A Word of Wisdom
Mark E. Petersen (1956)
A Word of Wisdom
By
ELDER MARK E. PETERSEN
Member of the Council of the Twelve Apostles
One day a rich young man came to Jesus, asking how to gain eternal life. The Savior explained, and invited him to become one of his disciples. But the rich young man turned away, sorrowing. The things of this world were more important to him than the fellowship of the Lord.
Each one of us must make a choice concerning the gospel. Either we must live it or not. We cannot come half way. We cannot divide our interest. Nor can we be "hot" one day and "cold" the next.
"No man can serve two masters . . . ye cannot serve God and mammon."1
The Savior taught his disciples that they had "come out of the world" by reason of their conversion to the gospel. Therefore he urged them to avoid those worldly things which would defile them and lead them to destruction.
Salvation comes not in worldly ways. "My kingdom is not of this world" the Lord announced to Pilate. Converts to his truth must be willing to leave even father and mother if necessary to take up their cross and follow him. If we are not willing to make a sacrifice as a part of the price of admission into his Church, thus taking up the cross as he expressed it, we then are not worthy of him.
The true followers of the Lord have always left "the world" as he expressed it. And in doing so, some of them have suffered persecution. But this was not surprising, for the Lord had told them: "If ye were of the world, the world would love his own, but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you."2
Coming "out of the world" to follow the Lord was not new even at the time of Jesus' mortal ministry. From the beginning it had been so. Saintly people were told down through the ages they were to "flee from Babylon," and not partake of her sins. They were to be clean and holy.
When Isaiah spoke to ancient Israel, he cried out: "Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing, go ye out of the midst of her: BE YE CLEAN THAT BEAR THE VESSELS OF THE LORD."3
Each convert to the truth "bears the vessels of the Lord." Each one must be clean and holy, for no unclean thing may come into his presence.4
A Cleansing is Provided
All are sinners to some extent, it is admitted. But the Lord provides a means of cleansing. It is through faith in Christ, repentance from all our sins, and baptism for remission of sins. If a person fully trusts in the Lord, and completely abandons his sins, he may receive a remission of those sins by submitting to baptism by immersion in water, at the hands of an authorized servant of God. But the repentance must precede the baptism. Cleansing follows a departure from sin.
The Apostle Paul explained to us that our bodies are the temples of the Spirit of God. "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" he asked. "If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy, for the temple of God is holy, which temple are ye."5
It is simple to understand that if the Holy Spirit of God is to dwell within us, we must be pure and clean to receive it. It is unthinkable that his Holy Spirit would enter unclean tabernacles. A cleansing must come first. That is why he gives us faith as a first principle of the gospel, then repentance in which we depart from all our sins, and after that, baptism for the remission of those sins. It is most logical that the Lord provides for conferring his Holy Spirit after the ordinance of baptism in water, for then are we clean, then are we fit tabernacles or temples in which the Spirit may dwell.
What is it that defiles our bodies? Of what must we repent to make ready for the reception of the Holy Spirit?
Things which Defile
We are defiled in our minds and our souls by vicious deeds, by evil thoughts, by rebellious and selfish dispositions, in fact by all those things condemned in the commandments.
But we are also defiled, literally and physically, by things which we may take into our bodies which destroy our health, rob us of our proper functions, and weaken us to the point where we may surrender to worse things.
Can we disregard the effects of liquor, for instance? Can we close our eyes to the manner in which it robs people of their own good judgement and balance? Can we ignore the sins to which drunkenness leads? And can we overlook the debilitory effects of alcohol on our health, mental and physical? Then does alcohol defile the body?
Turn to your Bible and see the many times drunkenness has been condemned, both in Old and New Testaments. No one reading and believing the word of God can say that drunkenness is pleasing to the Almighty.
"Be not among winebibbers," cautioned the Proverbs, "for the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty."6
One of the characteristics of the evil servant as described by the Christ was that he shall "eat and drink with the drunken."7 The Lord preached against drunkenness in one of his last discourses on earth.8
Liquor is intoxicating. Intoxication is condemned by the Lord. Who can tell how far a drinker will go after his first drink? Will he stop with the first, or will that lead to a second, to a third? Will it lead eventually to alcoholism? No one can tell when he begins to drink whether he will become a confirmed alcoholic. Not one of the present day alcoholics intended to become such.
