A non-member friend recently asked me:
Is it true I can’t drink tea, coffee, alcohol and be a Mormon? And why did the missionaries tell me I couldn’t drink coffee, but my Mormon friend goes to Starbucks every day for a latte?
As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we have what is called “The Word of Wisdom.” This is a revelation that was given to Joseph Smith which gives us guidelines about the care and nourishment of our bodies. In this revelation, we are counseled to stay away from coffee, tea, alcohol and tobacco.
There are a few different reasons for this.
First, coffee and tea are hot drinks and can injure the stomach. We’ve been taught that our bodies are temples and we should take good care of them, and part of that nurturing attitude includes not introducing harmful substances into our bodies. I personally believe, too, that we’ve been asked to avoid these drinks because they contain caffeine, which is harmful to the heart, causes anxiety when overused, can cause miscarriage – the list goes on and on.
Second, alcohol removes a person’s ability to think rationally. We believe in being judged for our actions and the intent behind those actions. I can’t be properly judged if my actions are being controlled by something other than myself. If I’m not fully in control, it interferes with my free agency. I need to choose for myself how I will act, and not give something else that power to decide.
Third, we’ve been asked to keep our bodies free from addictions. When we’re addicted to something, as above, we’re giving something else power to make our decisions for us. That substance to which we are addicted controls our behavior. I think we’ve all seen people standing outside in a blizzard, smoking – they’d much rather be inside where it’s warm, but their addiction to the nicotine is making them stand outside in the sub-zero temperatures. And, when we have an addiction, that addiction becomes a god to us. We are idol-worshipping that substance and not allowing God to truly be God in our lives.
In a nutshell, those are the reasons for the Word of Wisdom. God wants us to be healthy, He wants us to be clear in our thinking, and He wants us to turn to Him for comfort, rather than turning to a substance. It is true that in order to become baptized, it is required that you give up coffee, tea, smoking, alcohol, and recreational drugs. Nothing has been said about Pepsi or chocolate cake, however.
Now, as far as your neighbor goes . . .
One of the truths we hold to most dearly is the principle of free agency. Our Heavenly Father has asked us to live certain ways. He has promised blessings for obedience, and withdrawal of those blessings if we don’t obey, but He leaves the decision up to us. We can decide for ourselves if we will or won’t obey.
Each member of the Church is on their own path, and must choose for themselves to what extent they want to follow the teachings. Some struggle with the principle of tithing. Some struggle with the Word of Wisdom. Some struggle with keeping the Sabbath day holy. In many instances, they just don’t fully understand the teaching and so they don’t understand the importance of it. Sometimes they do know it’s important, but they’re making a choice to disregard it anyway.
The people of the Church aren’t perfect. They’re human and they’re going to make mistakes. Your neighbor would be better off if she left the lattes alone, from a health perspective as well as a spiritual perspective. But it’s her choice to make. She won’t get thrown out of the Church for it, but her bishop would do whatever he could to help her break the habit.
Related Blogs:
What’s the Big Deal about Caffeine?