How much personal choice is in living the Word of Wisdom?

[Blossom76]

I’ve noticed that there are vast differences on how LDS members live the Word of Wisdom.  I was wondering if there were any ‘modern day revelation’ that helps to clarify it – like general conference or president teachings etc. 

Hot drinks = coffee and tea – anyone know where that clarification came from?

No alcohol – but it says drinks made from barely are ok – beer’s made from barley so I’m guessing there must be further revelation on that?

 But what about the meat thing? Any modern day revelation or teaching on that? I’ve heard members say ‘its up to the individual’ but it does read that if we want to please God we shouldn’t eat meat unless its winter, cold or a famine, or for thanksgiving but sparingly.

Tobacco – straight forward, don’t do it!

I’d love any insight you guys have on this, what your personal interpretation is and any links to church leaders speaking on this would be fantastic.

Thanks for reading!

[estradling75]

The Word of Wisdom was initially not a commandment (see the verses below)

2 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—

3 Given for a principle with promise, adapted to the capacity of the weak and the weakest of all saints, who are or can be called saints.

But over time certain parts of it became commandments namely the do nots

aka

No Coffee and Tea (That is what Hot drinks meant in Joseph Smith's time and it has been clarified by him back in the day)

No Alcohol period.  Other non-alcoholic drinks can be made from barley but beer is out.  Once can debate that beer is not a strong drink, but that is not the current understanding

No Tobacco...

The church has also added the abuse and misused of various Drugs (The kind that are illegal)

Everything else in the Word of Wisdom is considered a good idea up for personal interpretation.  And that is were all the debate happens.

Some people are content (or just limited) to just do the commanded parts, and that is fine.

Some people take there personal interpretation and run with it.  This is also fine.

The problem occurs when each group (usually the personal interpretation group) tries/demands that everyone else needs to live according to their "interpretation".

Meat is a perfect example of this.  Some read that passage and go vegetarian, and that is fine for them.   Others read that passage and remember not to be wasteful or take more then they need, that is fine for them too.  But generally speaking the two groups do not get along because each feels the need to defend their choices by trying to convince the other they are wrong

Thus you see that individual members very much do live the Word of Wisdom differently...  And once you pass the Do Nots this is perfectly ok.  The important thing is when you Read the Word of Wisdom... What does the Lord tell/teach you that you need to be doing? Only you and the Lord can answer that question.

 

[CV75]

2 hours ago, Blossom76 said:

I’ve noticed that there are vast differences on how LDS members live the Word of Wisdom.  I was wondering if there were any ‘modern day revelation’ that helps to clarify it – like general conference or president teachings etc. 

Hot drinks = coffee and tea – anyone know where that clarification came from?

No alcohol – but it says drinks made from barely are ok – beer’s made from barley so I’m guessing there must be further revelation on that?

 But what about the meat thing? Any modern day revelation or teaching on that? I’ve heard members say ‘its up to the individual’ but it does read that if we want to please God we shouldn’t eat meat unless its winter, cold or a famine, or for thanksgiving but sparingly.

Tobacco – straight forward, don’t do it!

I’d love any insight you guys have on this, what your personal interpretation is and any links to church leaders speaking on this would be fantastic.

Thanks for reading!

We practice it in two ways: one, the requirements for a temple recommend, which are pretty minimal; and two, by personal revelation (the "wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures" promise, which I believe includes spiritual blessings). In modern times, we learn that the mind is also very much physical, so the "temporal" and "physical" blessings mentioned in the Word of Wisdom refer to mental blessings as well.

[Sunday21]

Lds Newsroom 

https://www.mormonnewsroom.ca/article/health-practices

[Jane_Doe]

I'm admittedly can't remember the specific references for this right now and am being lazy about the look-ups.  It's mostly 1st presidency statements given over the years.  As other said, it was originally a suggestion and then came commandment in the early 1900's (having given people a time to adjust).  The hot drinks = tea etc are excellent examples of modern church leaders guiding understanding of scripture.  

The big goal here is to honor covenants with the Lord and take care of your body.  So there's a basic framework of what's for sure not ok, and then beyond that there is individual discernment for you (Sam can't discern for Sally, only for Sam).  

