For prospective members of the Church, the Word of Wisdom is one of the most difficult doctrines to accept. The diet suggested in the Word of Wisdom is not an easy one to follow: one must abstain from coffee, tea (or any hot drink,) alcohol, tobacco, drugs, fruit which is not harvested during its season, and meat (except in times of cold or famine.)
Foods that are acceptable under the Word of Wisdom are herbs and fruits and grains.
The revelation was given to Joseph Smith in 1833.
“That inasmuch as any man drinketh wine or strong drink among you, behold it is not good, neither meet in the sight of your Father, only in assembling yourselves together to offer up your sacraments before him. And, behold, this should be wine, yea, pure wine of the grape of the vine, of your own make.
And, again, strong drinks are not for the belly, but for the washing of your bodies. And again, tobacco is not for the body, neither for the belly, and is not good for man, but is an herb for bruises and all sick cattle, to be used with judgment and skill. And again, hot drinks are not for the body or belly.
And again, verily I say unto you, all wholesome herbs God hath ordained for the constitution, nature, and use of man—Every herb in the season thereof, and every fruit in the season thereof; all these to be used with prudence and thanksgiving.
Yea, flesh also of beasts and of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly; And it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used, only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine.
All grain is ordained for the use of man and of beasts, to be the staff of life, not only for man but for the beasts of the field, and the fowls of heaven, and all wild animals that run or creep on the earth; And these hath God made for the use of man only in times of famine and excess of hunger.
All grain is good for the food of man; as also the fruit of the vine; that which yieldeth fruit, whether in the ground or above the ground—Nevertheless, wheat for man, and corn for the ox, and oats for the horse, and rye for the fowls and for swine, and for all beasts of the field, and barley for all useful animals, and for mild drinks, as also other grain.” [1]
The revelation is quite specific. It forbids specific foods and drinks, and allows for specific others, in specific times, and specific places.
It may come as a surprise to learn that nearly every single commandment in the Word of Wisdom is no longer followed.
There has been some speculation as to when the Word of Wisdom became a commandment. The revelation was given in 1833, though for a while, some Saints believed the Word of Wisdom to be a good suggestion, though not a necessary thing to follow.
Brigham Young made it clear. In 1851, at a General Conference, he rigidly enforced the Word as law. It was never again to be taken as a mere suggestion.
“The Patriarch [John Smith] again rose to speak on the Word of Wisdom, and urging on the brethren to leave off using tobacco.
President Young rose to put the motion and called on all the sisters who will leave off the use of tea, coffee, &c., to manifest it by raising the right hand; seconded and carried.
And then put the following motion; calling on all the boys who were under ninety years of age who would covenant to leave off the use of tobacco, whisky, and all things mentioned in the Word of Wisdom, to manifest it in the same manner, which was carried unanimously. …
President Young amongst other things said he knew the goodness of the people, and the Lord bears with our weakness; we must serve the Lord, and those who go with me will keep the Word of Wisdom, and if the High Priests, the Seventies, the Elders, and others will not serve the Lord, we will sever them from the Church. I will draw the line, and know who is for the Lord and who is not, and those who will not keep the Word of Wisdom, I will cut off from the Church; I throw out a challenge to all men and women.” [2]
Joseph Fielding Smith, while apostle and Church historian, declared that the Word of Wisdom became a commandment during that same General Conference. Young made it so.
“September 9, 1851, President Brigham Young stated that the members of the Church had had sufficient time to be taught the import of this revelation, and that henceforth it was to be considered a divine commandment. This was first put before the male members of the congregation and then before the women and by unanimous vote accepted.” [3]
If the Word of Wisdom, as it was given by the Lord in 1833, was made a commandment in 1851, why has the commandment changed? Why is this commandment, more than nearly any other, so drastically forgotten, and so easily changed?
It seems that Brigham’s impassioned speech in 1851 did not, however, include direction regarding alcohol consumption, or, at least, alcohol was considered exempt from his criteria for threatened excommunication. According to the Word of Wisdom, as spoken from the Lord Himself, wine is forbidden (unless it is homemade wine to be used for sacrament.)[4]
Brigham Young, in 1862, instructed the Saints to begin producing wine in large quantities for sale to outsiders. The initiative was known as the “Dixie Wine Mission.” The Saints paid their tithing to the Church in the form of grapes. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, selling and using these grapes in their own wine presses, became the largest distributor of wine in the area.
Wine was not the only alcohol that Brigham Young chose to make. In 1863, Young admitted to having built a distillery to manufacture hard liquors.
“When there was no whisky to be had here, and we needed it for rational purposes, I built a house to make it in.” [5]
Now, I do not cite these circumstances to say that Brigham Young, in producing and selling alcohol, is equal to his partaking of it. I cite them to pose a question: Why, if wine and hard alcohols are sufficiently evil to bar a person from eternal salvation, would the Lord allow the production and sale of such substances to his other children? Does the Lord neglect his own commandments for the sake of financial gain?
The Word of Wisdom forbids “hot drinks.” A Latter-day Saint today would interpret that phrase to mean “coffee and tea.”
Why?
In the 19th century, the commandment to abstain from “hot drinks” did not simply mean tea and coffee. It included all hot drinks, including hot cocoa and hot soup.
“We have heard considerable of late, especially since twelve months today, on the subject of the Word of Wisdom. Almost every elder who has spoken from this stand has felt the necessity and importance of calling the attention of the people to this subject. We are told, and very plainly too, that hot drinks — tea, coffee, chocolate, cocoa and all drinks of this kind are not good for man… We must not permit them to drink liquor or hot drinks, or hot soups or to use tobacco or other articles that are injurious.” [6]
Why are hot soups no longer forbidden? Why have they been given such a large space on the mass of potluck tables? Why is hot cocoa consumed with such fervor, not to mention the caffeine included in the chocolate?
