Health

Just as Mormonism has revised its doctrine on polygamy, temple ordinances, black priesthood holders, and children baptisms, I think there is another doctrine that could use an update. Well, a third update that is. I’m referring to what is known as The Word of Wisdom.

As I understand it, The Word of Wisdom is intended as a health advisory and maybe a commandment of God. Two problematic issues with meeting these constraints is that the passage is very ambiguous and subjective, but also it doesn’t advise good health. Feel free to open your scriptures to D&C 89 and follow along as I unapologetically deconstruct this laughable passage.

When Joseph Smith originally revealed it he did so as a way of advice and “not by commandment or constraint”. But later the church decided to revise it as an official law of God and a requirement for temple admittance. In my opinion, the decision of ideal health should be allowed to an adult of informed consent. Being slightly unhealthy is not immoral, so why is it an essential commandment of God?

Some argue that it’s not so much about health, but showing one’s commitment to following the suggested commandments of God. However, a just and merciful God can’t hold us accountable for not adhering to some interpretation of ambiguous and subjective laws. Imagine being pulled over by the police and being cited for driving a blue car on a Thursday. Not really fair if you didn’t explicitly know the clearly defined law.

“hot drinks are not for the body or belly.” But hot chocolate and herbal tea is ok even though they’re hot. Iced coffee is a sin because hot coffee is a sin, but energy drinks are ok even though they’re caffeinated like coffee.

“Yea, flesh also of beasts and of the fowls of the air… are to be used sparingly… only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine.” Anyone ever have a burger in the summer? Sinner! But actually that’s not really breaking the law of God because you can still go to the temple after the church BBQ. Side question, does a chicken count as a fowl of the air if it can’t fly?

According to the old revision of The Word of Wisdom, wine was ok for the sacrament. Also, there is a whole section about good grains “and for mild drinks” made from grains. Beer is a mild drink made from grains. But beer is a sin (*Word of Wisdom 2.0) Can you imagine any of these ambiguous and subjective commandments holding up in a court of law?

Let’s talk about health for a moment. The Word of Wisdom mentions nothing about exercise, proper sleep, hard drugs, narcotics, opioids, prescriptions, medical cannabis, junk food, caffeine, vaccinations, flu shots, sexually transmitted infections, viruses, diseases, cancer, depression, anxiety, stress, psychological disorders, addictions, mental health, elective surgery, skin sun protection, dental health, lethargy, and high blood pressure to name a few. The Word of Wisdom is basically a suggestion to not drink or smoke because it bothered Emma Smith.

No one is going to hell because they drank a unrepentant 6 oz cup of black coffee as a pick-me-up, so why the hell is it a commandment? The Mormon church should stop embarrassing themselves and reveal a non-commandment Word of Wisdom version 3.0 which actually has something to do with health, but is also not a requirement for temple admittance.