Rumor WOW change?

[thestock]

The WoW is a basic foundation. If you obey it, great. I myself would find it a little hypocritical to ask for the angel of death to pass me by because I obey the commandment of the WoW (letter of the law), but completely blow the spirit of the law "because it wasn't commanded". There's a verse in DC about needing to be commanded in all things, and it very much applies here. Who knows, though, maybe the Spirit is telling lots of people to pig out on junk food, drink soda and monster drinks, watch TV all day, ignore one's own needs, etc. ? Note that the commandment is not based on RESULTS or the ENDS, but on the MEANS or the PROCESS.

Could it be "updated"? Yes. The principle is true; the contents can be adjusted. Perhaps marijuana, cocaine, and everything else will be okay, too--if coffee and tea can be, why not?

Cocaine used to be medicine in this country and marijuana is currently medicine in our society. Drugs are drugs. Use can be benificial but overuse violates WoW principles.

I'm not a doctor, or a pharmacist by any stretch, but I think there are many derivatives of cocaine drugs. Anything ending in "caine" is suppose to have some sort of pain relieving properties. I don't remember it's name, but what's that stuff in orajel that numbs gums? It's a mild offshoot from cocaine. The people I know who used it, say that cocaine makes a person feel absolutely fantastic, with an unmatched sense of euphoria. The drawback is that along with that incredible high and euphoria, is the natural inhibitions that keep us from doing something stupid, like jumping off a building, are completely gone. Imagine you wake up in the morning feeling wonderful, and walking on cloud 9, so to speak. You still would have enough sense and inhibition to know that even though you feel wonderful, if you jump off a building, that wonderful feeling would go away. Cocaine removes that constraint in our brains. That's why you hear news stories every so often about a man high on drugs thinking he's superman and tries to fly. Unsuccessfully.

Morphine is usually only used for people who are dying. It's highly addictive and the hallucinations are unreal. My grandpa, who they thought was dying long before he actually did, was given morphine when he had surgery to remove most of his lower bowels from cancer. He wasn't expected to make it, but he went ahead with the surgery. My mom walked in on him staring at the hospital wall just transfixed. She asked him what was going on and he said he was watching a car race. He said there were a bunch of small cars racing up and down the wall, like an Indy 500 race. He KNEW it wasn't real, but he was really enjoying the show and was curious to see who was going to win. He went on to live another 10 yrs after that. The morphine was hard to give up, but a person can't spend their life watching fairies fly around their room all day

Some of what you say about cocaine is true, but even that is greatly embellished. The effects you describe about opiates is totally false.

[Robin Hood]

If the "rule" concerning tea drinking is relaxed I would be quite pleased.
It's nearly 45 years since I've had a cup of tea.

De-restricting tea may remove an obstacle to the restored gospel in China and India.

De-restricting the law of chastity would remove a huge obstacle to people joining the Church all over the world.

But alas, it's not about gaining members, but providing exaltation to members.

The law of chastity is a commandment. The word of wisdom is not.
Big difference.

[Thinker]

[JohnnyL]

If the "rule" concerning tea drinking is relaxed I would be quite pleased.
It's nearly 45 years since I've had a cup of tea.

De-restricting tea may remove an obstacle to the restored gospel in China and India.

De-restricting the law of chastity would remove a huge obstacle to people joining the Church all over the world.

But alas, it's not about gaining members, but providing exaltation to members.

The law of chastity is a commandment. The word of wisdom is not.
Big difference.

They're both commandments.

[Robin Hood]

If the "rule" concerning tea drinking is relaxed I would be quite pleased.
It's nearly 45 years since I've had a cup of tea.

De-restricting tea may remove an obstacle to the restored gospel in China and India.

De-restricting the law of chastity would remove a huge obstacle to people joining the Church all over the world.

But alas, it's not about gaining members, but providing exaltation to members.

The law of chastity is a commandment. The word of wisdom is not.
Big difference.

They're both commandments.

Really?
Perhaps you could give me a scripture reference which demonstrates that the WoW is a commandment.
I know there is one that specifically says it isn't, but if you could show me one that says the opposite I'll concede the point.

