I'm saying the Church's policy on it is, as you have to be abstaining from alcohol, tobacco, tea and coffee to be "worthy" to enter the temple -
- and yet Jesus drank wine and was the worthiest of all.
- Many, many of us are totally unhealthy with our diets, which flies in the face of the Word of Wisdom, yet are still "worthy" to enter
- we have created an opportunity to "sin" that did not exist before
- we have created extra hurdles and difficulties for people to join the Church and enjoy the blessings of the temple, who would otherwise do so
The Word of Wisdom is largely about moderation and self-control, not abstinence, anyway.
Maybe it worked, on some level, to enforce it so rigorously back in the days when we were primarily a shut-in Utah church. But those days are gone.
So unless the Lord has other designs on this matter....I say it's time to drop this policy and let the members govern themselves.
Sound good?
Let's take it to the Brethren. I'm sure they'll make it a matter of serious prayer.
That's actually the sad thing....that we know they won't. Because it has become such an ingrained tradition in Church culture that it's almost unthinkable to take the idea of getting rid of the current policy seriously.
Sad. Very sad. Is there any hope?
