Why is tea prohibited by the Word of Wisdom?

[MormonGirl02]

This is something that I don't fully understand. Why does the Word of Wisdom prohibit the drinking of tea?

[Elgama]

its very simple Heavenly Father says its something we shouldn't drink - just like the ancient Hebrews didn;t understand why Kosher - we do not truly understand why tea its a matter of faith - and maybe thats the reason its a trial of faith

-Charley

[maria1981]

its very simple Heavenly Father says its something we shouldn't drink - just like the ancient Hebrews didn;t understand why Kosher - we do not truly understand why tea its a matter of faith - and maybe thats the reason its a trial of faith

-Charley

mad one

i always wondered this myself i didnt know the hebews didnt drink tea!!

i have asked about the tea drinking before with no luck on an answer im glad u gave ur reply

interesting mybe its because its a stimulate in some way!! like drinking and drugs after all these things are not good for us

but then green tea is very good for the body it cleans us out of toxins and it helps with cancer too they also put in in diet pills

and green tea has no caffine in it

im baffled about the tea drinking

is it just tea or the caffinee too can u drink red bull, coffee and other drinks which contain caffine

very interesting:p

[kittymac1969]

mad one

i always wondered this myself i didnt know the hebews didnt drink tea!!

i have asked about the tea drinking before with no luck on an answer im glad u gave ur reply

interesting mybe its because its a stimulate in some way!! like drinking and drugs after all these things are not good for us

but then green tea is very good for the body it cleans us out of toxins and it helps with cancer too they also put in in diet pills

and green tea has no caffine in it

im baffled about the tea drinking

is it just tea or the caffinee too can u drink red bull, coffee and other drinks which contain caffine

very interesting:p

Green tea does have about the same amount of caffeine as regular tea. Basically, any tea that contains black, white or green tea are prohibited. Herbal teas are ok. Coffee is also against the WoW.

Tea DOES contain antioxidants, but so do grape juice, blueberries and many other foods .

In the end, it comes down to faith. Do you believe the WoW comes Heavenly Father? Since I do, it doesn't matter why tea is a no-no, it just IS. There are enough other beverages for me to drink. :)

[MarginOfError]

Green tea does have about the same amount of caffeine as regular tea. Basically, any tea that contains black, white or green tea are prohibited. Herbal teas are ok. Coffee is also against the WoW.

Source please?

Tea DOES contain antioxidants, but so do grape juice, blueberries and many other foods .In the end, it comes down to faith. Do you believe the WoW comes Heavenly Father? Since I do, it doesn't matter why tea is a no-no, it just IS. There are enough other beverages for me to drink. :)

I honestly don't care if you believe this or live it or whatever. I just request that if you're going to speak definitively you provide a reference to justify.

I also believe the Word of Wisdom is inspired. I know we were counseled that 'hot drinks' means 'coffee and tea.' (See Stephenson, Ensign July 2008; I believe the original statement was given in the 40's but I can't track it down right now...a little help please). Believing this to be inspired counsel, I'll follow it regardless of the reason.

[MrsHart]

mad one

i always wondered this myself i didnt know the hebews didnt drink tea!!

i have asked about the tea drinking before with no luck on an answer im glad u gave ur reply

interesting mybe its because its a stimulate in some way!! like drinking and drugs after all these things are not good for us

but then green tea is very good for the body it cleans us out of toxins and it helps with cancer too they also put in in diet pills

and green tea has no caffine in it

im baffled about the tea drinking

is it just tea or the caffinee too can u drink red bull, coffee and other drinks which contain caffine

very interesting:p

Um...green tea DOES have caffeine in it. White, black, and green tea are from the same plant. There is actually only ONE true tea plant. White tea is plucked when the tea plant is fresh and has just bloomed; green tea is plucked after the plant has grown a bit, and I believe that black tea is roasted (for the lack of a better term) or something like that. :: sighs ::

The only "tea" that does not have caffeine is herbal or floral tea, 'cause it's not really tea. I'd prefer to call this a "brew," instead of a tea. Herbal tea is not caffeinated because herbs (such as peppermint, spearmint) are not caffeinated. Floral tea is not caffeinated because...um, obviously, these teas are made of rose petals, lavender flower, etc., etc. There are also brews that are made of a combination of cinnamon and ginger, and it always baffles me when people refer to this as "tea." How is that tea, when it's not made from a tea plant? Seriously.

This is not a commonly known fact, and I only know this because I have a very good friend whose dad is an importer.

As far as why we should not drink tea, it is because it is a stimulant, like coffee, alcohol, etc.

And if anyone wants sources, Google is your friend. Answers can be found in less than 1 second.

Edited November 6, 2008 by MrsHart

[ZionWoman]

Just to be controversial, If it is the stimulant that is objectionable, does the WoW prohibit Red Bull and other stimulating drink as well? How about natural depressants (right word?) or tranquillizers like vallerian? Where do you draw the line?

[hordak]

Just to be controversial, If it is the stimulant that is objectionable, does the WoW prohibit Red Bull and other stimulating drink as well? How about natural depressants (right word?) or tranquillizers like vallerian? Where do you draw the line?