[Jesef]

I agree. “Not by commandment or constraint” still stands - prove otherwise using official commandment or revelation from the Lord. The scriptures still stand as they are & were never properly appended by the Lord, I.e. added to the standard works/scriptures. Opinion/interpretation, talks, by whomever, whatever their position or authority, is not binding as scripture. There is a process for canonizing - we just haven’t really done it for 100 years (D&C 138). BY with some congregation in 1852 doesn’t mean anything today. I’m happy & open to consider an actual new dictated “thus saith the Lord” revelation from the Lord to Pres. Nelson though to break the 100 year dearth.

[tdj]

The WoW is a basic foundation. If you obey it, great. I myself would find it a little hypocritical to ask for the angel of death to pass me by because I obey the commandment of the WoW (letter of the law), but completely blow the spirit of the law "because it wasn't commanded". There's a verse in DC about needing to be commanded in all things, and it very much applies here. Who knows, though, maybe the Spirit is telling lots of people to pig out on junk food, drink soda and monster drinks, watch TV all day, ignore one's own needs, etc. ? Note that the commandment is not based on RESULTS or the ENDS, but on the MEANS or the PROCESS.

Could it be "updated"? Yes. The principle is true; the contents can be adjusted. Perhaps marijuana, cocaine, and everything else will be okay, too--if coffee and tea can be, why not?

Cocaine used to be medicine in this country and marijuana is currently medicine in our society. Drugs are drugs. Use can be benificial but overuse violates WoW principles.

I'm not a doctor, or a pharmacist by any stretch, but I think there are many derivatives of cocaine drugs. Anything ending in "caine" is suppose to have some sort of pain relieving properties. I don't remember it's name, but what's that stuff in orajel that numbs gums? It's a mild offshoot from cocaine. The people I know who used it, say that cocaine makes a person feel absolutely fantastic, with an unmatched sense of euphoria. The drawback is that along with that incredible high and euphoria, is the natural inhibitions that keep us from doing something stupid, like jumping off a building, are completely gone. Imagine you wake up in the morning feeling wonderful, and walking on cloud 9, so to speak. You still would have enough sense and inhibition to know that even though you feel wonderful, if you jump off a building, that wonderful feeling would go away. Cocaine removes that constraint in our brains. That's why you hear news stories every so often about a man high on drugs thinking he's superman and tries to fly. Unsuccessfully.

Morphine is usually only used for people who are dying. It's highly addictive and the hallucinations are unreal. My grandpa, who they thought was dying long before he actually did, was given morphine when he had surgery to remove most of his lower bowels from cancer. He wasn't expected to make it, but he went ahead with the surgery. My mom walked in on him staring at the hospital wall just transfixed. She asked him what was going on and he said he was watching a car race. He said there were a bunch of small cars racing up and down the wall, like an Indy 500 race. He KNEW it wasn't real, but he was really enjoying the show and was curious to see who was going to win. He went on to live another 10 yrs after that. The morphine was hard to give up, but a person can't spend their life watching fairies fly around their room all day

Some of what you say about cocaine is true, but even that is greatly embellished. The effects you describe about opiates is totally false.

WHICH opiates? I can't vouch for the cocaine, though there must have been a reason it was put into coca cola, besides being addictive. Sodas don't need cocaine to addict people since they are doing a find job without it.

Morphine most definitely makes you hallucinate. So I'm not altogether sure what you mean?

[tdj]

If the "rule" concerning tea drinking is relaxed I would be quite pleased.
It's nearly 45 years since I've had a cup of tea.

De-restricting tea may remove an obstacle to the restored gospel in China and India.

De-restricting the law of chastity would remove a huge obstacle to people joining the Church all over the world.

But alas, it's not about gaining members, but providing exaltation to members.

