If my bishop asked me if I keep the Word of Wisdom, I would say no.

Not because I drink tea, but because I don't feel like I take care of my body that well. I eat way too much sugar, I rarely exercise, I never get adequate sleep, I have a serious binge-eating problem, etc.

But, if I didn't drink tea and only listed those reasons, I bet I could still get a Temple recommend. And so could some of my family members, who eat hamburgers every day for lunch and drink like a liter of caffeinated soda every day.

I don't get it. Why have a Word of Wisdom if you're going to ignore half of it?

>>"I don't get it. Why have a Word of Wisdom if you're going to ignore half of it?"

That's the mormon way. It's all about making a big claim and then ignoring the pesky details.

Why have a prophet if you never know if he is speaking "as a man" or "as a prophet"?

Why pray for an answer when you never know if it's god or satan replying to you?

Why have a Home Teaching program that no one wants to participate in and is mainly just a source of frustration for the members?

Why claim the leaders have "powers of discernment" when a lie works just as good as the truth?

Nobody obeys the WoW.

Most don't even know it, like yourself, who think caffeine is (still) "wrong"/ against the law/ wow. It seems you don't know they re-legalized it/ changed the rules/ LDStance on the subject in 2012 [it was reported in the Salt Lake Tribune and on LDSorg] and said it was never against the WoW, or a bad thing; that some just took it too far and lumped (hot, warm or cold) coffee/ (hot/ iced cold) tea/ soda with caffeine instead of hot drinks (excluding HOT chocolate, (herbal) tea and Mormon tea/ (com)postum.

It's (some) HOT DRINKS! Got it? You're okay

M@t

I thought Mormon tea was basically Ephedra...

xe Wrote:
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> I eat way
> too much sugar, I rarely exercise, I never get
> adequate sleep, I have a serious binge-eating
> problem, etc.

But...not a single one of those things is mentioned in the WoW.
So I'm curious why you seem to have included them as part of it?

Here's the whole text:

https://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/89

No mention of sugar in any form. No prohibition against having too much of it. Nothing whatsoever about exercise in any form. Nothing in it about how much sleep to get or not get. Not a single thing about "binge-eating" (unless, and it's a stretch, you consider using meats "sparingly" as such a prohibition, but only for meats -- there's nothing whatsoever about "binge-eating" anything else). And nothing whatsoever about taking good care of your body or anything of the sort in it.

Perhaps you're not referring to the "Word of Wisdom," but to the various (and contradictory) "interpretations" offered up at various times by various church bigwigs...?
Just remember, they're speaking as men, not "prophets."
That's the church's wording, not mine.
So their "interpretations" aren't worth the paper they're printed on -- they're just (again, the church's words) the "speculations of men," not the "word of the lard."

Oh, and one more thing -- the WoW promises that if you go by its "sayings," you will run and not be weary; I went by it, I was in track & field, I got weary when I ran. No mormon has ever won a world competition marathon, which they should be doing all the time if they can "run and not be weary."

So, since the promised "blessings" don't actually occur, why bother with the "sayings" anyway? Hmm?

ificouldhietokolob Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Oh, and one more thing -- the WoW promises that if
> you go by its "sayings," you will run and not be
> weary; I went by it, I was in track & field, I
> got weary when I ran. No mormon has ever won a
> world competition marathon, which they should be
> doing all the time if they can "run and not be
> weary."
>
> So, since the promised "blessings" don't actually
> occur, why bother with the "sayings" anyway? Hmm?

See, the problem is JS plagiarized that from Isaiah; so, every other Christian has been promised the same thing. It's just that they only have to "wait upon the Lord" and then they can run and walk and all that crap, faster than the Mormons. Science!

"run and not be weary"
"walk and not faint"

Isn't running more strenuous than walking? Anyone who can run without getting tired *by definition* can walk without fainting. Mormon God is Captain Obvious.

OT, sort of: Run and not be weary etc. is actually in Isaiah in the Bible, part of a rather beautiful passage--which I've always taken to be metaphorical, not literal.

Also sort of off topic: It might benefit the OP to look at possibilities of a ketogenic diet, also low thyroid---from what I've heard, the usual test for that does't really tell you, necessarily---but a do-it-yourself cure is to take kelp, which is seaweed. All of us need iodine; it is not available inland unless we are eating a lot of seafood or putting iodized salt on our food. Kelp supplementation is a way to fix that.

It sounded like OP is concerned about the health issues involved with sugar, binge eating, etc. Probably the hormones that regulate appetite are out of whack. If so, the above could help.

I would say 99 percent of Mormons don't follow the prohibition on eating meat sparingly or in times of cold or famine. D&C 89:12,13

Verse 17 states wheat is for man, corn for ox, oats for horse, rye for swine. Oddly hay is for horses is not mentioned.

WOW is the biggest load of bullcrap ever written. It's stated purpose is to thwart "designs of conspiring men"

It actually states that tea and coffee are bad

Turns out both are good for you.

It states that mild drink made from barley is good for you- that is actually true.

It is said to state that wine is bad

Turns out wine is good for you.

I defy anyone to show me where WOW or any prophet's commandment forbids caffeine or coca cola-- fables and ridiculous hearsay.

If WOW REALLY was meant to protect the latter day faithful from evils and designs of conspiring men, it would forbid SUGAR. Sugar is the worst dietary evil, hands down, full stop, nothing even comes close.

Yet Mormons hork down sugar shamelessly and mindlessly.

It's all ridiculous navel gazing, just a slapdash cult tactic to control the mind through stupid dietary bollocks

mootman Wrote:
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> It actually states that tea and coffee are bad

Nope, just 'hot drinks.'

The application of the WoW has changed as well. It used to be that church leaders were instructed to avoid alcoholic beverages on Sundays or before they were going to participate in church activities. Now, obviously, all members are to avoid alcohol at all times.

I have found it weird that if I exercise daily, eat a lot of grains and vegetables, eat lean meat sparingly, but have a cup of black coffee in the morning and a glass of red wine at dinner, I am in violation of the WoW. But if I spend all day on the couch, chugging a 2 liter bottle of Mountain Dew and scarfing down Cheetos and beef jerky, I can honestly tell the bishop that I am obeying the WoW. Makes no sense to me.

It used to be a health code.

Then they pretended it was a health code.

And now they don't even pretend. It's devolved into nothing more than another obedience test and opportunity for virtue signaling. Who can be most outwardly righteous?

My word of wisdom for the day:

Enjoy whatever you like, in moderation.

Ultimatums like all or nothing don't bode well to temptation.

Sometimes giving into those cravings is a way to contain them.

I'm not recommending taking up smoking. That's an extremely unhealthy addiction.

But food & beverage? Is a necessity.

Verse 17 Nevertheless, wheat for man, and corn for the ox, and oats for the horse, and rye for the fowls and for swine, and for all beasts of the field, >>>> and barley for all useful animals, and for mild drinks <<<<, as also other grain.

My question has been put to many people and the answer is 90% the same.

Question: What is meant by mild barley drink in the WoW?
Answer: Postem
My Response: They didn't have postem when this was written. the did have beer.

Their response: that is against the word of wisdom.
My response: where does it say that? I can't find it.

Crickets