Drunkenness demoralizes people. It leads them to sin. Statistics clearly show that most persons involved in unchaste and other evil practices have been influenced by drink. Medical journals are replete with discussions pertaining to the harmful effects of alcohol on digestion, liver, and heart.
The fact is that alcoholic beverages defile the body. Therefore they make the body unclean, and render it unfit to receive of the Holy Spirit.
Other things taken into the body similarly defile it. What are they? How may we know? If we are earnest in our desire to serve the Lord, we will desire also to know what elements defile us, so that we may be free of them, and thus make ourselves fit recipients of the Spirit of God.
God Gives Us Direction
The Lord does not leave his people without guidance on this any more than he does on other matters.
As part of the great work of restoration of the Gospel in these last days, the Lord made known to modern men the manner in which they may preserve their bodies in purity as the temples of his Spirit.
Through the Prophet Joseph Smith he gave a revelation which has come to be known as the Word of Wisdom. This revelation was given following an inquiry by the Prophet, who was troubled over customs of his day pertaining to the use of liquor, tobacco and other things which seemed harmful and unclean.
In response the Lord spoke to him as follows:
"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--
"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--
"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.
"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--
"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.
"And, behold, this should be wine, yea, pure wine of the grape of the vine, of your own make.
"And, again, strong drinks are not for the belly, but for the washing of your bodies.
"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.
"And again, hot drinks are not for the body or belly.
"And again, verily I say unto you, all wholesome herbs God hath ordained for the constitution, nature, and use of man--
"Every herb in the season thereof, and every fruit in the season thereof; all these to be used with prudence and thanksgiving.
"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;
"And it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used, only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine.
"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;
"And these hath God made for the use of man only in times of famine and excess of hunger.
"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--
"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.
"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;
"And shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures;
"And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint.
"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."9
It is Applicable to All
Here then is a revelation on health and cleanliness. It is applicable to all, and is adapted to the capacity of even the weakest among us. It tells us how to live so that we may be clean in body to receive the Holy Spirit, and is also a guide in our eating habits, thus helping us to keep well.
It will be noted that the first thing mentioned by way of warning is liquor. Next comes tobacco.
Both of these items are widely used today. Most people do not attach a moral significance to them, and hardly see their relationship to religion. But there is a definite relationship, both moral and spiritual.
Is there any proof? Do doctors who study the human body admit that there is harm in the use of tobacco?
For many years medical men and insurance companies have warned us against the use of this "weed," but recently there has come new and startling information on the subject. Tobacco not only defiles the body, it hastens death!
But how?
By filling the body with tars, nicotine, and other substances which bring disease! It is one of the great causes of cancer, the American Cancer Society declares, and it likewise is an important factor in heart trouble.
Physicians in the American Cancer Society estimate that 52,000,000 Americans now living will develop cancer at some time in their lives. About 75 percent of them will die of that disease. At present 330,000 men, women, and children die annually of cancer.
Of this 330,000 about 62,000 are dying of lung cancer. According to the American Cancer Society "three out of four deaths from lung cancer are due to cigarette smoking."
Dr. Alton Ochsner, past president of the American College of Surgeons, who performs several lung operations per week, estimates that of the living persons in America now suffering from cancer, 200,000 are smokers with bronchogenic cancer.
Tobacco is a Weapon
It is admitted that heart disease is the number one killer in America, but cancer is number two. Medical research now demonstrates that tobacco has become a lethal weapon for both these diseases. The nicotine abets heart disease while the tars in tobacco are the tools of cancer. They are both described as "active agents" of these diseases.
Heart trouble is not just one disease. It is a collection of them with high blood pressure and coronary cases comprising about two-thirds of the entire total number of cases. Heart disease kills about 1,000,000 Americans a year, 54 percent of our total deaths. Many non-users of tobacco get heart trouble, of course, just as is the case of non-smokers who suffer with cancer. But the ratio of deaths among patients of these two diseases is much greater if they smoke.
It has been asked "do doctors smoke?"
Dr. J. DeWitt Fox writing in the magazine Life and Health answered that question by saying: "Yes, but not all of them, certainly not lung surgeons." He went on to say that a surgeon cannot take out lung after lung from smoking men and not be impressed with the danger of his own life if he smokes.
