And, yes, coffee and tea have caffeine. Then, both the 1928 and 1934 editions of the Handbook but not previous editionslisted "liquor drinking" and "bootlegging" among the "transgressions which are ordinarily such as to justify consideration by the bishop's court." The church does not have an official position on the consumption of caffeinated beverages, apart from the general statement that the Word of Wisdom does not specifically mention it. This doctrine was firmly in place in Joseph Smith's day.[5]. [11], Joseph Smith is however recorded at various times drinking wine,[12] beer,[13] and tea,[14] and using tobacco. In the 1937 General Conference, at 80 years old, Grant said he worked long hours "without fatigue and without feeling the least injury". From an attitude of moderation to an attitude of complete abstinence? This is what Joel H. Johnson wrote in 1881: I well remember that soon after the publication of the Word of Wisdom, the same excuse was made, by some of the people, for drinking tea and coffee that is now made that hot drinks did not mean tea and coffee. Members should not use any substance that contains illegal drugs. Health protection is an important "side benefit," one might say, but arguably the most important reason for the Word of Wisdom is the promise given in the last verse of D&C 89, in which the members are told: And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them. The Word of Wisdom is one sign of their membership in the covenant. As a consequence, the number of distilleries grew rapidly after 1780, boosted by settlement of the corn belt in Kentucky and Ohio and the vast distances to eastern markets. While the only official application of the term "hot drinks" is to tea and coffee,[3] an official statement of policy from the First Presidency is available, in which the use of any habit-forming drug is discouraged: With reference to cola drinks, the Church has never officially taken a position on this matter, but the leaders of the Church have advised, and we do now specifically advise, against the use of any drink containing harmful habit-forming drugs under circumstances that would result in acquiring the habit. Its a fair question, so lets talk about it. A stake president was scheduled to meet with a young man to interview him and help him complete his mission application. When Were Hot Drinks in the Word of Wisdom Defined as Tea and Coffee I say it does refer to tea and coffee.[11]. Question: Why are "hot drinks" forbidden by the Word of Wisdom? "This is the church clearly responding to higher levels of non-compliance to the Word of Wisdom than we've seen in . Question: Do Mormons really believe that drinking tea (or alcohol, etc.) Its a fair question, so lets talk about it. In the end, some overlap between the Word of Wisdom and the health reform movement of the 19th century is to be expected. Mormon church updates guidelines on vapes, iced coffee, tea | Idaho Pack, a Mormon professor at the University of Utah, published an article in an official church magazine in which he reasoned that because Coca-Cola contained caffeine, which is also present in tea and coffee, Mormons should abstain from Coca-Cola in the same way that they abstain from the Word of Wisdom "hot drinks". Yes; tea and coffee. And Victor L. Ludlow has further clarified that the "hot drinks" referred to in the Word of Wisdom do not apply to the herbal teas. [64] In 2019 the church clarified in New Era that medical marijuana should only be used "under the care of a competent physician. If these products do harm to us, there is potential that we are not able to keep all of God's commandments and in the way that we would have us keep them. Of those who violated the revelation, it was mainly habitual drunkards that were excluded from the temple. As church president, Joseph F. Smith emphasized the proscriptions on alcohol, tobacco, tea, and coffee. D&C section 89 also gives us counsel of what is good for us and promised blessings when we live in obedience to this commandment. ]", Drinking things that impair your judgement can be morally wrong. [20] Instead, the revelation encouraged the consumption of basic staples of the kind that had sustained life for millennia. Word of Wisdom - MormonThink In 1830, reformers persuaded the U.S. Congress to remove the import duty on coffee. Prominent Thompsonian physicians associated with the Latter-day Saints included Frederick G. Williams, Thomas B. Marsh, Sampson Avard, and Willard, Levi, and Phineas Richards.[7]. Word of Wisdom - Hot Drinks : r/exmormon - Reddit Hot drinkswhich Latter-day Saints understood to mean coffee and tea19are not for the body, or belly, the revelation explained (see D&C 89:9). This is made clear by verses 18-20 of the revelation. For a published version of the latter sermon, see Brigham Young, Remarks, Deseret News: Semi-Weekly, Feb. 25, 1868,2. 