Caffeine, Coffee, Tea; Oh My!

Throughout my life I have had various people at various times tell me what I can or cannot do; particularly with regards to being a Mormon. examples, "You can't drink caffeine or you are a bad Mormon." "You can't drink coffee because you believe that if you drink coffee then you are going to Hell."  Personally I do not like when people tell me what I can't do or what I personally believe; especially people with starkly differing value systems. I know what I believe much better than they do.  Besides, they are wrong.  I know many excellent people and excellent Mormons who drink caffeine. There is no commentary from LDS headquarters regarding drinking caffeine. Futhermore, I know many non-Mormons who drink coffee and are probably going to heaven before I get there.  Just because I hold something as a value for me, doesn't mean that I think everyone who does something different is going to hell.  That would be outrageous (not to mention a LOT of people would be going to hell).  I don't even think that if I drank an iced coffee or a toffee mocha I would be going to hell.  

The Church of Jesus Christ has the Word of Wisdom as a revelation from God as a law of health.  It teaches that alcohol, tobacco, hot drinks (tea and coffee) are harmful substances.  When it was revealed the general opinion was that tobacco was good for you and many of the church members at the time were using spitting tobacco. Actually, the women thought it was revealed so that they would stop needing to clean the floors so often from the nasty spit.  Today we have the scientific evidence that tobacco gives you cancer and has such harmful effects as to kill people. This is a fact. Today over 8.5 million Americans live with tobacco related illnesses.  Personally I love the smell of coffee, but I do not drink it or any form of it because the revelation did not say that caffeine was the reason. I bet it is part of the reason, but I do not drink decaf coffee because there are probably things about it that God knows that I do not know.  There are a number of Mormons who have decided not to drink caffeine however there is no church doctrine which states that members cannot drink caffeine. My husband and father are big fans of Coke/Pepsi. There is nothing secretive about their drinking Coke and there are no negative repercussions.

 My friend Danica Palmer expressed her feelings about this: "Caffeine is an addictive substance (As a girl who lived with a father that was a grouch until he had his Diet Coke every morning, I can say this is true). Our Heavenly Father protects us with commandments because He is protecting our agency. If I can't make it through the morning without my cup of coffee, I've surrendered part of my agency: I am no longer capable of choosing to drink or not to drink coffee; I HAVE to drink it; I HAVE to have it. Since caffeine is addictive, I can see why a lot of LDS people stay away from it. I think that there is moderation in all things; I can have a cup of soda and move on with my life (I usually don't because I get those bubbly burps in my nose, and I'm not a fan). Also, I believe we're not told specifically yes caffeine is out, or no caffeine is fair game because we're living the higher law. Heavenly Father knows we're capable individuals who don't need to know how many steps to take on the Sabbath (which was a law created by pharisees anyway). He expects us to make our own choices, and then go to Him to confirm the righteousness (or discover the not-so-righteousness) of our decision. It all boils down to protecting agency. :)

Tea is complicated because teas come in so many forms; green tea, black tea, iced tea, herbal tea, etc.  When I was pregnant I got a bad cold and I was not able to take cold medicine but I did drink some caffeine-free herbal teas because the scriptures say that herbs of the earth are to be used for the good of man. I do not think that drinking herbal teas is wrong or bad; but that is just my personal opinion. Some people find it easier to just say no tea means no tea. In fact this is usually my opinion because I’m a ‘better safe than sorry’ kind of a person.  The Church says that tea is a dangerous substance and while this is not something that I understand, I have faith that it is  true revelation and therefore I do not drink tea. Because it does not specify, people can make their own decisions based on their own prayers and communication with the holy spirit.

Mormons who are regularly attending church and are doing their best to become better and live like Jesus Christ work towards going to the temple. To be eligible to enter the temple you have to be keeping the commandments; including following the Word of Wisdom.  If you are going to the temple then you are wearing garments. If you are not keeping the Word of Wisdom, then are not honoring the promises that you made to God when you went to the temple and you are not or should not be wearing your garments. 

Personally I am grateful for the Word of Wisdom.  There is not a night in my life that I do not remember and I have always had control over my decisions. I have no addictions (except maybe to White Collar or Lost) and I am healthy.  I do get weary when I run, but that is because I do not run enough.   Am I tempted when I smell Starbucks at Barnes and Noble? Not really tempted. I have already made my commitment to God. But I do linger a moment to smell the hot coffee.   And Blue Bell Coffee ice cream….well, that might just be a bit of a temptation.  ;) 

If you have any questions about Mormonism please, just ask me and I will answer candidly.

 If you have some thoughts on questions asked or some personal experiences and you are a Mormon I would love to look over them and share some on this blog.  

Thanks!