What's non-negiotable: no tobacco for humans.  No drinking alcohol (use for cooking is up to you).  No non Rx drugs.  No coffee.  No tea (tea = stuff from the tea plant specifically, herbal is up to you).  

Up to you: pretty much everything else.  Some people skip caffeine or soda, but that's totally up to them individually.  Also use of exercise, proper sleep, and meat is individual discernment.  

[Sunday21]

Some history on the WOW

https://history.lds.org/article/doctrine-and-covenants-word-of-wisdom?lang=eng

[Traveler]

@Blossom76

When I was young and learning of life I joined the army – this was during the Vietnam era.  When I left home, and entered active duty I received a blessing from my father.  In that blessing I was promised that if I made a covenant with G-d to be loyal to the word of wisdom that I would be “Protected” while I served.  Mostly I thought that it meant that I would not die in Vietnam – that may have been part of it but there were other dangers to my spirituality.  So profound were the blessings that I received that I have committed myself to the principles of the Word of Wisdom for my entire life – even to the most extreme position of no caffeinated soft drinks.  I have kept that covenant to the letter.  I have even kept my physical body in shape and avoided being overweight. 

Interestingly I have had two accidents ridding my bicycle and being hit by a car.  Once so badly those that saw the accident thought I was killed – but I have never even broken a bone.  I have truly been protected physically but I believe much more spiritually.  I have experienced miracles – many miracles.  Not just with myself but also with others that I did not even know – that were inspired to help me in dark hours when I needed it the most.

 

The Traveler

[warnerfranklin]

From a practical point of view, the Word of Wisdom is good sound advice that has proven, over time, to be  very sound. 

From a spiritual point of view I think it provides, for many new converts, some simple guidelines that will help them lay a foundation in the areas of obedience, self control, and following the guidelines set up by church leadership. These small steps can then be used to help us start down the road to greater responsibility and a deeper relationship with God (many of which start with obedience and self control).

[NightSG]

1 hour ago, Traveler said:

Interestingly I have had two accidents ridding my bicycle and being hit by a car.

Then you need some extra bicycles.  Order soon, as we won't be able to make next month's rent unless we can sell 3-4 rebuilt ones or a couple of new ones in the next few days.

[Blossom76]

Thanks everyone, that really helps, I originally gave up meat when I first read the Word of Wisdom, at first I felt great, but lately I'm tired all the time and am wanting to go back to eating meat (not gorging on it or anything!), I was feeling really guilty about it but I think I'm ok with it now, so thank you

[Jane_Doe]

7 hours ago, Blossom76 said:

Thanks everyone, that really helps, I originally gave up meat when I first read the Word of Wisdom, at first I felt great, but lately I'm tired all the time and am wanting to go back to eating meat (not gorging on it or anything!), I was feeling really guilty about it but I think I'm ok with it now, so thank you

Yeah, you got to keep your iron up!   The easiest place for that is meat, though beans and other things can help you as well (vegans use that route).  You can also iron supplement pills.

[Fether]

8 hours ago, Blossom76 said:

Thanks everyone, that really helps, I originally gave up meat when I first read the Word of Wisdom, at first I felt great, but lately I'm tired all the time and am wanting to go back to eating meat (not gorging on it or anything!), I was feeling really guilty about it but I think I'm ok with it now, so thank you

Even in my nutrition class I took last fall they talked about how important it is to have red meat, but only a little amount.

[Namaskar]

The thing I find fun about this is how much research has been done about the specific ones you listed. I also think there are spirit and letter of law to be considered as well as applying it to modern day of how we eat and drink. And one of my favorite insights is to remember moderation in all things.   

Example, Caffeinated drinks: Coffee does a lot of things to the body, positive and negative. Some negatives is that it can decrease the amount of calcium we absorb and dehydrate the body. But man can it really help as a natural form of laxative to clear the bowels. Caffeine is a stimulant and can help and hurt, as stimulants tend to be an addictive substance.

Joseph Smith didn’t have Coca Cola so how does it apply to this? *this is all opinion based* Caffeinated sodas has recently been “ok’d” by the church leaders where for years it was looked down upon (sorry I don’t know for sure if it was actually something against the WOW or if this was more cultural). 

