Once again, tremendous resources for this lesson are found in the reliable Teachings of the Presidents of the Church:... (the old Priesthood/Relief Society manuals). Especially helpful will be the manuals for Brigham Young, chapter 25, Joseph F. Smith, Chapter 47, John Taylor, Chapter 7, and Spencer W. Kimball, Chapter 12. These can all be found by going to the new “lds.org” then click on “Go to Classic LDS.org” (lower left corner), then click on “Gospel Library” then “Lessons” then “Melchizedek Priesthood and Relief Society.” The manuals are found at the bottom of this page.
The new website for the Church “lds.org” is wonderful. On the first page, there is a link in the upper right-hand corner ”Search all LDS.org” which, if you type in “honesty” has terrific results. The fourth one is “Quotes: Honesty.” These quotes also lead to some truly outstanding talks on the subject.
Honesty Is a Principle of Salvation
Concerning the title of this section, according to Truman G. Madsen, Joseph Smith stated:
"No one can ever enter the celestial kingdom unless he is strictly honest" (transcript of Joseph Smith Tapes in the section “Doctrinal Developments and the Nauvoo Era”).
President Joseph F. Smith echoed these sentiments when he proclaimed:
Those who maintain their integrity by daily putting the things of God first and enduring in trials will gain eternal life (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, 416).
President Smith also indicated that honesty is to be long term:
The religion which we have espoused is not a Sunday religion; it is not a mere profession. … It is the most important thing in the world to us, and the results to us in this world and in the world to come will depend upon our integrity to the truth and our consistency in observing its precepts, in abiding by its principles, and its requirements (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, 417).
Since we will be judged by our works (Revelation 20:12-13), Brigham Young’s statement is important:
Honest hearts produce honest actions—holy desires produce corresponding outward works (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, 181).
President John Taylor also taught:
Let us be men of truth, honor and integrity—men that will swear to our own hurt and change not—men whose word will be our everlasting bond. … We are trying to raise up a people that shall be men of God, men of truth, men of integrity, men of virtue, men who will be fit to associate with the Gods in the eternal worlds.
God expects to have a people who will be men of clean hands and pure hearts, who withhold their hands from the receiving of bribes, … who will be men of truth and integrity, of honor and virtue, and who will pursue a course that will be approved by the Gods in the eternal worlds, and by all honorable and upright men that ever did live or that now live, and having taken upon us the profession of sainthood, he expects us to be Saints, not in name, not in theory, but in reality (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: John Taylor, 59).
President Hinckley gave a terrific First Presidency Message in which he stated:
Some may regard the quality of character known as honesty to be a most ordinary subject. But I believe it to be the very essence of the gospel. Without honesty, our lives and the fabric of our society will disintegrate into ugliness and chaos (Ensign, Oct. 1990, 2).
The first question asked in this section is, “What would society be like if everyone were perfectly honest? (p. 125).
Brigham Young addressed this question:
We need to learn, practice, study, know and understand how angels live with each other. When this community comes to the point to be perfectly honest and upright, you will never find a poor person; none will lack, all will have sufficient. Every man, woman, and child will have all they need just as soon as they all become honest. When the majority of the community are dishonest, it maketh the honest portion poor, for the dishonest serve and enrich themselves at their expense (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, 180).
Elder Quentin L. Cook also discussed this idea in our most recent general conference:
Think about the light and truth that the shared value of honesty has in the Judeo-Christian world. Think about the impact on society if youth didn’t cheat in school, if adults were honest in the workplace and were faithful to their marriage vows. For us the concept of basic honesty is grounded in the life and teachings of the Savior. Honesty is also a valued attribute in many other faiths and in historic literature. The poet Robert Burns said, “An honest man’s the noblest work of God.” In almost every instance, people of faith feel accountable to God for being honest (Ensign, Nov. 2010, 27).
Concerning this issue, one concept that seems lacking in our society is taking responsibility for our own actions. A terrific example of this comes from the life of President Kimball:
Integrity was part of his character from the days of his youth, as the following account demonstrates: “Spencer and some of the boys borrowed a horse and an old buggy to use when their science class at school went on a field trip. On the rough road a buggy spring broke. The next day Spencer explained to his friends, ‘We ought to all pitch in some money to pay for the broken spring,’ but no one offered to help. He persuaded them, saying, ‘That spring’s going to be paid for, if I have to do it myself’ ” (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball, 125).
Elder Quentin L. Cook had the following to say about honesty:
The thirteenth article of faith begins, “We believe in being honest.” Honesty is a principle founded in religious belief and is one of God’s basic laws (Ensign, Nov. 2010, 27).
In light of Elder Cook’s statement, it is a serious mistake to not link honesty and integrity with making and keeping covenants. These two laws seem to connect us to God and the covenants we make with Him.
Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin stated how important honesty is in regards to keeping covenants:
To me, integrity means always doing what is right and good, regardless of the immediate consequences. It means being righteous from the very depth of our soul, not only in our actions but, more importantly, in our thoughts and in our hearts. Personal integrity implies such trustworthiness and incorruptibility that we are incapable of being false to a trust or covenant (Ensign, May 1990, 30).
One of my favorite stories about honesty and covenants was told by Elder Russell M. Nelson:
President Karl G. Maeser once said:
“I have been asked what I mean by word of honor. I will tell you. Place me behind prison walls—walls of stone ever so high, ever so thick, reaching ever so far into the ground—there is a possibility that in some way or another I may be able to escape; but stand me on the floor and draw a chalk line around me and have me give my word of honor never to cross it. Can I get out of that circle? No, never! I’d die first!” (Ensign, Aug. 1995, 19).
President John Taylor spoke of those who are dishonest about their covenants:
I would not give a straw for a man if I could not trust his word. There is nothing of him, no foundation, nothing to tie to. Yet these are the very people that the prophet said should exist in the last days. They enter into covenant and never think of fulfilling it. Their word amounts to nothing, their integrity has no foundation (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: John Taylor, 61).
Concerning the eternal nature of honesty, President Taylor promised:
If we are found to be willing and obedient, and on the Lord’s side for right, for truth, and integrity, for virtue and purity and holiness, adhering to the principles of truth and the laws of life, then God will be with us, and he will sustain all those who adhere to these principles…
Be honest with yourselves, honest before God. Be virtuous, be truthful and full of integrity, and fear the Lord your God in your hearts, and his blessing will be with you, and his Spirit will attend you, and your generations after you, worlds without end (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: John Taylor, 64).
I really like what President Kimball explained concerning honesty and keeping covenants:
Integrity (the willingness and ability to live by our beliefs and commitments) is one of the foundation stones of good character, and without good character one cannot hope to enjoy the presence of God here or in the eternities.
When we make a covenant or agreement with God, we must keep it at whatever cost. Let us not be like the student who agrees to live by certain standards of conduct and who then breaks his oath and tries to see how long he can get away with his deceit. Let us not be like the missionary who agrees to serve the Lord for two years, then wastes his time with laziness and rationalization. Let us not be like the Church member who partakes of the sacrament in the morning, then defiles the Sabbath that afternoon.
By taking our covenants lightly, we will wound our own eternal selves. … Self-justification is easy and rationalization seductive, but the Lord explains in modern revelation that “when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, [or] our vain ambition … the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and … [man] is left unto himself, to kick against the pricks” (D&C 121:37-38).
Of course, we can choose; the free agency is ours, but we cannot escape the consequences of our choices. And if there is a chink in our integrity, that is where the devil concentrates his attack.
Keep your promises. Maintain your integrity. Abide by your covenants. Give the Lord this year and every year your high fidelity and fullest expression of faith. Do it “on your honor” and you will be blessed now and forever (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball, 126-8).
President Kimball also further elaborated:
Integrity is a state or quality of being complete, undivided, or unbroken. It is wholeness and unimpaired. It is purity and moral soundness. It is unadulterated genuineness and deep sincerity. It is courage, a human virtue of incalculable value. It is honesty, uprightness, and righteousness. Take these away and there is left but an empty shell. …
Integrity in individuals and corporate bodies is not to ask, “What will others think of me, and my practices?” but, “What do I think of myself if I do this or fail to do that?” Is it proper? Is it right? Would the Master approve? …
Integrity in man should bring inner peace, sureness of purpose, and security in action. Lack of it brings the reverse: disunity, fear, sorrow, unsureness.
It would be well if all of us would take frequent inventory to see if hidden away under the rugs and in the corners of our lives there might be some vestige of hypocrisy and ugliness or error. Or could there be hidden under the blankets of personal excuse and rationalization some small eccentricities and dishonesties? Are there any cobwebs in ceilings and corners which we think will not be noticed? Are we trying to cover up the small pettinesses and the small gratifications we secretly allow ourselves—rationalizing the while that they are insignificant and inconsequential? Are there areas in our thoughts and actions and attitudes which we would like to hide from those we respect most? (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball, 126).
For those who have current temple recommends, we have answered to Priesthood leaders that we are honest. From of the Temple Preparation Seminar Teacher’s Manual we read:
Those seeking recommends…should be striving to keep all of the Lord’s commandments, including…being honest in word and deed… (Lesson 2).
To Lie is Dishonest
President Hinckley quoted from Acts 5:1-10 about Ananias and Sapphira and the lie which resulted in their death, then promised:
In our time, those found in dishonesty do not die as did Ananias and Sapphira, but something within them dies. Conscience chokes, character withers, self-respect vanishes, integrity dies (Ensign, Oct. 1990, 2).
From “Additional Scriptures” (p. 183), the first three references would be great to discuss concerning this section. In addition, Proverbs 6:16 – 19 and 12:22 are great, as well as Malachi 2:6.
To Steal is Dishonest
Stealing, this section teaches, is “taking something that does not belong to us” (p. 181). God has commanded that we not only do not steal (Exodus 20:150 but that we do not covet (Exodus 20:17). It may be very productive to go through the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17) and discuss which of these commandments are based on honesty.
What we desire in our hearts is a key to keeping to the law of honesty. While Esau did not technically steal, he certainly placed higher priority upon Jacob’s pottage than he did upon the birthright (Genesis 25:27-34). What we want most, our priorities, are important according to President Joseph F. Smith:
…we must make up our minds that this world with all its pleasures is as dross compared with the excellency of the knowledge of God. He intends to try us and prove us, and He has a right to do it, even to the death if need be, and only those who endure to the end, who will not flinch, but will maintain their integrity at the risk and sacrifice of their all, if need be, will gain eternal life, or be worthy of the reward of the faithful (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, 419).
