Why the Prohibitions in the Word of Wisdom?
For years, many Latter-day Saints have focused heavily on scientific findings to support the Word of Wisdom prohibitions on tobacco, alcohol, coffee, tea, and illegal drugs. Perhaps for many of us, the Word of Wisdom has come to represent 1) scientific truth about nutrition, and 2) obedience to a commandment of God.
Now there seem to be an increasing number of articles in the media reporting the results of health studies which can be interpreted as showing that green tea, black tea, wine, and even coffee may have significant health benefits. Marijuana has been advocated by many in the medical profession for certain kinds of pain relief. Although tobacco, the over-consumption of strong alcoholic drinks, and the use of certain drugs may always remain frowned upon by scientists, we may soon find that moderate amounts of wine, black and green tea, coffee, and even presently illegal drugs are routinely recommended by researchers and doctors to treat or prevent certain illnesses.
Is it possible we have the priorities reversed?
Maybe caffeine is not as bad as we thought; but maybe caffeine is not the real reason the Lord told us to abstain from “hot drinks,” which were defined as coffee and tea by the prophet Joseph. Maybe the possibility of addiction is not the only reason the Brethren have extended the scope of the Word of Wisdom to cover illegal drugs.
Has the time come for us to rely less on the precepts of men and trust more in the principle of obedience to a law which can set us apart from the world as the people of the Lord?
Think about it: are there many prominent cultures in the world today that do not have some form of alcohol, coffee, or tea closely interwoven in their social mores? And even in this age of general enlightenment about the ill effects of tobacco and illegal drugs, there are many countries and sub-cultures that still regard smoking or chewing tobacco as a kind of status symbol (“I am rich (or cool) enough to buy cigarettes!”); some sub-cultures consider drug use as a kind of badge of membership.
How many times has your abstinence from one of the prohibited substances led to a religious discussion with those around you? Could it be that our observance of that inspired counsel is a significant way for us to raise an “ensign to the nations,” and attract the attention of those who are seeking spiritual truth?
Perhaps the Word of Wisdom for us today is similar to what the dietary laws of Moses were to ancient Israel: useful in promoting general good health, yes, but primarily a prominent, obvious, outward sign of obedience and allegiance to the one true God of this earth.
November 2nd, 2006 08:26
RoAnn, interesting questions indeed. During institute when I was a young single adult, our teacher told us, “The reasons for commandments are not always physical, but always spiritual.” He went onto explain that the Word of Wisdom was a spiritual commandment and not necessarily physical as we think… and that everything has symbols. He went onto explain that is has more to do with obedience and our spirituality than our physical health, even though physically we may be blessed as well.
November 2nd, 2006 09:40
I would say it is definetly a law of Obedience, after all there are the words “for the weakest of the saints.” I also think there is a great deal in the statement, that is to the effect, discussing the plans of evil men. There are so many confusing statements out there about health that it is hard to know where to turn. Ultimately, what is the science really showing, do they look at all the “common threads” in the study.
I know as I was looking for something to help me out, the basic guidelines we focus on did not help me but rather another statement in the WoW all together. Ultimately, it is a guide to be used by the gift of the spirit to know how to apply it to ones self.
Thanks for the insight RoAnn.
November 2nd, 2006 11:24
I agree that the blessings in the WoW are spiritual as much (if not more than) they are physical. I am particularly moved that we get “hidden treasures of knowledge” by being able to attend the temple.
I also agree wholeheartedly that the WoW is one of the things that sets us apart in a big way. If someone knows nothing else about us, she usually knows that we don’t drink coffee or alcohol.
November 2nd, 2006 12:25
I think that the wow was mostly given for our day and that it’s design is to keep us separated from worldliness in our very day. In our day alcohol is a symbol of sexual immorality, irresponsibility and also the cause of thousands of deaths. The same can be said about tobacco and drugs. It is no wonder we are to obstain from them in our latter day as a whole people.
Will alcohol always be prohibited? I doubt it. The wow even states that barley is to be used for mild (alcoholic) drinks to please the body. JS is said to have ordered a bottle of wine a day or two before he was killed.
