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AmyJ wrote: ↑16 Sep 2022, 05:32 which usually jumps into "if you aren't faithful to the Word of Wisdom, are you going to be faithful to me? are you going to be faithful to my values?"

I totally think you are right about this.

I also think this explains a lot of other things humans do because we compartmentalize things this way to protect our beliefs.

For example, LGBTQ+ issues. In the past it was race issues like a stance on interracial marriage.

When it becomes a trust issue...it is no longer about the very issue itself, but the fear of that issue becoming a slippery slope to hypothetical issues. And in that, perspective is lost and poor choices to choose love for others creeps in.

It no longer is about coffee, which is so stupid on an eternal level. And it becomes very odd that a group of people who have the foundation built on eternal families and loving everyone from a godly perspective, become so pedantic and judgmental.

Motes and beams.

I don't understand how people found something wrong with coffee. For me, coffee is energy and sometimes it even helps me with headaches.

Myron, I think there are a lot of us that don't understand why it's wrong. The only conclusion I can come up with is that
there are other issues that play into the history of why it was & continue to be forbidden. None of the reason had to do
with health issues. For example, political or economic?

I completely understand not using tobacco or alcohol. Even then, there are some who can argue that it should be a matter
of personal choice. But, as I understand it, even cold coffee or iced tea are included in the ban. Also, if it's a matter of it
being a word of wisdom, maybe they should include being overweight in the temple recommend interview.

I like your point about your definition of a perfect day off.

My current bishop told my son that the word of wisdom is to serve as a marker of identification for LDS members and as a separation from the world. Similar to the circumcision for the Israelites. It was not a sin for a gentile to not be circumcised and it is no sin for nonmembers to partake in these substances today.

I'm not sure that this completely jives with how the WoW has been taught over the years but, at this point, I appreciate the attempt.

Roy wrote: ↑11 Dec 2024, 17:00 My current bishop told my son that the word of wisdom is to serve as a marker of identification for LDS members and as a separation from the world. Similar to the circumcision for the Israelites. It was not a sin for a gentile to not be circumcised and it is no sin for nonmembers to partake in these substances today.

I'm not sure that this completely jives with how the WoW has been taught over the years but, at this point, I appreciate the attempt.

So what if you don't want to be "marked" or "identified" in that way? What if your life is actually more balanced and authentically "better" because you "break" and/or "re-interpret" the Word of Wisdom in proper degrees of respect and moderation?

Also, there is no "ritual" that kicks off that level of belonging the way that baptism or other ordinances do (so much better).

WOW-Centic
We don't define "the Word of Wisdom" into the disjointed lifestyles it spawned and/or evolution into current practices
- Self Medication (Alcohol = Grain-based & Wine-based beverages) = "Social Lubricant" from a biological perspective.
- Self Medication (Coffee/Tea) = We don't know why "these beverages" BUT we assume "Caffeine" and we assume "Tanin". We also underestimate the other "good" parts potentially of these substances.

- Self Medication (Tobacco) = ?
- Self Medication (Poultices used skillfully) = Natural Medicine?
- Vegetarianism ("Meat used sparingly") = Ecological impact/sustainable living (but we don't reward brownie points to those of us who follow the word of wisdom in this way consistently).

"Honorable Mentions" not included in the original topics
All of these things listed above are "ripe for abuse".
All of these cause "symptoms" of not being aware of what is going into your body and the impact of it.

Neutral?:
- Sugar
- Overconsumption of Meat?
- Supplements

"Bad" but not included:
- "Street Drugs" ["natural medicine" gone haywire / too potent medication introduced in the system]
- "Prescribed Medication" abuse
- Non-Tobacco replacements (inhaled)

"Energy" Generators
- "Caffeine" controversy = ADHD medication (more potent form of caffeine), Anxiety medication (dopamine reactor interactions), "production" self-medication (abuse - normally "Energy Drink" conversations).
NOTE: There are "non-caffeine" replacements that aren't necessarily covered in our theology.

CONCLUSION: I just found 12 different distinct topics within and/or directly adjacent to the "Word of Wisdom as a Health Code" that would provide enough information for at least 1 hour "lesson" that would either help us considerably to study yearly OR break our communities through proclaiming judgements on how we live our lives as our lives intersect these topics.

Because I am the granddaughter of 3 serious alcoholics (both parents were converts), and my family has weird reactions to medications (and I seem generally sensitive to medication anyways), I have taken seriously the "alcohol" aspect of that lifestyle. I don't drink alcoholic beverages. I have told my kids about these grandparents and our sensitivities since either girl was about 4-6 years of age. My oldest rolls my eyes whenever it comes up now - not because I am "lecturing her on her behavior" but because this information is super stale news now. She's not interested in playing with the proverbial fire of combining our genetics with alcohol, so yay?

In fact, I take the Word of Wisdom entirely into the direction that "everything that I intake is worthy of being considered a medication (even if self-medication)" it changes how I see and teach the Word of Wisdom. It actually crops up in the regular survey of lifestyle habits and health, but it really comes up in what I talk to my doctor about when I am self-medicating and the medical prescriptions I ask him to consider in light of my physical health.

I am interested in medication via caffeine because ADHD runs in my family and my anxiety is most sustainably managed by a specific application of caffeine. I don't like the smell of coffee or the smell/taste of herbal teas I have experienced - so I get mine via synthetic flavored non-carbonated beverages. NOTE: I recognize that I could potentially "swap into healthier variations" if I went the artisan natural medicine supplement route.
And my doctor (Actively Christian, probably evangelical) is fully aware that I use 120-240 mg of caffeine throughout the day within specific parameters to "self-medicate" and sanctions it for my personal health.

CONCLUSION: I feel strongly that we are taking the entirely incorrect approach to "The Word of Wisdom as a Health Code" because it is weirdly vague and specific, because it has a lot of historical/cultural assumptions that are not properly given the historical and/or cultural context of the time, because women have not been part of the conversation about what it actually looks like while providing the means that families used to medicate/self-medicate through food and drink, and even though lore says that it started because Emma had some strong opinions/questions and an unknown amount of input.