Mormon Dilemma 665

Dietary Laws

 Encyclopedia of Mormonism, p. 1584 “Word of Wisdom is the common title for a revelation that counsels Latter-day Saints on maintaining good health and is published as Doctrine and Covenants: section 89. The practice of abstaining from all forms of alcohol, tobacco, coffee, and tea, which may outwardly distinguish active Latter-day Saints more than any other practice, derives from this revelation.”

Mark 7:15 “There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.”

Where is the admonition from Jesus’ exhortation that people must refrain from wine? By the LDS standards Jesus wouldn’t qualify for a temple recommend much less serve as a teacher.  

While there’s certainly nothing wrong with a maintaining a healthy lifestyle, the Church (specifically Joseph Smith) implemented this system as a way to control people.  

Reading the history of why this revelation came about, you can also learn that Emma was tired of Joe’s cronies spitting tobacco on her floors and asked him to have a revelation commanding them to stop.  Well he had a revelation all right. It also included the admonition to stop drinking tea which just so happened to be Emma’s favorite thing to drink.

Des Moines Daily News, October 16, 1886, p. 20 “Some of the men were excessive chewers of the filthy weed, and their disgusting slobbering and spitting cause Mrs. [Emma] Smith… to make the ironical remark that ‘It would be a good thing if a revelation could be had declaring the use of tobacco a sin, and commanding its suppression’…. The matter was taken up and joked about, one of the brethren suggested that the revelation should also provide for a total abstinence from tea and coffee drinking, intending this as a counter dig at the sisters.” – David Whitmer