Many questions arise about the so-called restrictions on Mormons regarding what we can and cannot eat or drink. The code for healthy living that we strive to follow is found in our modern-day revelations in the book called the Doctrine & Covenants, section 89. We consider this scripture for our day. This particular revelation is known as "the Word of Wisdom."
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3 Given for a principle with promise, adapted to the capacity of the weak and the weakest of all saints, who are or can be called saints. 4 Behold, verily, thus saith the Lord unto you: In consequence of evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days, I have warned you, and forewarn you, by giving unto you this word of wisdom by revelation- 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. 18 And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones; 19 And shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures; 20 And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint. 21 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. Amen. |
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One of the great blessings we received when we came to earth was a physical body. Our bodies are so important that the Lord calls them temples of God. (see 1 Corinthians 3:16-17.) Because our bodies are important, the Lord wants us to take good care of them. He knows that we can be happier, better people if we are healthy. The Spirit of God can be with us if our bodies are clean. God knows that we face temptations to treat our bodies unwisely or to take harmful things into them. For this reason he has told us which things are good for our health and which things are bad. This revelation is called the Word of Wisdom. Gospel Principles pg. 192. |
It didn't. It became "coffee and tea" and "alcohol." It was only decades later that the effects of caffiene and other substances in those drinks and others became known as potentially harmful and/or addictive. Soda drinks weren't even a part of the equation at that point, which is why folks today tend to disagree about that.
The "spirit" of the Word of Wisdom encourages us to eat, drink, and live healthfully. Even though the scripture doesn't specifically say "Thou shalt not drink Coca-Cola," if we take the full meaning of these words of wisdom to heart, we'll do our best to avoid harmful substances of all kinds.
Quibbling over whether something should or should not be ingested just causes contention. We are all free to choose what we will or won't do for our own health and for the Lord.
From what I understand, tannic acid is used to strip the fat and extra flesh from animal skins so they become rubbery (for leather), so that should say something, however this is covered in more detail here: The Effects of Tea & Coffee
As I was studying recently, I realized that the Law of Moses was in most ways laws of health - what foods to eat, what to avoid, how to stay clean physically so that the entire body experienced health and wellness.
The Word of Wisdom is similarly given by the Lord for our health and well-being, except that it was "not given by way of commandment."
I have noted many LDS I meet, eat little or no "meat"(no pork no beef and limited chicken). Is this scriptural in the LDS?
Out side of scripture I do realize red meats are hard to digest and are not beneficial in large doses and in fact can cause health issues.
So my intention here is to focus specifically LDS scripture and eating meat and the relationship of the two.