Ellen Gould White
What does Ellen White write about...
Ellen Gould White über: "Health Effects of Coffee Consumption"
Answer
According to the available writings, coffee consumption has far‑reaching negative effects on the body, the mind, and spiritual life. Coffee acts as a stimulant that gives the body a "false strength," exhausting the nerves and leading in the long term to physical decline, such as sallow skin and heart palpitations.
Furthermore, coffee impairs intellectual abilities and moral judgment by placing the nervous system in an unnatural state of excitation, inevitably followed by exhaustion. This habitual consumption is regarded as a harmful indulgence that hinders spiritual growth and creates a dependence similar to that of alcohol or tobacco.
Coffee as a Harmful Pleasure and Neurotoxin
»Coffee is a harmful indulgence. It temporarily stimulates the mind to unusual activity, but the after‑effect is exhaustion, debilitation, and paralysis of mental, moral, and physical forces. The mind becomes weakened, and if the habit is not overcome by determined effort, brain activity permanently diminishes. All these nerve‑stimulating agents drain the life‑force.«
Physical Symptoms and False Energy
»Tea and coffee do not nourish the system. The relief one experiences from them comes suddenly, before the stomach has had time to digest them. This shows that what users of these stimulants call strength is produced only by the excitation of the stomach nerves… This is a false strength. The secondary effects are headaches, insomnia, heart palpitations, digestive disturbances, and trembling of the nerves.«
Effects on Appearance and Vitality
»The influence of coffee is to some extent the same as that of tea, but its effect on the system is even worse. Its influence is stimulating, and precisely to the extent that it exceeds the normal level, it will exhaust and cause debilitation below the normal level. Tea and coffee drinkers bear the signs on their faces. The skin becomes yellowish and takes on a lifeless appearance.«
Risk of Dependence and Spiritual Consequences
»In some cases, giving up the tea and coffee habit is as difficult as it is for a drinker to stop using alcohol. The money spent on tea and coffee is worse than wasted. They only cause harm to the user, and continuously.«
Impairment of Spiritual Discernment
»Tea and coffee are stimulating. Their effects are similar to those of tobacco… Those who give in to a perverted appetite do so to the detriment of health and mind. They cannot appreciate the value of spiritual things. Their sense of feeling is dulled, and sin does not appear as very sinful.«
Exhaustion of Natural Life Forces
»When the forces of nature are driven by the use of stimulants, more is achieved for a time; but as the system is weakened by their constant use, it gradually becomes more difficult to awaken the energies to the desired point. The demand for stimulants becomes harder to control until the will is overwhelmed.«
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Original Sources (English)
Stephan Krol
Founder of EGW Vision
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