Don and Rachel Matesz wrote:
> We weren't saying that breastfeeding has nothing to do with
> population and fertility. On the contrary it IS a dietary factor.
> ...it's about the woman's diet and the babies diet.
Yeah, but what I'm talking about is what I guess could be called
"paleo-breastfeeding" - that is, breastfeeding as it was intended. It
is this kind of breastfeeding that defers the return of the mother's
fertility, which spaces births and keeps her family size small.
Remember the Nestle boycott? It was in protest of the artificial
baby-milk companies promoting their products in 3rd-world countries -
which results not only in the sickness and death of many infants, but
also increases fertility in their mothers, exacerbating the vicious
cycle of population overgrowth and poverty. (The books to which I
referred in my previous post cover this in great detail.) I think
that focusing on what kind of diet the mothers eat may be putting the
cart before the horse; perhaps the wholesale sabotage of breastfeeding
as nature/G-d/whatever intended is a contributing factor to eventual
reliance on an inadequate/inappropriate diet.
...and in a subsequent post...
Don and Rachel Matesz wrote:
> God/Agricultural Religion teaches them to ³befruitful and multiply²
> and to ignore the natural world, i.e., the limits of the land,
> nature, their budget.
Remember that "be fruitful and multiply" first appeared in the Book of
Genesis in the Hebrew Bible, whose original audience was Jewish. The
way Judaism - even its most orthodox interpretation - understands it
is a far cry from your description. The fact that others have
superimposed other beliefs onto the Bible and rendered it virtually
unrecognizable from its original intent should not lead to an
indictment of the Bible itself.
> Christians are told that children are a blessing and never to be
> viewed as a hardship..... even if the womanıs health is compromised
> by lack of adequate spacing of children.
Jews are told to limit their families if the mother's health may be
compromised. (BTW, according to Jewish tradition, a child must be
breastfed for at least his/her first two years. Birth control is
*encouraged* during this period, to prevent the child's food supply
from being threatened by the birth of a sibling. Beyond that,
continued nursing is encouraged until the child is four or more years
old.)
> Why donıt these people practice birth control, even if a non-
> invasive method such as NFP is available and practiced by some
> Christians? My hunch: Their religion teaches them that their
> bodies are dirty and evil.
Jews are taught that their bodies are beautiful and good.
> Talking about sex, sexuality, oneıs urges, planning when you will
> and wonıt DO IT, is viewed as sinful.
Not in Judaism; not only is such talk not sinful, but it is good and
necessary.
> Besides, they shouldnıt touch themselves DOWN THERE. Never mind
> that in order to practice NFP a woman must reach up THERE and check
> her cervical opening, examine her mucous, record it, then share the
> info with her mate. Then, THEY them must consciously decide to
> practice impulse control, to express their love for each other in
> non-sexual ways, i.e., channel their sexual energy... into other
> non-sexual activities. This goes against the GRAIN of agricultural
> religions.
...However, all the above is the MEAT of Judaism. Observant Jewish
women *must* touch themselves DOWN THERE, examine themselves, and
share the info with their mates, for several days of each month as
part of the practice of the Jewish marriage laws. Jewish couples also
must practice impulse control and express love in non-sexual ways for
a certain part of each month. Call Judaism an "agricultural religion"
if you must, but your above description reads like a textbook on what
it is NOT.
> Religious people are often the last to admit that what they eat can
> affect their behavior (patience, violence, or otherwise).
...Then perhaps you haven't had a conversation with someone who
observes the kosher dietary laws; the notion of food affecting one's
behavior are the essence of what they're about.
All I'm trying to point out is that you should know what ALL
"agricultural religions" believe/practice before you paint them all
with the same brush...
...And, don't forget all the limits that the Hebrew Bible places on
AGRICULTURE, too.
--
Deanna
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