In light of all the diet fads, health trends, chronic illness factors, and general confusion about what we should be eating (or not), smoking (or not), drinking (or not), I take great comfort in the words of the Lord in our day concerning health. I'm quoting directly from Section 89 of the Doctrine and Covenants, and inserting my opinions:
1 A Word of Wisdom, for the benefit of
the council of high priests, assembled in Kirtland, and the church, and also
the saints in Zion—
How
interesting to note, this is directed to the church and that the rest of the
world is not held accountable to live the Word of Wisdom. It seems that the
Word of Wisdom will be one of the factors that distinguish the Saints from the
rest of the world.
2 To be sent greeting; not by commandment or constraint,
but by revelation and the word of wisdom, showing forth the order and will of
God in the temporal salvation of all saints in the last days—
Since
that time, the Word of Wisdom has become a commandment and all members of the
church are expected to live it. It is very clear that this is intended for our
temporal salvation. Our bodies at this time may be mortal and temporary, but we are accountable
for the way we treat our bodies. One day we will have immortal bodies, and
possibly a new and higher standard of health to maintain those immortal bodies.
Consider this time on Earth with, mortal bodies, practice for the time when we
will have immortal bodies.
3 Given for a principle with promise, adapted to the
capacity of the weak and the weakest of all saints, who are or
can be called saints.
This
should be easy. Stop complaining about how hard it is. It’s not complicated.
There’s no food pyramid, no calories to count, and no worries about portion
sizes. I’m not saying you shouldn't be concerned about diet and nutrition, but
it doesn't need to be the fad prone cult science that it is today.
4 Behold, verily, thus saith the Lord unto you: In
consequence of evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men
in the last days, I have warned you, and forewarn you, by giving unto
you this word of wisdom by revelation—
Did
you read that? Has anyone read that?! Sometimes I can’t believe how naïve
people are about poison, addiction, and drugs of recreational, prescription,
and OTC types. Anyone who stands to gain from your broken health, addiction, or
death should be treated with caution.
Pharmaceutical
companies and doctors: Every doctor I've ever spoken to seemed sincere in their
desires to assist people in maintaining or gaining health, and relieving pain.
They can be trusted, but it should be a verified trust. If a doctor diagnoses
you with a major, chronic, or terminal condition, get a second opinion. Just do
it.
Food
and drug manufacturers do stand to gain from your addiction. Period. Some call
it brand loyalty, and in many cases it is true. I have favorite brands too, but
I still treat store bought food with caution and try to make things at home as
much as reasonably possible. As for drugs, it’s a “no” if I can find a gentle
herbal remedy, or if I can correct the issue with my health through diet and exercise.
I’ve
written about the less obvious. I’m sure you can work out how unhealthy it is
to buy stuff from known enemies.
5 That inasmuch as any man drinketh wine or
strong drink among you, behold it is not good, neither meet in the sight of
your Father, only in assembling yourselves together to offer up your sacraments
before him.
That’s
pretty clear. Alcohol can be terribly addictive, impairs our judgment and
coordination, and can bring out the worst in us. In time, alcohol can destroy one's health.
We use water in the sacrament today. By
way of illustration as to why, turn back a few sections: Doctrine and
Covenants, section 27
“2 For, behold, I say unto you,
that it mattereth not what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink when ye
partake of the sacrament, if it so be that ye do it with an eye single to
my glory—remembering unto the Father my body which was laid down
for you, and my blood which was shed for the remission of your
sins.
“ 3 Wherefore, a commandment I give unto you, that you
shall not purchase wine neither strong drink of your enemies;
“4 Wherefore, you shall partake of none except it is
made new
among
you; yea, in this my Father’s kingdom which shall be built up on the earth.”
Never
take wine from your enemies, in fact, don't drink at all. Alcohol is easily drugged or poisoned. Ever hear of the "date rape" drug? It's usually snuck into an alcoholic drink. For further elaboration read the Book of Mormon,
Alma chapter 55, in which wine becomes a weapon of war.
In
Joseph Smith’s time, sanitation was a loosely understood science, if conceived
of at all; but now nearly everyone knows that alcohol kills bacteria. It sure
is nice to know about sanitation if you've been mucking out the barn and then
have to go home and make dinner.
8 And again, tobacco is not for the body, neither for
the belly, and is not good for man, but is an herb for bruises and all sick
cattle, to be used with judgment and skill.
The
Lord was way ahead of mankind in understanding the damage that smoking and
chewing tobacco does to the human body, yet he left to us some proper uses for
it.
No
one has ever been able to convince me that pouring boiling hot liquid down
one’s throat is wholesome in any way. That said, coffee and tea are not the
demonic drink of death. Most people can drink these things every day and still
live healthy productive lives. Get over it.
