Word of Wisdom-The Commandment and the Principle

 

The Word of Wisdom was originally given “greeting; not by commandment or constraint” (D&C 89:2). Later the Word of Wisdom became a requirement to receive a temple recommend. That change took about 88 years. What transpired during that time that changed the way the Word of Wisdom was viewed and practiced? Why was this acceptable to the Lord? 

As was mentioned previously, being sent greeting suggests that the Lord was excitedly sharing with the saints this principle which was necessary for temporal (and therefore spiritual) salvation. He clearly stated at that time that he was not commanding or forcing the saints to follow the revelation. Elder John A. Widtsoe of the Quorum of the Twelve suggested that because the saints in the early days of the church were in difficult environment, the Lord did not command them to follow the Word of Wisdom. He stated, “In those frontier settlements food was usually plentiful but seldom of the best variety. Meat predominated; grains were usually available; vegetables and fruits were scarce. For stimulation, resort was often made to home-brewed alcoholic beverages, though there was little or no drunkenness; to tobacco, mostly for chewing; and to tea and coffee. These substances were commonly and freely used when available” (The Lord’s People Blessed by Temporal Law, Roy W. Doxey).

In addition, the United States at that time was a heavy drinking nation. Consuming alcohol was extremely common world wide in the 1830s, but especially so in America. Originally it was used because clean drinking water was not readily available. Later, after the American Revolution, grain farmers began making their grain into whiskey because it was easier to ship and sell than the actual grains. This resulted in Americans of all ages everywhere drinking hard liquor daily. By 1830 American consumption of distilled spirits was around seven gallons a year per person, which is the highest alcohol consumption has ever been in American history (Church History Library, Revelations in Context, Word of Wisdom). Because of this issue the American Temperance Society was organized in 1826 and temperance societies spread across the United States. In 1833 even Kirtland had its own temperance society (Church History Library, Revelations in Context, Word of Wisdom). Alcohol consumption was being recognized as an issue in the United States, which may have also contributed to Joseph Smith asking what the will of the Lord was on this matter, though ultimately it was tobacco use that prompted revelation.

Because the saints were living in a time when alcohol was so common it is likely that it would have been difficult for many of them to give it up immediately, whether because of circumstance or addiction. In 1913 Joseph F. Smith explained that, “The reason undoubtedly why the Word of Wisdom was given—as not by ‘commandment or constraint’ was that at that time, at least, if it had been given as a commandment it would have brought every man, addicted to the use of these noxious things, under condemnation; so the Lord was merciful and gave them a chance to overcome before he brought them under the law” (The Lord’s People Blessed by Temporal Law, Roy W. Doxey). Clearly the Lord is merciful to his children and desirers to help them succeed in following his commandments.

Despite the Word of Wisdom not being a commandment Brigham Young admonished the saints to follow its teachings. He stated, “Why not govern and control the appetite, that it may be subject to the law of Christ? But how is it? Why, ‘I must have some tobacco, if I am damned for it.’ Or, ‘I must have a cup of tea, if I am damned for it.’ Or, ‘I must have this or that, if I should have to go to hell for it.’ It is like saying to our Heavenly Father, ‘I will not mind you, I will not obey your commandments, but I will have my own way and follow the bent of my own inclinations; my appetite shall be nursed and pampered, though it be at the expense of your displeasure.’ Instead of pursuing this course, listen to that Spirit God has given to all, which teaches the right and how to avoid the wrong, and say to appetite, to disposition, to temper, to the whole man, you must do as I command you; I am an officer, a general in the army of Christ and I will be obeyed” (The Lord’s People Blessed by Temporal Law, Roy W. Doxey italics added for emphasis). While Brigham Young encouraged the saints to follow the Word of Wisdom it was not until Heber J. Grant became prophet that it began to be emphasized to the extent it is today.