Jeffrey R. Holland, before he became an apostle, had some sobering thoughts on Utah and honesty:
Recently I was working with President Elliot Cameron on the BYU—Hawaii Campus, only to open the Sunday edition of the Honolulu Advertiser to read this headline: “Mormon Utah Called A Test Market For Scams.” May I quote a few lines.
“Utah’s large Mormon population has become a prime target for con artists and swindlers who annually gyp the state’s residents out of hundreds of millions of dollars. …
“'Federal prosecutors say the state has gained a national reputation as ‘test market for scams.’ ‘If it works here, they take it on the road. …’
"It has happened time and time again. … It’s very easy for people to bridge the gap from unbelievability to believability if church affiliation is used." …
“The investor lists were drawn up on genealogy sheets used by church members to trace their ancestry. … Mormon leaders denounced the scheme in a stinging editorial which asked, ‘Why do people take chances like this? Why do people gamble?’ One answer. ‘Their greed gland gets stuck. … [I]n this culture, financial success is often equated with righteousness.’” (Peter Gillins, Sunday Star Bulletin and Advertiser, Honolulu, Jan. 10, 1982.)
Note this from Elder Marvin J. Ashton in our last general conference:
“In today’s marketplace—yes, in your own neighborhood, town, and cities—scheming, deceiving promoters are making available to gullible purchasers all kinds of enticing offers. We are sorry to report thousands within our ranks are being duped by the glib tongues of those who offer and solicit in whispers. ‘Once in a lifetime opportunities’ and ‘Just for you’ approaches. …” (Ensign, Nov. 1981, p. 90.)
We can get our share of the earth’s bounties but not this way (Ensign, Feb. 1984, 68).
President Hinckley used the following scripture as a great example of not stealing:
And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth,
That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine… (Genesis 14:22 - 23) (Ensign, Oct. 1990, 2).
In “Additional Scriptures” (p. 183) D&C 42:20, 84-85 and 59:6 would be good for discussion, as well as D&C 136:25-26, one of the rules given for pioneers.
To Cheat is Dishonest
In the terrific talk earlier mentioned, President Hinckley stated:
On Mount Sinai the finger of the Lord wrote the law on tablets of stone: “Thou shalt not steal.” (Ex. 20:15.) There was neither enlargement nor rationalization. And then that declaration was accompanied by three other commandments, the violation of each of which involves dishonesty: “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” “Thou shalt not bear false witness.” “Thou shalt not covet.” (Ex. 20:14, 16, 17.)
Was there ever adultery without dishonesty? In the vernacular, the evil is described as “cheating.” And cheating it is, for it robs virtue, it robs loyalty, it robs sacred promises, it robs self-respect, it robs truth. It involves deception. It is personal dishonesty of the worst kind, for it becomes a betrayal of the most sacred of human relationships and a denial of covenants and promises entered into before God and man. It is the sordid violation of a trust. It is a selfish casting aside of the law of God, and like other forms of dishonesty, its fruits are sorrow, bitterness, heartbroken companions, and betrayed children (Ensign, Oct. 1990, 2).
In this section, we read:
Some employees cheat their employers by not working their full time; yet they accept full pay. Some employers are not fair to their employees; they pay them less than they should (p. 181-2).
Brigham Young addressed this problem:
I have tried to suppress dishonesty in individuals, and have tried thereby to make them honest. If I hire a carpenter and pay him three dollars a day, and he is three days in making a six panel door that a good workman can make in one, or even a door and a half, I do not want to pay him three dollars a day for that labor. Yet some who are here have no more judgment, discretion, or idea of right or wrong, than to want to be paid for labor they do not perform; and that they consider to be honesty: but it is just as dishonest as anything in the world (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, 180-1).
It may be important to note that all examples of dishonesty cannot be named in this lesson. As King Benjamin stated:
And finally, I cannot tell you all the things whereby ye may commit sin; for there are divers ways and means, even so many that I cannot number them (Mosiah 4:29).
President Kimball discussed the range of dishonesty:
Dishonesty comes in many other forms: … in playing upon private love and emotions for filthy lucre; in robbing money tills or stealing commodities of employers; in falsifying accounts; … in taking unreal exemptions; in taking out government or private loans without intent to repay; in declaring unjust, improper bankruptcies to avoid repayment of loans; in robbing on the street or in the home money and other precious possessions; in stealing time, giving less than a full day of honest labor for a full day’s compensation; in riding public transportation without paying the fare; and all forms of dishonesty in all places and in all conditions. …
“Everybody’s doing it” is often given as an excuse. No society can be healthy without honesty, trust, and self-restraint.
He is dishonest who buys more than he can reasonably expect to pay for. This is defrauding. He has little honor who fails to pay his honest debts. It would seem to me that every luxury one enjoys at the expense of a creditor is not wholly honest. … It is not always dishonorable to be in debt, but certainly it is to ignore debts.
The theft of pennies or dollars or commodities may impoverish little the one from whom the goods are taken, but it is a shrivelling, dwarfing process to the one who steals (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball, 129).
There are great stories about stealing in “Three Towels and a 25-cent Newspaper” by Bishop Richard C. Edgley (Ensign, Nov. 2006, 73).
We Must Not Excuse Our Dishonesty
In this section, it states, “People use many excuses for being dishonest” (p. 182).
President Kimball discussed the excuse of self-justification as well as its consequence:
Almost all dishonesty owes its existence and growth to that inward distortion we call self-justification. It is the first, and worst, and most insidious form of cheating: We are cheating ourselves.
Self-justification is the enemy of repentance. God’s Spirit continues with the honest in heart to strengthen, to help, and to save, but invariably the Spirit of God ceases to strive with the man who excuses himself in his wrong doing (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball, 128).
In this section is also stated the excuse for dishonesty “everyone else does it” (p. 182). President John Taylor discussed this problem:
The great difficulty with us is that we are too fond of catering to the world, and too much of the world has crept into our hearts; the spirit of covetousness and greed, and—what shall I say?—dishonesty has spread itself like a plague throughout the length and breadth of the whole world in every direction, and we have drunk more or less into that spirit. Like a plague it has pervaded all grades of society; and instead of being governed by those high, noble, and honorable principles that dwell in the bosom of God, we are after the filthy lucre which is spoken of as being the root of all evil [see 1 Timothy 6:10]; and instead of setting our affections upon God, we set our affections upon the world, its follies and vanities. … Show and prove to the world, to angels and to God that you are on the side of truth and right, of honesty, purity and integrity, and that you are for God and His Kingdom (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: John Taylor, 60).
A truly wonderful example of dismissing this excuse comes from the life of Gordon B. Hinckley:
As he [Gordon B. Hinckley] prepared to enter the seventh grade, he and his friends looked forward to being the first class to occupy the new Roosevelt Junior High School. But when they reported to school, they learned that the building was already overcrowded and their class was being moved back to the elementary school for one more year. Gordon and his friends had already spent six years at Hamilton, and they felt they deserved something better than a sentence to another year with the lower grades. The following day they went “on strike” and played “hooky.” When they returned to school the next day, the principal, Harold J. Stearns (whose demeanor, Gordon insisted, matched his name), greeted them at the front door and announced that they would be readmitted only after they supplied a letter of explanation from their parents. Ada [Gordon’s mother] was not pleased when she learned what had transpired, and her note to the principal contained a rebuke that stung her eldest son: “Dear Mr. Stearns, Please excuse Gordon’s absence yesterday. His action was simply an impulse to follow the crowd.” He later explained why his mother’s response had cut so deeply: “It wasn’t an impulse to follow the crowd. I was one of the instigators. But to have Mother classify me as one to do something just to follow the crowd cut me, and I made up my mind then and there that I would never do anything just to follow the crowd” (Gordon B. Hinckley: Go Forward With Faith, 32-3).
To excuse our dishonesty is to give in to Satan. That decision, this section teaches, leads to spiritual destruction:
When we excuse ourselves, we cheat ourselves and the Spirit of God ceases to be with us. We become more and more unrighteous (p. 182).
President Joseph F. Smith pleads for the opposite:
My prayer has been constantly, not that I might be spared trials, but that I might have wisdom and judgment, patience and endurance given unto me, to bear the trials that I might be called to pass through. While I cannot say truthfully that I have been tried in my faith in the Gospel of Christ, yet I can say truthfully that I have been tried in many ways. My patience has been tried, my love has been tried, my integrity has been tried (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, 419).
President Smith then went on to explain how this can happen:
I believe [our pioneer forefathers] built better than they knew. I believe they were led by the power of God, step by step, and were taught precept upon precept, line upon line. In this way He proved their integrity and their devotion. He proved them unto death; yes, and even beyond death; for death to many of them would have been sweet, it would have been peaceful, happy rest, compared with the toil and trouble they had to endure (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, 419-20).
Brigham Young added:
Simple truth, simplicity, honesty, uprightness, justice, mercy, love, kindness, do good to all and evil to none, how easy it is to live by such principles! A thousand times easier than to practice deception!
It is much better to be honest; to live here uprightly, and forsake and shun evil, than it is to be dishonest. It is the easiest path in the world to be honest,—to be upright before God; and when people learn this, they will practice it (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, 181).
We Can be Completely Honest
Concerning the title to this section, Brigham Young declared:
Men must be honest, they must live faithfully before their God, and honor their calling and being on the earth. You ask if that is possible? Yes; the doctrine which we have embraced takes away the stony hearts (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, 180).
It may be important to know that Elder David A. Bednar states that only with the help of the Savior can we be completely honest:
Only through Christ can we achieve “complete honesty”:
Becoming people of integrity and honesty does not occur quickly or all at once, nor is it merely a matter of greater personal discipline. It is a change of disposition, a change of heart. And this gradual change of heart is one that the Lord accomplishes within us, through the power of His Spirit, in a line-upon-line fashion. . . .
Remember that becoming people of integrity and honesty is not simply a matter of more personal determination, more grit, and more willpower; rather, it is accomplished through the enabling power of the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ.
I believe the best test of our integrity and honesty is when we personally enforce in our own lives that which ultimately cannot be enforced (New Era, Oct. 2005).
President John Taylor believed that Latter-day Saints need to be honest:
…if anybody in the world ought to be men of integrity, truth and honesty, we should be, everywhere and under all circumstances…
What do we believe in? We believe in purity, in virtue, in honesty, in integrity, in truthfulness and in not giving way to falsehood; we believe in treating all men justly, uprightly and honorably; we believe in fearing God, observing His laws and keeping His commandments. Do we all do it? No, not quite. I wish we did. But a great majority of the Latter-day Saints are doing this; and if there are those that are not, let them look well to their path. … And as we are here for the purpose of building up Zion, He expects that we will be upright and honorable in all our dealings with one another and with all men (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: John Taylor, 62).