Has the Lord changed his mind about what substances are harmful?
Nowhere in the Word of Wisdom is coffee or tea mentioned. It says, specifically, to avoid all hot drinks. All liquids of a hot temperature.
It’s not about the caffeine. Caffeinated sodas are A-Okay. What about hot herbal tea? Is that okay? How about cold coffee? How about iced tea?
The point is, our interpretation of the “no hot drinks” commandment does not make sense. It is not scriptural.
Today, we’d say that hot coffee is enough to ban a person from entering the temple. What, then, is the fate of Wilford Woodruff, who drank coffee and brandy to fall asleep?
“I was quite restless all night. Felt chilly. Took a little Brandy sling and a cup of coffee, and slept some before daylight and until 9 am.” [7]
If we are to follow the Word of Wisdom to its fullest, we must avoid fruit out of its season. That means apples must be eaten at the time of harvest. Oranges too. Frozen fruits are forbidden.
“…Every fruit in the season thereof.” [8]
How about hot herbal teas, which include preserved fruits and hot water? Is there anything more severe?
We are only to eat meats in the winter.
“Yea, flesh also of beasts and of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly; And it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used, only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine.” [9]
Under the Word of Wisdom, summer barbecues and campfire hotdogs are a sin.
Surprisingly, under the Word of Wisdom, according to the Lord, beer is fine.
“All grain is good for the food of man; as also the fruit of the vine; that which yieldeth fruit, whether in the ground or above the ground—Nevertheless, wheat for man, and corn for the ox, and oats for the horse, and rye for the fowls and for swine, and for all beasts of the field, and barley for all useful animals, and for mild drinks, as also other grain.” [10]
This was commonly understood. Hard liquor was extreme. It was to be avoided. Beer was mild. There was no reason to avoid it. In fact, at the time, water was sometimes considered risky, and beer was used as a substitute.
I have seen an attempt made to claim that “mild drinks” do not refer to beer. This is incorrect. Brigham Young himself called it a mild drink.
“The same may be said of money spent in the purchase of beer. It is a mild drink, and is very pleasant and agreeable to a great many.” [11]
Why is the Word of Wisdom the one law that we seem to be constantly ignoring? If the Lord intended coffee and tea to be forbidden, why did He not specify? Why did He specify that meat should be eaten in winter only, but now, He does not care? Why has the Lord changed his mind on this commandment?
You don’t see other laws changing so drastically—the Law of Chastity never seems to change (with the exception of polygamy.) A member of the Church might drink copious quantities of hot herbal tea, they might eat meat in the summer, or eat fruit out of its season. But the same member would abhor adultery, homosexuality, polygamy, or incest.
We must be consistent. The Lord must be consistent. If coffee is enough to keep a person out of the temple, then shouldn’t a pomegranate in April warrant the same punishment?
The Church is not even hiding its dishonesty. In their “Topics and Questions,” the Church reiterates the commandment. They don’t tell the truth, though. They mention coffee and tea as being forbidden in the Word. It’s not (at least not directly.) They don’t mention that the Lord, at one point, wanted fruit to be eaten only in its season. They don’t mention that soup was once forbidden. They don’t mention that the same Word of Wisdom which they claim prohibits coffee, also allows beer.
“The Prophet Joseph Smith received this revelation on February 27, 1833, and it is now recorded in section 89 of the Doctrine and Covenants. In the revelation, the Lord teaches healthy practices. He also prohibits some substances that are not good for the human body.
In the Word of Wisdom, the Lord declared that the following foods are good:
- Fruits and wholesome herbs, including vegetables, which should be used ‘with prudence and thanksgiving.’
- The flesh ‘of beasts and of the fowls of the air,’ which is ‘to be used sparingly.’
- Grains such as wheat, rice, and oats, which are ‘the staff of life.’
The Lord revealed in the Word of Wisdom that the following substances are harmful:
- Alcoholic drinks
- Tobacco
- Tea and coffee” [12]
If God does not change, then His diet should not either. A member of the Church should not be barred from salvation in one year for having hot soup for dinner, but a few years later dine on hot soup at the ward potluck, no barring required.
[1] Doctrine and Covenants 89:5-17
[2] “Minutes of the General Conference”, Tuesday, Sep. 9, 1851, afternoon session; Millennial Star, 1 February 1852, vol. 14, p. 35
[3] Joseph Fielding Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, 1957, p. 198. Joseph Fielding Smith was president of the Quorum of the Twelve and acted as the Historian of the Church when this book was published.
[4] Joseph Smith didn’t view the Word of Wisdom as a commandment (or at least he chose not to follow it if he did.) There are several accounts of the Prophet drinking wine after the revelation was received.
As early as 1836, Joseph drank wine at a wedding:
“We then partook of some refreshments, and our hearts were made glad with the fruit of the vine. This is according to the pattern set by our Savior Himself, and we feel disposed to patronize all the institutions of heaven.”
Joseph Smith, History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ed. B. H. Roberts, 2nd ed. rev. (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1957), 2:369.
Most members and leaders continued to drink wine many years after the revelation was given in 1833.
It is unclear why the membership of the Church, including Joseph Smith, did not understand the revelation as a direct commandment. What is clear, however, is that the revelation became a direct commandment in 1851.
[5] Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses 10:206.
[6] George Q. Cannon, Journal of Discourses, vol. 12, pp. 221, 223
[7] Wilford Woodruff Journal, 9 Jun 1897
[8] Doctrine and Covenants 89:11
[9] Doctrine and Covenants 89:12
[10] Doctrine and Covenants 89:17
[11] Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 18:72
It should be noted: Brigham’s quote is not in favor of the consuming of beer. His position is that there are better things to spend money on.