The reason church members were told not to drink hot beverages, tea in particular, was because there seemed to be a trend of putting drugs in the tea. It's not really standard practice to do that anymore at social gatherings, so the reason is gone. It's not like promiscuity where the consequences of sleeping around are significantly worse. You can't honestly compare sexual promiscuity with drinking a cup of warm tea with friends? So very different. I think some rules continue to be on the books just because that's how it's always been and it's become comfortable. There's some serious possible consequences to sleeping around. None that I can think of from drinking a cup of warm tea. The church allows or bans certain things based mostly on either scripture, or consequences. Or so I've noticed.

[thestock]

Cocaine used to be medicine in this country and marijuana is currently medicine in our society. Drugs are drugs. Use can be benificial but overuse violates WoW principles.

I'm not a doctor, or a pharmacist by any stretch, but I think there are many derivatives of cocaine drugs. Anything ending in "caine" is suppose to have some sort of pain relieving properties. I don't remember it's name, but what's that stuff in orajel that numbs gums? It's a mild offshoot from cocaine. The people I know who used it, say that cocaine makes a person feel absolutely fantastic, with an unmatched sense of euphoria. The drawback is that along with that incredible high and euphoria, is the natural inhibitions that keep us from doing something stupid, like jumping off a building, are completely gone. Imagine you wake up in the morning feeling wonderful, and walking on cloud 9, so to speak. You still would have enough sense and inhibition to know that even though you feel wonderful, if you jump off a building, that wonderful feeling would go away. Cocaine removes that constraint in our brains. That's why you hear news stories every so often about a man high on drugs thinking he's superman and tries to fly. Unsuccessfully.

Morphine is usually only used for people who are dying. It's highly addictive and the hallucinations are unreal. My grandpa, who they thought was dying long before he actually did, was given morphine when he had surgery to remove most of his lower bowels from cancer. He wasn't expected to make it, but he went ahead with the surgery. My mom walked in on him staring at the hospital wall just transfixed. She asked him what was going on and he said he was watching a car race. He said there were a bunch of small cars racing up and down the wall, like an Indy 500 race. He KNEW it wasn't real, but he was really enjoying the show and was curious to see who was going to win. He went on to live another 10 yrs after that. The morphine was hard to give up, but a person can't spend their life watching fairies fly around their room all day

Some of what you say about cocaine is true, but even that is greatly embellished. The effects you describe about opiates is totally false.

WHICH opiates? I can't vouch for the cocaine, though there must have been a reason it was put into coca cola, besides being addictive. Sodas don't need cocaine to addict people since they are doing a find job without it.

Morphine most definitely makes you hallucinate. So I'm not altogether sure what you mean?

Psychedelic drugs like LSD, mushrooms, peyote etc will make the user hallucinate. Opiates fall under the class of narcotic drugs, which have analgesic properties. Small amounts will simply produce euphoria. Large amounts will produce a state of nodding off with extreme euphoria and vivid dreams etc...but as far as I've heard no actual hallucinations.....

[tdj]

I'm not a doctor, or a pharmacist by any stretch, but I think there are many derivatives of cocaine drugs. Anything ending in "caine" is suppose to have some sort of pain relieving properties. I don't remember it's name, but what's that stuff in orajel that numbs gums? It's a mild offshoot from cocaine. The people I know who used it, say that cocaine makes a person feel absolutely fantastic, with an unmatched sense of euphoria. The drawback is that along with that incredible high and euphoria, is the natural inhibitions that keep us from doing something stupid, like jumping off a building, are completely gone. Imagine you wake up in the morning feeling wonderful, and walking on cloud 9, so to speak. You still would have enough sense and inhibition to know that even though you feel wonderful, if you jump off a building, that wonderful feeling would go away. Cocaine removes that constraint in our brains. That's why you hear news stories every so often about a man high on drugs thinking he's superman and tries to fly. Unsuccessfully.

Morphine is usually only used for people who are dying. It's highly addictive and the hallucinations are unreal. My grandpa, who they thought was dying long before he actually did, was given morphine when he had surgery to remove most of his lower bowels from cancer. He wasn't expected to make it, but he went ahead with the surgery. My mom walked in on him staring at the hospital wall just transfixed. She asked him what was going on and he said he was watching a car race. He said there were a bunch of small cars racing up and down the wall, like an Indy 500 race. He KNEW it wasn't real, but he was really enjoying the show and was curious to see who was going to win. He went on to live another 10 yrs after that. The morphine was hard to give up, but a person can't spend their life watching fairies fly around their room all day

Some of what you say about cocaine is true, but even that is greatly embellished. The effects you describe about opiates is totally false.

