question for mormons (LDS) why is tea and coffee in the wow but not junk food?

Question

And yes, I know that the WOW was made before there was Macdonalds but if Joseph Smith got this revolation from god then wouldnt god know what was coming in the future or why does the present day prophets not add this to the WOW? Junk food is more adictive than tea and is a huge contribution towards so many deaths each year from heart desease. Tea does not come even close to causing as much illness as junk food. So i'm confused to why LDS members eat junk food ( and some members alot of it) but won't touch a cup of tea!

Answer 1

there is not one "rule that God has ever given that doesn't leave room for individual free agency/choice.....why would the WoW be any different.



He provides us with some general guidelines, with a brain and some common sense. the rest is up to us. and it is an opportunity to show obedience or not.



do some choose poorly? yes, of course.

Answer 2

God warned us of things that present an immediate danger, of things that can distract us from His influence and change our focus. This warning included coffee and tea, primarily because they're addictive and unhealthy. They cause major physical and emotional problems over time, and even a single cup can cause smaller problems.



It's not the same with a cheeseburger. Sure, McDonald's isn't the healthiest food on the planet, but it's still food. There's a nutritional value, however scant, that coffee and tea don't have. They're also not addictive. People don't get grumpy in the mornings just because they haven't had a french fry. It's not as distracting from God or His influence. They're not the same.



I'm not arguing that a ton of fast food causes major problems. Of course it does...and that's also in the Word of Wisdom. There are parts in there about moderation, and this falls under that. Any individual who eats anything in excess is not keeping the Word of Wisdom, but having a hamburger once in a while isn't against the WoW.

Answer 3

I'm sure in the 15 years you were a member that at least one person pointed out that the Word of Wisdom isn't meant to dictate every aspect of our diet, that it's a guide to healthful living. Notice that the substances that we are told to abstain from are addictive in an extremely dangerous way, especially alcohol and tobacco. They are basically poison that man doesn't have the sense to not consume. We are forbidden to consume those substances to protect us.The rest is still a guide that's why it's called the Word of Wisdom. We are supposed to use our own wisdom in having a healthy diet.



You may also recall from your years as a member of the LDS Church that agency, the freedom to make our own choices is an important part of the gospel. It would be counter productive for our leaders to do our thinking for us to the extent that they told us every little thing we can and cannot consume. We were put here to prove ourselves. How well we follow the Word of Wisdom is part of that. It's between each individual and God.



Sometimes I think there is no pleasing people. Either we get criticized for the Word of Wisdom because as some people see it we are even told what we can't put into our bodies and then we get criticized for not having every aspect of our diet controlled for us.

Answer 4

You know that is a great question. Junk food causes all those deaths and is addictive. Coffee drinkers are know to be less likely to get bladder Cancer and Tea is known to have Cancer fighting abilities of course were talking about Coffee and Tea's with no other additives. There are of course other things coffee and tea help prevent for our good but other than fill a hunger most fast foods and definitely pastries do little else.

Answer 5

Written commandments in the scriptures are stepping stones to more refined commandments that are based on the foundation of the previously given commandments.



If THE Church Of JESUS CHRIST Of Latter Day Saints made the rules too difficult than no one could do Temple Work.



The rules in the Word Of Wisdom, and the rules that define who is worthy and who is not worthy to enter into a Temple Of Jesus Christ, these are minimum standards, only.



This does not mean that an individual person could not progress. Eating meat may not be a very good thing for your health, but it has not been prohibited for entry into The Temple Of Jesus Christ.





God bless.

Answer 6

Because Joseph Smith said so, that's why. End of subject where mormons are concerned.



Smith didn't have a 4th grade education clue what germs were, yet he declared God "told" him to not consume hot drinks that were.... boiled, killing germs?? God knows what germs are. So, why did He "tell" Smith the exact opposite of what would be for good health? Especially "knowing" they would be traveling to a place where the water was not that pure?



Mormonism. The "go figure" religion.

Answer 7

The Word of Wisdom in Mormon doctrine states that all things should be taken in moderation. Fast food and other junk food leads to many deaths when people over indulge in it. If it was taken in small doses and healthy practices of exercise were incorporated in the partakers routine then it wouldn't have much of a negative effect on someones body at all.



Those who over indulge in fast food, sugar, caffeine, even over indulging in things like exercise or meat of any kind are against the Mormon Word of Wisdom.



Tea, like coffee or tobacco, contains substances that cannot be balanced in your body by other chemicals found within the human body or by exterior activities (like cholesterol can be with exercise, etc.). The full list of compounds can be found at:



http://www.innvista.com/health/nutrition/diet/tea.htm



There are of course some aspects of the beverage that can prove to be beneficial to your health, but this goes the same for alcohol.



I don't think we need to get into the negative effects that alcohol can have and why the Mormon church does not allow it.



The Word of Wisdom preaches moderation in all things and encourages a healthy life style. It promotes things that compliment each other in the human body as listed above.



Black and green tea, along with a few other disallowed substances in the Word of Wisdom, must be taken in very small moderation to have very small effect, but due to their specific compounds they have been put on the list of disallowed substances in the Mormon church. Even when taken in small doses over a long period of time can have a harmful effect on the human body.

Answer 8

The purpose of the Word of Wisdom (as with all our rules in the church) is not to outline everything you can and can't do. In the Doctrine and Covenants we are taught that someone who has to be commanded in all things is a wicked and slothful servant but that we should do many things of our own freewill and choice.



Many Mormons abstain from Caffeine but it's not required, many try to live healthy lifestyles and exercise often, and some just strictly follow the letter of the law and don't get the blessings of a healthy lifestyle.

Answer 9

How was he supposed to draw the line on junk food? Make it against the wow to have cookies as a family after dinner? There's nothing really WRONG with junk food, its the misuse/overuse of it thats the problem. The POINT of the wow is to teach us that we need to be aware of what we put in our bodies. Anyone who gets the point of it knows full well what God is teaching us. Its not like we need every little article of food broken down into "thats ok" and "thats not".



“I teach them correct principles, and they govern themselves."---JS

Answer 10

Sugar, food additives, trans fats, illegal drugs.



Why didn't God just mention that you should wash your hands a lot and boil drinking water from unknown sources? Thousands of lives could have been saved. Instead, we were told not to drink tea?

Answer 11

It doesn't say what not to eat. It says what you SHOULD eat--whole grains, vegetables and herbs, and meat only if you really have to. You would think that if you were told what to have in your diet, that would exclude anything else.



Why isn't that enough instruction?



I am wondering why people aren't happy and don't believe unless they have every minor detail dictated to them.

Answer 12

What do Mormons have to do with the World of Warcraft?

Answer 13

Boy, don't make me get all magic underpants on you!