President Grant was especially motivated to stress the importance the Word of Wisdom to the saints because he had seen first hand the ramifications of not following its principles. He describes watching a friend give up smoking to serve a mission only to begin again as soon as he returned. Smoking lead to drinking alcohol, which lead to immorality, which lead to excommunication from the church and ultimately an early death. He recalls standing at this friend’s grave and looking “up to heaving and [making] a pledge to my God that liquor and tobacco would have in me an enemy who would fight with all the ability that God would give me until the day of my death” (Teachings of Heber J. Grant, Chapter 21: Observing the Word of Wisdom).

President Grant did just that and preached numerous sermons on the Word of Wisdom, so much so people were reported to complain about it and ask that he please speak of something else. His response was, “No mortal man who is a Latter-day Saint and is keeping the Word of Wisdom is ever sick and tired of hearing it.  When a man leaves a meeting and says…’Can’t they find something else to talk about besides the Word of Wisdom; I am sick and tired of it’-of course he is, because he is full of stuff that the Word of Wisdom tells him to leave alone” (Teachings of Heber J. Grant, Chapter 21: Observing the Word of Wisdom). In 1921 President Grant made it clear that in order to obtain a temple recommend members of the LDS church must follow the Word of Wisdom and by 1933 those guidelines were included in the General Handbook of Instructions for the church (From Principle to Requirement, Thomas G. Alexander).

Because of events that took place while Heber J. Grant was prophet the don’ts of the Word of Wisdom have become a hallmark of Mormons. Following the Word of Wisdom is necessary to obtain a temple recommend, making it a commandment through the voice of one of God’s prophets. However, the do’s of the Word of Wisdom have never prophetically been declared a commandment and remain a principle. Many have tried to elaborate on what the do’s of the Word of Wisdom mean and even past prophets have from time to time emphasized the importance of eating little meat (From Principle to Requirement, Thomas G. Alexander). At one point John A. Widtsoe, an apostle, even wrote a book called The Word of Wisdom which spoke against refined grains and coke-a-cola. However, that book was not an inspired book and President Grant stated that “the actual teachings in the Word of Wisdom would hardly justify the conclusions drawn” (From Principle to Requirement, Thomas G. Alexander).

As I have studied the Word of Wisdom from the perspective of a dietitian I feel that the do’s have remained a principle for a few reasons. First, I feel that God has given us our body as a temple for our spirit and he has also given us our agency. He will not force us to care for that gift and by limiting our agency. However, he will protect his own temple from the effects of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco by not allowing those who enter here to partake of them. Hence the commandment part of the Word of Wisdom necessary for a temple recommend and the principle shared in D&C.

Second, I feel that each person’s body has unique needs and therefore a blanket statement cannot be made for what each person should do to keep their own body healthy. For example, individuals have allergies and food intolerances, different access to types and amounts of food, and disease can strike mortal bodies. For example a diabetic cannot eat all the grain they would like, a person with kidney failure cannot not eat large quantities of vegetables without risking heart attack, a person with PKU cannot tolerate all types protein, and a person with intestinal disorders may be limited in the types foods they can eat, etc.

Third, I feel that God has given us stewardship over our body and wants us to develop that stewardship. He has gladly given us the principles we need and told us the promised blessings that will come if we follow those principles. He has left it to us to study it out in our minds and seek answers as to how we need to follow that principle. Part of the beauty of the principle of the Word of Wisdom is it is so simple to take care of our bodies. Unbelievably simple, devoid of diets, super foods, complicated workouts, and rigorous rules. However, the magnitude of following such a simple principle is staggering. The more I have learned about nutrition while studying the Word of Wisdom the more I am in awe of how well orchestrated God’s plan is and the more my testimony grows of small and simple things bringing about great things.

As a dietitian I wish members of the church did a little more “search, ponder and pray” about the Word of Wisdom and really studied it out for themselves (keep in mind my job is to try and help people having some serious negative consequences of not taking care of their body and it gets to you after a while). But then again, that often leads to fringe rules of the Pharisee and the Sadducee variety. But the basic principles that can be applied to everyone are simple and require that we take care of our body for our benefit both physically and spiritually. It is a principle with a promise that was so perfectly written for our day and I challenge you to think about what you can do to benefit from having this knowledge.