LDS and the Word of Wisdom

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Why abstain from “hot drinks” and alcohol and tobacco? And why isn’t moderation in intake of meat practiced?
 
This never made sense to me. The objection to coffee and tea was actually an objection to “hot drinks”. Well there are lots of “hot drinks”. So why isn’t “hot chocolate” also banned? And since I’ve seen temple-recommend holding Mormons drink “iced tea” apparently it’s not the substance, it’s the TEMPERATURE that is controlling. How odd. Hot Tea a sin, Iced Tea OK. Weird if you ask me.

It would also appear that a cold coffee (even frappacino?) from Starbucks would also be OK, but HEAVEN FORBID a hot cup of coffee!

It gets worse, but I won’t GO THERE.

The bottom line is that the way some people live their lives makes no sense.

I can’t speak to other inconsistencies. I can’t get beyond THESE.
 
Interesting, I never knew that LDS abstain from “hot drinks”, but why, where is the reference for that in the Bible :confused:
 
It isn’t in the Bible, Sam. It was apparently driven by economics. Once in Utah, tobacco, coffee and tea were expensive items, and their import to Utah was a drain on the economy. Maybe meat was also an issue like this???

Early on in Utah, they began, I think, their own vineyard and brewery.

Another possibility was that boiling the water, or adding alcohol to it would kill the germs. Cholera was a problem, and cholera germ could be isolated to get rid of undesirables. Just a possibility. They also may have blamed their own alcohol use for some of the problems in Nauvoo.

It is their multiple gods which are a problem to Islam. Despite their attempts to cozy up to them. Both religions can encourage violence and polygamy, for those who want to use it as an excuse.
 
LongJourney said:
Why abstain from “hot drinks” and alcohol and tobacco? And why isn’t moderation in intake of meat practiced?
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Somewhere I did read that they are to eat meat in moderate amounts. I will have to think about where I saw that.

My LDS friend (he did a mission so he really is LDS) said one reason JS put a ban on tobacco is because Emma did not like cleaning out the spittoon. Apparently, JS and Co. were tobacco chewers.

I still get a kick out of people drinking Mt. Dew for breakfast because coffee is forbidden.
 
Somewhere I did read that they are to eat meat in moderate amounts.
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Eating meat in the winter is encouraged. 1. Scientifically because higher protein and fat are needed to generate the energy needed to maintain body heat. 2. Meat keeps better in the cold. :confused:

There is something in the BoM about not using fire while traveling in the wilderness. God made the meat “sweat” so that they did not have to cook it. Perhaps making jerky?
 
When I joined I went over the Word of Wisdom with the missionaries. One brought up the Titanic. According to him, when they discovered it at the bottom of the ocean, they also found leather looking pouches that looked like purses or bags. According to the missionary, it was lugs or livers of the British tea drinkers. The tannin in the tea apparently makes your insides leathery. So when the boat sunk and they drowned, and died and sank to the bottom, their livers or lungs (I forget which one), turned to leather over the years because they drank so much tea in Britain. And that’s why you should not drink tea!
 
Well, they were right about tobacco-it’s been proven to be very bad for you.
Tiki-I hope you are worng about the tea as I drink a lot of it.
 
LOL!!! I would rather have a well-tanned stomach that one that rebels because of too much hot sauce. I need to drink more tea!! Thank you for that one.
 
TikiTokiguy said:
When I joined I went over the Word of Wisdom with the missionaries. One brought up the Titanic. According to him, when they discovered it at the bottom of the ocean, they also found leather looking pouches that looked like purses or bags. According to the missionary, it was lugs or livers of the British tea drinkers. The tannin in the tea apparently makes your insides leathery. So when the boat sunk and they drowned, and died and sank to the bottom, their livers or lungs (I forget which one), turned to leather over the years because they drank so much tea in Britain. And that’s why you should not drink tea!
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I’d hate to see what our insides look like after years of consuming diet soda and regular soda!
 
Thanks, Todd, for that link. No, I asked the question knowing part of the answer, but not all.
We knew in the 1800’s that tobacco was harmful as well as coffee, tea, and alcohol. We also were given direction to eat whole grains, vegetables and fruits in season and to avoid excessive meat long before these ideas were discussed among the modern medical community.
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Coffee and tea and alcohol are healthy IN MODERATION. As for tobacco, that is a problem I have not been able to overcome. 😦 Whole grains? Ever seen a picture of your internet leader eating sweet rolls? 😛
 
Since to non-LDS the Word of Wisdom is really strange, I’ll try an analogy.

