Why do Mormons use bread and water for communion?

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adamhovey1988

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I understand that LDS believe the Lord’s Supper to be symbolic, but why not the bread and grape juice of certain Protestant denominations? I can understand why they wouldn’t use wine, but what’s the origin of using water?
 
I understand that when Joseph Smith received the “Word of Wisdom” that only sacramental wine made by ones own hand was allowed. Since it cautioned against strong drink and it didn’t matter what they used, many did switch to using grape juice. As LDS were persecuted and driven out of town after town even grape juice became a problem to aquire so they started to use water since it was cheap and available everywhere.

Perhaps an LDS (or former LDS) can correct me, but it’s what I remember an LDS friend telling me. There might have been some other significance I missed or that I wasn’t allowed to know. I think she said that not all LDS sects use water for the Lord’s Supper or ordinance (can’t remember if there is a specific name).
 
Usige said:
I understand that when Joseph Smith received the “Word of Wisdom” that only sacramental wine made by ones own hand was allowed. Since it cautioned against strong drink and it didn’t matter what they used, many did switch to using grape juice. As LDS were persecuted and driven out of town after town even grape juice became a problem to aquire so they started to use water since it was cheap and available everywhere.

Perhaps an LDS (or former LDS) can correct me, but it’s what I remember an LDS friend telling me. There might have been some other significance I missed or that I wasn’t allowed to know. I think she said that not all LDS sects use water for the Lord’s Supper or ordinance (can’t remember if there is a specific name).
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“Grape juice” was invented by Welch in 1869. Joseph Smith was murdered in 1844. Brigham Young and his followers were settled in Utah in 1847 and growing grapes for wine by the early 1850s. (I live 1/2 mile from a vineyard that was planted by Mormon settlers.)

LDS members have a lot of myths floating around among themselves, especially when it comes to wine and rewriting history around its consumption.
 
RebeccaJ said:
“Grape juice” was invented by Welch in 1869. Joseph Smith was murdered in 1844. Brigham Young and his followers were settled in Utah in 1847 and growing grapes for wine by the early 1850s. (I live 1/2 mile from a vineyard that was planted by Mormon settlers.)

LDS members have a lot of myths floating around among themselves, especially when it comes to wine and rewriting history around its consumption.
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Thanks for the info. I wondered how much was history and how much was myth
 
Usige said:
Thanks for the info. I wondered how much was history and how much was myth
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I don’t know enough about them one way or the other. I have seen what some other folks have posted on here about them and I have learned a lot. I don’t live in town, so not a whole lot of Mormons out here knocking on my door out in the country. I’m a bit leery about visiting their services, so I don’t know a whole lot about this (although I know quite a bit about beliefs, who taught what, sucession crisis, “one mighty and strong”, etc). I don’t know, water just seems so, weird to me. That said, I do know an independent Baptist whose church uses wine, so I guess maybe not that odd.
 
adamhovey1988 said:
I don’t know enough about them one way or the other. I have seen what some other folks have posted on here about them and I have learned a lot. I don’t live in town, so not a whole lot of Mormons out here knocking on my door out in the country. I’m a bit leery about visiting their services, so I don’t know a whole lot about this (although I know quite a bit about beliefs, who taught what, sucession crisis, “one mighty and strong”, etc). I don’t know, water just seems so, weird to me. That said, I do know an independent Baptist whose church uses wine, so I guess maybe not that odd.
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I don’t know if some of the Protestant denominations or non-denominations use water or not, but I do know many of them use grape juice rather than wine.

I’d be interested to hear from others if they know of churches who use water.
 
Horton said:
I don’t know if some of the Protestant denominations or non-denominations use water or not, but I do know many of them use grape juice rather than wine.

I’d be interested to hear from others if they know of churches who use water.
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Most of the ones I know of use grape juice, but some do use wine. I am a bit curious too, come to think of it.
 
RebeccaJ said:
Informative article about communion wine, the temperance movement and one Methodist’s solution.

umc.org/who-we-are/methodist-history-controversy-communion-and-welchs-grape-juice

"You are probably familiar with Welch’s Grape Juice, but you may not know it has ties to the history of The United Methodist Church.
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What did the Methodist use before grape juice? I think Smith had passing interest in Methodism, this is why I ask. (If it says in the article, take into consideration it probably won’t load on this computer)
 
jimkhong said:
But then again maybe not in arid 19th century Salt Lake City? :D:D

or maybe water can be changed into wine at will?
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It actually made me think; is it tap water? Is there a universal norm for it in the LDS church? If it is just tap water, how would that work in devoloping countries?
 
adamhovey1988 said:
What did the Methodist use before grape juice? I think Smith had passing interest in Methodism, this is why I ask. (If it says in the article, take into consideration it probably won’t load on this computer)
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In the article it says wine. They tried juice from grapes that were squeezed the week before. But not all congregations had access to grapes, and since refrigerators had not been invented yet, grape juice quickly started to ferment.

Some congregations started using water instead of wine. Some stopped using a communion cup altogether. After Welch used Louis Pasteur’s invention of pasteurization on grape juice, non-alcoholic grape juice that would keep for long periods of time made it possible for the Methodist congregations to move to using grape juice for communion. By the 1890s Welch’s grape juice was used in all Methodist congregations who had access to his product.
 
RebeccaJ said:
In the article it says wine. They tried juice from grapes that were squeezed the week before. But not all congregations had access to grapes, and since refrigerators had not been invented yet, grape juice quickly started to ferment.

Some congregations started using water instead of wine. Some stopped using a communion cup altogether. After Welch used Louis Pasteur’s invention of pasteurization on grape juice, non-alcoholic grape juice that would keep for long periods of time made it possible for the Methodist congregations to move to using grape juice for communion. By the 1890s Welch’s grape juice was used in all Methodist congregations who had access to his product.
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The wine makes since, because, of course, Wesley’s Anglicanism. When did the congregations start using water?
 
RebeccaJ said:
Informative article about communion wine, the temperance movement and one Methodist’s solution.

umc.org/who-we-are/methodist-history-controversy-communion-and-welchs-grape-juice

"You are probably familiar with Welch’s Grape Juice, but you may not know it has ties to the history of The United Methodist Church.
Click to expand...
This is very interesting. My dad remembers they used wine in the church he grew up in, the Reformed Church. I don’t know when it changed but when I took communion there back in the 70s it was juice.

It’s also interesting that it’s noted their church rules stated it must be pure juice from the grape which is very similar to ours.
 
adamhovey1988 said:
The wine makes since, because, of course, Wesley’s Anglicanism. When did the congregations start using water?
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The temperance movement was started in the early 1800’s. It formed and grew in American society starting in 1815-1840. It was succesrul when prohibition laws were passed in communities and then federal Prohibition. Water was considered the only proper drink, for those in the temperance movement.
 
RebeccaJ said:
The temperance movement was started in the early 1800’s. It formed and grew in American society starting in 1815-1840. It was succesrul when prohibition laws were passed in communities and then federal Prohibition. Water was considered the only proper drink, for those in the temperance movement.
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Hmm. I guess it could be that’s how the Mormons use of water during communion came from.
 
Horton said:
This is very interesting. My dad remembers they used wine in the church he grew up in, the Reformed Church. I don’t know when it changed but when I took communion there back in the 70s it was juice.

It’s also interesting that it’s noted their church rules stated it must be pure juice from the grape which is very similar to ours.
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I wonder if cost might have something to do with it. Some wine, ain’t cheap. Some grape juice is.
 
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