Walnuts and the Word of Wisdom

History of the Church 2:482; “Action in Relation to the Word of Wisdom. Resolved unanimously, that we will not fellowship any ordained member who will not, or does not, observe the Word of Wisdom according to its literal reading.” – May 28, 1837

Colossians 2:16-17; “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: 17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.”

You might be thinking ‘Michelle’s gone plumb crazy’, and I wouldn’t blame you a bit, however, this time around I feel rather sane! While looking for info on an article, I came upon something totally unrelated to my search that gave me another reason to wonder about the validity of Joe Smith’s health code law.

To set the stage on this one it should be pointed out that in the past, Mormons (and particularly the missionaries), have been told they shouldn’t consume tea. They’re taught in addition to the caffeine it contains, there’s also the ‘problem’ of tea containing chemicals that can stain the inside of your stomach.

I know, I know, it sounds absurd doesn’t it? As crazy as it sounds, still crazier is the fact many believe it! Besides, why would you care what the inside of your stomach looks like? In light of that piece of info, let’s take a look at facts.

Tannins

Tea contains a chemical known as tannin which can stain other things it comes into contact with.

A cursory reading of Wikipedia’s site will tell you tannin is in more than just tea. Tannin is a compound found in virtually  all plants on earth. It’s in fruits and wine, nuts, legumes, chocolate (oh, no!), and even herbs like cinnamon, cumin, and thyme, to name a few.

Walnuts

The next time you have an opportunity to witness to a Mormon, ask if they’ve stopped eating walnuts, or chocolate. As talented as Mormons are for their holiday baking skills, not having chocolate or walnuts would be a real drag!

Additionally, the timing of Mr. Smith’s ‘revelation’ is curious as well. This so-called epiphany from God, known as the Word of Wisdom, took place in 1833 during classes Smith was holding for ‘School of the Prophets’. Just how inspired were these men if they didn’t know the info mentioned above? See D&C 89.

Last, but not least, if the Saints were forbidden from boozin’ it up in 1833, why pray tell, were they drinking (some were absolutely plastered) at the Kirtland Temple dedication ceremony in 1836? See Pioneer and Personal Reminisces, pg 26 for one of several testimonies from people who were in Kirtland at the time.