If a Monk in some Religous Order takes a vow of silence, and then breaks that vow:
  • speaking is not a sin (unless he took HIS name in vain)
  • breaking his ‘vow of silence’ is a problem that must be recognized
  • to people outside the Order, the whole ‘vow of silence’ is really stupid.:whacky:
For LDS, our vow is to follow the Word of Wisdom (WoW)
  • drinking alcohol, coffee etc is not a sin
  • breaking your promise not to imbibe is the issue that must be recognized
  • to people outside LDS, the whole WoW is really stupid.:whacky:
There are obvious health benefits to the Word of Wisdom but I appreciate that the whole package doesn’t make sense. An element of daily sacrifice also enters into this, as a reminder to treat your body as a temple.
 
Sounds reasonable, Todd. That is why I brought up the subject. A welcome relief, after WEEKS of abrasive apologetics, on both sides.

I have a t-shirt which lauds the virtues of coffee. When among Mormons, I get hostile glares for wearing that shirt. Again, some regard those who do not follow the WoW as being hell-bound pagans. While, at the same time, most LDS do not follow the WoW in its entirety, for its good advice.

I rarely eat white bread, and would garden and can, dehydrate, and freeze my own fruits and vegetables if I had the resources to do so. Buying meat in bulk for the freezer is also something I would do if I had the privilege. I have enough jars of jam under the kitchen sink to last for several years. I enjoy those cultural aspects which I hold in common with LDS.
 
LongJourney said:
Sounds reasonable, Todd. That is why I brought up the subject. A welcome relief, after WEEKS of abrasive apologetics, on both sides.

I have a t-shirt which lauds the virtues of coffee. When among Mormons, I get hostile glares for wearing that shirt. Again, some regard those who do not follow the WoW as being hell-bound pagans. While, at the same time, most LDS do not follow the WoW in its entirety, for its good advice.

I rarely eat white bread, and would garden and can, dehydrate, and freeze my own fruits and vegetables if I had the resources to do so. Buying meat in bulk for the freezer is also something I would do if I had the privilege. I have enough jars of jam under the kitchen sink to last for several years. I enjoy those cultural aspects which I hold in common with LDS.
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Yes, there is a tendency among the masses to consider the act of drinking coffee as a sin and ignore the root promise. They also may just be jealous of you, flauting your ability to imbibe in something truely wonderful each morning (I like coffee 😊 )

I think many people don’t drink the coffee but forget the whole ‘body is temple’ bit, they should lay off the fast food and exercise.👍

And thank you for your non-abrasive approach 😃
 
One of the greatest fruits of my having been LDS was adherence to the WoW. 👍

Now a days I do drink coffee and tea and will have an occasional drink, but I never went down the road of wild partying that is so very common outside of the LDS circles for teens and young adults…dangerously common IMO.

I will forever be grateful that I lived the WoW until my early 30’s…By then I was mature enough to make wise choices about alcohol etc…

You will never find me knocking the WoW…ever…
 
Marie5890 said:
One of the greatest fruits of my having been LDS was adherence to the WoW. 👍

Now a days I do drink coffee and tea and will have an occasional drink, but I never went down the road of wild partying that is so very common outside of the LDS circles for teens and young adults…dangerously common IMO.

I will forever be grateful that I lived the WoW until my early 30’s…By then I was mature enough to make wise choices about alcohol etc…

You will never find me knocking the WoW…ever…
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LDS teens and young adults have been known to indulge in “wild partying” too. Growing up, my children had numerous LDS friends and classmates and some of these were just as active at the parties as any of the kids. So being LDS is no guarantee of teenage sobriety! 😃

I think the thing that has always bothered me is the public v. private practices of some Mormons. Back when I was growing up, I knew that Mormons didn’t drink coffee or tea, but the Mormons I knew also didn’t drink any soda with caffeine in it, so coke and pepsi were “out” too.