Caffeinated sodas vs coffee. 1) a cup of coffee has WAYYY more caffeine than a can/cup of soda (generally speaking). But, if it’s regular soda it’s also paired with sugar—another highly addictive substance. If it’s a diet soda there may not be sugar involved but there are addictive reactions that happen from the combo of something like aspartame and caffeine (look it up, it’s kind of cray). 

If not drinking coffee is something in the doctrine back then (and there were nutritional/affects on the body back then from coffee that might not be the same today) what can we learn from it today?

**personal opinion** 1) I think we shan’t forget moderation in all things. If having the green light to drink caffeinated beverages from the leaders now makes it ok to drink excessive amounts of caffeinated sodas, how is it any different than someone drinking a cup of coffee every morning?

If the only answer is “because it says so and sometimes we just need to obey” then I say we are missing the opportunity to apply knowledge in our lives. 

Because 32+ ounces of soda on the regular is the same as drinking a cup of coffee, in my opinion. And I’d so rather people drink a cup of coffee in the morning than down caffeinated sodas or energy drinks ??‍♀️. 

 But no judgement to anyone who chooses to drink any of these because they are delicious, they are addictive and hard to quit. You’re an awesome person and there are a lot of things in life we have to deal with, you are enough.

I’ve happily cut out my addiction to Diet Coke, have pretty much given up coffee and love the benefits of not relying on caffeine everyday ????. I’m still addicted to sugar, that’s another battle 

moral of post, expand beyond the black and white and discover for yourself how things apply to you! My favorite is obviously moderation in all things. 

[BJ64]

@Blossom76I have a couple of observations. The word of wisdom says barley can be used to make mild drinks. Beer in this context is a strong drink not a mild drink. 

It is my observation that most of the members I interact with abstain from tobacco, coffee, tea, and drugs but totally ignore the rest of it as though it did not exist. I try to obey the entire word of wisdom but I still need improvement. Besides the part of eating meat sparingly there is also the part about eating fruits and vegetables in the season thereof. I think the idea is it’s better to eat fresh food in season than to eat processed packaged food packed with artificial ingredients and preservatives. 

Of course it’s up to the individual to decide how they are going to live it but I’m convinced that the promised blessings such as health in the navel and marrow in the bones, run and not be weary and walk and not faint, the destroying angel passing over and the hidden treasures of knowledge are going to be given in a greater degree to those who live the word of wisdom to a greater degree. 

[john4truth]

1 minute ago, BJ64 said:

@Blossom76I have a couple of observations. The word of wisdom says barley can be used to make mild drinks. Beer in this context is a strong drink not a mild drink. 

It is my observation that most of the members I interact with abstain from tobacco, coffee, tea, and drugs but totally ignore the rest of it as though it did not exist. I try to obey the entire word of wisdom but I still need improvement. Besides the part of eating meat sparingly there is also the part about eating fruits and vegetables in the season thereof. I think the idea is it’s better to eat fresh food in season than to eat processed packaged food packed with artificial ingredients and preservatives. 

Of course it’s up to the individual to decide how they are going to live it but I’m convinced that the promised blessings such as health in the navel and marrow in the bones, run and not be weary and walk and not faint, the destroying angel passing over and the hidden treasures of knowledge are going to be given in a greater degree to those who live the word of wisdom to a greater degree. 

The world of wisdom was just.health advise for how many years

 

[Vort]

Blossom76 was banned from the site along with her (known) sock puppet.

[Maureen]

14 hours ago, BJ64 said:

...The word of wisdom says barley can be used to make mild drinks. Beer in this context is a strong drink not a mild drink.... 

"Strong drink" was initially interpreted as hard liquor, and did not include beer or lightly fermented wine

The text of the Word of Wisdom forbids "strong drink" (D&C 89:5, 7), which was initially interpreted as distilled beverages (hard liquor). Beer, unfermented or lightly fermented wine, and cider were considered "mild drinks" (D&C 89:17) and therefore acceptable (note that verse 17 specifically permits "barley...for mild drinks"). The complete prohibition of alcoholic drinks of any kind only became part of the Word of Wisdom following the temperance movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries; Presidents Joseph F. Smith and Heber J. Grant supported the movement and Grant made complete abstention from alcohol in any form a requirement for a temple recommend in the early 1920s.

https://www.fairmormon.org/answers/Word_of_Wisdom/History_and_implementation

M.