November 2nd, 2006 15:56
Stephanie, Tanya and Michelle, Thanks for your comments. If we focus on the spiritual, rather than the physical benefits of the WoW, we are far more likely to remain in tune with the Spirit than if we are shifting our ideas back and forth according to the latest scientific study.
Rob, I agree that we are told that the WoW is definitely given for our day. As to what the future will bring, I will refrain from speculation.
Fortunately, we have living prophets; and just as the faithful follow the specific guidance of the Brethren today to avoid illegal drugs as well as alcohol, tobacco, tea and coffee, I’m sure they will adapt to any changes that the Lord may reveal in times to come.
November 2nd, 2006 17:09
I was discussing this with friends a couple of weeks ago, and the LDS friend kept going on about how science had vindicated this and that to prove that the Word of Wisdom was God-inspired.
I explained my belief that when we seek to provide justification for the God’s word we tend to get ourselves in trouble. I gave a ficticious example of God commanding us to wear blue and not red. We might come up with all sorts of reasons why blue is more spiritual, superior and more Godly, how red must be worldly, harmful, and we would do bad things if we wore red. The fact is, we would wear blue based on the fact God would ask us to do so. Any other reason can eventually be reasoned away–but God’s word stands on its own.
Studies may come out to show that the prohibited substances are the healthiest things on the planet (in moderation, of course) but that shouldn’t change how we view the Word of Wisdom if God’s instruction to us is to not partake.
November 2nd, 2006 18:58
I was very upset when I read 2 articles within the same week –one talking about the benefits of red wine and the other about the benefits of daily coffee. I remembered thinking the same thing you were writing about –why do we have the WoW? Why do we obey it? I really appreciate your post because of the way it has reminded me as to why we obey God’s commandments.
November 2nd, 2006 21:10
Right on, Téa! Thanks for that example which illustrates the point.
November 3rd, 2006 02:19
If we look to the question of health in regard to the WoW, I would point everyone at the question of emotional health. Having been an adult outside the church, I have seen and lived how these substances (tobacco, alcohol, and drugs) are used as coping mechanisms by even the most upright of people.
When you’re stressed, you have a cigarette. When you need to take the edge off, you toss back a couple of drinks. When you are feeling insecure and on the spot at a dinner party, you drink a glass of wine. When you need to escape, you just smoke a little pot. When you’re foggy and you can’t get yourself moving in the morning, you stop by Starbucks and pick up an iced caramel mocha and you’re zooming before you’ve even finished the drink.
This is how many, if not most, people outside the church deal with their unpleasant or difficult feelings.
It has been a trial for my husband and I to find ourselves faced with the same life stresses and problems, finding now that they feel much weightier without the easy ‘assistance’ of a cigarette or a shared bottle of wine. My husband, once when really upset about something, asked out home teacher in such sweet sincerity “How do you deal with it??? I would usually just split a bottle of wine with Naiah, and then it would ease, but now…”
We come to this life to learn and grow. One of the most potent teachers or catalysts to growth along those lines is emotional discomfort or pain. To lose that motivation to grow and change by glossing over the pain with what seems an easy soother, robs us of the lessons of the moment, of the growth, further perfection, and refinement available in those situations.
Those substances are emotional crutches, and when we abstain form them we learn to walk on our own, seeing the world with clear eyes, feeling the full force of whatever decision we had made, whatever tragedy had occurred, the painful consequences of which are, for as much as they hurt in the moment, there to spur us on toward perfection.
I, for one, can testify to the amazing, accelerated spiritual growth that comes from getting oneself out from under the dependance (not addiction, just the habit of falling back on these substances now and then) and into a full emotional connection with whatever’s going on in our life.
If there is a reason beyond pure obedience, then I would hypothesize that the prohibitions in the word of wisdom keep us from hiding from some of our most potent growth and development in this life.
November 3rd, 2006 06:21
Cheryl, yes, one of the advantages of concentrating on the obedience reason is that although we can rejoice when the world sees wisdom in our choices, we don’t need to worry when the world sneers at them.
