Why Christians Get Sick - Comments on Book Review

Why Christians Get Sick:

Comments

The following emails are commenting on my review of the book Why Christians Get Sick by George Malkmus. The e-mailer's comments are in black and enclosed in "greater than" and "lesser than" signs. My comments are in red.

>Thanks Gary for the review of this book. Several years ago I was at a preacher's meeting where Dr. Malkmus spoke. I was overwhelmed by the hard-line stand he had concerning diet, and it indeed, (as you said you feared in your conclusion) caused a negative reaction in me. I kind of took it as one who would try to adhere to all points of the Old Testament Law---it's hopeless!!

At one point there was a Q & A session. One preacher asked "What about pesticides used on fruit and vegetables?" Dr. Malkmus then basically condemned the eating of any fruits or vegetables not grown in a self-monitored environment.

He said he didn't use any deodorant or cologne either because the skin would absorb the substance of these items. I think there must be some truth in this, but I don't know. There has to be a balance somewhere. Anyway, I wish so many others could read your review, because I fear many are living defeated lives trying his diet.

Kept by Him,
Shawn (Lam. 3:22-23)
6/13/2002<

Thank you for your email. It does confirm just what I feared. For that matter, I have spoken to others previously who said they had tried following Malkmus 's diet and simply found it too restrictive. And that is my concern with it, that, as I said, someone will consider his diet too restrictive and just give up and go one eating an unhealthy diet.

As regards organic produce, I have just recently gone to eating mostly organic foods. I didn't consider it a major issue at one time, but it turned out that I was very allergic to pesticides, so I really had no choice. However, I purchase my organic produce at various establishments; I don't grow it myself. Although, I'm more than happy to eat the home-grown produce from my dad's garden!

As regards cosmetics, this is another issue where I have just switched to using natural soaps and shampoos. But I don't bother with deodorant for the simple reason that my sweat doesn't stink! I'm serious, with my healthy diet I really don't feel it is necessary. But if I did I would use a natural brand.

All of that said, I haven't been to one of Malkmus' seminars, so I can only go by what you have said and what he says in his books. But it sounds like he presents an entire "program" of what people "have" to do, with a long list of do's and don'ts. And if he does so with the same dogmatism he expresses in his books, then I can see that people would be left with the idea that you need to follow everything he says or don't bother trying.

Personally, I use an entirely differently approach. I prefer to just try to point people in the right direction and encourage them to make gradual changes. I first encourage someone to cut back on the "junk food" and eat more fruits and vegetables. If they do just that it would make an immense difference in their health. And then maybe when they see the results those simple changes make, then maybe they'll be encouraged to gradually make additional changes. I just think a gradual approach is much easier than trying to change everything at once.

And again, overall I think Malkmus is simply unnecessarily strict, especially in regards to diet.

>Hello Gary:

For more info on the raw foods diet go to this site . The German professor is known as the father of fruitarianism, and he holds the world record on fasting, surpassing Jesus of Nazareth, by going 49 days without eating.

When I was a teenager I was involved in the fruitarian-sproutarian movement, together with Victoras Kulvinskas (search for his name). He is still alive, this Russian fellow.

Arnold Ehret was ahead of his time for at least 100 years (some would say 1000 years). His death at the young age of 38 was a sort of "mystery" when he slipped on an oil-soaked sidewalk and fractured his skull. Perhaps he wanted to be some sort of a Tree-of-Life messiah, since his diet was focused on the original garden [of Eden] based in part on Genesis 1:29.

Interestingly, a bakery company here in California, started making sprouted bread based on Biblical references and on the work of some of these pioneers. The mystery of Arnold Ehret is very deep, even though he only "hinted" on a few phrases about his spirituality -based on deep or cosmic energies. I never saw anyone who had the penetrating eyes that he had [except perhaps a few gurus from India recounted on the book of Paramahansa Yogananda: Autobiography of a Yogi].

As for Victoras Kulvinskas he is known as the father of sproutarianism. Because of his beginnings, here in California you can find alfalfa sprouts, (and others such as clover, onions, chickpeas, peas, et al.) and of course the "food par excellence" spoken so much by him: Wheatgrass juice.

Ehret and Kulvinskas have [supposedly] the cure for your disorder or disease, but unfortunately their healing cures are so low in protein, that the medicine is worse than the illness.

I tried going as a teenager on their all raw food diets--including fruit and sproutarianism--but I did not find the Garden of Eden, the tree of immortality, or the supra states of spirituality, nor the bountiful amounts of energy as stated by these two individuals.

When I went to junior college, I started reading scientific [clinical] nutrition, and I left the fruit and sprout movement. The Lord called me to be a Christian, so I never got into the supra states of spirituality of the Hindus or the Buddhists. I am not necessarily knocking down their religions, I am just saying from my point of view as a Christian.

So there you have it in a nut shell. If you want to go deeper, you are going to have to purchase their books including Survival on the 21st Century by Victoras. The sproutarian movement started in Oregon in the early 1970's by Kulvinskas, but the fruitarian movement is much older, as old as Arnold Ehret -circa 1870's.

Good luck
Joe
La Mirada, CA
6/13/2002<

Thank you for the info. It is interesting. As regards the sprouted bread you mentioned, I believe that is "Ezekiel Bread." It is based on Ezekiel 4:9, “Also take for yourself wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and spelt; put them into one vessel, and make bread of them for yourself."

It is actually very excellent; the only kind of bread I buy anymore. Not only is it probably healthier than even whole wheat bread, but it tastes much better. After eating it, regular whole wheat just doesn't taste that good anymore. So if this was the creation of Arnold Ehret, at least he got that right!

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