Today, I’ve noticed that when Mormons gather for a group function, there will be orange soda, root beer, punch ~ basically all manner of non-caffeinated sodas and drinks. But privately, they’ll be drinking Mountain Dew (the highest caffeine soda besides Jolt last time I checked) or Diet Coke ~ haven’t tried to compare them to “energy drinks” ;). Another example ~ I know one Mormon Stake President that goes through quite a number of Diet Cokes every day (I submit an unhealthy number, but that’s more because of the chemicals used to sweeten it, which I consider deadly.)

In conclusion, I think it is odd that some would choose one way of living in public and another in private.
 
Catherine_D said:
LDS teens and young adults have been known to indulge in “wild partying” too. Growing up, my children had numerous LDS friends and classmates and some of these were just as active at the parties as any of the kids. So being LDS is no guarantee of teenage sobriety! 😃

I think the thing that has always bothered me is the public v. private practices of some Mormons. Back when I was growing up, I knew that Mormons didn’t drink coffee or tea, but the Mormons I knew also didn’t drink any soda with caffeine in it, so coke and pepsi were “out” too.

Today, I’ve noticed that when Mormons gather for a group function, there will be orange soda, root beer, punch ~ basically all manner of non-caffeinated sodas and drinks. But privately, they’ll be drinking Mountain Dew (the highest caffeine soda besides Jolt last time I checked) or Diet Coke ~ haven’t tried to compare them to “energy drinks” ;). Another example ~ I know one Mormon Stake President that goes through quite a number of Diet Cokes every day (I submit an unhealthy number, but that’s more because of the chemicals used to sweeten it, which I consider deadly.)

In conclusion, I think it is odd that some would choose one way of living in public and another in private.
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Yes, hypocrisy certainly can be found in any faith tradition, no doubt about it.

The whole “caffeine thing”…LDS church never officially equated “hot drinks” with caffiene…that was one of those things that many Mormons did privately.

(Sorta like how ancient Jews expanded upon their dietary laws beyond that that was prescribed by the Torah to avoid even the possibility of breaking the dietary laws)

Never when I went for my TR was I ever asked if I drank coke or any other caffienated drinks etc…Just “do you live the WoW”
 
Here is the exact text:
5 That inasmuch as any man drinketh wine or strong drink among you, behold it is not good, neither meet in the sight of your Father, only in assembling yourselves together to offer up your sacraments before him.
6 And, behold, this should be wine, yea, pure wine of the grape of the vine, of your own make.
7 And, again, strong drinks are not for the belly, but for the washing of your bodies.
8 And again, tobacco is not for the body, neither for the belly, and is not good for man, but is an herb for bruises and all sick cattle, to be used with judgment and skill.
9 And again, hot drinks are not for the body or belly.
10 And again, verily I say unto you, all wholesome herbs God hath ordained for the constitution, nature, and use of man
11 Every herb in the season thereof, and every fruit in the season thereof; all these to be used with prudence and thanksgiving.
12 Yea, flesh also of beasts and of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly;
13 And it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used, only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine.
14 All grain is ordained for the use of man and of beasts, to be the staff of life, not only for man but for the beasts of the field, and the fowls of heaven, and all wild animals that run or creep on the earth;
15 And these hath God made for the use of man only in times of famine and excess of hunger.
16 All grain is good for the food of man; as also the fruit of the vine; that which yieldeth fruit, whether in the ground or above the ground—
17 Nevertheless, wheat for man, and corn for the ox, and oats for the horse, and rye for the fowls and for swine, and for all beasts of the field, and barley for all useful animals, and for mild drinks, as also other grain.
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en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Doctrine_and_Covenants/Section_89

It is really very broad, and should be humbling to try to follow it and its extensions to the letter.
 
Marie5890 said:
Yes, hypocrisy certainly can be found in any faith tradition, no doubt about it.

The whole “caffeine thing”…LDS church never officially equated “hot drinks” with caffiene…that was one of those things that many Mormons did privately.

(Sorta like how ancient Jews expanded upon their dietary laws beyond that that was prescribed by the Torah to avoid even the possibility of breaking the dietary laws)

Never when I went for my TR was I ever asked if I drank coke or any other caffienated drinks etc…Just “do you live the WoW”
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Interesting. So the Temple Recommend holders that I saw drinking iced tea, or decaffeinated hot tea were violating the Word of Wisdom, even it if was in ignorance.

I’m not going to be the one to tell them tho! 🙂
 
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