Naiah, you have clearly made the case for what I think is a crucial point. Although I have not had personal experience with the prohibited substances, I have certainly seen their effect on others. I agree that the emotional dependance they foster surely does inhibit spiritual growth, for the reasons you described so well.
I definitely think there are very important health reasons beyond obedience in the WoW, and that it is good for us to look for them–just not necessarily make those reasons our primary reason for abstaining from those particular substances, lest the ethos of our time come to regard them as beneficial.
November 3rd, 2006 13:48
Perhaps the Word of Wisdom for us today is similar to what the dietary laws of Moses were to ancient Israel: useful in promoting general good health, yes, but primarily a prominent, obvious, outward sign of obedience and allegiance to the one true God of this earth.
This has been generally accepted by Mormonism for at least 2 decades.
Now, regarding science — I’m a scientist, and I don’t trust studies — any study — without first knowing the methodologies, the populations, and who is funding. It’s just too easy to generate conclusions from incomplete research.
November 3rd, 2006 17:27
Queuno, yes, unfortuntately we laymen are often swayed by media presentations of study results that don’t stand up to close scrutiny. But, even if solid scientific studies show that coffee and tea are good for us, we faithful LDS will continue to abstain out of obedience.
Regarding what “has been generally accepted by Mormonism for at least 2 decades,” concerning the Word of Wisdom, I admit that I am basing my observations on personal experience with members and missionaries.
In the last 20 years I’ve lived in several major U. S. cities (in the West and the South, and on the East Coast), and six other countries on four other continents. During that time, almost every talk I have heard in Sacrament Meetings or Stake Conferences which dealt with the WoW, focused heavily on the health benefits of observance which have now been supposedly “proven” by modern science.
The main reason I wrote this post was that as I read articles extolling the benefits of wine and coffee on the same day, I began to wonder what effect those articles might have on members who were primarily “health” focused in their acceptance of the WoW prohibitions.
November 3rd, 2006 17:55
queuno, I’d have to agree with RoAnn on what is “generally accepted.” Up until a few years ago when the six missionary discussions were replaced, millions of investigators the world over were taught the Word of Wisdom as “The Lord’s Law of Health”. That’s an official church publication implying strongly that the WoW is about health. With that very common understanding of the WoW, it’s no surprise that studies that show coffee/tea/wine are healthy could cause confusion to members, new and old alike.
I think the majority of church members see the WoW as being a law of health with spiritual blessings associated, rather than being a law of obedience that may or may not have anything at all to do with actual medical principles.
November 3rd, 2006 22:02
Rob (#4), sorry I didn’t address your comment earlier. As you pointed out, there are probably particular reasons why alcohol is prohibited in our day, especially when we have much stronger distilled spirits.
JR from Dallas, thanks for mentioning the focus taken in the old missionary discussions. That is probably one reason why many members took a similar view of the WoW.
November 4th, 2006 01:36
One thing I’ve noticed is that another part of the WoW is largely ignored, where meat is susposed to be eaten sparingly such as in periods of famine and in the winter. The moderation aspect of that is very important, and in my opinion, the LDS church could do better in encouraging members to follow that rule of moderation in all things. Even though I’m not LDS, I have never smoked anything that can be smoked, nor have I tried any illegal drugs because I knew they were dangerous.
November 4th, 2006 15:14
Adrienne, I’m sure you, like all those (LDS or not) who don’t smoke or use illegal drugs, are seeing both physical and emotional benefits from that choice in your life.
There are certainly many benefits from observing other parts of the Word of Wisdom. But since this post is dealing with possible cultural implications of the prohibitions of coffee, tea, alcohol and tobacco, I hope you can understand why I have decided to leave discussion of those other parts for another forum.
November 5th, 2006 00:18
JR,
Do you think we can still refer to it as the Lord’s law of health and also talk about the important things RoAnn has addressed? When I teach my children, I teach them about both aspects — spiritual and physical health. For example, there is more to health than isolated health benefits that come and go in scientific studies. Protection from addiction is a health benefit, for example. I’m not sure I want to necessarily drop that label altogether, especially since it also does address healthy eating (which we won’t go into here, right, RoAnn?)
