I am a Mormon, and I need help explaining why we don't drink caffeine to someone who is not a Mormon. So anyone who is a Mormon, please help me with this!
Before anyone says that it isn't forbidden (I always thought it wasn't until today), I want to mention that Gordon B. Hinckley said in an interview with Larry King that Mormons say "no to caffeine". Here is a transcript of the interview: http://lds-mormon.com/lkl_00.shtml. Use the Find feature on your browser to quickly find the statement. Search for "caffeine".
If you have any resources to back up your information, PLEASE list them!
I understand that commandments aren't given through talk shows. However, I have noticed that President Hinckley has mentioned more than once that Mormons do not drink caffeine. He also mentioned it in an interview with Mike Wallace. The way I see it, is that he is a prophet of God. If he says we don't drink caffeine, that's enough for me. Even if there isn't an official stance issued by the Church, President Hinckley has publicly said that Mormons do not drink caffeine. I intend to follow the example set by the prophet of God.
They are not supposed to. But people from every religion do things they are not supposed to do. I don't think anyone has ever gone to hell over coffee.
They see it as an addiction - a ploy from the Devil to separate them from God.
What they don't realize is that we are already separated from God and caffeine, in and of itself, will not separate us from God to any mentionable degree.
These are the two answers I was given by a Mormon friend:
1.) Somewhere in Joseph Smith's writings it apparently says not to have hot drinks. (So, where does that leave iced coffee?)
...and...
2.) Caffeine is an addictive substance which can cause the jitters, impaired perception, and fatigue. (But then, so can alto of other foods and medicines.)
Chocolate has caffeine. So does lettuce. Mormons don't avoid these. It is more about obedience than about substances being good or bad for you.
Don't worry about the little physical details. Caffeine is not going to keep you out of Heaven. Worry more about obedience and disobedience. These are spiritual. There are worse things in life than coffee and tea. Profanity, pornography, anger, hatred, gossip, disobedience to parents. These will hurt you more than tea.
in D&C 89:5 it says "That insomuch as any man drinker wine or strong drink(In our case caffeine)among you, behold it is not good, neither meet in the sight of your father,only to offer up your sacraments before him." it just says it's not good and that god isn't to happy with it, but not that you are going straight to hell. It's more of a personal desertion.
(This article originally appeared in The Salt Lake City Messenger, Issue No. 93, November, 1997)
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I believe:
Church doctrine is man's doctrine not God's Doctrine.Man's doctrine serves man!
The basis of all commandments is that they are gods will. When Adam was told to build and use an altar he didn't know why Noe did he care. He understood that it was Gods will. Help your friend to understand the significance of Gods will.
Priesthood Bulletin of February 1972 (volume 8, number 1):
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."
Church Headquarters Public Affairs:
"The Church's health code called the Word of Wisdom, is contained in a revelation given to the Prophet Joseph Smith. The revelation prohibits the use of tobacco, alcoholic beverages ('strong drink') and 'hot drinks' ? The only official interpretation of the term 'hot drinks' as used in the revelation is the statement made by early Church leaders that the term means tea and coffee.
"On questions not specifically addressed by Church teachings, members are expected to exercise wisdom in applying the principles of good health. Soft-drinks containing caffeine fall into the 'exercise wisdom' category. They are not specifically restricted, but many Church members voluntarily avoid them."
Well first of all, your question isn't true. "Why don't Mormons drink caffeine?"
They do. I'm living proof of that. My Bishop is living proof of that. Thousands of other Mormons are living proof of that. We haven't been commanded not to drink caffeine.
President Hinckley telling Larry King that we don't drink caffeine is a kind of round about way of commanding the general body of the church (the FAR majority of which will never even see, hear, or read of what was said) don't you think? In fact, here is a challenge to you--find me a conference address telling the body of the church not to drink caffeine. I've looked for one, and never been able to find it. There is a pattern for this kind of thing. Commandments aren't given through talk show hosts. They are given through conference, proclamations, additional revelation of scripture, etc.
Coffee, Tea, and Alcohol are certainly a different story. There is plenty of information (the greatest of which being scripture, The Word of Wisdom) on why we shouldn't partake of these. It must be noted, that when the Word of Wisdom was first brought before the members of the church, it wasn't by way of commandment. It was more of a notice or a suggestion to the people of what they should start working toward. Latter it was made a commandment. Perhaps the same thing will happen with Caffeine. But I would strongly dispute that it is already classified as a "commandment".
My update in response to yours:
Yeah, and that is perfectly great. Many members have decided that because of the things that have been said, that they shouldn't drink caffeine. As was said by previous answer, it falls in the category of "exercise wisdom". So if you feel that you shouldn't drink caffeine than that is your personal decision inspired by God. But that still doesn't mean that it is a commandment for the whole church. It won't be until the brethren say that it is.
um.. before a few decades ago we didn't have caffeine so its not the Bible. and if it is wrong to drink it you are stuck to sprite water and milk. not a real big selection there. In my opinion if you feel that is going to hurt your relationship with God don't do it. if "caffeine" becomes an addiction, which in a few people with low immune systems it happens, then it is a god in your life, just like smoking, drinking... and so on. If there is one guy that governs an entire religion then it becomes a cult. so if every Mormon in the world stops drinking caffeine because "one" man says it... then you need to rethink some things.
It's all in the eye of the beholder. It all comes down to wheat her or now you think it's right. Lots of LDS members drink caffeine; lots don't. It says in the W.O.W. to stay away from anything addictive or harmful. Scientific tests have shown that caffeine is harmful to our bodies. How many people do you know that have a regular pattern of drinking something that has caffeine? Most people in the world do. I think that God put everything on the Earth for a purpose and misusing caffeine as a company to make people addicted to your product I define as wrong. Now if caffeine is in Excedrin then I'll take it because I don't define that as misusing it. One more thing, when Joseph Smith was told to ask the Saints to stop smoking, he didn't know why all he knew was that he was supposed to. I think that we don't know all the reasons we aren't. but simply that we aren't. I think one day we will; but until then the prophet saying no is good enough!
Boy, Mormons and their prophets. They LoveIve follow their prophets. They would follow their prohphets off a cliff. They would follow their prophets to hell. Here's what one of their favorite prophets thought about blacks. Why they even have his statue in Salt Lake City and a university named after him.
The Prophet Brigham Young's racist statements about blacks:
"You see some classes of the human family that are black, uncouth, uncomely, disagreeable and low in their habits, wild, and seemingly deprived of nearly all the blessings of the intelligence that is generally bestowed upon mankind. The first man that committed the odious crime of killing one of his brethren will be cursed the longest of any one of the children of Adam. Cain slew his brother. Cain might have been killed, and that would have put a termination to that line of human beings. This was not to be, and the Lord put a mark upon him, which is the flat nose and black skin. Trace mankind down to after the flood, and then another curse is pronounced upon the same race -- that they should be the "servant of servants;" and they will be, until that curse is removed." - Brigham Young, President and second 'Prophet' of the Mormon Church, 1844-1877 - Quotation from Journal of Discourses
"Shall I tell you the law of God in regard to the African race? If the white man who belongs to the chosen seed mixes his blood with the seed of Cain, the penalty, under the law of God is death on the spot. This will always be so." - Brigham Young, President and second 'Prophet' of the Mormon Church, 1863, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 10, p. 110.
I'm sucking on a Dr. Pepper as I type. There have been times when I'm downing like 6-8 cans of MD per day. Caffiene is an addictive substance and so should not be taken lightly. I try to stick to only a weekly drink, so it's not a dependency.
Why don't Mormons drink caffeine? (See details)?