34 (2003), 2964. The former sermon is unpublished. Coffee fell to 10 cents a pound, making a cup of coffee the same price as a cup of whiskey, marking whiskeys decline. Things like lightly fermented wine and even beer were generally considered to be more, drinks. Can Mormons drink coffee? In 2012, in response to a report on Mormonism on NBCs Rock Center with Brian Williams, which claimed that LDS faithful were prohibited from drinking caffeine, the church wrote: Despite what was reported, the Church revelation spelling out health practices (Doctrine and Covenants 89) does not mention the use of caffeine. Besides rejecting the use of tobacco, the Word of Wisdom also came down against alcoholic beverages: Inasmuch as any man drinketh wine or Strong drink among you behold it is not good, neither mete in the sight of your Father.15, Nevertheless, it required time to wind down practices that were so deeply ingrained in family tradition and culture, especially when fermented beverages of all kinds were frequently used for medicinal purposes. Any beverage that contains ingredients harmful to the body should be avoided.[4]. Section 89, The Word of Wisdom - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Ive found one single solitary discourse (from George Q. Cannon in 1868) that also put hot chocolate or hot cocoa under the category of hot drinks. Now, what do we drink when we take our meals? [25][31][32][33], In the LDS Church, tobacco is not allowed in any form, including smoking, chewing, or vaping. [22], Young also recognized a separation between using tobacco (which was discouraged), and selling it to non-Mormons as a business (which was encouraged). Modern methods of refrigeration now make it possible to preserve meat in any season. "[8][9][10] This resolution was accepted unanimously by the council. See RobertH. Abzug, Cosmos Crumbling: American Reform and Religious Imagination (New York: Oxford University Press, 1994),98. [27], LDS Church leaders teach that consumption of any form of alcohol, including beer, violates the Word of Wisdom,[28][29][30] however, wine was used in the sacrament, and "mild drinks" (beers) were originally allowed. Word of Wisdom, Caffeine and Hypocrisy - FAIR Hopefully, this answered some of your questions. ]"[15] Thus it may be that the Word of Wisdom is about the health benefits or detriments of coffee and tea in and of themselves, but of the health detriments brought about by what other people will do to coffee and tea. The original post said "the church does not prohibit the use of caffeine" and that the reference to "hot drinks" "does not go beyond [tea and coffee]." . A heroic physician treated Joseph's older brother, Alvin, for an attack of "bilious colic" (likely acute appendicitis). The Puritans called alcohol the Good Creature of God, a blessing from heaven to be imbibed in moderation. In the 18th century, coffee was considered a luxury item, and British-manufactured tea was much preferred. See Revelation, 27 February 1833 [D&C 89], in Sidney Gilbert, Notebook, 113; City Marshalls Department, City Gazette and Commercial [Charleston, South Carolina], Apr. Now, what do we drink when we take our meals? To prepare these recent converts for their important labors, Joseph Smith started a training school called the School of the Prophets, which opened in Kirtland on the second floor of the NewelK. Whitney mercantile store in January 1833.1, Every morning after breakfast, the men met in the school to hear instruction from Joseph Smith. Is Caffeine against the Word of Wisdom? - Mormon Scholar See, for example, Samuel Underhills propositions in Mark Lyman Staker, Hearken, O Ye People: The Historical Setting for Joseph Smiths Ohio Revelations (Salt Lake City: Greg Kofford Books, 2009), 110. The answer is that that is how Joseph Smith, the prophet who received this revelation, interpreted "hot drinks" in his mind while receiving the revelation. And while I still have plenty of questions about the Word of Wisdom, I dont mind that emphases shift over time. Joseph Smith gave us the word of wisdom "To be sent by greeting; not by commandment or constraint, but by revelation and the word of wisdom, showing forth the order and will of God in the temporal salvation of all saints in the last days" (D&C 89) And again, hot drinks are not for the body or belly. . ": "Diary of Joseph Smith", March 11, 1843 entry, Frederick J. Another medical system arose in the early 1800s: Thompsonian herbalism. "[55] Apostle George Teasdale taught the same thing, and held that eating pork was a more serious breach of the Word of Wisdom than drinking tea or coffee. Joseph Smith's model of revelation is one in which God can select mental content that we