Energy drinks

[Anonymous]

I was surprised recently when I read the word of wisdom for the first time that it says that ‘strong drinks are for the washing of your bodies’ (what?) and that ‘Yea, flesh also of beasts and of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly;

And it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used, only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine.’

[Anonymous]

Always Thinking wrote:

I was surprised recently when I read the word of wisdom for the first time that it says that ‘strong drinks are for the washing of your bodies’ (what?) and that ‘Yea, flesh also of beasts and of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly;

And it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used, only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine.’

Yep. It gets rather odd when you dig in a bit. From my understanding that until the US temperance movement kicked in and the church aligned itself with that, beer and wine were not an issue. Joseph Smith had some wine with his last meal. Brigham Young even owned some (all?) alcohol distribution in Utah. The real “bad” drinks were the ones where they distilled them to have a higher alcohol content. Even though I have no desire to drink it is very interesting how this has morphed over time, but fat chance of any big changes now. It is too much of a cultural marker.

[Anonymous]

LookingHard wrote:

nibbler wrote:

…

Here’s the church policy:

Handbook 2: Administering the Church wrote:

21.3.11 Word of Wisdom

The only official interpretation of “hot drinks” (D&C 89:9) in the Word of Wisdom is the statement made by early Church leaders that the term “hot drinks” means tea and coffee.

Members should not use any substance that contains illegal drugs. Nor should members use harmful or habit-forming substances except under the care of a competent physician.

Emphasis added. So… no Coke then? I kid but that’s usually what people cite when they explain why they don’t drink soft drinks.

And now that gets into “addictive” vs “habit-forming.”

Some people will put carbs into “habit-forming” (just talk to someone that has gone on the Atkins diet).

It all seems to be a bit of a tricky slope and for many a slippery slope. I look at a lot of it as “outward appearances” and as Nibbler mentioned – showing that we are more righteous.

The difference with carbs and fat is we actually need *some* for survival.

[Anonymous]

LookingHard wrote:

It seems to me it was a bit progressive in its time, but not exclusive. But it seems we are kinds of stuck now on something from over 100 years ago and does not focus on the major health issue in the US – obesity. If we were really super health focused there would be talked about at least a bit.

Funnily enough, we find that it recommends eating ceteals (fiber) and cutting meat consumption.

[Author]

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