by millie210 49 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
I feel one of the big reasons is STRESS - Still TotallyADD
I agree with this100 %. I do eat healthily but I think you can eat all the fruit, veg and wholefoods you like but if you are under the kind of stress we were in that religion your body is going to suffer.
Just quoting my earlier post (plus an edit afterwards) : "As a broadbrush comment I find the more highly strung someone is the more likely they are to be high on the special dietary curve."
Edit: Also the more highly strung someone is the more likely they will have given me a down vote for the above comment.
I'm glad you came back Freddo 'cos I was going to mention the highly strung theory and add to it that food and health fads among JWs seem to be part of the same disorder spectrum.
If you are navigating life relying on "special" and unconventional information like you have to in the JW delusion, it is likely that this reliance is not just limited to religion. Religion, health and diet are connected by a need to observe certain demands and certain taboos, which however are often based on faulty reasoning. They share the hallmark of superstition that as long as you do this or that, you will be all right-- as your inner voice tells you.
COs were always the worst , with their long list of dietary restrictions / whatever fad diet they were on at the time.
We had a CO and his wife who came when the "not combining food" diet was all the rage in the 1980's - the list was epic - it was no meat with vegetables , must have fruit as a starter , coffee had to be decaff etc etc. We had them staying with us for the week and my poor mother was almost driven demented by the end of the week at having to manage their faddy diet.
I do think JWs are probably more susceptible than "worldly" ones to dietary fads , quackery etc due to their distrust of modern medicine , gullibility to being caught up with MLM / pyramid health schemes ( of which the Society is an obvious religious example ) and the general malaise / depression that comes with being a JW.
Real gluten intolerance/celiac disease is not fun at all. Apparently, I have suffered from this malady my entire life. It was not until I was 40 years old that a doctor decided to test me for this. At 62, I still have to read every package of food and question waiters and waitresses each time I go to a restaurant to eat. Are there some Jehovah's Witnesses that claim to have this affliction but really don't? Absolutely. They self diagnose and that is good enough for them. Am I high strung? You're god damned right I'm high strung sometimes. Especially when some idiot waitress, waiter or chef doesn't take me seriously. You would be 'high strung' too if you shit your pants in public after eating something you weren't supposed to.
Gluten intolerance and other allergies are very real, sometimes fatal and have nothing to do with being highly strung as you say Sparky.
Among JWs as for many outside the cult, individuals hear of problems others have with certain foods and because of their reputation (like gluten) they avoid them as if this information will benefit them also. I remember a stupid sister who ate all and any medicines since she reasoned that medicine was there to help you. It is this sort of thinking which drives superstitious people to collect food fads and prohibitions. When I was a JW I did find JWs were most susceptible to this type of thinking but through lack of of data it would be hard to compare the frequencies with the general population.
My parents back in the mid 60' s would have a D.O. stay at our home. He was a guest at there house for several years. At the end of the week he would always ask for a very large glass of vodka. Enough to put down a horse. Now that's what I call a special diet. Lol Still Totally ADD
freddo whoever didnt like your comment on theorizing a connection between being high strung and having some food intolerances or sensitivities, didnt like my comment following yours either!
I wish they would come out and talk to us instead of just hitting dislike.
I mean that sincerely as I appreciate all the different perspectives being given here.
Half banana
If you are navigating life relying on "special" and unconventional information like you have to in the JW delusion, it is likely that this reliance is not just limited to religion. Religion, health and diet are connected by a need to observe certain demands and certain taboos, which however are often based on faulty reasoning. They share the hallmark of superstition that as long as you do this or that, you will be all right-- as your inner voice tells you.
So eloquently put and easy to understand. Thank you.
Closer to Fine
It's interesting. In my jw side of the family there are both. Some are all organic, no gluten, no dies, no chemicals, no vaccines, no medications, and no doctors (some of them no dr. even during childbirth). They don't avoid these items due to allergies. It's more of a distrust of worldly drs and food companies. Others from the same family love junk food. Lots of soda, sugar, white flour, booze, and lots of meds from doctors.
Im curious, do you see a difference in how they perceive themselves as spiritual people? Is one side more part of the leadership than the other or another question, does one side seem more superstitious than the other?