WHICH opiates? I can't vouch for the cocaine, though there must have been a reason it was put into coca cola, besides being addictive. Sodas don't need cocaine to addict people since they are doing a find job without it.

Morphine most definitely makes you hallucinate. So I'm not altogether sure what you mean?

Psychedelic drugs like LSD, mushrooms, peyote etc will make the user hallucinate. Opiates fall under the class of narcotic drugs, which have analgesic properties. Small amounts will simply produce euphoria. Large amounts will produce a state of nodding off with extreme euphoria and vivid dreams etc...but as far as I've heard no actual hallucinations.....

My grandpa swore up and down he was watching a car race on his wall. Maybe they were slipping some LSD in that drip?

[abijah]

Morphine most definitely makes you hallucinate.

Lol

[Jesef]

Haven't you guys seen Noah with Russell Crowe - this is how all the old prophets saw visions...

[Hie'ing to Kolob]

If the "rule" concerning tea drinking is relaxed I would be quite pleased.
It's nearly 45 years since I've had a cup of tea.

De-restricting tea may remove an obstacle to the restored gospel in China and India.

De-restricting the law of chastity would remove a huge obstacle to people joining the Church all over the world.

But alas, it's not about gaining members, but providing exaltation to members.

The law of chastity is a commandment. The word of wisdom is not.
Big difference.

They're both commandments.

Jesus gave the WoW direct to Joseph Smith. It is clear from the actual revelation it is NOT a commandment. How on earth does a human being justify directly contridicting this commandment by making the WoW a commandment?

Is it possible that external factors during the prohibition era motivated the Church to get "serious" about the WoW?

[Serragon]

De-restricting the law of chastity would remove a huge obstacle to people joining the Church all over the world.

But alas, it's not about gaining members, but providing exaltation to members.

The law of chastity is a commandment. The word of wisdom is not.
Big difference.

They're both commandments.

Jesus gave the WoW direct to Joseph Smith. It is clear from the actual revelation it is NOT a commandment. How on earth does a human being justify directly contridicting this commandment by making the WoW a commandment?

Is it possible that external factors during the prohibition era motivated the Church to get "serious" about the WoW?

Most early members of the church did not think of the WoW as requiring abstinence, but moderation. Most drank coffee or smoked in moderation. My grandfather smoked a pipe in the evenings most of his life and while serving in a bishopric and on the high council. He was not in the minority among his church peers. He gave that up and switched from coffee to postum as pressure was progressively increased towards an abstinence interpretation.

[JohnnyL]

De-restricting the law of chastity would remove a huge obstacle to people joining the Church all over the world.

But alas, it's not about gaining members, but providing exaltation to members.

The law of chastity is a commandment. The word of wisdom is not.
Big difference.

They're both commandments.

Really?
Perhaps you could give me a scripture reference which demonstrates that the WoW is a commandment.
I know there is one that specifically says it isn't, but if you could show me one that says the opposite I'll concede the point.

Earlier in the thread.

[mgridle1]

The law of chastity is a commandment. The word of wisdom is not.
Big difference.

They're both commandments.

Jesus gave the WoW direct to Joseph Smith. It is clear from the actual revelation it is NOT a commandment. How on earth does a human being justify directly contridicting this commandment by making the WoW a commandment?

Is it possible that external factors during the prohibition era motivated the Church to get "serious" about the WoW?

Most early members of the church did not think of the WoW as requiring abstinence, but moderation. Most drank or smoked in moderation. My grandfather smoked a pipe in the evenings most of his life and while serving in a bishopric and on the high council. He was not in the minority among his church peers. He gave that up and switched from coffee to postum as pressure was progressively increased towards an abstinence interpretation.

