Good News For Baha'is

In the Baha'i Faith there are virtually no restrictions on diet, other than not harvesting carrion from the roadside and digging into it, the avoidance of which I imagine would trouble few people. However, one of the teachings of Baha'u'llah is the harmony of science and religion. So, when I read The China Study by T. Colin Campbell, which is the best-researched book on nutrition I have ever found, I wanted to share the news about the health of plant-based whole foods with everyone I know, Baha'i or not. What we eat is of course up to the individual conscience; however we ought to be paying attention when we find a scientific source of information [as opposed to a popular fad] so fundamental and groundbreaking. Read The China Study. Read The China Study. Read The China Study. It may save your life.

I have been reading with great enjoyment the book Memories of Nine Years in 'Akka by Dr. Youness Afroukhteh, about the time he spent in the service of 'Abdu'l-Baha about the turn of the last century. On page 273 begins a section, "The Master on Health" in which the author describes 'Abdu'l-Baha's diet and teachings on health. To quote:

"The harmful effects of eating meat and the benefits of vegetarianism were made clear by the Master; He offered a variety of natural, physical and rational proofs. He would explicitly show how the human body was predisposed toward the digestion of fruits, grains and vegetables, and that eating meat was a habit that had afflicted man over the course of time and generated dependence on the consumption of animal products. In fact, it was man's need and dependency that had prevented God's Manifestations from officially forbidding its use.

"The Master Himself rarely ate animal products. One of the English friends had asked me to present a question to 'Abdu'l-Baha about the Society of Vegetarians, and to advise him of the Master's response. 'Abdu'l-Baha replied, 'The truth is that it is not befitting for man to be carnivorous. However, man has accustomed himself to such a life and now it has become routine and acceptable. That is why its prohibition is not advisable at present.' "

In Note # 175 of the same book, it states: "Compare other statements by the Master, e.g., ' . . . the food of man is cereals and fruit . . . he is not in need of meat, nor is he obliged to eat it. Even without eating meat he would live with the utmost vigour and energy.' 'Meat is nourishing and containeth the elements of herbs, seed and fruits; therefore sometimes it is essential for the sick and for the rehabilitation of health. There is no objection in the Law of God to the eating of meat if it is required' (From Tablets to individual believers, in Health and Healing, compiled by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice)."

This is presented to the readers in this spirit: whoever wishes may apply the principles of a whole-foods, plant-based diet, to benefit their own health. However, even the Manifestations of God have applied no force in the issue of whether to eat animal products. So, there it is.