have previously produced as something that he would like to teach or emphasize to us (Doctrine and Covenants 9:89). Mormons are taught not to drink any kind of alcohol (see D&C 89:5-7 ). The strategy worked. The section defines beliefs regarding certain drugs, nutritious ingredients in general, and the counsel to eat meat sparingly; it also offers promises to those who follow the guidance of the Word of Wisdom. The term strong drink certainly included distilled spirits such as whiskey, which thereafter the Latter-day Saints generally shunned. Sep 1, 2022 | Laws and Ordinances, Living the Gospel | 0 comments. The revelation invites hearers to trust in a God who has the power to deliver great rewards, spiritual and physical, in return for obedience to divine command. In 1835, it was included as Section LXXX[6] in the first edition of the Doctrine and Covenants. That which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually, the Book of Mormon stated (Moroni 7:13).28 Rather than concerning themselves with cultural overlap, Latter-day Saints can joyously contemplate how Gods Spirit touched so many, so widely, and with such force. A longstanding issue among members of the LDS Church is whether it is permissible to ingest drinks containing caffeine that are not tea or coffee. Instead, the revelation uses the phrase, hot drinks. Many people understandably wonder why we view this as a reference to tea and coffee but not also a reference to hot chocolate, hot apple cider, etc. [18] Historical circumstances at the time of Joseph Smith may have given a wider application to cautions against "hot drinks" than the current policy. [2], As practiced by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), the largest Latter Day Saint denomination, the Word of Wisdom explicitly prohibits the consumption of alcohol, tobacco, tea, and coffee (with tea and coffee being labeled as hot drinks), and recreational drug use, and encourages healthy practices such as nutritious eating, the sparing use of meat, regular exercise, proper hygiene, and getting sufficient rest. Keeping promises is a sign that someone loves the person that they've promised something to. It says plainly that "the only official interpretation of 'hot drinks' (D&C 89:9) in the Word of Wisdom is the statement made by early church leaders that the term 'hot drinks' means. This revelation, known as the Word of Wisdom, was the result. American consumption of distilled spirits climbed precipitously, from two and a half gallons a person in 1790 to seven gallons in 1830, the highest amount of any time in American history and a figure three times todays consumption rate.11, This elevated alcohol consumption offended religious sensibilities. However, the church has never stated that this is the reason for the prohibition. Health code of the Latter Day Saint movement, For the Pentecostal usage of this term, see, Enstrom study regarding members of the LDS Church. and exp. In an 1842 discourse in Nauvoo, Hyrum Smith taught, hot drinks are not for the body, or belly; there are many who wonder what this can mean; whether it does refer to tea, or coffee, or not. [16][17] Similarly, Almon W. Babbitt stated "that he had taken the liberty to break the Word of Wisdom, from the example of President Joseph Smith, Jun., and others, but acknowledged that it was wrong" when he was brought before the church's high council on August 19, 1835, on the charge of "not keeping the Word of Wisdom". [47][48][49] However, in November 2010, the Salt Lake Tribune noted that in the 2010 church Handbook, which sets out the official position of the church on health and social issues, no position on drinking Coca-Cola or caffeinated drinks is included. Rather, we understand the blood to be a symbol of the covenant between God and Israel, and Christians understand it to be a foreshadowing of the culmination of that covenant as the blood of Jesus Christ protects from sin and destruction those who enter into a covenant with Him. In a pamphlet written in 1930 called The Word of Wisdom, LDS Church apostle John A. Widtsoe taught that refined flour was contrary to the Word of Wisdom. By the mid-1830s, the ATS had grown to well over a million members, many of them teetotalers.13, Encouraged by the ATS, local temperance societies popped up by the thousands across the U.S. countryside. Is it not? The way was open for a rival stimulant to emerge. Why Mormons Don't Drink Alcohol, Tea, and Coffee? [2], Compliance with the Word of Wisdom is necessary in the LDS Church to become a member and to participate in various church functions,[3][4] however, violation of the code is not normally cause for a church membership council. On a Sabbath day, in the July following the giving of the revelation, when both Joseph and Hyrum Smith were in the stand, the Prophet said to the Saints: I understand that some of the people are excusing themselves in using tea and coffee, because the Lord only said hot drinks in the revelation of the Word of Wisdom. (London, 1832), 2:101. Mormon church urges believers to avoid green tea, lattes and vaping Can Mormons drink coffee? - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints "Hot drinks" is clarified for the LDS Church handbook: The only official interpretation of "hot drinks" (D&C 89:9) in the Word of Wisdom is the statement made by early Church leaders that the term "hot drinks" means tea and coffee.