In this section is taught:
To become completely honest, we must look carefully at our lives. If there are ways in which we are being even the least bit dishonest, we should repent of them immediately (p. 182).
Elder D. Todd Christofferson also explained the importance of repentance:
Good men sometimes make mistakes. A man of integrity will honestly face and correct his mistakes, and that is an example we can respect. Sometimes men try but fail. Not all worthy objectives are realized despite one's honest and best efforts. True manhood is not always measured by the fruits of one's labors but by the labors themselves--by one's striving (Ensign, Nov. 2006, 47).
In last October general conference, Elder Quentin L. Cook gave a great example of repentance:
Many years ago when I was practicing law in California, a friend and client who was not a member of our faith came in to see me and with great enthusiasm showed me a letter he had received from an LDS bishop of a nearby ward. The bishop wrote that a member of his congregation, a former employee of my client, had taken materials from my client’s work site and had rationalized that they were surplus. But after becoming a committed Latter-day Saint and attempting to follow Jesus Christ, this employee recognized that what he had done was dishonest. Enclosed in the letter was a sum of money from the man to cover not only the cost of the materials but also interest. My client was impressed that the Church through lay leadership would assist this man in his effort to be reconciled to God (Ensign, Nov. 2010, 27).
In this section it states that when we are completely honest, “…we can face the Lord, ourselves, and others without shame” (p. 182). A great scripture for this idea is 2 Corinthians 8:21.
Brigham Young added to this:
Woe to those who profess to be Saints and are not honest. Only be honest with yourselves, and you will be honest to the brethren (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, 181).
President John Taylor also said this about that:
It is proper that men should be honest with themselves, that they should be honest with each other in all their words, dealings, [discussions], intercommunication, business arrangements and everything else; they ought to be governed by truthfulness, honesty and integrity, and that man is very foolish indeed who would not be true to himself, true to his convictions and feelings in regard to religious matters.
We may deceive one another … as counterfeit coin passes for that which is considered true and valuable among men. But God searches the hearts and tries the reins of the children of men [see Jeremiah 17:10]. He knows our thoughts and comprehends our desires and feelings; he knows our acts and the motives which prompt us to perform them. He is acquainted with all the doings and operations of the human family, and all the secret thoughts and acts of the children of men, are open and naked before him, and for them he will bring them to judgment.
We should be strictly honest, one with another, and with all men; let our word always be as good as our bond; avoid all ostentation of pride and vanity; and be meek, lowly, and humble; be full of integrity and honor; and deal justly and righteously with all men (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: John Taylor, 61).
President Joseph F. Smith had similar sentiments:
The first and highest standard of correct living is to be found in that individual responsibility which keeps men good for the truth’s sake. It is not difficult for men who are true to themselves to be true to others. Men who honor God in their private lives do not need the restraint of public opinion which may not only be indifferent, but positively wrong (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, 418).
As mentioned earlier, it would be a mistake to not discuss the connection between honesty and making and keeping covenants. In the Parable of the Sower (Elder James E. Talmage wrote that this should really be called the Parable of the Four Soils) Jesus taught that true disciples are honest:
But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience (Luke 8:15).
President Kimball also shared an example of how honesty was a great missionary tool:
On the train from New York to Baltimore we sat in the dining car opposite a businessman and commented, “It seldom rains like this in Salt Lake City.”
The conversation soon led naturally into the golden question: “How much do you know about the Church?”
“I know little about the Church,” he said, “but I know one of its people.” He was developing subdivisions in New York. “There is a sub-contractor working for me,” he continued. “He is so honest and full of integrity that I never [require] him to bid on a job. He is the soul of honor. If the Mormon people are like this man, I’d like to know about a church that produces such honorable men” (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball, 130-1).
President John Taylor listed many ways in which men of the world were dishonest in his day, then prophesied about our day and our need to be good missionaries:
We need not whine or think there is anything strange or remarkable about it. We have expected these things to transpire, and they will be a great deal worse than they are to-day. But we are engaged in introducing correct principles (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: John Taylor, 62).
In scripture, honesty was a primary consideration for those called to the office of Seventy in the New Testament (Acts 6:3) as well as important to serving in the office of apostle (2 Corinthians 4:1-2).
From the life of President Kimball comes a wonderful story about his efforts to repent when called to be an apostle:
Spencer’s worst worry was how to live up to his call. What about people he had offended? Would they resent him? He started visiting every man he had done much business with, to explain his new situation: ‘I’ve been called to a high position in my Church. I cannot serve in good conscience unless I know my life has been honorable. You and I have had dealings. If there was any injustice I want to make it right, and I’ve brought my checkbook.’ Most shook hands and refused to hear any more. A couple of men fancied that in fairness they should have got a few hundred dollars more on certain sales. Spencer wrote the checks (The Presidents of the Church: Teacher’s Manual, Sunday School, 190).
Perhaps one of the most important things to understand for parents in Priesthood or Relief Society is our responsibility to teach our children about honesty. From the wonderful booklet For the Strength of Youth comes the following terrific counsel:
Be honest with yourself, others, and the Lord. When you are honest in every way, you build strength of character that will allow you to be of great service to God and others. You will be blessed with peace of mind and self-respect. When you are honest, you will be trusted by the
Lord and by those around you.
Dishonesty hurts you and usually hurts others as well. When you lie, steal, shoplift, or cheat, you damage your spirit and become less able to do good things. Be honest in your job, giving a full amount of work for your pay.
Don’t rationalize that wrong is right, even though many people around you may think there is no harm in being dishonest. Being honest requires courage and commitment to do what you know is right (p. 31).
Following is wonderful counsel from President Kimball about teaching our children about honesty:
A parent who understates the age of the child to avoid adult prices in shows and planes and trains and buses is forcefully teaching the child to be dishonest. He will not forget these lessons. Some parents permit the child to break the law as to firecrackers, the use of guns, fishing and hunting without license. The children are permitted to drive without a license or to falsify their ages. Those who take little things without accounting for them, such as fruit from the neighbor’s yard, a pen from a desk, a package of gum from the help-yourself shelf, all are being taught silently that little thefts and dishonesties are not so bad.
Parents who “cover up” for their children, excuse them and pay for their misappropriations, miss an important opportunity to teach a lesson and thereby do untold damage to their offspring. If the child is required to return the coin or the pencil or the fruit with an appropriate apology, it is likely that his tendencies to steal will be curbed. But if he is lionized and made a little hero, if his misappropriation is made a joke, he is likely to continue in ever-increasing thefts.
Parents can develop respect for others’ property and rights in their growing children by example and precept. Parents who require their youngsters to apologize and make good and return—perhaps even double or triple—that which they have taken, broken, or destroyed—those children will be honorable citizens and will bring honor and glory to their parents. Those parents who themselves respect law and order and observe all the rules can, by that pattern and by their expression of approval or disapproval, discipline and protect their children against disorder and rebellion.
We urge you to teach your children honor and integrity and honesty. Is it possible that some of our children do not know how sinful it is to steal? It is unbelievable—the extent of vandalism, thievery, robbery, stealing. Protect your family against it by proper teaching.
Let us be sure that we inject into our home evenings a lesson on honesty and integrity.
We may be bucking a strong tide, but we must teach our children that sin is sin. Children are permitted to get by with inaccuracies in sports and cheating in games. This cheating goes on into college and into the professions and into businesses. In addition to its being wrong, very wrong, it undermines the very fabric of their culture and their characters (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball, 129-30).
Concerning this important topic, President John Taylor had this to say:
We ought to be preparing our youth to tread in our footsteps, if they are right, that they may be honorable members in society, that when we get through in this world and to go into the other, we may leave behind [posterity] who are full of integrity, and who will keep the commandments of God. We ought to teach our children meekness and humility, integrity, virtue and the fear of God, that they may teach those principles to their children. … Seek to implant in the hearts of your youth principles that will be calculated to make them honorable, highminded, intelligent, virtuous, modest, pure men and women, full of integrity and truth … that they with you may have an inheritance in the kingdom of God (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: John Taylor, 63).
President Brigham Young also added to this concept:
Children should be taught honesty, and they should grow up with the feeling within them that they should never take a pin that is not their own; never displace anything, but always put everything in its place. If they find anything seek for the owner. If there is anything of their neighbor’s going to waste, put it where it will not waste, and be perfectly honest one with another (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, 181).
Honesty was one of President Joseph F. Smith’s primary goals:
On 10 November 1918, the 17th anniversary of the day he was sustained as President of the Church, Joseph F. Smith gathered his family together and spoke of his life and what he had learned. All came to the occasion fasting and in the spirit of prayer. President Smith said, “If there is anything on earth I have tried to do as much as anything else, it is to keep my word, my promises, my integrity, to do what it was my duty to do” (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, 416).
From “Additional Scriptures” (p. 183), a discussion of the contrast in honesty between God (D&C 3:2) and Satan (D&C 10:25-28) could be productive.
Again, from that wonderful talk by President Hinckley, a challenge he issued:
The thirteenth Article of Faith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints affirms that “we believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men.”
We cannot be less than honest, we cannot be less than true, we cannot be less than virtuous if we are to keep sacred the trust given us. Once it was said among our people that a man’s word was as good as his bond. Shall any of us be less reliable, less honest than our forebears?
Those who are living the principle of honesty know that the Lord does bless them. Theirs is the precious right to hold their heads in the sunlight of truth, unashamed before any man. On the other hand, if there be need for reformation in any member of this Church, let it begin where we now stand.
Brothers and sisters, the Lord requires his people to be honest. May we desire with all our hearts to be honest in all our relationships and in all the things that we do. God will help us if we seek the strength that comes from him. Sweet then will be our peace of mind and our lives. Blessed will be those with whom we live and associate. And God will bless and guide us with his loving care (Ensign, Oct. 1990, 2).
This is a second witness to what President John Taylor said:
Let us be pure, let us be virtuous, let us be honorable, let us maintain our integrity, let us do good to all men, and tell the truth always, and treat everybody right (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: John Taylor, 58).
In conclusion, it may be a good time to repeat the scripture quoted in the first paragraph of the lesson, Alma 27:27.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Monday, December 6, 2010
Chapter 29: The Lord's Law of Health
Our Bodies Are Temples of God
Once again there are tremendous resources for this lesson found in Teachings of the Presidents of the Church:... (the old Priesthood/Relief Society manuals). This includes Brigham Young, Chapter 29, Joseph F. Smith, Chapter 36, Heber J. Grant, Chapter 21 and David O. McKay, Chapter 11. Remember, these can all be found on “lds.org” (first click on the bar in the lower left hand corner that says “Go to Classic LDS.org”) then click on “Gospel Library” then “Lessons” then “Melchizedek Priesthood and Relief Society.” All of the manuals are listed at the bottom of that page. Be sure to not miss that terrific resource of Doctrine and Covenants Institute Student Manual, Section 89. This can be found at “institute.lds.org” then click on “Course Catalogue” on the top bar.
