Word of Wisdom??

I don’t think there is any problem using alcoholic beverages in cooking. Some really extreme members might have a different opinion. I respect that, but it is not a level of adherence to the word of wisdom required for even temple attendence (not using in cooking).

The most important thing IMO is to be comfortable with your personal interpretation. It can change over time. It is a general code of health and spirituality. In all things spiritual, we should adapt them to our specific life experience and needs. So that is why I am ok if someone avoids caffeinated soda bevereages or they decide not to cook with alcohol. What about being a vegetarian? I could see that as a personal interpretation of the WofW. It does say quite clearly to eat meat as a last resort (in times of winter or famine only, being pleasing to the Lord). What about avoiding other things that you know are unhealthy like processed foods or refined sugars? I do that because I have this sense of heading towards borderline diabetes.

To be honest, one area of my personal beliefs that has been hard to reconcile back into mainstream mormonism is our Church’s current-day interpretaion of the word of wisdom. I just can’t tie it back into logical good health, as a religious health code. Our current interpretation wasn’t formalized until the mid 1920’s, some 80 years or more after it was canonized into scripture. The interpretation and practice has varied so much over time, I have a hard time finding faith in it again.

I believe in the general principles and ideas. To me, it is a religious dietary law. Any attempt to tie it back into modern notions of health and nutrition is fruitless. IMO, don’t bother trying. It is a labyrinth that goes nowhere. Don’t take that though as me saying it is wrong. I could very well be wrong in my current beliefs. I believe in the WofW. I have problems with the generally accepted application by the Church as a whole. I think it is waaaaaaay off the mark from how it was practiced and preached in the early Church. Does that make me a fundamentalist? lol.

Cooking with alcohol is not prohibited.

maybe its not always addiction that keeps people back where the WoW are concerned

its more habit maybe – or not knowing the other options

I mean – give up tea and coffee

and enjoy fruit juices and stuff

give up smoking – and suddenly you can REALLY enjoy food again

it tastes so much better – i gave up smoking about 3 months before i started investigating the church

give up alcohol – remember your nights out and you dont wake up with a hangover LOL

I have a personal issue with the coffee, tea and caffeine stance in our current interpretation of the WofW. Because I was raised to believe coffee and tea have some intrinsic evil quality, I avoided them in my youth. Instead, I drank enormous amounts of caffeinated sodas over a long period of time (20 years or so). The 1 calendar year I spent at BYU, I drank over 125 gallons of Mountain Dew. I added it up once. Me and my pals would go 2 or 3 times a day across the street for a $0.25 refill at the convenience store. It was cheap, and I was a poor college student. My point is that I was going to consume caffeine, but instead of drinking a small amount of coffee, I drank a larger amount of soda that had seriously unhealthy amounts of refined sugar in them. Coffee was “evil,” but soda pop was “permitted.” 20 years later, I feel like my health was damaged because of my “obedience” to our specific interpretation over that period of time. Coffee would have been a lot less damaging.

I know. I know. The first thing people are going to say is “well you were addicted to caffeine, that was the problem.” I don’t deny that. The WofW didn’t help protect me from addiction though. It helped me choose a much less healthy delivery system for my drug of choice.

give up alcohol – remember your nights out and you dont wake up with a hangover LOL

I know what you mean, but I felt an urge to point out this assumes there are only two polar extremes — drinking to the point of unconsciousness OR not drinking any alcohol at all. This is so deeply ingrained in mormon culture. I see people say it a lot. There is an assumption that nobody drinks alcoholic beverages in moderation (1 or 2 drinks and stop), or that people drink alcoholic beverages only to get drunk (as opposed to enjoying them just as a beverage).

Could someone who drank herbal teas still say they followed the word of wisdom because they believe they were and were being truthful for instance?

Herbal tea (such as camomille, mint tea, raspberry, etc.) is not prohibited. Only so-called “black” teas – those typically prepared with tannin – are prohibited.

Oh Ok – I have not heard of tannin or the term “black teas” before. See now that I can handle! I much prefer herbal teas to normal English breakfast anyway!

And after all that nonsense, I forgot my main point. Tannin, caffeine and whatever else might be in any of the beverages prohibited by the current interpretation of the WofW is irrelevent IMO. Coffee and Tea (Camellia sinensis) are prohibited. That’s it. Period. Any discussion beyond that is a personal interpretation. Is it the tannins? Is it the caffeine? Is it the fact that it is hot and might damage your tastebuds? Is it something else? *shrug* We can make those decisions for ourself I suppose.

WofW is a religious dietary code. It doesn’t really correlate to good medical health. Maybe it did once, back in the 1800’s. I am ok with that idea. That is how I reconcile it. I wish the Church would evolve differently on this topic, but it isn’t my call to make. I go with my own interpretation as best I can.

We can drink Diet Coke … I personally can’t think of a worse bevereage in existence for one’s health, but it’s not prohibited by the WofW. Drink a cup of natural green tea (no sugar or cream) and you are going to hell in a handbasket.

Hang on – I thought green tea was herbal? I think I need to read up on my “teas” slightly more! 😆

Green tea is an herb — it is a plant used as a medicine and a beverage. That makes it an herb . Can I offer another helping of confusion to your already full plate?

The language problem is a real mess. Green tea comes from the Camellia sinensis plant (the tea plant). Therefore, it is prohibited under the WofW.

Is red bush tea OK?

I believe you are referring to Rooibos? That is an African shrub that is also infused in hot water to make a beverage. The beverage looks like red tea though. It is NOT the Camellia sinensis plant. It is processed green (less common), or also oxidized into a red form (the one you are probably talking about). I would say it is not against the WofW because it is a tea that is not tea . FYI: Rooibos is not a stimulant herb like Camelia sinensis (tea). It is the opposite actually. It has relaxing, anti-spasmotic properties. Rooibos should be considered an “herbal” tea in the Mormon WofW context.

It would be even more confusing if it was Tannins to be honest as they are in fruit juices, chocolate, beef and many legumes.

Yeah, that’s why I really push not to get into the nutritional details as a justification for WofW practice. Coffee, a roasted bean with caffeine and tannins is forbidden. Cocoa, a roasted bean with caffeine and tannins is not forbidden, even if you make it into a hot beverage… go figure 😯

Members in South America seem to have mixed opinions about a very popular local plant called Yerba Mate, an herb infused to make a hot beverage. It has caffeine, but it is also not Camelia sinensis (tea). Missionaries that serve in that region of the world are usually very familiar with it.

Want more confusion, there are many variations of caffeine. “Caffeine” is the stimulant in coffee — thus the name “caff” from Cafe’. The “caffeine” in tea is called “theanine.” Chocolate has a different type. The name escapes me. Some stimulant beverages sold as “natural” contain caffeine from other sources such as the Guarana and Guto Kola herbs.