Posted by:
Hold Your Tapirs
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Date: January 02, 2014 11:41AM
I know it's petty to argue about caffeine with an uber-TBM but I felt that I needed to let my father know that he needs to lighten up.
The short story is my dad expressed his disapproval of me drinking coke at a family dinner this past week, he chose to embarrass me in front of over 20 people.
I sent him an email afterward saying that I didn't appreciate him embarrassing me and I stated that the handbooks and the latest statements from the church do not condemn caffeine.
This was his response:
HYT,
I'm sorry that you thought it was chiding when I was expressing concern for your eternal soul.
Yes, the brethren do not include cola drinks and the use of caffeine in the Word of Wisdom, but as D&C 58:26 says, "For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant: wherefore he receiveth no reward."
The following are statements from the brethren about cola drinks and caffeine.
“Policies and Procedures,” New Era, May 1972, 50
Cola Drinks and the Word of Wisdom
“The Word of Wisdom, section 89 of the Doctrine and Covenants, [D&C 89] remains as to terms and specifications as found in that section. There has been no official interpretation of that Word of Wisdom except that which was given by the Brethren in the very early days of the Church when it was declared that ‘hot drinks’ meant tea and coffee.
“With reference to cola drinks, the Church has never officially taken a position on this matter, but the leaders of the Church have advised, and we do now specifically advise, against the use of any drink containing harmful habit-forming drugs under circumstances that would result in acquiring the habit. Any beverage that contains ingredients harmful to the body should be avoided.”
* * * * * * * * * *
Vaughn J. Featherstone, “A Self-Inflicted Purging,” Ensign, May 1975, 66
….I was over in England a while back and a bishop asked me, “What is the Church’s stand on cola drinks?” I said, “Well, I can’t remember the exact wording of the bulletin, but I remember seeing the bulletin when I was a stake president. The Church, of course, advises against them.”
He said, “Well, I have read the Priesthood Bulletin, but that isn’t what it says to me.”
And I said, “Would you get your Priesthood Bulletin? Let’s read it together.” And so we found under the heading “Cola Drinks”: “… the leaders of the Church have advised, and we do now specifically advise, against use of any drink containing harmful habit-forming drugs. …” (The Priesthood Bulletin, Feb. 1972, p. 4.)
He said, “Well, you see, that doesn’t mean cola.”
I said, “Well, I guess you will have to come to your own grips with that, but to me, there is no question.” You see, there can’t be the slightest particle of rebellion, and in him there is. We can find loopholes in a lot of things if we want to bend the rules of the Church.
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Apparently my dad still lives in 1972. This was my response back to him, he has not yet responded to me and I don't think he will.
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Dad,
If the consumption of caffeinated drinks was that important to the eternal soul, the statements of required abstinence would be much more prominent than something that was said over 40 years ago.
It is said that the only constant is change, and it is no different with the church and its policies and procedures, and even sometimes doctrine. We learned this with the recent addition of the Race and the Priesthood gospel topic on LDS.org. Past leaders from Brigham Young all the way to Spencer Kimball made statements about the station of humans of African descent in the pre-mortal existence, this life, and in the life to come. These statements were accepted as policy, procedure, and doctrine by these men. This is how the church feels about those statements today:
“Today, the Church disavows the theories advanced in the past that black skin is a sign of divine disfavor or curse, or that it reflects actions in a pre-mortal life; that mixed-race marriages are a sin; or that blacks or people of any other race or ethnicity are inferior in any way to anyone else.”
My point is that the policies and procedures of the church change over time, here are some examples: abandonment of polygamy in 1890, the switch from wine to water for the sacrament in 1906, the inclusion of the Word of Wisdom as a temple recommend requirement in 1915, allowing men of African descent to hold the priesthood in 1978, and the removal of the death oaths and penalties from the endowment ceremony in 1990.
The Brethren have moved on from those statements made in 1972. Consumption of cola drinks is not a sin, it does not constitute rebellion, and consumption of such drinks does not exclude anyone from entering the temple or, by extension, the Celestial kingdom. To quote Gordon B. Hinkley, “it is behind us.”
Your contempt for caffeinated drinks and those that consume them is no different than the attitude of the Pharisees and Sadducees of old; men that constantly “looked beyond the mark”. They were so concerned with trivial matters that they missed the core of the gospel that Jesus taught: love, compassion, service, genuine interest, acceptance, and tolerance. All of these elements were completely absent throughout my childhood, adolescence, and even to this day. Mainly, as I believe, you were looking, and continue to look beyond the mark.
My advice to you is this, the next time you are tempted to pass judgement, remember the words of the Savior, “let he who is without sin cast the first stone.”
Sincerely,
HYT