- Avoid strong drinks, meaning alcoholic beverages.
- Avoid the use of tobacco.
- Hot drinks, defined as coffee and tea.
- Avoid illegal drugs.
Oh no!! You mean we're not aloud to have a few drinks? Personally, I am grateful for this health-code because it has helped me overcome a 22 year alcohol and drug addiction.
- Eat "all wholesome herbs" in their season.
- Eat "every fruit in the season thereof".
- Be sparing in the consumption of meats.
- Eat grains, especially wheat, for they are the staff of life.
The Lord said: Wherefore, verily I say unto you that all things unto me are spiritual, and not at any time have I given unto you a law which was temporal; neither any man, nor the children of men; neither Adam, your father, whom I created. (D&C 29:34)
The strong will keep this commandment without the least temptation to do otherwise. Those who can't live the Word of Wisdom don't deserve to be called saints. You can call them Mormons, but they are not saints. Even the weakest of saints can keep the Word of Wisdom for they have been adapted to the capacity of the weak (D&C 89:3).
Elder LeGrand Richards once stated: "I presided over two missions. We had many saints who had used tobacco and tea and coffee, and some of them liquor, all of their lives, and it was hard for some of them to quit. I remember being in one meeting with a stalwart man sitting right down in front of me, and as I read these words, "Adapted to the capacity of the weak and the weakest of all saints who are or can be called saints," I said: "If there are any Latter-day Saints in this mission weaker than that we will not ask them to keep the Word of Wisdom." At the close of the meeting that big fellow came up and said, "President Richards, I am not that weak." I said, "I didn't think you were. I just wanted to let you know what the Lord had to say about this principle."
What about the health benefits of green tea? I wonder why it is that some people seek for every excuse to violate the Word of Wisdom. It probably took some investigation to discover that green tea contains some of the antioxidants. Let's suppose that green tea were the only source of the antioxidant vitamins, and the Lord has warned us by revelation not to drink tea, would you feel justified in going against the word of the Lord in order to get some supposed health benefits? The Lord has warned us to put off the natural man because he is the enemy to God.
"For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father." (Mosiah 3:19)
So what does this mean for Mormons and Coke?
Let me begin with Ricky Ricardo's famous line: "Ay yi yi yi yi". It's been a long heated debate among members on whether or not caffeine is against the Word of Wisdom. President Hinkley once said that Mormons avoid caffeine, apostle Bruce R. McConkie wrote that it violated the spirit of the Word of Wisdom, and even BYU campuses don't sell it - which I was totally bummed out when I went to BYU Educational Week in 2011.
On Aug 29, 2012 LDS church posted a statement on its website saying that "the church does not prohibit the use of caffeine" and that the faith's health-code reference to "hot drinks" does not go beyond (tea and coffee). So why all the confusion? Uuum - I don't know. Personally, I think it's a choice!
I think we need to be wise in our choices of food and drinks. To obey the health-code we can't use tobacco, drink coffee or tea, or use drugs, but we must individually decide for everything else. We know what the scriptures say, what the Church's counsel is, and we must choose. If we feel we wouldn't be obeying the Word of Wisdom by drinking cola drinks, then don't drink them, if we feel that we shouldn't eat a chocolate bar or other dessert every day then don't do it and you will be blessed. If we become addicted to a substance we are being controlled by the substance and are not obeying the Word of Wisdom.
I believe drinking a cola drink now and then just as eating a chocolate bar every once in awhile is fine. Drinking a cola drink or eating a chocolate bar every day would not be healthy and in my opinion if I did this I would not be obeying the Word of Wisdom, but that would be my opinion and my choice, that would affect me and no one else. I choose to not drink diet coke (my preference) during the week, but I do have one or two during the weekend - all I'm saying is to "choose wisely"!
And I say these things in His sacred name, Even Jesus Christ, Amen.
The strong will keep this commandment without the least temptation to do otherwise. Those who can't live the Word of Wisdom don't deserve to be called saints. You can call them Mormons, but they are not saints. Even the weakest of saints can keep the Word of Wisdom for they have been adapted to the capacity of the weak (D&C 89:3).
Elder LeGrand Richards once stated: "I presided over two missions. We had many saints who had used tobacco and tea and coffee, and some of them liquor, all of their lives, and it was hard for some of them to quit. I remember being in one meeting with a stalwart man sitting right down in front of me, and as I read these words, "Adapted to the capacity of the weak and the weakest of all saints who are or can be called saints," I said: "If there are any Latter-day Saints in this mission weaker than that we will not ask them to keep the Word of Wisdom." At the close of the meeting that big fellow came up and said, "President Richards, I am not that weak." I said, "I didn't think you were. I just wanted to let you know what the Lord had to say about this principle."
What about the health benefits of green tea? I wonder why it is that some people seek for every excuse to violate the Word of Wisdom. It probably took some investigation to discover that green tea contains some of the antioxidants. Let's suppose that green tea were the only source of the antioxidant vitamins, and the Lord has warned us by revelation not to drink tea, would you feel justified in going against the word of the Lord in order to get some supposed health benefits? The Lord has warned us to put off the natural man because he is the enemy to God.
"For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father." (Mosiah 3:19)
So what does this mean for Mormons and Coke?
Let me begin with Ricky Ricardo's famous line: "Ay yi yi yi yi". It's been a long heated debate among members on whether or not caffeine is against the Word of Wisdom. President Hinkley once said that Mormons avoid caffeine, apostle Bruce R. McConkie wrote that it violated the spirit of the Word of Wisdom, and even BYU campuses don't sell it - which I was totally bummed out when I went to BYU Educational Week in 2011.
On Aug 29, 2012 LDS church posted a statement on its website saying that "the church does not prohibit the use of caffeine" and that the faith's health-code reference to "hot drinks" does not go beyond (tea and coffee). So why all the confusion? Uuum - I don't know. Personally, I think it's a choice!
I think we need to be wise in our choices of food and drinks. To obey the health-code we can't use tobacco, drink coffee or tea, or use drugs, but we must individually decide for everything else. We know what the scriptures say, what the Church's counsel is, and we must choose. If we feel we wouldn't be obeying the Word of Wisdom by drinking cola drinks, then don't drink them, if we feel that we shouldn't eat a chocolate bar or other dessert every day then don't do it and you will be blessed. If we become addicted to a substance we are being controlled by the substance and are not obeying the Word of Wisdom.
I believe drinking a cola drink now and then just as eating a chocolate bar every once in awhile is fine. Drinking a cola drink or eating a chocolate bar every day would not be healthy and in my opinion if I did this I would not be obeying the Word of Wisdom, but that would be my opinion and my choice, that would affect me and no one else. I choose to not drink diet coke (my preference) during the week, but I do have one or two during the weekend - all I'm saying is to "choose wisely"!
And I say these things in His sacred name, Even Jesus Christ, Amen.
Click here if video doesn't work: Mormons Speak about the Word of Wisdom or Code of Health
No comments:
Post a Comment