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Spiritual
Disciplines: The Body and Health at Canadian University College
by Deane Nelson
An
unusual group of buildings on a hill, in an otherwise largely rural countryside,
is visible from Alberta Highway 2 near Lacombe. This is Canadian University College (previously
named Canadian Union College),
which was established in 1907 as the Alberta Industrial Academy, but is now
operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. While it is the only Adventist
post-secondary institution in Canada, CUC belongs to an Adventist sisterhood of
three universities and nine colleges in the United States. CUC offers a variety
of programs in the three divisions of Arts, Science, and Professional Studies.
These programs integrate the Seventh-day Adventist philosophy of health and
spirituality into their objectives and ideals, as they seek to enable students
"to achieve the divine purpose for their whole being, which includes not only
their intellectual capacities but also their physical, social, vocational, and
spiritual dimensions."1
For example, its sister institution, Loma Linda University in Loma Linda,
California, is well known for its medical expertise, as well as its integration
of spiritual care with the practice of health care.
Seventh-day
Adventism emerged from the major Protestant bodies in mid-19th-century
America through belief in Saturday as the biblical Sabbath (hence the
"Seventh-day"), and in the second coming of Christ (hence the "Adventists"). At
the time, ignorance of health principles was so widespread that nearly every
home had sick people. Customs, diet and sanitation were not favourable to
healthful living. Strong drugs and opiates were used freely, while little
attention was given to the causes of disease. Adventists thus found that health
reform was a vital issue. It is important to point out that even though many of
the health principles advocated by the founders of Adventism were far in advance
of their time — writings about the perils of the use of tobacco (1848), the
importance of cleanliness and the value of non-rich and unrefined foods (1854),
and the misuse of drugs (1864) — their importance lay in the relationship of
health to the church's understanding of the Gospel:
We do not profess to be pioneers in the general principles of the health
reform. The facts on which this movement is based have been elaborated, in a
great measure, by reformers, physicians, and writers on physiology and hygiene,
and so may be found scattered through the land. But we do claim that by the
method of God's choice it has been more clearly and powerfully unfolded, and is
thereby producing an effect which we could not have looked for from any other
means.
As mere physiological and hygienic truths, they might be studied by some at
their leisure, and by others laid aside as of little consequence; but ... it
comes to us as an essential part of present truth, to be received with the
blessing of God, or rejected at our peril.2
Thus the gospel of health becomes vital to the Seventh-day Adventist
philosophy and is placed in equal importance to other beliefs. Underlying the
educational emphasis in the church is a strong concern for the prevention of
disease and the maintenance of good health. Personal health habits are an
observable aspect of the life of a Seventh-day Adventist. Most abstain from the
use of alcoholic beverages, tobacco and dangerous drugs. The Old Testament
prohibition against the use of unclean meats is strictly followed, and many
Adventists are vegetarians. Studies among Seventh-day Adventists show that the
risk of death from diseases such as lung cancer, bronchitis, emphysema, coronary
heart disease, cancer, diabetes and traffic accidents is lower for Adventists
than for persons of corresponding age and gender in the general population. Life
expectancy at age 35 for Adventists has been found to be six to seven
years greater than for the general population. The longevity of Adventists is
strongly related to the differences in personal health habits. Hence the church
runs community programs concerned with smoking, diet, weight control, physical
fitness and other health-related services. These are often strongly linked with
the evangelistic mission of the church.
Seventh-day Adventists believe that the body is a "temple of the Holy
Spirit." The college takes seriously its commitment to healthful living. The
cafeteria provides wholesome, lacto-ovo vegetarian meals prepared in a variety
of international cuisines. The physical education program encourages physical
fitness through activities designed to meet a variety of needs for its
participants. Students, faculty, staff, and the public are encouraged to make
use of the 25 metre pool, saunas, weight training centre, gymnasium, racquetball
court, nature trails, athletic field, outdoor ice rink, several lakes and a
rock climbing wall.
The association of the body and health at Canadian University College is
strengthened through the belief in the holistic nature of humans. Unlike the
ancient Greeks and some contemporary beliefs, a person is not understood as a
dichotomy of body and soul. Instead, a person is seen as a multi-dimensional
unity of body, mind and spirit. Whatever affects one area of humanness, whether
it relates to the physical, mental, social or spiritual dimensions, affects the
total being. Hence, every activity recognizes the blending of the total person.
This is particularly noticeable in the uniting of spiritual disciplines with the
total educational experience. This recalls the early pioneer in Adventism who
wrote that "health ... comes to us as an essential part of present truth, to be
received with the blessing of God."3 Body and health is experienced at CUC in the
total package of Christian education. Hence students, faculty and staff can
sense the presence of God in the "body" of campus life. All have the opportunity
to experience the goodness of the universe in the daily interactions of humans
with a vision and a mission in life.
From: Aspenland 1998 — Local
Knowledge and Sense of Place
Edited by: David J. Goa and David Ridley
Published by: The Central Alberta Regional
Museums Network (CARMN) with the assistance of the Provincial Museum of Alberta
and the Red Deer and District Museum.
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