Yes the abstinence interpretation and enforcement really came about due to Prohibition. That is when the real crack-down came, Heber J. Grant encouraged all the members to vote for Prohibition and then when it was lifted the Church prohibition was never lifted with it.

I would still obey the WoW if it were lifted from TR and baptismal interviews. I think for baptism-I see no real need to enforce it as a condition of baptism. For TR, I could see it still being a part. On the other hand-I do kind of like going to Church and never having to smell smoke . . .

[JohnnyL]

If the "rule" concerning tea drinking is relaxed I would be quite pleased.
It's nearly 45 years since I've had a cup of tea.

De-restricting tea may remove an obstacle to the restored gospel in China and India.

De-restricting the law of chastity would remove a huge obstacle to people joining the Church all over the world.

But alas, it's not about gaining members, but providing exaltation to members.

The reason church members were told not to drink hot beverages, tea in particular, was because there seemed to be a trend of putting drugs in the tea. It's not really standard practice to do that anymore at social gatherings, so the reason is gone. It's not like promiscuity where the consequences of sleeping around are significantly worse. You can't honestly compare sexual promiscuity with drinking a cup of warm tea with friends? So very different. I think some rules continue to be on the books just because that's how it's always been and it's become comfortable. There's some serious possible consequences to sleeping around. None that I can think of from drinking a cup of warm tea. The church allows or bans certain things based mostly on either scripture, or consequences. Or so I've noticed.

Here, you're giving a mortal guess and opinion on what you think about different commandments, a natural thing to do, and not without significance. However, when it's a commandment, especially a simple and small one, yes, it still makes a difference. Here, search for the word coffee in these two talks: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/ ... g?lang=eng, and https://www.lds.org/general-conference/ ... d?lang=eng .
What you're saying is, "In my mortal eyes and with my mortal understanding, I judge commandment A as not important as commandment B (and understandably so)." That implies you fully understand all about both commandments, and about their context, and about each person's life.

Is it a "commandment" to attend stake conference priesthood session? Most would say no, it's not. I've received two huge blessings from obeying that commandment/ request/ imperative/ invitation/ whatever...

Even if it were to change to allow coffee and tea (I doubt it), my family and I would still not partake of those things--it's part of a correct principle.

[JohnnyL]

De-restricting the law of chastity would remove a huge obstacle to people joining the Church all over the world.

But alas, it's not about gaining members, but providing exaltation to members.

The law of chastity is a commandment. The word of wisdom is not.
Big difference.

They're both commandments.

Jesus gave the WoW direct to Joseph Smith. It is clear from the actual revelation it is NOT a commandment. How on earth does a human being justify directly contridicting this commandment by making the WoW a commandment?

Is it possible that external factors during the prohibition era motivated the Church to get "serious" about the WoW?

It wasn't, then it was.

No, not really. It was being pushed long before the Prohibition era.

[Hie'ing to Kolob]

The WoW is a basic foundation. If you obey it, great. I myself would find it a little hypocritical to ask for the angel of death to pass me by because I obey the commandment of the WoW (letter of the law), but completely blow the spirit of the law "because it wasn't commanded". There's a verse in DC about needing to be commanded in all things, and it very much applies here. Who knows, though, maybe the Spirit is telling lots of people to pig out on junk food, drink soda and monster drinks, watch TV all day, ignore one's own needs, etc. ? Note that the commandment is not based on RESULTS or the ENDS, but on the MEANS or the PROCESS.

Could it be "updated"? Yes. The principle is true; the contents can be adjusted. Perhaps marijuana, cocaine, and everything else will be okay, too--if coffee and tea can be, why not?

JohnnyL,

My friend you have twisted yourself into a pretzel on this one... By interpreting the WoW as a commandment, you are in direct opposition to the will of God as he himself stated. The reason why it isn't a law now, nor was it ever, is because the law is death. Jesus articulated this perfectly to the religious order of his time that were completely fixated on keeping the law.

[Hie'ing to Kolob]

No, not really. It was being pushed long before the Prohibition era.