In this section we read, “Our bodies are so important that the Lord calls them temples of God…” (p. 167). Following is a repeat of what was printed in this blog in November (Chapter 26: Sacrifice) but really fits better here:
The concept from Paul that our bodies are temples of God is beautifully developed by Jeffrey R. Holland (before he became an apostle) in a talk, “Of Souls, Symbols, and Sacraments,” given at a BYU Speeches of the Year, 12 January 1988. In this talk, he stated:
Paul's warning to the Corinthians takes on newer, higher meaning:
. . . Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye
have of God, and ye are not your own?
For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit,
which are God's. [1 Corinthians 6:13-20; emphasis added]
Our soul is what's at stake here‹our spirit and our body. Paul understood that doctrine of
the soul…because it is gospel truth. The purchase price for our fullness of joy (body and spirit eternally united) is the pure and innocent blood of the Savior of this world. We cannot then say in ignorance or defiance, "Well, it's my life," or worse yet, "It's my body." It is not. "Ye are not your own," Paul said. "Ye are bought with a price."
One of the current temptations of the world attacking youth concerning their bodies being temples of God is tattooing. A wonderful Ensign article, "I Have a Question" by a medical doctor appeared in the Ensign. He discussed many other points concerning medical and social-emotional damage from tattooing as well as the spiritual damage from disobedience to this aspect of the Word of Wisdom:
Similarly, when individuals follow the body-defiling practices of multiple piercing and tattooing, they dull their spiritual sensitivity. Tattooing the body seems analogous to spraying graffiti on one of our beautiful temples.
So often individuals are motivated to participate in these activities because they want to feel valued and accepted by their peers; they may even have feelings of low self-worth. In truth, the real basis of self-worth is the knowledge that we are sons and daughters of God, who loves us. The Holy Ghost is the custodian of that knowledge (Ensign, Feb. 1999, 52).
In this lesson most of what we learn comes from the Lord revealing Section 89 of what is known as the Word of Wisdom. Brigham Young shared how we got this wonderful revelation:
President Brigham Young said: “I think I am as well acquainted with the circumstances which led to the giving of the Word of Wisdom as any man in the Church, although I was not present at the time to witness them. The first school of the prophets was held in a small room situated over the Prophet Joseph’s kitchen, in a house which belonged to Bishop Whitney. . . . The brethren came to that place for hundreds of miles to attend school in a little room probably no larger than eleven by fourteen. When they assembled together in this room after breakfast, the first they did was to light their pipes and, while smoking, talk about the great things of the kingdom and spit all over the room, and as soon as the pipe was out of their mouths a large chew of tobacco would then be taken. Often when the Prophet entered the room to give the school instructions he would find himself in a cloud of tobacco smoke. This, and the complaints of his wife at having to clean so filthy a floor, made the Prophet think upon the matter, and he inquired of the Lord relating to the conduct of the Elders in using tobacco, and the revelation known as the Word of Wisdom was the result of his inquiry (Doctrine and Covenants Institute Student Manual, Section 89).
In this section we read, “Our Father knows that we face temptations to treat our bodies unwisely or to take harmful things into them” (p. 169). President McKay talked about one time when he was tempted and how he handled it:
During a visit with the queen of the Netherlands in 1952, President and Sister McKay had an interesting experience. The queen had scheduled 30 minutes for a visit with them. President McKay carefully watched the time, and when the half hour was up, he politely thanked the queen and began to leave. “Mr. McKay,” she said, “sit down! I have enjoyed this thirty minutes more than I have enjoyed any thirty minutes in a long time. I just wish you would extend our visit a little longer.” He sat down again. Then a coffee table was brought in, and the queen poured three cups of tea, giving one to President McKay, one to Sister McKay, and keeping one for herself. When the queen noticed that neither of her guests drank the tea, she asked, “Won’t you have a little tea with the Queen?” President McKay explained, “I must tell you that our people do not believe in drinking stimulants, and we think tea is a stimulant.” She said, “I am the Queen of the Netherlands. Do you mean to tell me you won’t have a little drink of tea, even with the Queen of the Netherlands?” President McKay responded, “Would the Queen of the Netherlands ask the leader of a million, three hundred thousand people to do something that he teaches his people not to do?” “You are a great man, President McKay,” she said. “I wouldn’t ask you to do that” (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: David O. McKay, 103).
President Joseph F. Smith also gave wise counsel concerning temptations which may come from members of the Church:
I recollect a circumstance that occurred three years ago in a party that I was traveling with. There were one or two who persisted in having their tea and coffee at every place they stopped. I preached the Word of Wisdom right along; but they said, ‘What does it matter? Here is So-and-so, who drinks tea and coffee.’ … I said at one time, ‘Oh, yes, you say it is a good thing to drink a little tea or coffee, but the Lord says it is not. What shall I follow?’ The Lord says that if we will observe the Word of Wisdom we shall have access to great treasures of knowledge, and hidden treasures; we shall run and not be weary, we shall walk and not faint; and the destroying angel shall pass us by, as he did the children of Israel, and not slay us. … I will pray for you and earnestly beseech you, my brethren and sisters, … to cease practicing these forbidden things, and observe the laws of God (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, 323-4).
President Joseph F. Smith also gave wise help for dealing with temptation and the wonderful result of doing so:
Why cannot we rise to that degree of intelligence that would enable us to say to the tempter, “Get behind me,” and to turn our backs upon the practice of evil. How humiliating it must be to a thoughtful man to feel that he is a slave to his appetites, or to an over-weening and pernicious habit, desire, or passion (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, 326).
Of course, temptations come from Satan who influences men to do his will, which is anything contrary to the will of God. President McKay gave wonderful counsel about how this happened with tobacco. By studying these words of a prophet, we can be warned and discover the same pattern being used today with other temptations concerning the Word of Wisdom:
“Evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men… [D&C 89:4].” The purport of that impressed me in the twenties, and the thirties of [the 20th] century. I just ask you … to recall the methods employed by certain tobacco interests to induce women to smoke cigarettes.
You remember how insidiously they launched their plan. First, by saying that it would reduce weight. They had a slogan: “Take a cigarette instead of a sweet.”
Later, some of us who like the theatre, noticed that they would have a young lady light the gentleman’s cigarette. Following this a woman’s hand would be shown on billboards lighting or taking a cigarette. A year or two passed and soon they were brazen enough to show the lady on the screen or on the billboard smoking the cigarette. …
I may be wrong, but I thought I saw an indication recently that conspiring men now have evil designs upon our youth. Keep your eyes and ears open (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: David O. McKay, 107-8).
In the last paragraph of this section we read, “If we do not obey the Word of Wisdom, the Lord’s Spirit withdraws from us” (p. 167). President McKay gave examples of this in order to avoid “rapids” into which Satan would lead us:
As I recall the influences upon my young life, I believe the greatest was the memorizing of that important saying: “My spirit will not dwell in an unclean tabernacle.”
Then there were … others, and they were all in the form of warnings. The first came to me as a boy as I sat on a spring seat by the side of my father as we drove into Ogden. Just before we crossed the bridge across the Ogden River, a man came out from a saloon, which was just on the northern bank of the river. I recognized him. I liked him because I had seen him on the local stage. But on that occasion he was under the influence of liquor, and had been for, I suppose, several days.
I did not know … he drank, but as he broke down and cried and asked father for fifty cents to go back into the saloon, I saw him stagger away. As we drove across the bridge my father said:
“David, he and I used to go [home] teaching together.”
That was all he said, but it was a warning to me that I have never forgotten, about the effect of dissipation [or excessive drinking].
A little later, a teacher [assigned] us to read a story about a group of young people sailing down the St. Lawrence River. … I cannot give you the author, I cannot give you the title, but I can give you the memory that has stayed with me, about those young folks who were drinking and carousing and having a good time in the boat sailing down that noted river. But a man on the shore, recognizing, realizing the dangers ahead of them, cried: “Hello, there, the rapids are below you.”
But they ignored his warning, defied him. “We are all right,” and continued in their jocularity [or joking] and their indulgences. And again he cried out: “The rapids are below you,” and again they gave no heed to his warning.
Suddenly they found themselves in the rapids. Then they immediately began to row for the shore, but it was too late. I do not remember but just the words of the last paragraph, but cursing, yelling, over the rapids, over the falls they went.
Negative? Yes. But I will tell you there are many in the stream of life who are rowing just that way. I have never forgotten that story (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: David O. McKay, 106-7)..
President Grant also taught this principle of keeping commandments and communication with God:
Another reason for which I am so anxious that the Latter-day Saints should observe the Word of Wisdom is that the Lord says it was given to us for our temporal salvation [see D&C 89:2]. I would like it known that if we as a people never used a particle of tea or coffee or of tobacco or of liquor, we would become one of the most wealthy people in the world. Why? Because we would have increased vigor of body, increased vigor of mind; we would grow spiritually; we would have a more direct line of communication with God, our Heavenly Father; we would be able to accomplish more (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Heber J. Grant, 192).
In the last section of this lesson, President Boyd K. Packer is quoted stating “The Word of Wisdom is a key to individual revelation” (p. 171). In an earlier talk, he also discussed the concept that indulgence in things harmful for the body decreases our ability to listen to the Spirit:
I have come to know … that a fundamental purpose of the Word of Wisdom has to do with revelation. From the time you are very little we teach you to avoid tea, coffee, liquor, tobacco, narcotics, and anything else that disturbs your health. … If someone ‘under the influence’ can hardly listen to plain talk, how can they respond to spiritual promptings that touch their most delicate feelings? As valuable as the Word of Wisdom is as a law of health, it may be much more valuable to you spiritually than it is physically (Ensign, Nov. 1979, 20).
Perhaps one of Satan’s best “counterfeits” is his attempt to replicate “happiness” that comes from keeping the commandments. We would do well to remember the counsel of Alma to his son Corianton:
Do not suppose, because it has been spoken concerning restoration, that ye shall be restored from sin to happiness. Behold, I say unto you, wickedness never was happiness (Alma 41:10).
