The Bible Cure

Rating:
Summary: Expand the series!!!
Review: I'm thrilled that "The Bible Cure" has spawned a series of Bible-based health guides, but there's so much potential for other areas. "The Bible Cure for Faulty Power Brakes"? "The Bible Cure for WindowsXP Bugs"? "The Bible Cure for Brownies That Don't Cook Fully in the Middle But Burn at the Edges of the Pan"? Bring them on! There's nothing the Good Book can't fix!

Rating:
Summary: Some good info, but not much detail
Review: This book discusses spiritual healing through prayer, diet, supplements, traditional and alternative treatments for a variety of health conditions, and includes a few recipes in the back. However, there is not a lot of detail on any one of these issues as the book is only 152 pages.

My first impression of this book is that Cherry's interpretation of some Bible verses is rather suspect. For instance, he claims that the healing recorded in John chapter nine is a case of Jesus using medicinal and spiritual means to heal. But in no means can spit and dirt be considered to be a medicinal cure for congenital blindness! OTOH, most of the supposed spiritual healings Cherry reports could be attributed solely to psychological factors or the medical treatments that accompanied the prayer.

In regards to diet, Cherry believes the Bible teaches a Mediterranean style of eating. And he is probably correct for the most part. But I did scratch my head when he states throughout the book to limit red meat to three or four times per month but then in a chart on page 118 says to eat lean meat 1-2 times weekly. Most people would probably find the former to be rather restrictive.

He promotes a mostly plant based diet but takes a swipe at a full vegetarian diet at the beginning of the book. But his quick dismissal of vegetarianism doesn't do justice to those who have thrived on such a diet. I go into much greater detail on the pros and cons of a vegetarian diet in my book "Creationist Diet: Nutrition and God-given Foods According to the Bible." I also give a lot more details on diet related subjects that Cherry just glosses over.

In regards to supplements, Cherry recommends rather high doses of vitamins and minerals, especially the antioxidant nutrients. He seems to assume the evidence for their benefit is clear-cut. But as I detail in my book, the evidence is actually contradictory.

As for the discussion on the different healings using prayer and medical means, I did find one story to be instructive. A lady with ovarian cancer believed she was "led" by God to first use chemotherapy, but then she felt led to stop after just three treatments and then to depend solely on natural alternative treatments.

And it worked. The three chemotherapy treatments eliminated most of the cancer leaving it more manageable for the natural means. And by stopping after three treatments she didn't experience any of the common side effects of chemotherapy. If the unthinkable happens and I ever come down with cancer, this pattern of treatment will merit serious consideration.

As for the recipes, they are rather basic and seem to be a waste of space in such a small book.

Overall, this book does provide a good introduction to each of the main issues covered. But it is just that, an introduction. For details, one would have to turn to separate books devoted to each subject.

Rating:
Summary: Should have been a pamphlet
Review: This book is somewhat disorganized and repetitive to such a point that rather than being reinforcing, you find yourself flipping ahead to see if anything else of value awaits you.

I found the beginning interesting - by restating the food directives outlined in the old testament, it certainly does indicate that God gave us some excellent diet guidelines right from the start. However, many passages/interpretations used throughout the book are somewhat questionable.