In
my opinion, the problem lays in that it’s a socially accepted addiction. In
fact, it’s celebrated. Morning coffee, noon coffee, afternoon tea/coffee, late
night espresso, tea ceremony, tea party… the list goes on. The same is said for
social drinking and partying. It’s such a fundamental part of our worldly
culture. The Lord has asked us to separate ourselves from the worldly ways and
attitudes, and to be distinct. He uses the word “peculiar” when he describes His
people. When people think of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, one of the first things they think of is that we don’t drink
tea, coffee, or alcohol, and that we don’t smoke; and that’s a good thing. We
are “peculiar”.
General Conference, April 1996 Boyd K. Packer
"In some cultures, native drinks are claimed to be harmless because they are not specifically mentioned in the revelation. Yet they draw members, particularly men, away from their families to parties which certainly offend the principle. Promises made in the revelation will be denied to the careless or the reckless."
It is important, even if you don't necessarily view something as dangerous, to avoid that which the Lord commands us not to touch.
10 And again, verily I say unto you, all
wholesome herbs God hath ordained for the constitution, nature, and
use of man—
Remember
that Lord stipulated the proper use of tobacco? Every plant has uses that
benefit us in one way or another.
11 Every herb in the season thereof, and every fruit in the
season thereof; all these to be used
with prudence and thanksgiving.
I
appreciate that the Lord specified that they are to be used in season. The preservation
process destroys most of the virtues of fruits, vegetables, and herbs. If it comes in a box, bag, or jar; it has been preserved, often with much more salt and/or sugar than is healthy. There are almost always chemical additives to protect or enhance the flavor of preserved food. If you find something in the ingredient list that you can't pronounce, don't know what it is, or can not buy it without a special license, you probably shouldn't be eating it. As a little girl Mom always told me not to put strange things in my mouth. I don't think the advise should change just because I am an adult.
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 sparingly;
A
vegan diet is unnatural for mankind, there are a number of nutrients we simply
do not absorb as well from plants as we do from meat and animal products, but
we should not overdo it. The Lord did not give us the animals to just wantonly
kill and devour.
13 And it is pleasing unto me that they should not
be used, only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine.
Does
this require elaboration? This doesn't mean vegan. We have plenty of milk and
eggs, and most places have access to fish. We won't starve or go malnourished
if we don’t have beef every night.
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;
16 All grain is good for the food of man; as also
the fruit of the vine; that which yieldeth fruit, whether in the
ground or above the ground—
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.
 |
| Lifted from here |
It
used to be we simply ground the grain into flour and within a matter of hours
mixed the flour into dough. Depending on the culture and leavening style, the
dough was left either overnight to rise, or up to several weeks to ferment
before being cooked into bread. Today, the grain is dissected, stripped of most
of its nutrients, ground, synthetic nutrients are added back in. If yeast is even
used at all, it is rushed and barely has time to render the dough so that the bread is edible after
baking. As for having the time necessary to break down the villainous gluten that so many blame for their seeming health problems, ha! Too bad.
I’m
not a purist. My family does have a few favorite store and restaurant bought
breads; but most of our bread is made at home. I know what’s in it, and I control
the leavening process.
Before
cutting wheat and bread from anyone’s diet, so long as that person is not in life threatening
danger from celiac disease, consider doing with wheat and grains what your
ancestors did.
18 And all saints who remember to keep and do these
sayings, walking in obedience to the
commandments, shall receive health in their navel and marrow to
their bones;
How
would you like to not get sick, or at least not be as sick?
Wouldn't school, work, and any learning or problem solving situation be better with good
health?
Wouldn't you like to be in better shape? I don’t know anyone who wants otherwise.
21 And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that
the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of
Israel, and not slay them. Amen.
Amen.
You can't depend on grocery stores, and drug stores, and doctors for every little health need. The Lord gave us clear guidelines on how to live a healthy life. Of course not everyone is going to have perfect bodies, perfect immune systems, and perfect health. Sometimes illness, disease, injury, or chronic conditions strike and it's no one's fault; but all of us have something we can do better.
This is my testimony of the Word of Wisdom: as long as I have kept it, I have been alert to the promptings of the Lord. So far, my life as been as turbulent and dangerous as any other. I expect to die at some point (hopefully not very soon); but, the "destroying angel", as mentioned above, has not been able to break or destroy my spirit. The influence of evil has passed by me time and time again, while striking down many around me. I attribute that, in large part, to my obedience to the Word of Wisdom. I am alert, strong, and aware of the presence of the Holy Spirit. He have been guided through deep water, dark woods, car accidents, raucous parties, temporary sickness, and emotional upheaval. Today I teach the Word of Wisdom, in both principal and practice, to my children and we are enjoying the fruits of health, peace of mind and body, and the Lord's blessings on our home and family. I can testify, that if you follow the Word of Wisdom, your mind will be clear and your health will improve. I say that, in Jesus name, Amen.
Suggested reading: April 1996 General Conference, Boyd K. Packer:
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