Dr. Fox explained that surveys among doctors disclose that some smoke and some do not. "Sad but true" he said, "is the fact that some doctors do smoke which makes them reluctant to condemn smoking. It is like the fat doctor trying to reduce the fat patient. He is not enthusiastic about the idea. His example is not there and he does not have the heart to condemn himself along with the patient."
Medical men have done some figuring in mathematics. In one instance they took a typical patient who became a moderate smoker at the age of 30. Up to the time he died of lung cancer, he had smoked 90,702 cigarettes. Measuring his actual length of life against the normal expectancy, it was discovered that each cigarette cost him exactly 13 minutes of life.
How Things Have Changed
Twenty years ago one of the popular brands of cigarettes advertised that smoking was good for the nerves and the digestion.
A ski jumper was quoted in one of these ads as saying: "Skiing takes a healthy set of nerves and a good digestion. I smoke __________ Cigarettes a lot. I know they don't get on my nerves and they help my digestion. I would not enjoy eating as much if I could not smoke _________ Cigarettes at my meals."
At the bottom of this announcement the agent for the brand of cigarettes for which the skier was paid to make this peculiar statement said in large letters: "For digestion's sake smoke __________ Cigarettes."
Other advertisements said:
"I'm going to save my throat. I'm switching to __________ Cigarettes."
"They don't irritate sensitive throats."
There were still more, but one really was amusing. Everyone knows about the odor that goes with a tobacco pipe. The agent for one type of pipe tobacco tried to captivate his readers with: "Makes your pipe welcome anywhere."
In order to cash in on the general trend of sales talk of that day and recognizing what tobacco does to the teeth, a toothpaste company joined in the general cry with: "What every smoker needs--a beauty bath for the teeth. Use __________ toothpaste."
But that was 20 years ago, and much can happen in 20 years. Much did happen in the tobacco business. No longer do the tobacco companies advertise smoking "for digestion sake" because the doctors have exploded that theory along with many others.
What do the doctors say about smoking and digestion anyway?
Dr. Alton Ochsner, president of the American College of Surgeons, wrote in his splendid book Smoking and Cancer saying:
"Many medical men point to the fact that the resins and tars in tobacco are absorbed in the saliva and swallowed and thus are commonly accepted as the cause of pre-cancerous conditions in the stomach. Tobacco produces an irritation of the gastric mucous membrane causing a continuous outpouring of hydrochloric acid which eventually, under certain circumstances, can cause an ulcer. Often such ulcers become malignant.
"The burden that cigarette smoking imposes upon the gastro-intestinal tract and the respiratory system is incontestable. * * * * But regardless of whether the ulcer is in the stomach or in the duodenum, I have yet to see a patient get well if he continues to smoke. I flatly refuse to treat ulcer patients who do not agree to discontinue smoking."
They Actually Risk Death
It is true, of course, that many smokers do not die of cancer. But the doctors warn that unless cigaret smokers die from something else first, they at least risk death from lung cancer at about the age of 55.
And whether or not they die from tobacco-induced cancer in the lung or mouth or stomach, they may still suffer from many other things brought on by the use of this "weed." There are still such things as heart disease which is definitely and adversely affected by the use of tobacco, some circulatory ailments, cerebrial hemorrhage, or blindness from nicotine amblyopia.
Certainly nearly every smoker loses much of his sense of taste and smell, or becomes nervous and irritable. Digestion of smokers is usually bad, not to mention the odor of their breath. And there is smokers' cough, smokers' throat, smoker's larynx, smoker's pharynx, or smokers' asthma, ailments familiar to us all, which are directly traceable to the use of tobacco. Doctors have discovered some indications that smoking may make men impotent and women sterile.
We might go on at length to show how both tobacco and liquor defile the body, but we need not take further space here to do so. There is adequate scientific research available to all who wish to read it. But it is easily seen why the Lord, more than a century ago, cautioned his Saints against the use of these harmful things. Surely it was a word of wisdom extended by a loving Father to his children here on earth.
In reading the revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith, reference is made to hot drinks. What are they?
There are many hot drinks. It is admitted that continuous taking of excessively hot substances into the mouth and stomach is harmful to health. It is well, therefore, to avoid such practices. But in the days of the Prophet Joseph Smith a definite determination of what "hot drinks" meant was desired. The leaders of the Church in that day defined them as tea and coffee. They were the prevailing household hot drink then as they are today.
How Harmful Are They?