Heber J Grant required adherence to the WoW for entrance into the Temple in 1921. HJG was an ardent proponent of prohibition, which was at fever pitch in 1920-21. So, yes the Church wasn't serious about it until then, and that was largely a particular Prophet who supported a popular political platform. HJG is an interesting case study in many respects. Brigham Young certainly didn't have any reservations about it, and was a very successful producer and distributor of liquor.

[Davka]

I think it is interestibg that as members of the Church (probably any church, for that matter) we insist on finding a new "holy cow," a way to differentiate the "ultra-righteous" from the "not-so-righteous." It seems that the WoW is one of those things that often falls into this category. It sounds like in the early days, it was about whether you drank coffee or smoked, and once that was completely engrained in the culture as an absolute no-no, (like, did you hear so and so drinks COFFEE?! Gasp?!) then it became about caffeine. I think this is because others can see what we eat and drink, so it becomes a easy way to judge. If someone has lustful or thoughts, unkind feelings, prideful intentions, not so much.

Growing up in Utah, modesty took on this tone. Having sleeves on your prom dress became the ultimate signal that you were a "good girl." Again, because it is something that is outwardly obvious, it makes it possible to create distinctions and categories of people without insight into who they really are.

It's a good thing that "God looketh on the heart."

I am glad the WoW was made a stricter law. I would say in general, we as a Church are better because we have been largely sober for generations. And I doubt we are worse off for not drinking coffee and tea. I mean, if the Interpretation of the WoWwas that we shouldn't eat pineapple, would it be that big of deal? Yes, we would miss out on pineapple upside cake and virgin pina coladas, but we wouldn't be in worse shape.

If the temple question were completely wiped out tomorrow, I highly doubt most members would start smoking and drinking alcohol or even coffee, simply because it's not part of our culture and we can live without it, don't even know what we are missing.

[gruden2.0]

There are over 150 antioxidants in coffee and healing properties in green tea but those are forbidden while it's perfectly OK to consume as much soda and energy drinks as we want which can give you high blood pressure, diabetes, heart irrythmia, rotting teeth, depletion of bone density, obesity and also plenty of addictive caffeine, all with no problem whatsoever getting a temple recommend. The time is long overdue for not just an update to the WOW, but a removal of substances currently banned that are actually good for you. Makes you wonder how and why tea and coffee were forbidden in the first place???

This is a good point. Most members, while trumping the WoW as a commandment, are very selective in the portions they choose to follow.

For example, it says to eat meat sparingly. How many make an effort to comply with that? And 'sparingly' can be viewed subjectively, which is probably why it wasn't specified as a commandment. Reading further on, the Lord makes it clear He would prefer people to not eat it, consuming it as the exception rather than the rule. But all this is conveniently ignored, especially at the ward potluck dinners.

Also, if you read it, wine is not prohibited, only the source if it is external. The sacrament prayer specifically refers to wine as the preferred symbol, which makes sense since it's a far better symbol for blood than water. Later in the revelation it states the fruit of the vine is approved for use, which wine is. Maybe if we had a glass of wine in place of a steak for dinner the Lord would be pleased, but that's not a possibility anyone wants to consider.

One of the more interesting things is the one about hot drinks. If one reads the whole verse it opens up another possibility:

And again, hot drinks are not for the body or belly

Notice the 'And again'? But if you look at the preceding verses there's nothing about hot drinks. What is the Lord repeating? If one considers the scripture in context of the 19th century, whiskey and strong spirits were often called 'fire water' because of the burning sensation going down the throat. So the 'and again' would seem to be referring to strong alcohol using a different term. If we think of hot drinks in terms of temperature, then we're truly being hypocritical by excluding hot chocolate and herbal teas (which, in truth, is what coffee and green/black tea are). Or maybe we could drink an iced latte and it's suddenly okay. All these mental gymnastics can get exhausting.

I sometimes think the Lord did not make this a commandment because He knew the gospel would be preached worldwide eventually, and there are many, many cultural traditions involving food and drink and He did not wish for it to be a barrier to acceptance, but rather an enticement to learn to forego certain things over time in order to find new spiritual gifts as one progresses.