[36]. Disease was thought to be caused by an "imbalance" in these humours, and treatment aimed to restore the balance. And while I still have plenty of questions about the Word of Wisdom, I dont mind that emphases shift over time. 1-9, The use of wine, strong drinks, tobacco, and hot drinks is proscribed; 10-17, Herbs, fruits, flesh, and grain are ordained for the use of man and of animals; 18-21, Obedience to gospel law, including the Word of Wisdom, brings temporal and spiritual blessings. But when you read this section, you'll notice that the revelation does not specifically mention the words tea, or coffee. New Season Prophetic Prayers and Declarations [NSPPD] || 6th - Facebook Members should not use any substance that contains illegal drugs. Grant finally made adherence to the Word of Wisdom a prerequisite for temple admission. [25] In 1895, Snow stated, "Unless famine or extreme cold is upon us we should refrain from the use of meat. It includes instruction about what foods. Is green tea against the Word of Wisdom? - askgramps.org But you may be wondering, how did we get from there to here? The whole situation seemed less than ideal for those who were called of God as these elders were, especially when we remember that the room with the filthy floor was Josephs translation room, the same place where he received revelations in the name of God. In order to receive a fulness of joy, we must strive to be clean and pure, both in mind and in body. Coffee fell to 10 cents a pound, making a cup of coffee the same price as a cup of whiskey, marking whiskeys decline. The Word of Wisdom rejected the idea of a substitute for alcohol. Joseph Smith Protects the Golden Plates from Mob Incursions, Joseph Smith Brings the Golden Plates Home. OK, Mormons, drink up Coke and Pepsi are OK - The Salt Lake Tribune 1 Modern prophets and apostles have frequently taught that the Word of Wisdom warns us against substances that can harm us or enslave us to addiction. After the Revolution, tea drinking came to be seen as unpatriotic and largely fell out of favorthe way was open for a rival stimulant to emerge. Although Grant did not emphasize restricting meat consumption, he continued to interpret it as part of the counsel in the Word of Wisdom. The civilizing process had been going on for centuries but accelerated up and down the social structure during the 19th century. Yes, the Word of Wisdom forbids "hot drinks." Yes, church leaders have stated that means swearing off coffee or tea. Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress, But when you read this section, youll notice that the revelation does not specifically mention the words. Joseph began inquiring of the Lord about what could be done, and on February 27, scarcely a month after the school started, he received the revelation later canonized as Doctrine and Covenants 89. The Lord does not want you to use any drug that creates an appetite for itself.[42]. Watch some of our other videos while youre here. [1] According to the Church Administration Handbook: The only official interpretation of "hot drinks" (D&C 89:9) in the Word of Wisdom is the statement made by early Church leaders that the term "hot drinks" means tea and coffee. A student manual published by the church has suggested that limiting the consumption of meat to the wintertime may be to some degree of the time in which the "Word of Wisdom" was delivered by Smith: This verse has caused some to ask if meat should be eaten in the summer. Alright, so before we get into this I want to be clear in this episode, we are not going to be speculating about the dietary merits of coffee and tea or whether its the temperature or the caffeine that has caused them to be prohibited. Some have suggested, then, that the Lord's caution against "hot drinks" was a warning against the use of some of the extreme treatments advocated by the Thompsonian herbalists. Critics of the Church wish to emphasize that there is a "contradiction" in which one prophet says tea can prevent exaltation, while another prophetJoseph Smithis recorded as drinking tea. Nor should members use harmful or habit-forming substances except under the care of a competent physician.