by B. R. GOWANI
Ellen G. White co-founded Seventh-day Adventist Church
according to her, she was also recipient of messages from God
White and her followers refrained from indulging in four things:
no sex; no coffee; no alcohol; no eating of animal meat
this would aid their souls/bodies to be ready for the Second Coming of Jesus
besides shunning animal flesh, White was compassionate towards animals
“[The animals] manifest sympathy and tenderness toward their companions in suffering. Many animals show an affection for those who have charge of them, far superior to the affection shown by some of the human race. They form attachments for man which are not broken without great suffering to them. What man with a human heart, who has ever cared for domestic animals, could look into their eyes, so full of confidence and affection, and willingly give them over to the butcher’s knife? How could he devour their flesh as a sweet morsel?”
avoiding animal flesh was a move going against the eating practices
consumption of animal flesh was defended by using Genesis 1:26
where God gave man control over everything, including animals
proponents of vegetarianism cited Genesis 1:29 to propagate their views
Presbyterian minister Sylvester Graham was also one of the proponents
opposing meat consumption, White argued in a logical manner
“Those who eat flesh are but eating grains and vegetables at second hand; for the animal receives from these things the nutrition that produces growth. The life that was in the grains and vegetables passes into the eater. We receive it by eating the flesh of the animal. How much better to get it direct, by eating the food that God provided for our use!”
Seventh Day Adventists live around 6 years longer than an average person
the major impetus behind veggie & bland diet was to restrain sexual urges
Graham believed that masturbation could
“Inflame the brain more than natural arousal.”
which could lead the person involved to madness
graham crackers was one of the food recommended by Graham
the graham crackers were much different than today’s Nabisco product
coming back to the Second Coming
for many, the new Millennium and Christ’s coming were just on the horizon
White, like many, felt let down during the time of the Great Disappointment
i.e, Jesus will return to earth in 1844, as per Baptist preacher William Miller
Jesus didn’t return, he couldn’t, even if he wanted to, because he was dead
so in 1844, White established direct contact with God rather than his Son
God talked to White in over 100s of dreams and revelations (1844-1863)
God in Christianity, in one of her visions, dictated her to open up a spa
Western Health Reform Institute opened at Battle Creek in Michigan
the 1866 location was also selected by the Christian God
the “religion of wellness” was the in thing with gyms/spas & bland food
a decade later, White handed the management to Dr John Henry Kellogg
Battle Creek Sanitarium, a new name, John ran it with his brother Will
John married Ella Ervilla Eaton but had no sexual relations
“sex bred evil diseases, especially in men” was his reason for no sex
they had 42 foster kids, including black, 7 of them were adopted legally
John Harvey Kellogg thought playing with oneself was a sin
“If illicit commerce of the sexes is a heinous sin, self pollution, or masturbation, is a crime doubly abonimable. As a sin against nature, it has no parallel except sodomy (see Genesis 19:5; Judges 19:22).
cruel punishment was Kellogg’s cure to stop children from masturbating
“A remedy which is almost always successful in small boys is circumcision, especially when there is any degree of phimosis. The operation should be performed by a surgeon without administering an anesthetic, as the brief pain attending the operation will have a salutary effect upon the mind, especially if it be connected with the idea of punishment, as it may well be in some cases. The soreness which continues for several weeks interrupts the practice, and if it had not previously become too firmly fixed, it may be forgotten and not resumed.” [4]
contrary to popular belief, J. H. Kellogg never advertised corn flakes as
an “anti-masturbatory morning meal.”
Kellogg also opposed little girls touching or playing with their genitals
the method he suggested was applying carbolic acid to little girls’ clitorises
“The application of pure carbolic acid to the clitoris [is] an excellent means of allaying the abnormal excitement.”
Kellogg believed that playing with one’s own genitals was very harmful
“[Masturbation could cause] cancer of the womb, urinary diseases, nocturnal emissions, impotence, epilepsy, insanity, and mental and physical debility” “[and] dimness of vision.”
when Dr. Kellogg was not mutilating genitals of boys & girls
“[He would be] bandaging or tying their hands, covering their genitals with patented cages, sewing the foreskin shut and [applying] electrical shock.”
he had several type of contraptions
John Kellogg made tons of money through sleek ads about his San
“The single healthiest spot on the planet.”
some of Battle Creek Medical Surgical Sanitarium’s notable customers:
- US President Warren G. Harding
- Tarzan (i.e., actor Johnny Weissmuller)
- Henry Ford (of Ford Motor Company)
- Thomas Edison (inventor of light bulb, motion picture camera, etc.
- Amelia Earhart (1st female aviator)
- John D. Rockefeller (wealthy business magnate)
- James Cash Penney (of J. C. Penney department stores)
- Sojourner Truth (former slave, abolitionist & women’s rights activist
- Ida Tarbell (investigative journalist)
San offered various services to clients, many of them plain rip-off:
usual enemas: 1/2 or 1 quart, San had a 15 quarts enemas: water or yogurt
Kellogg:
“More people need washing out [their bowels] than any other remedy.”
(Indian leader M. K. Gandhi was into enemas and sexual abstinence too)
San offered 46 diverse types of baths, per 1906 Good Housekeeping mag ad
one of them was the “continuous bath” lasting days, weeks, or months
patient was permitted to honor nature’s call
Kellogg claimed the “continuous bath” could treat:
- persistent diarrhea
- psychological illnesses
- skin disorders
any “continuous” service or sale means continuous income, sans hustling
that’s what the US businesses are extremely good at
B. R. Gowani can be reached at brgowani@hotmail.com