Parents do not generally suspect that their children understand anything about this vice. In very many cases the parents are the real sinners. They have abused their marriage privileges, and by indulgence have strengthened their animal passions. And as these have strengthened, the moral and intellectual faculties have become weak. The spiritual has been overborne by the brutish. Children are born with the animal propensities largely developed, the parents’ own stamp of character having been given to them. The unnatural action of the sensitive organs produces irritation. They are easily excited, and momentary relief is experienced in exercising them. But the evil constantly increases. The drain upon the system is sensibly felt. The brain force is weakened, and memory becomes deficient. Children born to these parents will almost invariably take naturally to the disgusting habits of secret vice. The marriage covenant is sacred, but what an amount of lust and crime it covers! Those who feel at liberty, because married, to degrade their bodies by beastly indulgence of the animal passions, will have their degraded course perpetuated in their children. The sins of the parents will be visited upon their children because the parents have given them the stamp of their own lustful propensities. {2T 391.1}

Min bror du er langt fra Gud; du er i en frafalden. Du har ikke ædel moralsk tapperhed. Du overgiver dig til dine egne ønsker i stedet for at fornægte selvet. I jaget efter lykke, har du deltaget i forlystelsessteder som Gud ikke kan billige og når du gør dette har du svækket din egen sjæl. [Min bror, du har meget at lære. Du føjer appetitten og du spiser mere end organismen kan omdanne til godt blod. Det er synd at spise for meget, selv om maden er af god kvalitet. Mange mener at når de ikke spiser kød og de fleste øvrige madsorter, kan de spise alt de orker af enkel, sund mad. Men dette er en misforståelse. Mange som bekender sig til at være helsereformens talsmænd, er ikke andet end frådsere. De lægger så store byrder på fordøjelsesorganerne at kroppens energi bliver udtømt bare for at kunne tage sig af overflødig mad. Forspisning har en deprimerende indflydelse på tankevirksomheden. Hjernens nerveenergi må sættes ind for at hjælpe maven i dens arbejde. At spise for meget, endog af den enkleste mad, afstumper hjernens følsomme nerver og derved svækkes hjernens vitalitet. At spise for meget er en større belastning på organismen end at arbejde for meget. Sindets energi svækkes mere ved at spise for meget.