Because it's not the caffeine. The official church Doctrine is no tea, no coffee.The church considers "hot drinks" to be them. Other try to prescribe reasons like caffeine or tannin but it is not the case.

[havejoy]

I don't think we have been given a reason but almost everyone has their own theory as to why we aren't supposed to drink tea. My personal theory is that Heavenly Father wants to torture us.

(yes, I'm joking, but I still miss a tall glass of iced tea.)

[Elgama]

mad one

i always wondered this myself i didnt know the hebews didnt drink tea!!

LOL they do drink tea what I meant was they didn't understand why Heavenly Father gave them their Health Code or Kosher just it was something he commanded them to do. And for us with tea and coffee it is the same - it may simply be if you obey me I will give you health, there maybe no real scientific reason for it - what we do know is Heavenly Father has asked us not to drink it which for me is enough.

-Charley

[Kyra]

Not only is caffeine a stimulant, but it's addictive. I've always felt that the reason we're told to stay away from coffee and teas is because of it's addictive qualities. We are supposed to be in control of our bodies, and when our body is addicted to something it's out of our control.

[kittymac1969]

Source please?

I honestly don't care if you believe this or live it or whatever. I just request that if you're going to speak definitively you provide a reference to justify.

I also believe the Word of Wisdom is inspired. I know we were counseled that 'hot drinks' means 'coffee and tea.' (See Stephenson, Ensign July 2008; I believe the original statement was given in the 40's but I can't track it down right now...a little help please). Believing this to be inspired counsel, I'll follow it regardless of the reason.

I'm going to assume that you aren't meaning to be rude, because I was just trying to help. I apologize if you don't approve of the method in which I provided said help.

Here is one of the many sources I have about what "tea" constitutes.

Herbal Teas – Which Herbal Teas Can Mormons Drink? Green tea is not listed but green tea is the same as black, it's just processed differently. What is Green Tea?

I also spoke with my bishop and our Mission President about the subject... those types of tea were what they explained were no-nos

As for antioxidants in foods here are a few links.

Which foods provide the most antioxidants? Here is the specific list on that site:

" BEST SOURCES OF FOOD ANTIOXIDANTS: TOP 20 FRUITS, VEGETABLES AND NUTS (AS MEASURED BY TOTAL ANTIOXIDANT CAPACITY PER SERVING SIZE)

In order of rank:

1. Small Red Bean (dried) Half cup

Total antioxidant capacity per serving size 13727

2. Wild blueberry 1 cup

Total antioxidant capacity per serving size 13427

3. Red kidney bean (dried) Half cup

Total antioxidant capacity per serving size 13259

4. Pinto bean Half cup

Total antioxidant capacity per serving size 11864

5. Blueberry (cultivated) 1 cup

Total antioxidant capacity per serving size 9019

6. Cranberry 1 cup (whole)

Total antioxidant capacity per serving size 8983

7. Artichoke (cooked) 1 cup (hearts)

Total antioxidant capacity per serving size 7904

8. Blackberry 1 cup

Total antioxidant capacity per serving size 7701

9. Prune Half cup

Total antioxidant capacity per serving size 7291

10. Raspberry 1 cup

Total antioxidant capacity per serving size 6058

1.1 Strawberry 1 cup

Total antioxidant capacity per serving size 5938

12. Red Delicious apple One

Total antioxidant capacity per serving size 5900

13. Granny Smith apple One

Total antioxidant capacity per serving size 5381

14. Pecan 1 ounce

Total antioxidant capacity per serving size 5095

15. Sweet cherry 1 cup

Total antioxidant capacity per serving size 4873

16. Black plum One

Total antioxidant capacity per serving size 4844

17. Russet potato (cooked) One

Total antioxidant capacity per serving size 4649

18. Black bean (dried) Half cup

Total antioxidant capacity per serving size 4181

19. Plum One

Total antioxidant capacity per serving size 4118

20. Gala apple One

Total antioxidant capacity per serving size 3903"

I can provide many more "sources" if you feel you need them. I have a background in nutrition.

God Bless

Edited November 6, 2008 by kittymac1969
to add

[Starfish]

Thanks Kitty, How interesting. And everything on the list tastes good. Score!

[tefor]

Other try to prescribe reasons like caffeine or tannin but it is not the case.

I found that out a few years ago when our ward had a "Willy Wonka" chocolate party where each member consumed more caffeine than you'd find in a gallon of Lipton. (It felt awfully weird sitting through the blessing on the refreshments.)

[Moksha]

This is something that I don't fully understand. Why does the Word of Wisdom prohibit the drinking of tea?

The imaginative field of nutritional health science in the early 19th Century actually held that very warm temperatures in beverages where bad for you. Once this was discovered to be bogus, the hot drinks of the Word of Wisdom was taken to mean that coffee and tea were bad for you. However, if you google green tea you will find it mostly touted as a health promoting drink.

