, “If we would be sober and watch in fasting and prayer, God would turn away sickness from our midst.”1 Of course, if health is a blessing that is attached to obedience to law, then the reverse must also be true. Disease must be a result of not obeying the law. The Lord warned ancient Israel that this was the case. One of the punishments He attached to not keeping His judgments and statutes was sickness of every kind. But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee: ...The Lord shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until he have consumed thee off the land, whither thou goest to possess it. The Lord shall smite thee with a consumption [tuberculosis], and with a fever, and with an inflam- mation, and with extreme burning... 2 3 ...The Lord will smite thee with the botch headache, a sour stomach, or some other ailment of Egypt [boils], and with the emerods [hemor- and pops a pill, which instantly makes him or her rhoids or tumors], and with the scab, and with better. Does this mean we don’t have to obey any the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed. of God’s laws. Will a pill or an operation get rid The Lord shall smite thee with madness of the sickness? Of course not, it defies one of the [mental illness], and blindness, and aston- fundamental laws of the universe expressed by the ishment of heart... Apostle Paul, “...whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” (Gal. 6:7) ...Then the Lord will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, even This law tells us there can be no such thing as a great plagues, and of long continuance, and shortcut. That which appears to give results with- sore sicknesses, and of long continuance. out personal sacrifice, effort, and/or repentance, is Moreover he will bring upon thee all the a delusion. This applies to everything, including diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of; health. If we believe what the scriptures have to they shall cleave unto thee. teach us, then health can be obtained by no other means than by obedience to the laws upon which And every sickness, and every plague, which it is predicated. is not written in the book of this law, them will the Lord bring upon thee, until thou be In his book Food is Your Best Medicine Dr. destroyed. (Deut. 28:15,21-22,27-28,59-61) Henry Bieler, M.D. explains that patients go to doc- In modern times the Lord has also attached the tors primarily because they want relief and want it blessing of good health to obedience to law. In the quickly. He says that “Unfortunately, there is no way 89th section of the Doctrine and Covenants, (the to give ‘instant relief’ except through stimulation or “Word of Wisdom”), the Lord gives this promise: depression,” which whips or paralyzes the endocrine And all saints who remember to keep and glands to produce a temporary effect of well-being.2 do these sayings, walking in obedience to the This stimulation or depression does not however commandments, shall receive health in their produce health. In fact, Dr. Bieler warns that using navel and marrow to their bones; the whip of stimulation on an exhausted and sick And shall find wisdom and great treasures individual can actually make him/her worse. of knowledge, even hidden treasures; And shall run and not be weary, and shall In other words, there are no magic pills, elixirs, walk and not faint.