President Joseph F. Smith discussed this false concept of happiness from breaking the Word of Wisdom:
The drunkard becomes a slave to his drink; others become slaves to the use of tea, coffee and tobacco, and therefore they consider them necessary to their happiness; but they are not really necessary to their happiness nor to their health (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, 326).
The two greatest sins, next to committing the “unpardonable sin” are murder and breaking the law of chastity. President Grant explained the connection between the law of chastity and breaking the Word of Wisdom:
The crying evil of the age is lack of virtue. There is but one standard of morality in the Church of Christ. We have been taught, thousands of us who have been reared in this Church from our childhood days, that second only to murder is the sin of losing our virtue; and I want to say to the fathers and to the mothers, and to the sons and daughters, in our Primary, in our Mutual Improvement Associations, in our seminaries and institutes, in Sunday School, in the Relief Society and in all of our Priesthood quorums—I want it understood that the use of liquor and tobacco is one of the chief means in the hands of the adversary whereby he is enabled to lead boys and girls from virtue (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Heber J. Grant, 194).
Prophetic voices from the past are validated with a quick internet search today which will reveal statistics that alcohol is involved in at least 34% of all murders and that more than 50% of rapes occur when the rapist has been drinking.
On a positive (and doctrinally important) note, President Joseph Fielding Smith proclaimed:
One of the main purposes of this moral life is to obtain these bodies and if they are not kept clean then they are not fit for exaltation...The purpose of this great revelation (D&C 89) on the care and proper treatment of the body is that the body may be sanctified in truth and cleanliness, as well as the spirit (Church History and Modem-day Revelation, 1:383).
We Are Commanded Not to Take Certain Things into Our Bodies
The first question in this section is, “What has the Lord commanded us not to take into our bodies?” (p. 167). President Joseph F. Smith declared that there were only two options for latter-day Saints when it comes to the Word of Wisdom:
Perhaps those who are accustomed to these habits think this is a very trivial or very unimportant thing to talk about to a vast congregation like this, but I never see a boy or a man, young or old, addicted to this habit and practicing it openly but I am forced to the conclusion to the conviction in my mind that he is either ignorant of God’s will concerning man or he is defiant of God’s will and does not care anything about the word of the Lord, and that alone is sufficient to bring sorrow to the heart of any man who has any regard or respect for the word or will of the Lord and would like to see it obeyed (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, 325).
The Word of Wisdom was first given “not by commandment or constraint” (D&C 89:2). However, these were words added by Joseph Smith (see heading to D&C 89). Here is President Joseph F. Smith’s explanation of this:
The reason undoubtedly why the Word of Wisdom was given as not by “commandment or restraint” was that at that time, at least, if it had been given as 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. Later on, it was announced from this stand, by President Brigham Young, that the Word of Wisdom was a revelation and a command of the Lord. I desired to mention that fact, because I do not want you to feel that we are under no restraint. We do not want to come under condemnation (Conference Report, October 1913, p. 14).
It is true that early in the history of the Church the Word of Wisdom was not emphasized as strongly as it later was. However, from the Encyclopedia of Mormonism we learn:
…by 1930 abstinence from the use of alcohol, tobacco, coffee, and tea had become an official requirement for those seeking temple recommends (p. 1584).
However, as will be learned by reading the statements of earlier prophets in this blog, they had no question from the beginning that this was revelation from the Lord. Brigham Young certainly felt this way, as well as denying that this commandment was past its usefulness:
This Word of Wisdom which has been supposed to have become stale, and not in force, is like all the counsels of God, in force as much today as it ever was. There is life, everlasting life in it—the life which now is and the life which is to come (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, 212).
A terrific endorsement of the Word of Wisdom as well as pronouncement of another great blessing not mentioned in the manual comes from President Joseph F. Smith:
President Joseph F. Smith taught that the Word of Wisdom was more than a prohibition against tea, coffee, tobacco, and alcohol; it contained practical counsel for good health and spiritual growth, and those Saints who obeyed it would draw nearer to the Lord and become more like Him. To remind the Saints of the importance of the Word of Wisdom, he sometimes read Doctrine and Covenants 89 in its entirety in a meeting. “Now, it may seem altogether unnecessary and out of place, perhaps, to many, for me to occupy the time of this vast congregation in reading this revelation,” he once said, but read every word of it anyway to emphasize the great value of the message (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, 323).
President Grant discussed the false concepts of some:
I have heard any number of Latter-day Saints say 'Why, the word of wisdom is not a commandment'. What does the Word of Wisdom say? That is the mind and the will of the
Lord The day is gone by when the Lord will trifle with the Latter-day Saints. He has said that His Spirit shall not always strive with man (Gospel Standards, 55-56).
President Grant added these feelings:
As I read the Word of Wisdom, I learn that it is adapted to the weakest of all the weak who are or can be called Saints [see D&C 89:3]. And I believe that it would be a wonderful aid in the advancement of the kingdom of God if all the Latter-day Saints would obey this simple commandment of the Lord…
There is not a man or a woman among all the Latter-day Saints but who could keep the Word of Wisdom if they got down on their knees … and pray[ed] to God for help (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Heber J. Grant, 196).
In President McKay’s day, there certainly was no question, as explained in the heading in a Priesthood/Relief Society manual:
“The Word of Wisdom is a clear commandment given by revelation from the Lord” (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: David O. McKay, 104).
President McKay reinforced this:
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stands committed unequivocally to the doctrine that tea, coffee, tobacco, and intoxicants are not good for man. True Latter-day Saints refrain from indulgence in tobacco and drink, either of stimulants or of intoxicants, and by example and precept, teach others to do the same (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: David O. McKay, 108).
The Word of Wisdom prohibits “hot drinks” (verse 9). The manual states, “Church leaders have said that this means coffee and tea, which contain harmful substances” (p. 169).
The following comes from the Doctrine and Covenants Institute Student Manual:
The Prophet Joseph Smith said: “I understand that some of the people are excusing themselves in using tea and coffee, because the Lord only said ‘hot drinks’ in the revelation of the Word of Wisdom. . . .
“Tea and coffee . . . are what the Lord meant when He said ‘hot drinks.’”
Brigham Young also discussed this in historical context:
This Word of Wisdom prohibits the use of hot drinks and tobacco. I have heard it argued that tea and coffee are not mentioned therein; that is very true; but what were the people in the habit of taking as hot drinks when that revelation was given? Tea and coffee. We were not in the habit of drinking water very hot, but tea and coffee—the beverages in common use (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, 212).
Hopefully Latter-day Saints do not have as much trouble living the Word of Wisdom today as they apparently did in President McKay’s day, but just in case some still do not think “We are commanded…” (title of this section) is as serious as the Lord intends it, here is President McKay’s council about this commandment:
The particular sentence that I wish to call attention to is this: “Inasmuch as any man drinketh wine or strong drink … behold it is not good, neither meet in the sight of your Father.” That is the word of God to the people of this generation. It stands with just as much force as the words of the Savior, “If any man will do His will he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God or whether I speak of myself” [John 7:17]. Latter-day Saints, you know this statement of the Savior’s is true; we testify that if any man will do the will of God he will get the testimony, in his heart and in his life, that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is true. We accept the words of the Savior, “Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish” [Luke 13:3] Those eternal truths, so tersely expressed, we accept as true. We may not live up to them wholly, but as a people we accept them, because they are the word of God. Just so strong, just so eternal stands this truth … , “Strong drink is not good for man” [See D&C 89:7]. Yet [many years] have passed, and during that time this doctrine has been preached every week, if not every day, in some congregation of Israel, and still we find in our midst a few who say, by their acts, it is good for man.
I am glad when I study this passage, to find that the Lord did not say, “Strong drink to excess is not good;” nor “Drunkenness is not good.” Suppose He had weakened that expression by modifying it and saying, “Strong drink in excess, or when taken in large quantities, is not good,” how soon we should have justified ourselves that a little drink is good. But like other eternal truths it stands unqualified; strong drink is not good.
I think tobacco is a vice which should be shunned as the bite of a rattlesnake. … The Lord has said that tobacco is not good for man. That should be sufficient for Latter-day Saints.
Members of the Church who have formed either the tobacco habit or the tea and coffee habit, or both, are prone to seek justification for their indulgences in things which the Lord has said plainly are not good for man. Whenever they try to do so, they only parade the weakness of their faith in the Lord’s words, which were given as admonition and “wisdom,” and obedience to which will bring blessing as certain and sure as if he had said, “Thou shalt not” (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: David O. McKay, 104-5).
President Joseph F. Smith also taught about the opportunity for each of us to learn for ourselves about this commandment as well as the resultant safeguards that follow:
When we do the will of the Lord, then shall we know of the doctrine, that it is of God; then shall we build upon the rock; then when the floods descend and the storms beat upon the house, it will not fall (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, 326).
In this section is discussed that tobacco, tea and coffee should not be used. These are all stimulants. President McKay explained the medical problem with stimulants:
There is a substance…which when taken into the human system, tends to increase the beating of the heart; which in turn increases the rapidity of the circulation of the blood and of breathing. This causes the body to become warmer and more exhilarated. After a time, however, this temporary enlivenment passes off, and the body is really in a greater need of rest and recuperation than it was before the beverage was taken. Stimulants are to the body what the lash is to the lagging horse—it causes a spurt forward but gives no permanent strength or natural nourishment. Frequently repetitions of the lash only make the horse more lazy; and the habitual use of strong drink, tobacco, tea, and coffee, only tends to make the body weaker and more dependent upon the stimulants to which it is addicted (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: David O. McKay, 105).
President McKay continues with the spiritual problem with the use of stimulants:
A person’s reaction to his appetites and impulses when they are aroused gives the measure of that person’s character. In such reactions are revealed the man’s power to govern, or his forced servility to yield. That phase of the Word of Wisdom, therefore, which refers to intoxicants, drugs, and stimulants, goes deeper than the ill effects upon the body, and strikes at the very root of character building itself. …
During the last one hundred years, the marvelous advance of science has made it possible for man to determine by experiments the ill effect of intoxicants and drugs upon the nerves and tissues of the human body. Observation and experiment have demonstrated their effects upon character. All such experiments and observations have proved the truth of the … statement: “Strong drinks and tobacco are not good for man” (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: David O. McKay, 106).
In this section is found a powerful sentence, “We should avoid anything that we know is harmful to our bodies” (p. 169). President Boyd K. Packer first declared the commandment and then discussed those things not included:
We have accepted as the Word of Wisdom in the Church standards that we will not change. You are not going to go on a mission unless you observe it. You are not going to go to the temple for the more sacred ordinances unless you observe it. That is no tea or coffee or liquor or tobacco or whatever else is covered by it.
