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Wednesday, July 27, 2011

The Word of Wisdom (WoW) in Mormon Fundamentalism & the LDS Church Explained. "Sister Wives"

Mormons call non - Mormons "Gentiles"... and in the interest of promoting cultural competency among all  you "Gentiles," here is a post on the Word of Wisdom....

 
The Word of Wisdom (WoW) in Mormon Fundamentalism & the LDS Church –
Doctrines and Covenants, Section 89 – A “Revelation” given through Joseph Smith the Mormon Prophet, at Kirtland, Ohio
February 27, 1833
1 A Word of Wisdom, for the benefit of the council of high priests, assembled in Kirtland, and the church, and also the saints in Zion—
2 To be sent greeting; not by commandment or constraint, but by revelation and the Word of Wisdom -
5 That inasmuch as any man drinketh wine or strong drink among you, behold it is not good.
8 And again, tobacco is not for the body, neither for the belly, and is not good for man.
9 And again, hot drinks are not for the body or belly.

Members of the LDS church as well as Mormon Fundamentalists hold the following documents to be inspired scriptures: The New and Old Testaments, the Book of Mormon, The Pearl of Great Price, and the Doctrines and Covenants. 

The “Doctrines and Covenants” contains 1) the commandment to engage in polygamy (Section 132) in order to receive rewards in the afterlife, 2) a threat of destruction if a married woman refuses to permit her husband to take other wives, (again, Section 132), and 3) the Word of Wisdom appears in Section 89 – it is an admonition to refrain from the use of alcohol, tobacco, and hot or strong drinks, such as coffee and tea.

Members of the mainstream LDS church adhere strictly to the Word of Wisdom. They refrain from consuming alcohol, smoking cigarettes or chewing tobacco, and they refrain from drinking coffee and tea as these are “hot or strong drinks.” Consumption of hot chocolate, herbal teas, and cola drinks is considered acceptable by most observant LDS church members. Some LDS church members refrain from drinking colas and caffeinated energy drinks because they think that the caffeine content in these beverages would qualify for designating them as “strong drinks.” 

The LDS church views the Word of Wisdom (WoW) as a commandment which must be adhered to in order to obtain a “temple recommend” from the leader of their local church. A temple recommend is a letter which authorizes a Mormon to enter a temple to participate in the Endowment Ceremony. 

Most (but not all) Mormon Fundamentalists do not view the WoW as a commandment, it is viewed instead as a recommendation, as the text in Section 89, verse 2 states “…not by commandment or constraint, but by revelation and the Word of Wisdom.” Therefore, most fundamentalist Mormons feel free to drink alcohol, smoke, and consume coffee, tea and cola. 

Much is made of Robyn Sullivan Brown’s divorce decree wherein her ex - husband required that she refrain from drinking alcohol in front of their children. This should not be interpreted to mean that Robyn is an alcoholic. In all likelihood Robyn does not view the WoW as a commandment because she is a Mormon fundamentalist, but her ex - husband may very well view the WoW as mandatory or at least highly recommended as a health practice. 

Written by "Pretty in Pink" - Another wonderful written piece, THANK YOU so much for helping with these Posts!!!! 
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19 comments:

  1. So in other words, "God" told Joseph this?
    It's rather strange, the HOT drinks. Esp. back in those times when a pioneer might need warm milk or something to keep them warm!
    Did this guy just sit around, take a little from the bible, and add his 2cents in?
    I agree Tobacco and Acohcol aren't good for you, that didn't tkae a rocket scientist. Wait, Jesus drank wine! This guy was almost funny.

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  2. I should add, thank you Pretty in Pink, we need to learn all we can about this religion to understand it. Thanks for taking the time for us.

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  3. Did he not also say that if you did this, your "gift" would be good health, and if you didn't follow them, you would be cursed in the belly?
    It's all not unreasonable, it's just got his stupidity added to it.

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  4. No hot drinks....hmmm... I guess no oral sex then!

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  5. It's not the craziest list I've ever seen.
    I want to see crazy, too!

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  6. I think the "hot" drinks limitation was on hot, strong drinks like coffee and tea. I recall LDS friends having Postum--a roasted barley grain beverage. I've got a "Mormon" cookbook with recipes for hot spiced cider, various hot nogs, hot buttered lemonade, hot grape drink, and hot fruit punch. Of course the LDS authors might have gone rogue.

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  7. Yes, the hot drinks limitation is interpreted to be on coffee and tea by mainstream LDS. The original text of the WoW advises against both "hot" and "strong" drinks, but which "hot or strong" drinks are prohibited is not specified in the original WoW.
    Most mainstream Mormons consume Postum in lieu of coffee, and any other "hot" beverages may be consumed, ie, no limitation on hot cider, hot chocolate, etc...

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  8. That's not what it says! I guess they get to "interpret" how they like!

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  9. Isn't it also true that Joseph Smith believed in Magic/Occult items, and used them? Didn't he have the Jupiter Talisman on him when he died?
    He also used Magical Items to write the Mormon Bible- To help him with the translation, Joseph found with the gold plates “a curious instrument which the ancients called Urim and Thummim, which consisted of two transparent stones set in a rim of a bow fastened to a breastplate.” Joseph also used an egg-shaped, brown rock for translating called a seer stone. (Wiki)

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  10. The first two - no alcohol and no tobacco - are not uncommon in many religions. And I've read that caffeine is considered a 'gateway drug' to harder stuff, plus, my doctor made me give it up due to high blood pressure, so that one isn't totally out of left field.

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  11. Yes, Mister Sister, Joseph Smith used "seer stones" to help him "translate" the Book of Mormon, and he had an interest in the occult and in Masonic rituals.

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  12. Oh, that's nice, an Occult loving, seer stonin' preacher man!

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  13. Interesting that Robyn was drinking alcohol - officially frowned upon in AUB culture, although I know that Owen Allred, previous President of AUB drank alcohol sometimes.

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  14. Yes, alcohol use is frowned upon in the AUB, but the Centennial Park group serves margaritas !

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  15. What is Centennial Park?

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  16. Centennial Park is a polygamous community in Arizona.

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  17. WoW - Wonky-old-Weezer
    WoW - Weird-opinionated -White supremacist

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  18. A common thread with many religions, don't be fooled!

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  19. What are some other of their crazy stuff?

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