As Elgama said, the reason for coffee and tea being on the banned list is unknown to us, however, I have speculated that these two plants may have been less valiant in the pre-existence in some way.

[LostInSpace]

To me, this is one of those areas we should simply pray for an answer. We can think about and guess all we want but it's pretty unlikely we are capable of understanding His reasons for things without His help. Science tells us green tea is healthy, so maybe health is not the complete story. Or maybe we'll find out more about green tea in the future. Maybe if we ask, we will receive a personal revelation.

To me, it is a matter of obedience and it is a simple rule to follow. Now, I hear no hot drinks means coffee and tea but I've not actually seen that written anywhere yet. Until I do, I play it safe and take hot drinks quite literally. I also take it to mean drinks that are iced or are normally hot such as your iced coffees and teas.

I also happen to feel better and have more energy when I drink lots of water and juice.

Personally, I avoid soda an other drinks as well. But that more of a preference thing.

[japacific]

I love green tea by the way. I can't imagine why any god would ever make it a sin to drink it, especially to test members' faiths

[Old Tex]

The WoW does not mention tea or coffee. It says "hot drinks". The predominant hot drinks of the day were tea and coffee. It also said tobacco and mentions meat, except in cold weather.

Later, when the WoW was accepted as a commantment, and was binding as such on the Saints, the "hot drinks" were accepted to mean coffee and tea. There was no attempt at an analysis. As in many cases, the individual has to decide what that means to him or her. One can follow the description, (coffee and tea) or one can rationalize away as much of it as one chooses. It's between the individual and the Lord.

[MarginOfError]

I'm going to assume that you aren't meaning to be rude, because I was just trying to help. I apologize if you don't approve of the method in which I provided said help.

I tried really hard not to make my request for references at all snippy. I apologize if it came across that way. And I appreciate your resource. There was one reference in there I've not ever read before.

To provide direct access the the sources given:

The Do's in the Word of Wisdom

I have a Question (Read the second question)

I like in the second reference where the author states

Thus, each herb tea can be classified as a “hot drink” or “an herb to be used with prudence” only after we know what effect it has on the body.

Many drinks contain no significant levels of drugs and can be used as tasty warm drinks with some nutritive benefit. However, a well-nourished body has no unnatural cravings and requires no drugs to perform well both intellectually and physically.

In light of this quote, the information you posted is even more valuable.

[maria1981]

Green tea does have about the same amount of caffeine as regular tea. Basically, any tea that contains black, white or green tea are prohibited. Herbal teas are ok. Coffee is also against the WoW.

Tea DOES contain antioxidants, but so do grape juice, blueberries and many other foods .

In the end, it comes down to faith. Do you believe the WoW comes Heavenly Father? Since I do, it doesn't matter why tea is a no-no, it just IS. There are enough other beverages for me to drink. :)

oohhh ok

shows we can all be a bit backword sometimes i always thought green tea didnt contain caffinee how wrong was i

so no more green tea and red bull for me then

much love

[tefor]

It really all comes down to faith. In the October 1988 General Conference, Elder Russell M. Nelson had this to say:

Certainly modern medical research validates the physical benefits of obedience to the Word of Wisdom. The evidence is so great that many will be taught the right things for only half of the right reasons. With that limited understanding, could they then try a smoke, a drink, or a drug, rationalizing that “just one won’t hurt”? Could the prospect of only future physical rewards even be bait for foolish dares of defiance now? Or to phrase these questions another way, how many would be determined to obey the will of the Lord even if physical benefits were not assured? When God asked Abraham to offer Isaac in sacrifice, did they first seek scientific confirmation that their choice to obey was medically advisable?

We might also ask: Will we have faith to obey the WoW even if science seems to indicate that NOT living it might in some respects be better for us? Will we change our position as scientific indicators change? Where do we draw the line?

Every man eventually is backed up to the wall of faith, and there he must make his stand.

(Ezra Taft Benson)

[SueMazza]

So how does everyone feel about the whole cola thing? If it's not the caffeine that's the issue (because chocolate is certainly allowed), and cola isn't a hot drink, then is it allowed?

Does anyone know why the ban on alcohol, tobacco, coffee and tea is so emphasized, and the caution against eating meat is not? If I eat a hamburger every day in the middle of the summer, shouldn't I be denied a TR?

Personally, I take the WoW literally. I eat meat sparingly and I abstain from alcohol, tobacco, coffee and tea, and hot chocolate because it's a hot drink. But I always have a Diet Pepsi or chocolate candy in my hand! And, since I've turned 40, I've found that tea bags are great for bags under the eyes!

[Maureen]

This is O/T - why does this thread not have a "laugh" button?

[Truegrits]

It was decided that the "Laugh" feature would be given back to us in some Forums, but not all. It will not be in 'Gospel Discussion'. I am not sure where else it will not be.

[SueMazza]

Wow, Maureen! What a lovely way to treat a newcomer!

I'll make a deal with you: I'll brush up on the etiquette of posting in this forum if you'll brush up on etiquette.

In the meantime, maybe you could review the quote from prisonchaplain in your signature.