Anyway, that’s probably not all worth discussing here, but I thought I would throw those thoughts in there. I just still like to think of it as the Lord’s law of health because I believe that is what HE defines as healthy guidelines for me, so I don’t much care about the stuff our latest fads say…if that makes sense. He’s the Great Physician (and Scientist, for that matter).
November 5th, 2006 08:06
Michelle & JR, I don’t see a problem in generally referring to the WoW as a law of health IF we remember that it is about more than physical health. There are obviously many health benefits in following both the positive and negative guidelines given to us by the Lord in the WoW. And since you, Michelle, personally, “don’t much care about the stuff our latest fads say,” your testimony of the WoW will not be tested by them. Some members, however, may indeed find themselves troubled by new theories and pronouncements appearing in the media.
My original post was aimed at highlighting a reason beyond “health”, which might allow following the WoW to be a positive force in our lives, as well as an attraction to those around us who may be seeking spiritual truth.
I certainly believe that we will be physically, emotionally and spiritually healthier if we observe whatever dietary rules God gives us. I also don’t think we need feel the least bit defensive about any aspects of the WoW which may come to appear eccentric in the eyes of the World. Observing the law of chastity is another thing that the World now regards as rather quaint, and we don’t let that bother us.
Should it really matter to us if pork was forbidden in past dispensations, but is not proscribed now? Need we be concerned that wine was permitted in the past, counseled against in the early years of the Restoration, and forbidden now? I don’t think so.
If we follow our living prophets, I believe that God will bless us with the blessings promised in the Word of Wisdom, just as he blessed the people of Moses who observed the dietary laws of their time.
November 5th, 2006 18:30
I don’t see a problem in generally referring to the WoW as a law of health IF we remember that it is about more than physical health
I agree 100%. I understand the purpose of this piece, and I think it’s a good one. It’s because I have faith in the spiritual principles underlying the WoW that the fads and studies don’t matter much.
November 6th, 2006 19:34
Zinc is a mineral required in over 360 known metabolic pathways. One of them is the formation of neurochemicals like serotonin, dopamine, GABA and acetylcholine.
Zinc is blocked by alcohol, coffee (even decaffeinated) and black tea.
Zinc absorption is blocked by antiacids and anything that decreases stomach acid.
No zinc –> you get depressed. That’s a good scientific reason not to use these substances.
November 7th, 2006 07:18
Dr. Jerry, thanks so much for this interesting information about zinc. I knew that zinc was important, but was unaware of its role in staving off depression. I was also ignorant of the fact that the substances you mentioned could inhibit it being properly absorbed.
Here is another example of how medical information is not always as one-sided as the results of any particular “study” appearing in the popular media might lead us to believe.
November 26th, 2006 01:00
RoAnn, thanks for posting.
but maybe caffeine is not the real reason the Lord told us to abstain from “hot drinks,”
Personally, I’ve always thought it odd that we Mormons glommed onto caffeine. With all the known carcinogens in coffee (caffeine NOT being one of them), there’s plenty not to like about coffee.
Could caffeine, perhaps, simply have been the first chemical to be identified and found harmful? Therefore, we took it up as some kind of “proof” that God was right after all? Maybe it was really our own lack of faith that caused the need for us to declare that coffee and tea were forbidden BECAUSE of caffeine–even though God never said so.
November 26th, 2006 09:27
Alison, thanks for that very interesting observation. You may well be right about why many assumed that caffeine was the reason for the hot drinks prohibition.
I suppose it is natural to latch on to scientific “proofs” that we think may bolster the value of the commandments. The problems arise if we find our testimony seriously shaken when any of those “proofs” may appear to be disproved by subsequent scientific studies.
As you put it so well, it may indeed be “our own lack of faith” that gets us concerned about things that “God never said”–in Section 89, and about other things in other places in the Scriptures as well.