We get strange letters asking if this or that is a part of the Word of Wisdom. Marijuana is not listed in section 89! And neither is strychnine or arsenic listed! But, of course, they are not habit-forming.
The point is, if you want to move on spiritually and do as you ought to do in this life, the principle outlined in the Word of Wisdom shows you the requirements. You cannot just toy with it (CES Fireside for Young Adults, 2 February 2003). These firesides can be found at “institute.lds.org” then click on “CES Firesides” on the top bar.
One of the very best resources for this lesson, especially to help parents teach their children the principles of the law of the Word of Wisdom is For the Strength of Youth pamphlet. If parents do not have a copy of this in the home, they need to ask their bishops for one. It is also found online at “lds.org” then click “Menu” at the top then under “Family” click “Youth” then scroll down and find under “Quick Links” (on the right) click on “For the Strength of Youth.” The information below is from the section on “Physical Health.” There is found very specific guidelines from the Prophet to youth:
Never use tobacco products, such as cigarettes, snuff, chewing tobacco, cigars, and pipe tobacco. They are very addictive and will damage your body and shorten your life. Also, do not drink coffee or tea, for these are addictive and harmful.
Never use tobacco products, such as cigarettes, snuff, chewing tobacco, cigars, and pipe tobacco. They are very addictive and will damage your body and shorten your life…
Any drug, chemical, or dangerous practice that is used to produce a sensation or “high” can destroy your physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. These include hard drugs, prescription or over-the-counter medications that are abused, and household chemicals (p. 36-37).
One of the questions that inevitably come up with a discussion of the Word of Wisdom is “What about coke?” The Encyclopedia of Mormonism states the following:
With the appearance of cola drinks in the early 1900s, the Church was confronted with cold beverages containing caffeine, a harmful substance believed to make coffee and tea unacceptable. While no official Church position has been stated, leaders have counseled members to avoid caffeine and other addictive chemicals (p. 1584).
Brigham Young taught that failure to live the Word of Wisdom is failure to the community:
A man who indulges in any habit that is pernicious to the general good in its example and influence, is not only an enemy to himself but to the community so far as the influence of that habit goes. A man who would not sacrifice a pernicious habit for the good it would do the community is, to say the least of it, lukewarm in his desires and wishes for public and general improvement (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, 214 ).
It may be important in this lesson to discuss the exorbitant price that our society pays for not following the Word of Wisdom. Here is what President Joseph F. Smith emphasized:
If this commandment were observed by the whole people, the vast amount of money that now goes out to the world for strong drink and these other things forbidden in the word of wisdom, would be saved at home, and the health, prosperity and temporal salvation of the people would be correspondingly increased (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, 324).
Under President Heber J. Grant, the First Presidency issued the following:
Over the earth, and it seems particularly in America, the demon drink is in control. Drunken with strong drink, men have lost their reason; their counsel has been destroyed; their judgment and vision are fled; they reel forward to destruction. Drink brings cruelty into the home; it walks arm in arm with poverty; its companions are disease and plague; it puts chastity to flight it knows neither honesty nor fair dealing; it is a total stranger to truth; it drowns conscience; it is the body guard of evil; it curses all who touch it. Drink has brought more woe and misery, broken more hearts, wrecked more homes, committed more crimes, filled more coffins, than all the wars of the world has suffered" (Conference Report, Oct. 1942, 8).
To get a feel of what this statement means today, there have been about 1.3 million soldiers die in U.S. wars. For comparison, about 100,000 people die each year just from causes related to alcohol. This means that deaths just from alcohol in about 12 years totals more than the deaths of U.S. soldiers in the entire 234-year history of our country.
It goes without saying that prophets are, of course, prophetic. Now, concerning “social consequences” to just our nation of breaking the Word of Wisdom. An internet search of government statistics reveals that about one of every five dollars spent by the US government in the 1990s on health care was for the treatment and conditions due to tobacco, alcohol and other drugs. The economic cost due to these same vices in that same time period was almost half of what the government spent on social security.
President George Albert Smith said some interesting things about tobacco:
The use of tobacco, a little thing as it seems to some men, has been the means of destroying their spiritual life, has been the means of driving from them the companionship of the Spirit of our Father, has alienated them from the society of good men and women, and has brought upon them the disregard and reproach of the children that have been born to them, and yet the devil will say to a man, “'Oh, it's only a little thing" (Conference Report. April 1918).
It may also be good to quote President Grant who had this to say to those who complained about this doctrine:
Some members of the Church in President Grant’s day complained about the numerous sermons they heard on the Word of Wisdom. President Grant commented: “There is seldom a conference when someone does not take it upon himself to tell us: ‘Please do not speak on the Word of Wisdom. We hear it so much, we are sick and tired of it.’ ” President Grant responded to such complaints by saying: “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 the Presidents of the Church: Heber J. Grant, 190).
Online at “LDS Resources on Codependence” is found an article entitled, “Hold On To Hope: Help for LDS Addicts and Their Families,” by Elder Vaughn J. Featherstone (of the Seventies) and Dr. Rick H. From this series presentation (the whole series is terrific) comes the following concerning the idea that breaking the Word of Wisdom will not keep us from God’s presence:
A bishop tells the story of an elderly sister who came in for a temple recommend. When he asked her about adherence to the Word of Wisdom, she admitted that she had one cup of coffee each morning. When he asked if she could quit and was told no, he suggested that he could not issue a recommend until compliance with the law was met. The woman grew very angry and said, "I don't think it is that significant! One cup of coffee is nothing. I can't believe a loving Father would hold me out of the celestial kingdom for one cup of coffee a day. Why then, should you hold me out of the temple?" For a long moment the bishop looked at her and then said very gently, "I suppose that there are many, many things far more serious than a cup of coffee. Certainly one of those more serious things is rebellion against God. As a member of the church you know what the Lord has taught concerning the Word of Wisdom. If you know the law and still refuse to obey it, that is a very serious state of rebellion. So as long as you continue in this state of opposition, you cannot dwell with God."
Elder Robert C. Oaks, of the Seventy, further emphasized in an Ensign article:
Some Church members may have reservations because of a physical appetite they are not quite willing to surrender. In an effort to justify their behavior and to avoid facing the challenge of keeping their appetites within heavenly bounds, they may say, “Surely the Lord will not keep me out of the celestial kingdom over a cup of coffee every once in a while” (Ensign, July 2005, 30).
President Joseph Fielding Smith had this to say on the matter of breaking the Word of Wisdom and going to the celestial kingdom:
Yes, he will forgive you, because he is going to forgive every man who repents; but, my brethren, if you drink coffee or tea, or take tobacco, are you letting a cup of tea or a little tobacco stand in the road and bar you from the celestial kingdom of God, where you might otherwise have received a fulness of glory? (Doctrines of Salvation 2:16).
While breaking the Word of Wisdom may not be a serious as breaking other commandments, it remains a commandment. There are serious consequences for breaking any commandment.
A great resource for this section is:
Brad Wilcox, "What’s Not on the Warning Label", New Era, Oct. 2008, 38–41
We Are Taught That Certain Things Are Good for Our Bodies
President Joseph Fielding Smith said the following relating to this section:
So much stress has been place upon the "don't" in this revelation that whenever we hear it mentioned the vision of prohibited liquors, tobaccos, teas, coffees, etc., comes before us. We seldom hear of the things mentioned which are "ordained for the constitution, nature, and use of man." The Lord has given us all good herbs, fruits, and grains. These are to be the main foods of men, beast, and fowls. But we should not overlook the fact that they are to be used with "prudence and thanksgiving" (Church History and Modern-day Revelation, 1:385).
Some good understanding of the ideas presented in this section could come from just discussing the picture on p. 168.
Two terrific resource articles for this section are:
William T. Stephenson, "Cancer, Nutrition, and the Word of Wisdom: One Doctor’s Observations", Ensign, July 2008, 42–47
Lora Beth Larson, "The Do’s in the Word of Wisdom", Ensign, Apr. 1977, 46
Elder James Talmage cautioned about this section:
In the observance of the Word of Wisdom caution should be used. Personal opinions often color our practices. We have the right of free agency, but nevertheless we should not try to stretch the Word of Wisdom to conform with our own opinions. For example: The Word of Wisdom is not a system of vegetarianism. Clearly, meat is permitted. Naturally, that includes animal products, less subject than meat to putrefactive and other disturbances, such as eggs, milk, and cheese. These products cannot be excluded simply because they are not mentioned specifically. By that token most of our foodstuffs could not be eaten" (Evidences and Reconciliation, 3:155).
Work, Rest, and Exercise Are Important
If more discussion of the value of work is desired, you may refer to this blog, November, Chapter 27.
Rest instead of stimulants was encouraged by Brigham Young:
The constitution that a person has should be nourished and cherished; and whenever we take anything into the system to force and stimulate it beyond its natural capacity, it shortens life. I am physician enough to know that. … If you will follow this counsel, you will be full of life and health, and you will increase your intelligence, your joy, and comfort (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, 212).
Brigham Young continued concerning rest:
Instead of doing two days’ work in one day, wisdom would dictate to [the Saints], that if they desire long life and good health, they must, after sufficient exertion, allow the body to rest before it is entirely exhausted. When exhausted, some argue that they need stimulants in the shape of tea, coffee, spirituous liquors, tobacco, or some of those narcotic substances which are often taken to goad on the lagging powers to greater exertions. But instead of these kind of stimulants they should recruit by rest (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, 212).
Joseph F. Smith also had wise counsel for this subject:
In the mad rush of life for worldly honors and for the possession of the perishable things of this earth men do not stop before they get weary, and they do not rest before they become faint. They appear to think that what is necessary for them when they become weary and faint is to take stimulants to refresh themselves, that they may be able to run a little farther for a few moments. In this way the man of business braces himself up by taking strong drinks. The housewife and the mother who has the care of her family upon her hands, after she has toiled until she has become faint, feels that she must, in order to keep up her strength, take a cup of tea, and thus brace up her nerves and strengthen herself for a little while that she may be able to finish her day’s work. Now, if the pure intelligence of the Spirit of God were substituted for the stimulating influence of the tea and the liquor; if we could by some means get a sufficient portion of the Spirit of the Lord within us that would cause us to know just what to do when we felt weariness and faintness coming upon us, without resorting to the aid of stimulants and drugs that go far to injure our systems and make us slaves, to an acquired appetite, it would be a great deal better for us (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, 326-7).
If more discussion on exercise is desired, it would be greatly enhanced by going to the newly revamped “lds.org” and clicking on the bar “Search all LDS.org” at the top then type in “exercise” and hit “Enter” on your keyboard (okay, don’t hit it too hard). Some terrific articles and quotes from general authorities pop up on the first four pages found there.
