Hmm.. I am going to take the opposite side of the argument rather than just...NO.
I believe in the WOW and am a vegetarian as well as following it strictly and not drinking tea, coffee etc.
That said recent research has said that up to 6 cups a day of tea can cut heart disease deaths by 65% in a dutch study and 45% in one by Harvard ( wife is a MD). Heart disease is the main cause of death in the US.
I think that man made the WOW a commandment not God. and that isn't always a bad thing but can cause problems when you don't know exactly what or why things are done i.e. the church has said that it's not the caffeine as the reason we don't drink those. And it was many years before anyone said that "Hot Drinks" mean tea and coffee.. But what about herbal tea?
The Lord gave this as a temporal commandment meaning for the good of our body and long life.. "To be sent 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—"
Yet about 1935 HJG president of the church made it a commandment and requirement for temple recommend. They focused on just four things 1-coffee 2-tea 3- tobacco 4- alcohol.. This is what they ask you on your temple recommend interview.
They totally ignore the one thing it mentions 3 times ( meat consumption). I became aware of the discrepancy when neither I nor my friends were enjoying the promise of "And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint."
If it is temporal for our physical well being as it says it is ( and there is a spiritual blessing about finding hidden treasures of knowledge) then we should be living longer as a people than all other religions.. We don't markedly. This study was interesting. And according to PubMed "Some tumor rates are higher in Mormons, e.g. malignant melanoma, also all types of malignant lymphoma and myeloma."
Now fasting is good for the heart as well.. Mormons have 5-7% lower blockage as a result and a far lower case of being diagnosed with CAD..
Tea is a question.. tea vs. coke, pepsi, energy drinks, diet pills is an even deeper matter for study.. If the number one killer is heart disease and drinking 3-6 cups a day cuts that nearly in half..?
Researchers in The Netherlands found:
Drinking more than six cups of tea per day was associated with a 36 percent lower risk of heart disease compared to those who drank less than one cup of tea per day.
Drinking three to six cups of tea per day was associated with a 45 percent reduced risk of death from heart disease, compared to consumption of less than one cup per day.
I drink a lot of herbal tea.. But in my heart I think the Lord knew what he was saying when he said hot drinks.. I think he meant any hot drink that scalds you could cause cancer.. I don't think he meant coffee or tea or what about Mate, etc.
When a man or prophet does something without the Lord's specific seal of approval or understanding what hot drinks mean ( was a hundred years later before they said coffee or tea) there can be problems over the years as things come up..Might be a good time to have the church review this or not.. Just a thought.