But is there some reason why we should avoid the use of tea and coffee, other than that they are served hot? We are reminded of course that many people take them as iced drinks in warm weather. Should we avoid tea and coffee as such, whether served hot or cold? Are they in violation of the Word of Wisdom in either case?
The Church teaches that the use of tea and coffee, whether hot or cold, is in violation of the Word of Wisdom, because of the fact that these drinks contain harmful and habit-forming substances. The caffeine in tea and coffee has a detrimental effect upon the health, and is therefore "not good for man," to use the language of the revelation.
The effect of caffeine upon the human body is a most interesting study, and has been the subject of much research. A large file on the subject has been built up in the Library of the Surgeon General of the United States Army, as well as by other official and unofficial agencies.
Basing his work upon the files of the Surgeon General of the Army, Dr. L. Weston Oaks published a book on the subject in which he established that:
1. Caffeine is a drug which falls into a major class with strychnin and brucin, except that caffeine has a wider scene of action and affects parts of the nervous system which are not affected by the other drugs mentioned.
2. Caffeine attacks the nervous system of the human body. Dr. G. M. Niles, writing in the Journal of the South Carolina Medical Association, makes an appeal that children be spared the injurious effects of the use of coffee. Dr. Niles pointed out that coffee interferes with normal nutrition and growth.
3. Caffeine has an injurious effect upon the kidneys and also upon the digestion. Constipation is often a result.
4. Caffeine has been known to promote undue high blood pressure and is known to have a harmful effect upon the heart.
British Condemn Tea
It is interesting to note a British comment upon the use of tea. Probably there is a higher percentage per capita of tea drinkers in England than anywhere else.
Under the caption "There's A Drug In That Tea Cup," Reveille, Britain's "All-Family Weekly Newspaper," recently said:
"Millions of people in Britain today are drug addicts without knowing it. They are not included in the official Home Office figures of known drug-addicts, the people who smoke marijuana and hashish. These number only 4,000.
"Nevertheless, they are in almost as much danger according to medical experts. The drugs they crave are tea, tobacco, sleeping-pills, and slimming pills.
"Truest addicts. Tea-drinkers are, in fact, the truest type of drug-addicts according to Dr. Barnett Stross, M.P. for Stoke on Trent and an authority on industrial diseases.
"An average strong cup of tea contains about one and a half grains of the drug caffeine," he says.
"Caffeine is a brain stimulant. Some people think nothing of drinking ten cups of tea a day which gives them each day 15 grains of caffeine. The highest dose of the drug prescribed by doctors is five grains a day."
There are many other things used by the human race which actually are harmful to them. Some are used as medicines, and in this respect may have some value, but, on the other hand, if used to excess, cause injury as a result. And then there are some soft drinks which contain harmful or habit-forming ingredients. The leaders of the Church have not attempted to add to the list of prohibitions in the Word of Wisdom to include all such items, but they teach that in the spirit of the Word of Wisdom, if not in the letter, we should avoid anything which contains ingredients which are harmful and habit forming.
The Lord gives us good judgement and a measure in intelligence. Without detailed direction from our leaders we may determine very largely for ourselves whether certain beverages or items of food are good or bad for us, and in the spirit of the revelation from the Lord, do that which is best for us.
It will be noted that the Lord in the Word of Wisdom cautions against the excessive use of meats. But the Lord also warns against those who say that we should eat no meat at all.
As you read the Word of Wisdom you will see that "flesh also of beasts and of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving." But he then goes on to urge temperance in the use of these items of diet, saying, "nevertheless they are to be used sparingly, and it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used, only in times of winter or of cold or famine."
Meat is Not Forbidden
There are those in the world who teach that no meat at all should be included in the human diet. The Lord does not take this position. As is shown from this revelation he gave us the flesh of beasts and of fowl for food, but that they were to be used sparingly.
It will be remembered what Paul the Apostle said about those who forbid the use of meats:
"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
"Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
"Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.
"For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:
"For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer."10
Following the flood, when the Lord outlined to Noah what he and his family could use for food, he said:
"And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.
"And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.
"Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.
"But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat."11
In another revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith the Lord again touched on this subject and declared that those who forbid the use of meats, "that man should not eat the same is not ordained of God."12
But why should there be a caution against the over use of meat? Did the Lord have a reason?
