If they did,that would make an absolute mockery of the supposed word of wisdom that mormons avoid coffee and tea.If a mormon is to be denied a temple recomend pass,or feel he or she is denied Mormon salvation in the celestial kingdom because they drank coffee or simple cups of black Ceylon tea,what kind of a hypocrite is a person who drinks Red Bull or Rockstar drinks?The stake president or bishop who overlooked this in judging a Mormon to be worthy of being a Mormon is a hypocrite too.

I know energy drinks in a can contain maybe more caffiene than tea or coffee.

My oldest daughter when she was single hung out with other Mormons her age and yes, they drank Red Bull. We had a missionary in town who drank Mountain Dew and had pictures of himself on Face Book with a can of mountain dew in the picture.

Drinking coke or pepsi is a mockery but then the whole WOW thing is a mockery unto itself.

I think I recall reading here, that Tommy S&M drinks mountain dew (?)

Probably Diet Pepsi since he developed diabetes...

We have a regular poster (gay no less) who dated his daughter.

He drinks diet Dr Pepper, they stock cases of it for him, or so says my BIL that works at temple square.

A TBM in my ward told me the Bish knows she drinks Dr. Pepper because she has Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

She has a current TR

I know a current serving bishop who drinks nothing BUT Dr. Pepper...

I know numerous members and also members of SP and Bishoprics that drink coke, energy drinks, MD, Dr Pepper, etc. It is not uncommon.

An annoying TBM girl I went to high school with conned a clueless never-Mo guy into marrying her shortly after graduation. She wore him down until he converted and they're both TBM now and hold temple recommends (despite the fact that she was a huuuge slut back in the day and he was, too). Anyway, he's a software engineer and posted pics on his Twitter/ Instagram of his desk at work and it was littered with empty cans of Monster, Red Bull, etc. So yes, some of them do drink energy drinks, apparently in large quantities, and it doesn't hinder their ability to get temple recommends. I also know several TBM women who take Excedrin and Midol like it's candy, and both of those medications have fairly high doses of caffeine.

Gee... and for a fairly long time I took those Words of Wisdom seriously. I really did.

Till I saw all the double set of standards

Plenty TBMs do drink caffeinated sodas and drinks like Red bull.

T-H-E-I-R...interpretation the the WoW is that -caffeine- itself isn't bad, but the tannins that are, or can be, present in coffee and tea is what is bad for people....thus sayeth Joseph Smith....

That's always what I heard, too. Chocolate--after all--is loaded with it. I heard from the SP that if caffeine was outlawed, it would say "stay away from caffeine." It says "avoid coffee and tea," and that's it. I never found that it was largely interpreted as "caffeine" outside of the brilliant folks in the Mormon Bubble.

There probably are and no it would not make a mockery. People can approach their religion the way they wish. There are people out there who drink beer and coffee and are still active and go to the temple. Good for them. Why do we care?

Well, honestly, I wouldn't care if they drank their Red Bull and behaved like decent people. I mean, I think the stuff is crap but it's their decision to drink it. What I find intolerable is the smug superiority they display about not drinking coffee while they go around sneaking Red Bull and claiming unquestioned righteousness. And claiming the right to look down on others who don't measure up to their phony righteousness.

To drink an energy drink that is equivalent to coffee while self-righteously denying yourself coffee is, IMO, committing sin in your heart. If I can't lust after the cute surfer guy with the ponytail without committing adultery in my heart, why can they drink Red Bull without committing a WoW violation in their heart? Having committed that sin, they have to accept they are regular folks and not entitled to lecture me or anyone else about our inferior morals. Mormons who drink energy drinks and don't act morally superior about not drinking coffee don't bother me in the slightest - although I think they should just man up and drink the d@mn coffee.

And to answer the OP, Bishop Jackwagon and the ditzy airhead man that served as bishop before him took the Young Men on a hike last summer and went on and on about how they both keep a 5 Hour Energy in their glove compartment for emergencies since they both travel a lot for their work. They both thought it was great they were sucking back the coffee-substitutes and had no prob telling teenage boys about it.

I have to disagree. Their own code allows them to drink red bull. According to that code there is no sin being committed. There is no part of that code that claims similar items are just as sinful as the items on the list. That is something that a portion of Mormons believe, and it isn't backed up by their own rules. Also, the Mormons who believe that equivalent items are also sinful tend to be more fundamentalist and crazier.

Now, if we take ourselves away from the Mormon mentality we will quickly see that red bull is not equivalent to coffee. I could probably come up with a hundred differences between coffee and red bull, but there are very few similarities (like they are both liquid or both contain caffeine).

Lastly, we should be celebrating Mormons who try things outside of the social and religious bonds that tie them into their unnecessary life choices. Condemning them for sinning in their hearts doesn't help the cause much.