Promised Blessings for Living the Lord’s Law of Health
The manual explains:
The scriptures tell us about God’s laws: “No temporal commandment gave I … , for my commandments are spiritual” (D&C 29:35). This means that His commandments concerning our physical state are for our spiritual good (p. 171).
President Grant taught:
There is absolutely no benefit to any human being derived from breaking the Word of Wisdom, but there is everything for his benefit, morally, intellectually, physically and spiritually in obeying it (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Heber J. Grant, 193).
President Ezra Taft Benson also declared:
The Word of Wisdom is a law—a principle with promise. If we obey the provisions of the law, we receive the promises. If we do not, there will be both temporal and spiritual consequences (Ensign, May 1983, 53).
The manual states that one of the blessings is “Physically we have been promised good health” (p. 171). President Heber J. Grant shared his motivation for preaching so many sermons on this subject:
Much of President Grant’s motivation for preaching the Word of Wisdom came because he had a friend whose life was ruined by cigarettes and liquor. This young man gave up smoking so he could serve a mission, but he started to smoke immediately after his release from full-time missionary service. Smoking led to liquor drinking, and liquor drinking led to a loss of virtue and to excommunication from the Church. He died at a young age, and Heber J. Grant went to visit his grave. “As I stood at his grave,” President Grant recalled, “I looked up to heaven and made 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 the Presidents of the Church: Heber J. Grant, 189).
In President Grant’s manual is also made an important statement worth discussing:
From personal experience, President Grant knew that those who obey the Word of Wisdom will not be immune from all sickness and disease. He acknowledged that “being blessed does not mean that we shall always be spared all the disappointments and difficulties of life.” However, he repeatedly testified that when Latter-day Saints keep the Word of Wisdom, they receive blessings of health, prosperity, and spiritual strength that they would not be able to receive if they did not obey this law…
When disease attacks a man whose body is full of tobacco and full of liquor, or who has been guilty of excesses and abuses in any phase of living, then he has no claim on these promises [referring to D&C 89:18-21] (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Heber J. Grant, 190, 195).
Thus, keeping the Word of Wisdom may not prevent us from diseases usually associated with those who break this commandment, but keeping this commandment will always benefit us spiritually.
In this section we read, concerning D&C 89, “The Lord promises us that we “shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures” (p. 171). Brigham Young had this to say about that:
It is a piece of good counsel which the Lord desires his people to observe, that they may live on the earth until the measure of their creation is full. This is the object the Lord had in view in giving that Word of Wisdom. To those who observe it he will give great wisdom and understanding, increasing their health, giving strength and endurance to the faculties of their bodies and minds until they shall be full of years upon the earth. This will be their blessing if they will observe his word with a good and willing heart and in faithfulness before the Lord (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, 213-4).
President Joseph F. Smith added his testimony and concerns about “treasures” as promised:
Are not “great treasures” of knowledge, even “hidden treasures,” something to be desired? But when I see men and women addicting themselves to the use of tea and coffee, or strong drinks, or tobacco in any form, I say to myself, here are men and women who do not appreciate the promise God has made unto them (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, 328).
President Grant added this terrific statement concerning knowledge:
The Lord has told us through the Prophet Joseph Smith:
“If a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life, through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come” [D&C 130:19].
No man who breaks the Word of Wisdom can gain the same amount of knowledge and intelligence in this world as the man who obeys that law. I don’t care who he is or where he comes from, his mind will not be as clear, and he cannot advance as far and as rapidly and retain his power as much as he would if he obeyed the Word of Wisdom (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Heber J. Grant, 192).
Another blessing of living the Word of Wisdom not mentioned in the manual is that of discipline. It is always good to remember what President James E. Faust taught in conference:
The word for disciple and the word for discipline both come from the same Latin root—discipulus, which means pupil. It emphasizes practice or exercise. Self-discipline and self-control are consistent and permanent characteristics of the followers of Jesus, as exemplified by Peter, James, and John, who indeed “forsook all, and followed him” (Ensign, Nov 2006, 20).
Concerning this blessing, President McKay explained:
You show me a man who has complete control over his appetite, who can resist all temptations to indulge in stimulants, liquor, tobacco, marijuana, and other vicious drugs, and I will show you a youth or man who has likewise developed power to control his passions and desires…
The Church urges men to have self-mastery to control their appetites, their tempers, and their speech. A man is not at his best when he is a slave to some habit. A man is not his best who lives merely to gratify his passions. That is one reason why the Lord has given the Church the revelation of the Word of Wisdom so that, even from boyhood and girlhood, young men and young women may learn to control themselves…
He who fails to live it robs himself of strength of body and strength of character to which he is entitled. Truth is loyalty to the right as we see it; it is courageous living of our lives in harmony with our ideals; it is always power (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: David O. McKay, 108-10).
Another blessing, that of becoming worthy of the Lord’s presence is taught by President Joseph F. Smith:
We see great reasons for the principles contained in this chapter of the book of Doctrine and Covenants [section 89] being taught to the world, and especially to the Latter-day Saints. It is nothing more nor less than that simple Word of Wisdom that was given in 1833, for the benefit, the help, and the prosperity of the Latter-day Saints, that they might purify and prepare themselves to go nearer into the presence of the Lord, that by reason of keeping this law they might fit themselves to enjoy the blessings that He is more than willing to bestow upon them, if they are worthy (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, 324).
Concerning this same idea, President Joseph F. Smith plead and promised:
Now, I do wish with all my heart—not because I say it, but because it is written in the word of the Lord—that you would give heed to this Word of Wisdom. It was given unto us … for our guidance, for our happiness and advancement in every principle that pertains to the kingdom of God, in time and throughout eternity, and I pray you to observe it. It will do you good; it will ennoble your souls; it will free your thoughts and your hearts from the spirit of destruction; it will make you feel like God…it will bring you nearer to the similitude of the Son of God, the Savior of the world… (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, 328-9).
Desired blessings from God were implicit in the following admonition by Brigham Young (note the Word of Wisdom in the middle of two great principles):
Bishops, Elders of Israel, High Priests, Seventies, the Twelve Apostles, the First Presidency, and all the House of Israel, hearken ye, O my people! keep the word of the Lord, observe the Word of Wisdom, sustain one another, sustain the household of faith (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, 211).
Blessings can also be found in the opposites of the consequences warned of by Brigham Young:
The Spirit whispers to me to call upon the Latter-day Saints to observe the Word of Wisdom, to let tea, coffee, and tobacco alone, and to abstain from drinking spirituous drinks. This is what the Spirit signifies through me. If the Spirit of God whispers this to his people through their leader, and they will not listen nor obey, what will be the consequences of their disobedience? Darkness and blindness of mind with regard to the things of God will be their lot; they will cease to have the spirit of prayer, and the spirit of the world will increase in them in proportion to their disobedience until they apostatize entirely from God and his ways (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, 212).
That we can always count on blessings promised by the Lord was declared by President Grant:
I find recorded in the Doctrine and Covenants a very short passage which reads:
“I the Lord am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise” [D&C 82:10].
I wish that every Latter-day Saint would remember these few words. How I wish that they were engraven upon our memories and upon our hearts, and that we would determine that God shall be bound to fulfill His promises unto us, because we will keep His commandments. There is a law irrevocably decreed in heaven—so we are told by the Prophet Joseph—before the foundations of the world, upon which all blessings are predicated, and when we receive any blessing, it is by obedience to the law upon which it is predicated [see D&C 130:20-21]. If you and I desire the blessings of life, of health, of vigor of body and mind; if we desire the destroying angel to pass us by, as he did in the days of the children of Israel, we must obey the Word of Wisdom; then God is bound, and the blessing shall come to us (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Heber J. Grant, 191-2).
Elder John A. Widstoe listed the following blessings for living this wonderful law:
The rewards for keeping the Word of Wisdom are four fold.
1. Self-control. In verse 3 of the revelation which states that the Word of Wisdom is "adapted to the capacity of the weak and the weakest of all Saints."
2. Strength of body, included resistance to contagion, is a result of wise living.
3. Clearness of mind is the gift of those whose bodies are in a healthy condition.
4. Spiritual power comes to all who conquer their appetites, live normally and look upward to God (Teachings of Latter-day Prophets, p. 37).
Brigham Young taught of blessings from living the Word of Wisdom beyond this life:
Prepare to die is not the exhortation in this Church and Kingdom; but prepare to live is the word with us, and improve all we can in the life hereafter, wherein we may enjoy a more exalted condition of intelligence, wisdom, light, knowledge, power, glory, and exaltation. Then let us seek to extend the present life to the uttermost, by observing every law of health, and by properly balancing labor, study, rest, and recreation, and thus prepare for a better life (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, 214).
Brigham’s next injunction should go without saying for members of Relief Society and Priesthood:
Let us teach these principles to our children, that, in the morning of their days, they may be taught to lay the foundation of health and strength and constitution and power of life in their bodies (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, 214).
Once again there are tremendous resources for this lesson found in Teachings of the Presidents of the Church:... (the old Priesthood/Relief Society manuals). This includes Brigham Young, Chapter 29, Joseph F. Smith, Chapter 36, Heber J. Grant, Chapter 21 and David O. McKay, Chapter 11. Remember, these can all be found on “lds.org” (first click on the bar in the lower left hand corner that says “Go to Classic LDS.org”) then click on “Gospel Library” then “Lessons” then “Melchizedek Priesthood and Relief Society.” All of the manuals are listed at the bottom of that page. Be sure to not miss that terrific resource of Doctrine and Covenants Institute Student Manual, Section 89. This can be found at “institute.lds.org” then click on “Course Catalogue” on the top bar.
In this section we read, “Our bodies are so important that the Lord calls them temples of God…” (p. 167). Following is a repeat of what was printed in this blog in November (Chapter 26: Sacrifice) but really fits better here:
The concept from Paul that our bodies are temples of God is beautifully developed by Jeffrey R. Holland (before he became an apostle) in a talk, “Of Souls, Symbols, and Sacraments,” given at a BYU Speeches of the Year, 12 January 1988. In this talk, he stated:
Paul's warning to the Corinthians takes on newer, higher meaning:
. . . Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye
have of God, and ye are not your own?
For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit,
which are God's. [1 Corinthians 6:13-20; emphasis added]
Our soul is what's at stake here‹our spirit and our body. Paul understood that doctrine of
the soul…because it is gospel truth. The purchase price for our fullness of joy (body and spirit eternally united) is the pure and innocent blood of the Savior of this world. We cannot then say in ignorance or defiance, "Well, it's my life," or worse yet, "It's my body." It is not. "Ye are not your own," Paul said. "Ye are bought with a price."