Excessive Amounts Harmful
Many leading physicians teach that although meat is an excellent protein food, if eaten in too large quantities it is definitely harmful to health.
In the book How To Live, by Drs. Irving Fisher of Yale University and Eugene Lyman Fisk, medical director of the Life Extension Institution, we read:
"When protein is taken in great excess of the body's need, as is usually the case in the diet of Americans, added work is given the liver and kidneys, the circulation is overstimulated and the 'factor of safety' of these organs is exceeded. * * *
"Before leaving the subject of intestinal poisoning, we may here again mention the importance of avoiding the poisoning that comes from too much protein. * * *
"Even the most ardent advocates of a meat diet cannot produce scientific evidence to show that intestinal putrefaction to a high degree due to the presence of meat is in any way beneficial to the organism. A high-protein diet, instead of increasing one's endurance has been shown, like alcohol, actually to reduce it."
Herbs, fruits, and grains are urged by the Lord as good food. "All wholesome herbs God hath ordained for the constitution and use of man, every herb in the season thereof and every fruit in the season thereof; all of these to be used with prudence and thanksgiving."
And next he said: "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."
But then adds that although all grains are good for human food, wheat is the staff of life for man.
Dieticians, of course, agree with this, saying that in wheat are, in perfect balance, the needs of the human body, even in the same proportion as in the human body. Wheat, then, should be a major item of diet for human beings, with herbs, fruits, and meats added as prudence would direct.
Although the Word of Wisdom gives us that guidance in foods, it should be understood that the Church does not subscribe to extreme views urged by some with respect to grains, sugars, or other foods.
A marvelous promise is made by the Lord to those who keep this and his other commandments, for he said:
"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;
"And shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures;
"And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint.
"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."13
Many people ask: Since the Word of Wisdom is given only as a word of wisdom, is it binding upon us?
The wording of the revelation includes this paragraph:
"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."14
It is true that when first given it was not "by commandment," but by "the order and will of God."
Because the leaders of the Church recognized that to go contrary to the will and order of God was to place one out of harmony with the Lord, they have urged the Saints to keep this law in strict detail. While it was given as advice in the early days of the Church, it has since been made a commandment, binding upon the people. For that reason all members of the Church are expected to live this law. So likewise obedience is asked of those who, after conversion to the truth, seek to obtain membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
There have been those who have felt that a cup of coffee would never keep them out of heaven, nor would a little cigaret. And these same individuals have urged that occasional use of such items could never break down one's health. They ask, therefore, what there is about such practice which would be so serious. Some wonder why they cannot be baptized even though still breaking this law.
There is deep spiritual significance in observance of the Word of Wisdom. In the first place, the Lord himself gave us this law as his will and order. We are out of harmony with him if we fail to bow to his will. And if we are in opposition to his will, we are in opposition to him. If we are in opposition to him, we are not working with him nor helping to build his kingdom. Actually, when we oppose him, we are in rebellion against him to that extent.
Can any one of us afford to oppose God, or set ourselves up in rebellion against him?
Are we fit for admission to his kingdom while we still violate his laws? Will he grant his Spirit to those who oppose him? And yet his Spirit is essential to our spiritual well being if we join his Church.
If we fail to keep this law, and take into our bodies those things which defile them, do we invite or repel the Holy Spirit? Do we make our bodies fit or unfit to serve as temples of that Spirit?
There is only one answer. By accepting the Word of Wisdom we help to cleanse ourselves and become worthy to serve as vessels of the Lord. To accept it in part only is also contrary to his will and expectation. He does not deal in half-way measures.
He has commanded that we love him without reservation, and with all our heart, might, mind, and strength. That allows for no partial performance. It requires wholehearted, whole-souled allegiance.
To those who, in the beginning of this dispensation, were about to enter upon his work, he said: "O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day."15
Let this attitude be ours with respect to the Word of Wisdom.
1Matthew 6:24.
2John 15:19.
3Isaiah 52:11.
4Ephesians 5:5.
5I Corinthians 3:16-17.
6Proverbs 23:21.
7Matthew 24:49.
8Luke 21:34.
9Doctrine and Covenants, Section 89.
101 Timothy 4:1-5.
11Genesis 9:1-4.
12Doctrine and Covenants 49:18.
13Doctrine and Covenants 89:18-21.
14Ibid., 89:2.
15Ibid., 4:2.
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