1659: Word of Wisdom w/ LDS Discussions – 20



John and Mike discuss the origins and influences around Joseph Smith and the Creation of the Word of Wisdom.

source

33 thoughts on “1659: Word of Wisdom w/ LDS Discussions – 20”

  1. 1:19: i also think instituting the WoW as a temple requirement was based on the article of faith that we obey the laws of the land.
    With prohibition, the church leaders made it set in stone that faithful members would obey it as if it were a commandment. How could they be honest members if they broke the law & enjoyed Speakeasies or trafficked booze?

    Reply
  2. In Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay Yerba Mate is permitted by some bishops and forbidden by the more orthodox bishops or Mission leaders.

    Not my cup of Mate🧉, but trying to explain the double think as a missionary was frustrating.

    Reply
  3. This shows that the Mormon god is unaware of the real world. Eastern cultures and now, we know that tea is healthy if not artificially processed. Also, not knowing about caffeine in chocolate was always an oddity for me. The LDS owns Coca-Cola? Or a lot of stocks. No Mike, I am a never-Mormon and I also find beer ugh! 😂 I do not drink and smoked once and that's all it took to stay away. When I was a Christian I always ignored believers' insistence that one should not drink alcohol. It made no sense and was not biblical founded.

    Reply
  4. I am in the church and believing. But I have to say I agree with most of this presentation on the WOW. It makes little sense to me why your entrance to the temple is dependent upon the absence of alcohol, tea and coffee. Especially because D&C 89 was not a strict commandment and the early leaders didn't follow it strictly. Also I often have thought about hot drinks, but that doesn't include hot chocolate or soup. Although I believe there was a quote from George Q Cannon apostle who interpreted the revelation that hot drinks included soup and hot chocolate. Good point about cold coffee, not a hot drink so is that okay? I think the church just sees it as a law of obedience and faith primarily and secondary health, but I've also thought how you could eat lots of chocolate, coke, meat and energy drinks but be allowed a recommend but a cup of tea or coffee occasionally isn't allowed 🤔 I would push back though that I've never been taught people who don't follow the wow are bad, but maybe it's different in the UK. But certainly we had lessons about avoiding ganging around people who drink or smoke who may tempt us. But I've never thought they are bad, but I guess the church would view it as sinful behaviour but not bad people. Again most of this I've wondered about and Jesus drinking wine and Joseph too. Jesus seemed less concerned about what you eat or drink.

    Reply
  5. Word of Wisdom…
    I dunno where the modesty and garments rules are, but…
    Given John's tale of attending a stake dance with Renee Zellweger…
    I'd love to see an episode of Mormon Stories explaining how bare shoulders are OK for BYU cheerleaders and DWTS Lindsey Stirling.
    How do garments fit in with performances? No need to worry about modesty as long as it's a performance?

    Reply
  6. John, these episodes with Mike from LDS Discussions are FANTASTIC! He’s the perfect person to tackle these essays! Just wanted to express a little appreciation and support. Keep up the great work! 👏🏻

    Reply
  7. Not a commandment but it’s required to get a temple recommend. It’s all about control I feel like! And money! And not to mention people don’t follow the WoW completely! Look at how much meat people eat! And how fat and unhealthy members are! Food is the center of all their activities!

    Reply
  8. I dropped out of BYU and went back to UVU because the religion classes were going to set me back a year. I told my mom the reason I was dropping out of BYU was because they didn't serve Mountain Dew… she freaked out on me and I just laughed. To this day (10 years later) she still thinks I dropped out because of Mountain Dew. 😁

    Reply
  9. As a former RLDS….we of course did not hear the story of Emma having to clean up from the tobacco etc. The fact that she said it would be nice to have a revelation about that tells me that she likely knew how “ getting revelations” really worked ( especially given the revelation then came immediately). This is quite impactful having been RLDS….since that would mean she went on to promote her son as leader and possibly teach him the way things actually worked….fully knowing the falseness of the claims…which of course those of us in the reorganization followed. ( as a note my husband and some others in the reorganized church did refrain from eating meat in the warm months as well as no coffee, alcohol etc to keep with the word of wisdom….that seemed clear in the wording, although this was a personal choice…not a church wide rule)

    Reply
  10. And how about a revelation that Emma (and the other women) shouldn't have to clean up after the men? Maybe the men could clean up their own messes?? That's the kind of revelation that a lot of people would have appreciated…

    Reply
  11. "Joseph was an eclectic, syncretic innovator, not a systematic theologian. Many of his religious inspirations were largely gleaned from his nineteenth-century environment, ruminated over, confirmed by what he said was God's spirit, then refined and enhanced through on incremental process of trial-and-error development that in many ways is still on-going among his successors. Believers refer to this process as continuous revelation; non-believers as the natural expression of human intellect and reason."
    (Richard Van Wagoner, "Natural Born Seer", 2016, p. viii)

    Reply

Leave a Comment