Journal of Discourses 12:27-28 “The Word of Wisdom is one thing, and ignorance, superstition, or bigotry is another. … Now, there is no harm in a teapot, even if it contains tea, if it is let alone; and I say of a truth that where a person is diseased, say, for instance, with canker, there is no better medicine than green tea, and where it is thus used it should be drank sparingly. … If a person is weary, worn out, cast down, fainting, or dying, a brandy sling, a little wine, or a cup of tea is good to revive them. Do not throw these things away, and say they must never be used; they are good to be used with judgment, prudence, and discretion. Ask our Bishops if they drink tea every day, and in most cases they will tell you they do if they can get it.” — Brigham Young, Great Salt Lake City, April 7, 1867
Mark 7:6 “He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.”
Back in the 80’s I took my soon to be husband, Kirk, down to my maternal great-grandmother’s home to introduce him to the family. I had a lot of relatives, and up to that time many of my grandparents, and their parents, were still living. All of them were temple Mormons.
After the obligatory intros were over, my grandmother grabbed my arm and took me aside. She whispered in my ear to remember it’s always good to have a little brandy on hand for when ‘you and the hubby’ might need some.
My shock hadn’t worn off before her son, my grandfather, sat Kirk and I down to show us his stash of homemade wine.
In all the years I had known them, I’d never seen caffeine, let alone booze, touch their lips. I couldn’t believe my ears! Both of them cited Brigham Young’s teaching that these things were authorized. Keep in mind, this was in Pleasant Grove, Utah where my grandfather had dutifully obeyed each and every word from all Mormon leaders. At that time, no one in Pleasant Grove did anything not authorized by the Church.
On the flip side of this was my paternal grandmother in Provo Utah, who hid her green tea in the pantry and made sure it couldn’t be seen when/if the bishop showed up unannounced.
All of this to say, it’s interesting how vehemently the Church will denounce caffeinated sodas, or a cup of coffee, but secretly it’s okay to have brandy on hand – ‘just in case’.
As always, please pray for those encumbered by the hypocrisy, and endless false doctrines of these people!
With Love in Christ;
Michelle
It is a shame when people are subjected to such rules as the Word of Wisdom. A lot of Mormons ae closet coffee, wine, beer drinkers. But their indulgence(s) hves got to be very well hid.. Do Mormon leaders actually believe that members in italy never drink wine, expreso or that members living in England have given up drinking tea? The Bible says that wine has definite medicinal value (Proverbs 31:6, 1 Timothy 5:22). Mormons are so focused on obeying the rules and working their way to salvation ,that lose focus on the realities of life