If smug superiority is the issue, then we should focus on that, not on red bull drinking. Condemning all Mormons who drink red bull for the sins of the self righteous ones who rub all of us wrong seems illogical. I think they should just man up and drink the damn coffee too though. :)

My TBM, temple-attending MIL has a huge soda habit. When she was preparing her backyard for DH and I's wedding, she lived off Red Bulls. I know lots of other garmie-wearing women who guzzle energy drinks to keep up with the crazy lifestyle imposed by TSCC.

Apparently, it's OK because the WoW doesn't forbid caffeine directly. Any assumption that caffeine is the reason for the prohibition is just member speculation and folklore.

It's not really about health, just blind obedience. No logic needed.

The word of wisdom says nothing about energy drinks.
Nor has the Leadership clarified that any cold drink beyond alcoholic ones is deemed to break the word of wisdom.

The word of wisdom says nothing about caffeine.
In fact, chocolate contains caffeine and I think one or two Mormons may consume the odd bar of it... Or two...

Yes my step dad drinks Red Bull like crazy! We were never allowed anything but Sprite as a kid when it came to soda but he chugs Red Bull every morning.

I would guess that a cup of coffee would be healthier than Red Bull? Or a glass of red wine would be healthier, but those are forbidden. Makes no sense.

He is a super holier than thou type. gaaaag



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/06/2012 10:49AM by libertad.

I've never heard of a person dying from drinking too much coffee, but I can recall at least three deaths from over-consumption of energy drinks.

In my experience there were always two types of mormons - those who only drank caffeine-free drinks because they were "in strict obedience to the law."

Then there were those who drank whatever soda they wanted, green tea, herbal tea, and ate coffee-bean ice cream, and claimed they were still obeying the WoW because it only specifically banned hot coffee and black tea. My family was firmly in the second category.

When exactly did "hot drinks" get translated into "caffeine", anyway? Who came up with that one?

Joel H. Johnson, friend of Joseph Smith's family, relates that on a Sabbath day in July (1833) following the giving of the "Word of Wisdom," when both Joseph and Hyrum Smith were in the stand, the Prophet said to the Saints: "I understand that some of the people are excusing themselves in using tea and coffee, because the Lord only said 'hot drinks' in the revelation of the Word of Wisdom. Tea and coffee are what the Lord meant when he said 'hot drinks.'(Johnson, J. H., A Voice from the Mountains, p. 12)

So he said it was meant for hot coffee and black tea, nothing about caffeine. What violates the WOW for the other things is if someone aquires a habit for the substance.

FP Statement:
"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." (August 28, 1968)

The tannin's in coffee and tea also contain beneficial anti-oxidants. JS didn't know FA about much of anything did he?...well except maybe that the party in his britches needed steady taking care of....

My husband has an Aunt who pops caffeinne [spelling] pills...yet she goes to the handshake house constantly. She keeps them in her pocket so must use them often.

People who attend the temple do all sorts of untoward things. I once knew of a divorced woman who clearly stated that she had sex with men, and considered it no sin as long as her partner wore a condom.

I have also known "temple worthy" singles (in the over-30's) who went to Las Vegas, got a quickie civil marriage, boinked each other's brains out for a weekend then got it annulled Monday. That way it was all on the up-and-up.

The wow doesn't say a word about coffee,tea, or caffeine. It only specifies "hot drinks".

I love those iced coffees. So does a TBM recommend holding friend of mine.

JBug,

The handshake house? funny funny

made me laugh!

Who cares?

I know one who drinks every energy drink out there except for red bull. She says that the commercials promote themselves like they're alcohol.

My TBM ex-wife drinks energy drinks far in excess of the maximum daily dosages on the labels. She will chug 3 or more cans of the stuff in rapid succession. She becomes so emotionally charged that she isimpossible to live with. Our daughters are concerned about the potential damage to their mother's health, but their concerns don't register because energy drinks aren't against the WoW. Basically, if my wife's conduct couldn't cost her her precious temple recommend, she is without any motivation to examine her conduct.

Don't be shocked if she has to go to the ER after chugging a few.

It's also advised to not consume them with alcohol.

My brother who was a temple-attending branch president at the time (I don't know if he's still BP or on HC), bought me some sort of energy drink, which I never drank and eventually tossed it. He told me how they really get you wired and that's what he used to get through his long workdays...

I am roaming around the earth as a ghost so do not be suprised if I make an appearnace to you Steve.Now that I am dead,I am trying to make Mormons question their sense of logic.

. . . that yellow, sour buttermilk goop you used to keep in your fridge and tell me to drink when I was a kid. I complied, just to keep you happy.

But I gotta tell ya, it was awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwful.

Finally got it off my chest (although you're really not by grandpa because he's dead).



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 06/06/2012 08:31PM by steve benson.