My father, may he R.I.P., joined the church in the early 50's to keep the peace in my family. I was just a tot when this happened so know very little about all the dynamics of it, but I know he did not have a testimony.

My sister, many years older than I, got married in the temple in 1961 and I was carted along with the family to get all sealed up together, doncha know. It was an awful day for me. I was too old to be in the "nursery" but that is where they put me for hours while they did the endowments. The only thing I remember is having to watch "Romper Room" on TV. I didn't know why they put me in there and why I had to be alone with a bunch of babies and stranger adults for so long. Finally, someone came and got me and took me to the sealing room where my parents and everyone else was dressed up in funny costumes. The whole experience was surreal.

Fast forward about 10 years and it was my turn to get married in the temple. Now, mind you, my father hadn't set foot in the temple since that one day back in 1961, and the open secret in our little mormon town was that he went to the cafe every morning to get his cup of coffee. Mother wouldn't have a coffee maker in the house, but she knew Daddy still drank the stuff. I was worried he wouldn't be able to get a recommend and I doubted that he really believed it and didn't know if he paid tithing. So, what did I do? I wrote his a guilt inducing letter telling him that it just wasn't fair that he was there for my sister's wedding in the temple but might not be there for mine. I guess it got to him because he high-tailed it down to the bishop's office to get interrogated...er...interviewed. When it came to the word of wisdom question, he told the bishop that he drank coffee. "well, there are worse things you could be doing" is what the bishop replied (according to my Dad). And he got his recommend. Part of me was relieved and part of me was disappointed that the bishop didn't chastise him for his sin of drinking coffee.

I bring this up because of another thread about de-caf coffee being ok'd for the members to drink. I don't remember that ever being allowed. My father continued to have his cup of coffee every day at the cafe till he passed away.

I wonder what he would think now that I LOVE my coffee in the morning!

Decaf coffee has been okayed? Really?

Thirty years ago we were told no way ever, and that was straight from the prophet.

My BUTT was sitting in S.M.; Seattle 1st, early 70's with DW#1 & our DS... bless him!

drinking de-caf was O.K.?

It came in the form of one of those letters that they send out to be read in church...Then, Hidden Forever from all eyes!

early 70's...someone wrote in asking about de-caf, and they wrote a letter which 'kinda-sorta' said that "if" the offending constituents were missing /had been removed from coffee... it would be O.K. (for a T.R.?)

It's been a long, long time, and I doubt that LDS, Inc. would admit this NOW, haha!

but...I DOUBT if anyone in leadership would admit it now...
that's how things change in Morland, don't ya know?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/30/2011 07:44PM by guynoirprivateeye.

Haven't heard about decaf being OK. We wouldn't drink Postum because it was not obeying the spirit of law. It's like a word of wisdom loop-hole. Not acceptable.

Similar experience with me. We had no temple in Australia as I was growing up, which made for 100's of tear-jerking stories about the sacrifices people made to get to the temple in New Zealand -no cheap air fares in those days.

Even though my parents had been Mo's since I was a small child there was never money to take the big trip until we were all grown up & finished our education. One brother escaped the Mo net.I was guilted into paying for my parents trip to NZ and being sealed to them as a well-on-the-way-out adult.

I was forced to wait in the nursery & babysit the kids there, was yelled at for not wearing white underwear & then taken for 2 minutes to a room to see my parents in their absurd getup.Everyone wanted to know why I wasn't getting my own endowments.I had spent my years at medical school turning down mission calls & escaping Sundays to hospital life.

This magical mystery tour of a temple trip I had been fed all my life was shown as a blend of farce & boredom.

the W.O.W didn't become law until Heber J. Grant.
I guess these are the things that constitute revelation.

I remember being in the nursery room in the Provo temple when my parents went through. However, when we all went to the sealing room I don't remember what they were wearing. I do remember kneeling at the little alter thing in the sealing room with all of the mirrors. I was rather young so it's been at least 30 years or so.

Still haven't done the endowment thing-dodged that one.

I had two temple experiences. I did an elective term as a medical student in Europe & one of the family's conditions was that I got my temple recommend & did baptisms for the dead at the Swiss temple. They didn't know that I was sleeping with NeverMO boyfriend at the time. Did a series of baptisms in German then went back & slept with my boyfriend that night. We were just saving on accommodation costs-right??? The sky didn't fall in & there was no thunderous retribution , so the temple carried no mystique.

The other is outlined above.

My own bishop had the gall to lecture my wonderful grandmother-in-law about her drinking decaf coffee one day when he went to her nursing home room to administer the sacrament to her. Hell, I drink the stuff myself to help my ADD and this was done under medical approval by my psychiatrist, who, ironicallly, is a never mo and was born in Salk Lake City, ha ha.

Gorwoing up in central Utah, most people never gave up their coffee. I guess it was due to our Scandinavian roots. I always got a kick out of my grandparents who would have their brekafast and coffee before going over to Manti and work as sealers or doing washings, etc.
Then they came home in the afternoon and always had cake and coffee about 3pm.

spintobear Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Gorwoing up in central Utah, most people never
> gave up their coffee. I guess it was due to our
> Scandinavian roots. I always got a kick out of my
> grandparents who would have their brekafast and
> coffee before going over to Manti and work as
> sealers or doing washings, etc.
> Then they came home in the afternoon and always
> had cake and coffee about 3pm.

All the TBM family in my mother's generation drank coffee. They would stop for a while if going to the temple. Nobody considered it a problem. My best friend's parents, dad was in the bishopric, and her stake president grandfather all drank coffee.Irt was considered a minor sin at best.

I've known a lot of people who drink coffee and still get a recommend.

Not paying tithing, now that's a reason for non-receipt.

So... if someone who drinks coffee doesn't get a recommend, then that's one less reason to pay tithing. Let me think this one out...