There are lots of things that we, as church members, don't do that may make us a little peculiar, like abstaining from sex before marriage, not drinking alcohol, not using tobacco, and not drinking black tea and coffee.
Most of the above abstaining comes from something we call The Word of Wisdom. This revelation was given to Joseph Smith back in 1833. During that time, lots of people were questioning both the use of alcohol and tobacco. In fact, Joseph's wife, Emma, actually got Joseph thinking about the subject as she was tired of cleaning up tobacco spit from the floor where many of the early members of the church would meet. Joseph sought guidance through prayer and received the 89th Section of The Doctrine of Covenants(which is a book of revelations given to Joseph Smith as well as a few of the other Prophets of our church through the years).
In the 89th Section, it gives some guidance on many health concerns of the time. Within the verses, it speaks of not drinking strong drink(alcohol), how tobacco is not for the belly but rather can be used on wounds(we actually have some in our house that we have used on bee stings for the kids), an urge to eat fruits and veggies with thanksgiving, use meat sparingly, that grain is good for the food of man, and that hot drinks are not for the belly.
This is where the whole coffee thing comes from, hot drinks not being for the belly. Over the years, leaders of the church have mentioned how herbal tea is okay, but coffee is still on the abstain list. I think most of these things are to help us avoid addictions, like alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine. It really doesn't feel like restriction to me either. It actually gives me freedom.
By following this Word of Wisdom, church members are also given this promise:
“All saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones;And shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures; And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint. And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them” Doctrine and Covenants 89: 18-21
Hopefully, this little description of The Word of Wisdom makes sense. I often feel that part of these guidelines actually are to help us learn sacrifice as well. It makes us different, and sometimes being different is difficult. I do love coffee, like I have said, but part of this life, I feel, is training ourselves to master self. Sometimes we need to sacrifice in order to be better, learn more and live well. I truly believe that following this counsel makes people healthier. If you would like to learn more, I found a great site here that explains it well. There is even a study UCLA that shows Latter-Day Saints who live this principle actually are healthier and live longer lives. I like that idea. Living long and prospering is one of my life goals.
If you have any more questions about my faith, feel free to ask. I am pretty open about it!
