Hypocrisy in the Word of Wisdom

[_Polygamy-Porter]

Why are Mormons allowed to interpret the WoW which explicitly pertains to only consuming meat at certain times, yet are held to strict adherence to the ambiguous parts which pertain to hot drinks and mild alcoholic drink?

A single verse about hot drinks.

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

Hot drinks? Hot cocoa? Hot broth? Hot soup? God forbid you accidentally open your mouth during a hot shower...

At what temperature does the term "hot" apply?

How about warm coffee? Iced coffee? Iced tea?

Four verses about meat:

12 Yea, flesh also of beasts and of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used csparingly;
13 And it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used, only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine.
14 All grain is ordained for the use of man and of beasts, to be the staff of life, not only for man but for the beasts of the field, and the fowls of heaven, and all wild animals that run or creep on the earth;
15 And these hath God made for the use of man only in times of famine and excess of hunger.

17 Nevertheless, wheat for man, and corn for the ox, and oats for the horse, and rye for the fowls and for swine, and for all beasts of the field, and barley for all useful animals, and for mild drinks, as also other grain.

Oh no! Rye bread is out! Eating oatmeal cookies is next to murder! Corn on the cob is vile.

Barley... mild drinks? Which mild drinks were made from barley back then?

[_Mephitus]

The disparity of "hot drink" always bugged me. I used to ask if this extended to soups and broths but could never get an adequate answer or people that wouldn't take the question seriously. Also, out of the 4 bishops that i had, 2 of them specificaly said that hot chocolate was exempted from this as it was benign. Though the other 2 said it would be following both the spirit and the letter of the law as (they told me) ol' horney joe "banned even the drinking of hot water".

[_TAK]

The hypocrisy (again) is what the church ignores.. an obese person can have a temple recommend after saying that they keep the word of wisdom..

[_The Nehor]

The hypocrisy (again) is what the church ignores.. an obese person can have a temple recommend after saying that they keep the word of wisdom..

Yes, but as they're most likely going to go to hell for lying I fail to see how this is an advantage.

[_TAK]

Yes, but as they're most likely going to go to hell for lying I fail to see how this is an advantage.

What are you talking about?? The obese person did not lie.. the hypocrisy by the church is it fuss about someone drinking a cup of tea but ignoring the true health of the person.

[_Jersey Girl]

Porter,

You are right to point out the discrepancies in the way that people cherry pick parts of the WoW to follow. It is not unlike EV's who cherry pick a few verses from Leviticus to oppose homosexuality and ignore the application of the remainder of Levitical Law to their own lives.

The only part of your post that I take exception to is the remarks about barley and mild drinks. If I recall correctly, this was expanded to include beer with all other alcoholic drinks by, I suppose, some sort of continued revelation or something to that effect.

Love the bit about the oatmeal cookies! According to what is stated in the WoW, you are dead on with that.

[_Yoda]

Yes, but as they're most likely going to go to hell for lying I fail to see how this is an advantage.

What are you talking about?? The obese person did not lie.. the hypocrisy by the church is it fuss about someone drinking a cup of tea but ignoring the true health of the person.

I think that what Nehor is addressing is the fact that if a person is grossly obese, they are lying if they are stating that they are living the Word of Wisdom. Therefore, even though they may have been granted a temple recommend, they are in bigger trouble in the "eternal scheme of things" for lying to go to the temple in the first place.

To your point.....I agree.

However, the question the bishop should be asking is, "Do you obey the Word of Wisdom?"

If that member, in good conscience, answers, "Yes," then it is the member's responsibility, not the bishop's, on whether or not that person has lied.

In other words, if I have had a glass of wine the night before an interview, and the bishop asks me if I am keeping the Word of Wisdom...If I answer, "yes," then it is my responsibility to work that one out with the Lord.

My understanding is that the bishop is technically not supposed to probe. They are supposed to simply ask the questions.

[Rikiti]

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[_Polygamy-Porter]

I think to understand what is meant by hot drinks, you have to look at the root of where the WoW came from. It was inspired by a temperance society (not by God, unless that society was originally inspired by God, but Smith copied it nonetheless). Temperance societies of the day wanted to do away with tea and coffee and that is how hot drinks were defined then in that context.

Exactly.

Why is the background of the temperance movement not given when the WoW is discussed with investigators and members???

Leaving that out of the discussion makes it appear as though Smith was THE only one to have such a revelation and the rest of the world were chain smokin, tobacco chewin, drinkin, meat lovin FOOLS.

The reason they leave it out is to create divinity via obscurity. Most do not know about the temperance movement and it is easy to pull a fast one, especially children into thinking that Smith was the first one to speak out against smoking, drinking, and over eating(though that is largely ignored, pun intended).

When I read about the temperance movement during my passage out of Mormonism, I knew immediately that the WoW was nothing more than a Joseph Smith copycat.

[Guest]

What is your source that temperance societies wanted to do away with tea and coffee? Hot drinks, in general, had to do with boiling water, because of the prevalence of cholera. And "cholera" covered a multitude of illnesses, including poisoning. Which might have been a quiet way of doing away with people who had negative feelings towards BY. Take a look at MMM.

This article:
http://bell.lib.umn.edu/Products/coffee.html
says that tea and coffee and chocolate were prized as alternatives to alcohol-containing beverages.