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The following link is to the new “Revelations in Context” materials about D&C 89. It is a “faithful” explanation of the Word of Wisdom, but I really like the historical context it provides – like actual consumption use figures for that time. I think it is a FAR better introduction than I have seen in the past. https://history.lds.org/article/doctrine-and-covenants-word-of-wisdom?lang=eng I just noticed this today as I was trying to put the finishing touches on my lesson. Glad to see the church putting a little more historical context out there. I’m going to use a couple of excerpts tomorrow in my class. The 1921 reference is a little vague. Is there a readable source? It amuses me that the entire church originally had 80 years to get used to the word of wisdom before it became mandated.
I wonder if we should grant the same grace to new members today. I was baptised at 8. Do I get a pass until I’m 88?
Thanks for this. Do you guys think that this article is a result of people like us that are demanding the church to be more up front about all things historical? In the past the WoW was all about JS knowing how bad all these things were before the rest of the world. I think the likes of Marlin Jensen being involved in the history dept has lead to great developments. To have a church source say that it was ‘of its time’ and that it was ‘optional’ for 80 years is impressive.
church0333, despite the actions of some local leaders, I know the top leadership is aware of those who struggle and the issue of selective historical narratives. The “Revelations in Context” is one example. I just hope that they keep it up. It’s nice when we talk about these things and the majority of the members give us a weird look, that an article like this comes out and supports what we have been teaching. That article is the best explanation the church ever gave for the word of wisdom. 
We’ve got the thread with quotes for middle-way but I was thinking of starting another thread to mine LDS.org and collect quotes on ‘real’ church history too. Church0333, I agree that some of the stuff we might raise will get a funny look. But if we can quote it from lds.org then it’s always better.
I really hope the church persists with this. I had heard that they tried it once before (1970s??) and got their fingers burned with a lot of people reacting badly.
Thanks for the link though Ray. I shared it with my mum. She’s a ‘liberal TBM’ and teaches adult Sunday school.
She had been researching WoW on NAMI and Dialogue but was cautious about sharing it with the class as it comes from ‘unofficial’ sources. When I emailed her the link she was delighted to have the key points all in one (official) place.
It’s a shame that the church isn’t promoting this more. The fact that a Sunday school teacher of several years who does a lot of planning, research and prep had not heard of the Revelations in Context website makes me wonder.
Is the church doing this to placate the strugglers but not actively promoting it to the main members?
Why not put a link from the online lesson plan directly to the relevant ‘context’ essay?
Quote:Why not put a link from the online lesson plan directly to the relevant ‘context’ essay?
That is in the works, and I thought it had been done already. I’ll check and see.
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