I have a few Mormon friends, and none of them can seem to agree on a certain aspect of their religion.
Specifcally this pertains to the reasoning behind Mormons being bared against using substances like coffee, alchohal, drugs etc etc.
There are 2 camps on the subject. One swears that it is because you are not supposed to put anything into your body that could addict you. The other says that it is morally wrong to ingest any substance that alters your state of mind.
No one can seem to agree, or come up with any evidence of their claims. So I turn to the SDMB and its LDS community. So, can you help me out and cite some evidence?
P.s- If you would like to comment on why you think its stupid, or whats wrong with this belief, please do it in another thread. This thread is only to answer the questions asked above. Thanks in advance.
I am not a Mormon, but I figure that the word of Section 89 of the Doctrine and Covenants of the faith is a good place to start. Here is the relevant text. The phrasing of Verse 5 (“neither meet in the sight of your Father”) suggests strong drink is morally wrong, while Verse 8’s condemnation of tobacco as “not for the body, neither for the belly” implies considerations of physical health as well.
Since Coca-Cola and similar beverages weren’t around when Joseph Smith was sharing revelations in Kirtland, Verse 9’s proscription of “hot drinks” (understood in 1833 to mean coffee and tea) was extended to caffeinated sodas by later church leaders. This page provides additional information.
I’m not LDS, either. However, like almost all questions about religious scriptures, whether of greater or lesser antiquity, I don’t think this can be answered. The proscription is in Doctrines & Covenants and its author is no longer around to explain it. Similarly, no one knows the why behind the prescription in the Hebrew Bible on pork and other meats, and it’s to late to ask for an explanation.
The reason I always heard from teachers and speeches by leaders and whatnot was that using mind-altering substances drives away the companionship of the Holy Spirit and causes you to be more susceptible to temptation (sexual temptation, mainly).
The original “Word of Wisdom” in the Doctrine and Covenants only banned tobacco and “strong drinks” and “hot drinks”; “hot drinks” was interpreted to mean coffee or tea, and “strong drinks” was interpreted to mean anything more alcoholic than beer. As Mormonism matured, this was extended to mean ANY alcoholic drink, including beer (even though the actual text of the Word of Wisdom seems to specifically permit beer or “mild barley drinks”). And as more and more recreational mind-altering substances were invented and/or became popular, the Word of Wisdom was eventually extended to include any mind-altering substance, in effect if not in actual wording.
The status of caffeine is somewhat undefined, though. Some Mormons think the prohibition on hot drinks means anything with caffeine, and some think Coke/Pepsi, chocolate, etc. are fine.
The hot drinks prohibition extends to coffee & black or green teas. Herbal infusions are OK. This has led some to speculate on the evils of tannic acid. Caffeine is OK, it’s just that it is usually found in one of the prohibited substances. And let’s face it, once you’ve done without caffeine for a while (and the headaches go away) don’t you feel better anyway? So while many Mormons avoid it altogether, it is not prohibited.
The story on alcohol (as I heard it) was that Joseph Smith was getting wine for the sacrament one day and hed either a vision or epiphany or something that caused him to doubt the purity of the commercially available product and thus its suitability for use in the sacrament. Thenceforth water was the substance of choice for this rite.
I like the answer my (ex)bishop gave for the reasons of the prohibitions. He didn’t get into all the “Alcohol & caffeine & drugs are bad for your body, repel the holy spirit, etc…” He simply said, “Because God says to avoid them.” and really, as a believer, what more do you need than that?
Hosed? How is following instruction that prevents ingesting toxins getting hosed? I mean, it’s not like the church leaders have declared first right to daughters of the church “'cause God said so.” Following *that * rule could result in some hosing. Would a father ever get anything done if he answered every time his children always asked “why?” The relationship between God & The Believers is one of obedience of the latter to the will of the former. God “owes” us nothing but His end of the bargain (as spelled out in a bunch of different texts, written, rewritten, poorly translated, ‘corrected,’ edited, translated & transcribed…which we now refer to as the Old & New Testaments.)
As far as knowing that what you believe makes sense, I believe that bit referred to as “faith.” Just like believing in the existence of a non-temporal diety who refuses to physically and obviously manifest itself (say, as a 60 foot aparaition ablaze with glory in downtown New York) doesn’t make sense–it’s a faith thing. You get your surety from the quiet little voice that is the Holy Ghost–your own personal Jesus, if you will.
In answer to the OP, I think the Bishop’s answer in conjunction with perusing the relevant text in D & C (and long, sincere prayer) is where you will find your answer.
Thanks for the links Sternvogel that just the thing I’m looking for.
So according to the D&C 89 hot drinks, tobbaco, and hard liquor are prohibited.
The Church decided that hot drinks=coffee and tea. No mention is made about caffine or other mind altering substances. No mention is made that that they are restricted due to their addictive side effects. Later in, the church said that all alchohalic beverages are prohibited, not just the strong ones.