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The True Science of Healing
Chapter 9
The True Causes
of Disease – Part Two
To open this chapter, let us take a
moment to consider what Inspiration has to tell us about the early
days of earth’s history:
“The book of Genesis
gives quite a definite account of social and individual life during
the first twenty-five hundred years of man’s history, and yet we have
no account of an infant born blind, deaf, crippled,
deformed, or imbecile. There is not an instance upon record in that
book, of a natural death in infancy, childhood, or early manhood.
There is no account of men and women dying of disease. The violation
of physical law, and human suffering as the consequence, has so long
prevailed, that many look upon the present state of sickness,
suffering, debility, and premature death, as the appointed lot of
humanity. But God did not create the race in its present feeble
condition. This is not the work of Providence, but the work of man. It
was brought about by violation of the laws of God. Through the
temptation of appetite, Adam and Eve first fell from their holy and
happy estate. Through the same temptation have the race become
enfeebled. They have permitted appetite and passion to take the
throne, and to bring into subjection reason and conscience.” (RH,
December 13, 1881 par. 1-2)
Clearly, therefore, we have come a long
way from God’s ideal and, contrary to the cherished beliefs of many,
it is perfectly obvious that the human race is becoming more and more
enfeebled. According to Inspiration, this is the direct result of
mankind’s willing and/or unwitting disregard of natural law.
This is a sobering thought indeed – yet
we cannot consider this thought without recognizing that we are
currently living under conditions that are far removed from the
conditions that prevailed in our world at the beginning of time. In
fact, conditions today are far removed from those that prevailed even
a few short decades ago.
In times gone by, during what we might
term “the pre-pollution age,” it would generally take a conscious
decision in order to disregard natural law. Today, however, even the
most basic of life-supporting elements – air, water, sunlight and food
– have all been despoiled and/or polluted in some or other way and, as
a result, we are constantly and unconsciously violating natural law -
even in the normal course of life.
The situation has become so serious in
fact that, according to Dr Alan Levine, the average citizen of this
age has become biochemically and genetically different from the
average citizen of the 1950’s.
Dr Levine even suggests that . . .
“The vast
increase of
chemicals
in our environment, foods and medicines has greatly altered the body’s
ability to rid itself of toxins.”
The statement following reveals just
how serious the situation has become.
“The world Wild Life Fund (WWF) tested
47 members of the European Parliament and found that on average they
each carried 41 synthetic chemicals in their blood, including, in many
cases, the banned pesticide, DDT. Another WWF report found 350
contaminants in breast milk, include flame retardants, DDT and
dioxins.” (Patrick Holford & Jerome Burne, Food is Better Medicine
Than Drugs, pp.97-98)
In short, therefore, our bodies are
seriously
polluted, our eliminative organs are seriously overloaded, and the
health of mankind in general is under serious threat – and it is
vitally important that we
recognize that there is an evil mastermind behind it all:
“None are in greater
danger from the influence of evil spirits than those who,
notwithstanding
the direct
and ample testimony of the Scriptures, deny the existence and agency
of the devil and his angels. So long as we are ignorant of their
wiles, they have almost inconceivable advantage.” (GC516.2)
“Satan is
busy every
moment,
going to and fro, walking up and down in the earth, seeking whom he
may devour.” (Mar64.2)
“As the people of God approach the
perils of the last days, Satan holds earnest consultation with his
angels as to the most successful plan of overthrowing their faith.”
(TM472.1)
“Today, as in the days of
Babylon,
the accuser of the brethren is working through human agencies
to hurt and destroy those who are dear to the Lord.” (ST, May 13, 1897
par. 5)
Please take careful note
that wherever possible, Satan works through “human agencies” to
accomplish his evil designs.
With this important fact
in mind, let
us briefly focus our
attention on just two of the many destructive fallacies that the evil
one is currently fostering through human agencies:
FIRST FALLACY
There is No Direct Association Between
Our Physical and Our Spiritual Health
While this may well be a
commonly
held belief, the sure word of Inspiration assures us that
. . .
“A close sympathy
exists
between the
physical and the moral nature. The standard of virtue is elevated or
degraded by the physical habits. . . . Any habit which does not
promote healthful action in the human system degrades the higher and
nobler faculties.” (Te17.6)
Satan, of course, is well
aware of this
fact. He understands full
well that . . .
“It is impossible
for men [and
women], while
under the power of sinful, health-destroying habits, to appreciate
sacred truths.” (OHC266.3)
With six thousand years
of experience behind him, the evil one is taking full advantage of the fact that . . .
“A diseased body and
disordered
intellect, because of continual indulgence in hurtful lust, make
sanctification of the body and spirit impossible.” (Te147.4)
This being the case, we
will appreciate that the powers of evil are well able to win the
spiritual battle by doing
nothing more than
engage us on a physical level - for physical
sickness always encourages spiritual sickness.
This is why the evil mastermind will
stop at nothing to ensure that the human family wittingly or
unwittingly violate natural law; for with every such violation:
-
Our vitality is challenged,
-
Our capacity for
knowing God is undermined, and
-
Our ability to
comprehend sacred truth is depreciated.
This being the case, is
it any wonder
that Satan never has any shortage of human agents who promote extreme
views of our health message, and/or who work at discrediting all who
seek to advance this all-important message? Is it any wonder that the
world today has an altogether faulty understanding of the nature of
disease and of the true causes of disease? Is it any wonder that
sickness is epidemic throughout the world?
“Woe to the earth and the
sea,
because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath.”
(Revelation 12:12)
SECOND FALLACY
Disease Has Little or Nothing To Do
With Our Lifestyle and Dietary Habits
Once we understand the
true nature of disease, we will appreciate that, generally speaking,
disease is not simply
an isolated event, but the end result or consequence of a process.
First there is the blatant and/or unwitting violation of the laws of
health - which is usually related to our lifestyle and dietary
choices. This violation gives rise to any of a number of
“disease-attracting” conditions within the system, the most common of
which would include:
-
The undermining of the
immune system, which in turn lays out the red carpet for viral
infection.
-
The filling of the body with
impurities (as in the case of constipation and autointoxication),
which in turn invites harmful bacteria to take up residence within
the system.
-
The unbalancing of body chemistry,
which in turn can lead to any of a great many disorders and
discomforts.
Any of the abovementioned
conditions will trigger a vigorous response from nature, which
response is usually termed “disease,” and, as we have confirmed in
previous chapters, the purpose of this response is (a) to restore
homeostasis (to restore systemic balance), (b) to
fight infection,
and (c) to cleanse and to detoxify the body via an acute eliminative
outbreak such as a cough, a cold, a runny nose, skin outbreaks,
diarrhea, and/or sneezing, etcetera.
With this understanding
in mind, we can rest assured that Satan is working with fiendish zeal,
aided as usual by
human agencies, to
corrupt whatever can be corrupted, to pollute whatever can be
polluted, to degrade whatever can be degraded, and to adulterate
whatever can be adulterated.
For as long as mankind
fails to recognize the connection between our lifestyle and dietary
habits and disease, and
for as long as we fail to
recognize the connection between our physical habits and our spiritual
wellbeing, Satan’s evil designs will continue to prosper. These evil
designs are the subject of the next chapter.
______________________
TO BE CONTINUED
The forgoing concludes part one
of this study.
Part two deals with The True
Adventist Health Message
Until such time as this document is completed,
my reader is invited to consider my free E-book at
www.keepwell.com.
While this free E-book was written more for a secular than for
an Adventist audience, it contains the same basic information
that is yet to be included in this document.
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