Word of Wisdom

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The Word of Wisdom

The people there are living in the United Order, as also in Brigham City and St. Joseph, and while I was in those settlements I never heard an oath, I never saw a quarrel, I never saw any man or boy smoke a cigarette, or use an ounce of tobacco, or drink whiskey, or drink a cup of coffee or tea, except what I drank myself. The idea of drinking coffee where nobody else was drinking it was a very poor example, I thought, for an Apostle; I therefore took, instead of coffee, water and milk, and have felt a great deal better. The promise is that those who keep the Word of Wisdom "shall run and not be weary, shall walk and not faint," and I can say I have enjoyed much better health than before.
John Taylor, Conference Report 1880, 11. off-site

Questions

Is it true that Joseph Smith and other early Latter-day Saints didn't follow the Word of Wisdom? There are accounts in the Church's own printed history where Joseph drank wine and beer, and Brigham Young admitted drinking coffee regularly.

To see citations to the critical sources for these claims, click here

Handbook 2: Administering the Church—2010 (Intellectual Reserve, 2010)., "Selected Church Policies and Guidelines 21.3.11"

Handbook 2: Administering the Church—2010 (Intellectual Reserve, 2010).

The only official interpretation of “hot drinks” (D&C 89:9) in the Word of Wisdom is the statement made by early Church leaders that the term “hot drinks” means tea and coffee. Members should not use any substance that contains illegal drugs. Nor should members use harmful or habit-forming substances except under the care of a competent physician.

Revelations in Context, "The Word of Wisdom: D&C 89"

Revelations in Context, (11 June 2013)

Nevertheless, it required time to wind down practices that were so deeply ingrained in family tradition and culture, especially when fermented beverages of all kinds were frequently used for medicinal purposes. The term “strong drink” certainly included distilled spirits like whiskey, which hereafter the Latter-day Saints generally shunned. They took a more moderate approach to milder alcoholic beverages like beer and “pure wine of the grape of the vine of your own make” (see D&C 89:6). For the next two generations, Latter-day Saint leaders taught the Word of Wisdom as a command from God, but they tolerated a variety of viewpoints on how strictly the commandment should be observed. This incubation period gave the Saints time to develop their own tradition of abstinence from habit-forming substances. By the early twentieth century, when scientific medicines were more widely available and temple attendance had become a more regular feature of Latter-day Saint worship, the Church was ready to accept a more exacting standard of observance that would eliminate problems like alcoholism from among the obedient. In 1921, the Lord inspired Church president Heber J. Grant to call on all Saints to live the Word of Wisdom to the letter by completely abstaining from all alcohol, coffee, tea, and tobacco. Today Church members are expected to live this higher standard.

Answer

The Word of Wisdom is "a principle with promise," initially given "not by commandment or constraint" (D&C 89:2–3). Today's Latter-day Saints are required to observe it more rigorously than those who came before them.

Changes in the way the Word of Wisdom was implemented over time

Jump to Subtopic:

• Revelations in Context: "Nevertheless, it required time to wind down practices that were so deeply ingrained in family tradition and culture"
• Question: Has the implementation and enforcement of the Word of Wisdom changed over time?
• Question: Did Heber J. Grant include a strict observance of the Word of Wisdom in the temple recommend interview because of the repeal of prohibition?
• Question: How was enforcement of the Word of Wisdom phased in over time?
• Question: Why do Mormons use water instead of wine for their sacrament services?
• Question: Why does the presiding Mormon authority receive the sacrament before the rest of the congregation?

Joseph Smith and the Word of Wisdom

Jump to Subtopic:

• Question: Is it true that Almon Babbitt "followed Joseph" in violating the Word of Wisdom?
• Question: Did Joseph Smith set up a bar to sell liquor in Nauvoo?

Brigham Young and the Word of Wisdom

Jump to Subtopic:

• Question: Did Brigham Young violate the Word of Wisdom by using snuff, tobacco, and tea?
• Question: Why did Brigham Young build a whiskey distillery in Utah?
• Question: Why did Brigham Young instruct members of the Church to grow tobacco in Utah?

Modern day implementation of the Word of Wisdom

Jump to Subtopic:

• Question: How is the Word of Wisdom observed in the modern Church?
• Question: Do Mormons who do not eat meat "sparingly" violate the Word of Wisdom?
• Question: Is it true that Mormons are forbidden from drinking cola drinks such as Coke, Pepsi and Dr Pepper?
• Question: If Mormons don't drink coffee and tea because it contains caffeine, then why do they consume other products which contain caffeine?
• Question: Why are "hot drinks" forbidden by the Word of Wisdom?
• Question: Do Mormons really believe that drinking tea (or alcohol, etc.) is "morally wrong"?
• Question: Why did Joseph Fielding Smith say that the consumption of tea may bar someone from the celestial kingdom?
• Question: How does the fact that Jesus drank wine relate to the Word of Wisdom?
• Question: In what way did Joseph Smith implement the Word of Wisdom during his lifetime?
• Question: Did Joseph Smith violate the Word of Wisdom by drinking alcohol in Carthage Jail before he was killed?
• Question: Did Joseph Smith give some of the brethren money to purchase whiskey in violation of the Word of Wisdom?
• Question: Does the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints own stock in businesses that are not consistent with the Church's standards?
• Question: Did Joseph Smith set up a bar to sell liquor in Nauvoo?
• Question: Should Latter-day Saints eat fruit seasonally?