In any case, it is a revelation given as good advice, but there is no revelation overriding this one to turn it into commandment. What do the scriptures say about those who add or subtract from the word of the Lord? It is up to the leaders to provide proof that the changes are properly authorized and it is up to the members to approve them (or not).

Oh well, put down the coffee and beer and pass the Diet Coke and anti-depressants!

[Elizabeth]

I do. Very rarely would I eat "flesh", never really ... only if there is no other choice, and then very little if any.

For example, it says to eat meat sparingly. How many make an effort to comply with that? And 'sparingly' can be viewed subjectively, which is probably why it wasn't specified as a commandment. Reading further on, the Lord makes it clear He would prefer people to not eat it, consuming it as the exception rather than the rule.

[JohnnyL]

The WoW is a basic foundation. If you obey it, great. I myself would find it a little hypocritical to ask for the angel of death to pass me by because I obey the commandment of the WoW (letter of the law), but completely blow the spirit of the law "because it wasn't commanded". There's a verse in DC about needing to be commanded in all things, and it very much applies here. Who knows, though, maybe the Spirit is telling lots of people to pig out on junk food, drink soda and monster drinks, watch TV all day, ignore one's own needs, etc. ? Note that the commandment is not based on RESULTS or the ENDS, but on the MEANS or the PROCESS.

Could it be "updated"? Yes. The principle is true; the contents can be adjusted. Perhaps marijuana, cocaine, and everything else will be okay, too--if coffee and tea can be, why not?

JohnnyL,

My friend you have twisted yourself into a pretzel on this one... By interpreting the WoW as a commandment, you are in direct opposition to the will of God as he himself stated. The reason why it isn't a law now, nor was it ever, is because the law is death. Jesus articulated this perfectly to the religious order of his time that were completely fixated on keeping the law.

Nope. You are refusing to see it is a commandment.

[Jesef]

The WoW is a basic foundation. If you obey it, great. I myself would find it a little hypocritical to ask for the angel of death to pass me by because I obey the commandment of the WoW (letter of the law), but completely blow the spirit of the law "because it wasn't commanded". There's a verse in DC about needing to be commanded in all things, and it very much applies here. Who knows, though, maybe the Spirit is telling lots of people to pig out on junk food, drink soda and monster drinks, watch TV all day, ignore one's own needs, etc. ? Note that the commandment is not based on RESULTS or the ENDS, but on the MEANS or the PROCESS.

Could it be "updated"? Yes. The principle is true; the contents can be adjusted. Perhaps marijuana, cocaine, and everything else will be okay, too--if coffee and tea can be, why not?

JohnnyL,

My friend you have twisted yourself into a pretzel on this one... By interpreting the WoW as a commandment, you are in direct opposition to the will of God as he himself stated. The reason why it isn't a law now, nor was it ever, is because the law is death. Jesus articulated this perfectly to the religious order of his time that were completely fixated on keeping the law.

Nope. You are refusing to see it is a commandment.

Nope. “Not by commandment.” Show us where the Lord contradicted Himself or changed it later. I think you might be having some trouble processing the contradiction between our current Church practice, tradition, & interpretation with the actual history & scripture involved here. When, where, & how was it “changed to a commandment” by the Lord in a binding way for us today?

And what about barley “for mild drinks” (“for” meaning good for man, in verses 16-17)? These refer specifically to beer & ale (mild vs strong alcoholic drinks, mild being roughly <10%) - they are prescribed, meaning encouraged. Wine is also good, according to WoW, for Sacrament & moderate consumption, as previously stated. How did we/our-Culture move to complete abstinence/prohibition? Did you know BY & Church used to own wineries in Utah & they consumed for Sacrament? Do some research & you’ll learn prohibition in the Church coincides with the Prohibition movement in U.S. history. It wasn’t revelation.

So, even if WoW were a commandment, as you postulate - & I see no proof other than Leaders'/Authorities' opinions - then the things in it that are prescribed as good would not be violations of it. Only "strong" drinks are proscribed as "not good". Our current Church cultural interpretation still contradicts it even if it's changed from a suggestion to a commandment.