[36]. See IanR. Tyrrell, Sobering Up: From Temperance to Prohibition in Antebellum America, 18001860 (Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1979); JamesR. Rohrer, The Origins of the Temperance Movement: A Reinterpretation, Journal of American Studies, vol. Who has the authority? Redditor makes 'hot drink alternatives' list after LDS Church clarifies 'Word of Wisdom.' (Photo: Adam Forgie, KUTV) On the other hand, Thompson himself sometimes referred to tea and coffee as "hot drinks," so the choice of wording may simply reflect common "medical" terminology in Joseph Smith's environment. Donate to us by shopping at Amazon at no extra cost to you. Insofar as temperance reform made people less dependent on addictive substances, prompting humility and righteous action, the movement surely was inspired by God. [59] In 1950, apostle and plant scientist John A. Widtsoe wrote, in relation to meat consumption, "they who wish to be well and gain the promised reward stated in the Word of Wisdom must obey all of the law, not just part of it as suits their whim or their appetite, or their notion of its meaning. [5], A 2019 study of attitudes among Mormons within the U.S. said that a quarter to a half of such individuals interpret the Word of Wisdom in variance with the official interpretation by the LDS Church in some manner,[26] and LDS Church leaders have counseled church members that they should not have personal interpretations of, or become extreme in their observance of the Word of Wisdom. This episode in the Whitney store occurred in the middle of a massive transformation within western culture. [23] He also owned and maintained a bar in Salt Lake City for the sale of alcoholic beverages to non-Mormon travelers, on the theory that it was better for LDS Church authorities to run such establishments than for outsiders. Latter-day Saints who learn of the American health reform movements of the 1820s and 1830s may wonder how these movements relate to the Word of Wisdom. See W.J. Rorabaugh, The Alcoholic Republic: An American Tradition (New York: Oxford University Press, 1979), 2557; W.J. Rorabaugh, Alcohol in America, OAH Magazine of History, vol. See Revelation, 27 February 1833 [D&C 89], in Sidney Gilbert, Notebook, 113, josephsmithpapers.org; punctuation standardized; see also Doctrine and Covenants 89:8. Instead, the revelation uses the phrase, "hot drinks." [34] The LDS Church has taken no official stance on either. Any beverage that contains ingredients harmful to the body should be avoided. On the third day of his sickness, Dr. McIntyre, whose services were usually employed by the family, as he was considered very skillful, was brought, and with him four other eminent physicians. David A. Erickson, "Caffeine not prohibited" (letter to the editor). In 1860, Young counseled those chewing tobacco in church meetings to at least be discreet and not excessive, but did not charge users with sin. In 1830, reformers persuaded the U.S. Congress to remove the import duty on coffee. In the revelation, the Lord teaches healthy practices. In exchange, God has promised that he will provide health to them and that he will count them as among his people (Doctrine and Covenants 89:1821). Tea and coffee. The presence of Thompsonianism can be noted in the Word of Wisdom, which remarks that "tobacco is not good for the belly." However, in contrast with Joseph Smith's day, more than a hundred years has passed since church leaders implemented a more stringent application of the Word of Wisdom. "This is the church clearly responding to higher levels of non-compliance to the Word of Wisdom than we've seen . See PaulH. Peterson, An Historical Analysis of the Word of Wisdom (masters thesis, Brigham Young University, 1972), 3233; The Word of Wisdom, Times and Seasons, vol. The "Word of Wisdom" is the common name of an 1833 section of the Doctrine and Covenants,[1] a book considered by many churches within the Latter Day Saint movement to be a sacred text. In the case of alcohol, it can impair your judgement and make it so that you hurt others. In practice this was often done through blood-letting (bleeding) and purging (inducing vomiting and/or diarrhea). 24 (Aug. 1990), 23031; Lyman Beecher, Six Sermons on the Nature, Occasions, Signs, Evils, and Remedy of Intemperance (New York: American Tract Society, 1827), 194; Daniel Walker Howe, What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 18151848 (New York: Oxford University Press, 2007), 16668. Brigham Young, "The True Church of Christthe Living TestimonyWord of Wisdom". When some patients survived both the yellow fever and Rush's misguided attmept to "treat" them with calomel and bleeding, he wrote a book that influenced medical practice in the United States for over a century.