Eat No Evil

Rating:
Summary: on causes and compulsions
Review: Flowing rather like the monologues on Roy Masters' marvelous radio talk show, this book is loaded with wisdom and life-changing truths.
I used a lot of ink marking the relevant passages on its pages, which are now more underlined than not. Yes, he repeats certain thoughts, but they are worth repeating, and remembering. Much of what is in this book could be seen as controversial to some, and Roy Masters is anything but "politically correct". He says it as he sees it, and it is a view of what motivates people that may surprise a few, and even anger some.

"Being overweight is not a problem in itself. It's the symptom of a problem" (pg. 20).

Masters has Judeo-Christian roots, and has a Biblical viewpoint about how food has influenced our lives, starting in the Garden of Eden, where symbolically Adam and Eve fell to the temptation of pride and rebellion against God through food, and we face the same temptation as we gaze into our refrigerators, looking for comfort, and "searching to satisfy an even vaguer craving".
One has to wonder why there are so many overweight Christians, when the Bible clearly states that gluttony is a sin, but as I look into my own heart, as it was the "first sin" in the Garden, food is also the last sin to give up, our final shred of "selfness" before we relinquish all to His will.

"Food is the cause furthest back in time" (pg. 33).

"Eat No Evil" turns on a bright light into a dark corner of the psyche, dark because it goes back to infancy, and the truths it speaks of will be much enhanced by the simple "be still and know" meditation exercise that Masters teaches, which I have practiced for decades, with astounding results.
This book has nothing to do with diets or food-cop restrictions. One doesn't have to "give up chocolate", chocolate will simply lose its allure, once one sees what makes it tempting, and how the origins of that temptation have little to do with chocolate.
This book also relates to all things of a sensory/emotional nature, and casts the light of truth on it, even to how we react to the contents of our mailbox.
With observation and objectivity, Masters writes "your life will become a tempered balance, a natural and blessed experience".



Rating:
Summary: Rambling, yes. Anti-woman?
Review: If you've read the brief bio about Roy Masters then you already know he's a radio personality, born Jewish but a believer in Christ. He uses this book to give his take on the food/woman/original sin connection, and demonstrates how the original sin of the forbidden fruit from woman is the downfall of man. From a political standpoint, this is tough to swallow, especially if you are a liberal. However, Roy's analysis stands up to millenia of human development and religious understanding, and if you can look at the ideas without your political/socialized brain, you might be able to see that he has a point.

Roy's writing style is a bit rambling. He very frequently repeats ideas throughout the course of the narrative; with proper editing, the book could have been about half its length. It's quite stream-of-conciousness, but this is the reason why I think it works. Instead of tricking you into word traps and setting up logic walls, Roy simply points out explicit connections between your anger and the need to find solace in something. For humans, this is usually in the form of food or sex, though drugs, alcohol, and music can also be mind-numbing and addictive. Roy advocates reconnecting with the spirit of God and learning to still the constant cacophony of images that serve to seperate you from God.

If you have ever been to Sunday school or gotten any sort of religious instruction, Roy's message will hardly be new to you. But for me he has put together the idea of sin through food and redemption through God in a way that has helped me to see my failings.

If you come to this book expecting a weight-loss guide, look elsewhere. Roy wants to help you find a way to let go of your compulsions, not help you lose weight.

Rating:
Summary: Rambling, yes. Anti-woman?
Review: If you've read the brief bio about Roy Masters then you already know he's a radio personality, born Jewish but a believer in Christ. He uses this book to give his take on the food/woman/original sin connection, and demonstrates how the original sin of the forbidden fruit from woman is the downfall of man. From a political standpoint, this is tough to swallow, especially if you are a liberal. However, Roy's analysis stands up to millenia of human development and religious understanding, and if you can look at the ideas without your political/socialized brain, you might be able to see that he has a point.

Roy's writing style is a bit rambling. He very frequently repeats ideas throughout the course of the narrative; with proper editing, the book could have been about half its length. It's quite stream-of-conciousness, but this is the reason why I think it works. Instead of tricking you into word traps and setting up logic walls, Roy simply points out explicit connections between your anger and the need to find solace in something. For humans, this is usually in the form of food or sex, though drugs, alcohol, and music can also be mind-numbing and addictive. Roy advocates reconnecting with the spirit of God and learning to still the constant cacophony of images that serve to seperate you from God.

If you have ever been to Sunday school or gotten any sort of religious instruction, Roy's message will hardly be new to you. But for me he has put together the idea of sin through food and redemption through God in a way that has helped me to see my failings.

If you come to this book expecting a weight-loss guide, look elsewhere. Roy wants to help you find a way to let go of your compulsions, not help you lose weight.