One of the current temptations of the world attacking youth concerning their bodies being temples of God is tattooing. A wonderful Ensign article, "I Have a Question" by a medical doctor appeared in the Ensign. He discussed many other points concerning medical and social-emotional damage from tattooing as well as the spiritual damage from disobedience to this aspect of the Word of Wisdom:
Similarly, when individuals follow the body-defiling practices of multiple piercing and tattooing, they dull their spiritual sensitivity. Tattooing the body seems analogous to spraying graffiti on one of our beautiful temples.
So often individuals are motivated to participate in these activities because they want to feel valued and accepted by their peers; they may even have feelings of low self-worth. In truth, the real basis of self-worth is the knowledge that we are sons and daughters of God, who loves us. The Holy Ghost is the custodian of that knowledge (Ensign, Feb. 1999, 52).
In this lesson most of what we learn comes from the Lord revealing Section 89 of what is known as the Word of Wisdom. Brigham Young shared how we got this wonderful revelation:
President Brigham Young said: “I think I am as well acquainted with the circumstances which led to the giving of the Word of Wisdom as any man in the Church, although I was not present at the time to witness them. The first school of the prophets was held in a small room situated over the Prophet Joseph’s kitchen, in a house which belonged to Bishop Whitney. . . . The brethren came to that place for hundreds of miles to attend school in a little room probably no larger than eleven by fourteen. When they assembled together in this room after breakfast, the first they did was to light their pipes and, while smoking, talk about the great things of the kingdom and spit all over the room, and as soon as the pipe was out of their mouths a large chew of tobacco would then be taken. Often when the Prophet entered the room to give the school instructions he would find himself in a cloud of tobacco smoke. This, and the complaints of his wife at having to clean so filthy a floor, made the Prophet think upon the matter, and he inquired of the Lord relating to the conduct of the Elders in using tobacco, and the revelation known as the Word of Wisdom was the result of his inquiry (Doctrine and Covenants Institute Student Manual, Section 89).
In this section we read, “Our Father knows that we face temptations to treat our bodies unwisely or to take harmful things into them” (p. 169). President McKay talked about one time when he was tempted and how he handled it:
During a visit with the queen of the Netherlands in 1952, President and Sister McKay had an interesting experience. The queen had scheduled 30 minutes for a visit with them. President McKay carefully watched the time, and when the half hour was up, he politely thanked the queen and began to leave. “Mr. McKay,” she said, “sit down! I have enjoyed this thirty minutes more than I have enjoyed any thirty minutes in a long time. I just wish you would extend our visit a little longer.” He sat down again. Then a coffee table was brought in, and the queen poured three cups of tea, giving one to President McKay, one to Sister McKay, and keeping one for herself. When the queen noticed that neither of her guests drank the tea, she asked, “Won’t you have a little tea with the Queen?” President McKay explained, “I must tell you that our people do not believe in drinking stimulants, and we think tea is a stimulant.” She said, “I am the Queen of the Netherlands. Do you mean to tell me you won’t have a little drink of tea, even with the Queen of the Netherlands?” President McKay responded, “Would the Queen of the Netherlands ask the leader of a million, three hundred thousand people to do something that he teaches his people not to do?” “You are a great man, President McKay,” she said. “I wouldn’t ask you to do that” (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: David O. McKay, 103).
President Joseph F. Smith also gave wise counsel concerning temptations which may come from members of the Church:
I recollect a circumstance that occurred three years ago in a party that I was traveling with. There were one or two who persisted in having their tea and coffee at every place they stopped. I preached the Word of Wisdom right along; but they said, ‘What does it matter? Here is So-and-so, who drinks tea and coffee.’ … I said at one time, ‘Oh, yes, you say it is a good thing to drink a little tea or coffee, but the Lord says it is not. What shall I follow?’ The Lord says that if we will observe the Word of Wisdom we shall have access to great treasures of knowledge, and hidden treasures; we shall run and not be weary, we shall walk and not faint; and the destroying angel shall pass us by, as he did the children of Israel, and not slay us. … I will pray for you and earnestly beseech you, my brethren and sisters, … to cease practicing these forbidden things, and observe the laws of God (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, 323-4).
President Joseph F. Smith also gave wise help for dealing with temptation and the wonderful result of doing so:
Why cannot we rise to that degree of intelligence that would enable us to say to the tempter, “Get behind me,” and to turn our backs upon the practice of evil. How humiliating it must be to a thoughtful man to feel that he is a slave to his appetites, or to an over-weening and pernicious habit, desire, or passion (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, 326).
Of course, temptations come from Satan who influences men to do his will, which is anything contrary to the will of God. President McKay gave wonderful counsel about how this happened with tobacco. By studying these words of a prophet, we can be warned and discover the same pattern being used today with other temptations concerning the Word of Wisdom:
“Evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men… [D&C 89:4].” The purport of that impressed me in the twenties, and the thirties of [the 20th] century. I just ask you … to recall the methods employed by certain tobacco interests to induce women to smoke cigarettes.
You remember how insidiously they launched their plan. First, by saying that it would reduce weight. They had a slogan: “Take a cigarette instead of a sweet.”
Later, some of us who like the theatre, noticed that they would have a young lady light the gentleman’s cigarette. Following this a woman’s hand would be shown on billboards lighting or taking a cigarette. A year or two passed and soon they were brazen enough to show the lady on the screen or on the billboard smoking the cigarette. …
I may be wrong, but I thought I saw an indication recently that conspiring men now have evil designs upon our youth. Keep your eyes and ears open (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: David O. McKay, 107-8).
In the last paragraph of this section we read, “If we do not obey the Word of Wisdom, the Lord’s Spirit withdraws from us” (p. 167). President McKay gave examples of this in order to avoid “rapids” into which Satan would lead us:
As I recall the influences upon my young life, I believe the greatest was the memorizing of that important saying: “My spirit will not dwell in an unclean tabernacle.”
Then there were … others, and they were all in the form of warnings. The first came to me as a boy as I sat on a spring seat by the side of my father as we drove into Ogden. Just before we crossed the bridge across the Ogden River, a man came out from a saloon, which was just on the northern bank of the river. I recognized him. I liked him because I had seen him on the local stage. But on that occasion he was under the influence of liquor, and had been for, I suppose, several days.
I did not know … he drank, but as he broke down and cried and asked father for fifty cents to go back into the saloon, I saw him stagger away. As we drove across the bridge my father said:
“David, he and I used to go [home] teaching together.”
That was all he said, but it was a warning to me that I have never forgotten, about the effect of dissipation [or excessive drinking].
A little later, a teacher [assigned] us to read a story about a group of young people sailing down the St. Lawrence River. … I cannot give you the author, I cannot give you the title, but I can give you the memory that has stayed with me, about those young folks who were drinking and carousing and having a good time in the boat sailing down that noted river. But a man on the shore, recognizing, realizing the dangers ahead of them, cried: “Hello, there, the rapids are below you.”
But they ignored his warning, defied him. “We are all right,” and continued in their jocularity [or joking] and their indulgences. And again he cried out: “The rapids are below you,” and again they gave no heed to his warning.
Suddenly they found themselves in the rapids. Then they immediately began to row for the shore, but it was too late. I do not remember but just the words of the last paragraph, but cursing, yelling, over the rapids, over the falls they went.
Negative? Yes. But I will tell you there are many in the stream of life who are rowing just that way. I have never forgotten that story (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: David O. McKay, 106-7)..
President Grant also taught this principle of keeping commandments and communication with God:
Another reason for which I am so anxious that the Latter-day Saints should observe the Word of Wisdom is that the Lord says it was given to us for our temporal salvation [see D&C 89:2]. I would like it known that if we as a people never used a particle of tea or coffee or of tobacco or of liquor, we would become one of the most wealthy people in the world. Why? Because we would have increased vigor of body, increased vigor of mind; we would grow spiritually; we would have a more direct line of communication with God, our Heavenly Father; we would be able to accomplish more (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Heber J. Grant, 192).
In the last section of this lesson, President Boyd K. Packer is quoted stating “The Word of Wisdom is a key to individual revelation” (p. 171). In an earlier talk, he also discussed the concept that indulgence in things harmful for the body decreases our ability to listen to the Spirit:
I have come to know … that a fundamental purpose of the Word of Wisdom has to do with revelation. From the time you are very little we teach you to avoid tea, coffee, liquor, tobacco, narcotics, and anything else that disturbs your health. … If someone ‘under the influence’ can hardly listen to plain talk, how can they respond to spiritual promptings that touch their most delicate feelings? As valuable as the Word of Wisdom is as a law of health, it may be much more valuable to you spiritually than it is physically (Ensign, Nov. 1979, 20).
Perhaps one of Satan’s best “counterfeits” is his attempt to replicate “happiness” that comes from keeping the commandments. We would do well to remember the counsel of Alma to his son Corianton:
Do not suppose, because it has been spoken concerning restoration, that ye shall be restored from sin to happiness. Behold, I say unto you, wickedness never was happiness (Alma 41:10).
President Joseph F. Smith discussed this false concept of happiness from breaking the Word of Wisdom:
The drunkard becomes a slave to his drink; others become slaves to the use of tea, coffee and tobacco, and therefore they consider them necessary to their happiness; but they are not really necessary to their happiness nor to their health (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, 326).
The two greatest sins, next to committing the “unpardonable sin” are murder and breaking the law of chastity. President Grant explained the connection between the law of chastity and breaking the Word of Wisdom:
The crying evil of the age is lack of virtue. There is but one standard of morality in the Church of Christ. We have been taught, thousands of us who have been reared in this Church from our childhood days, that second only to murder is the sin of losing our virtue; and I want to say to the fathers and to the mothers, and to the sons and daughters, in our Primary, in our Mutual Improvement Associations, in our seminaries and institutes, in Sunday School, in the Relief Society and in all of our Priesthood quorums—I want it understood that the use of liquor and tobacco is one of the chief means in the hands of the adversary whereby he is enabled to lead boys and girls from virtue (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Heber J. Grant, 194).
Prophetic voices from the past are validated with a quick internet search today which will reveal statistics that alcohol is involved in at least 34% of all murders and that more than 50% of rapes occur when the rapist has been drinking.
On a positive (and doctrinally important) note, President Joseph Fielding Smith proclaimed:
One of the main purposes of this moral life is to obtain these bodies and if they are not kept clean then they are not fit for exaltation...The purpose of this great revelation (D&C 89) on the care and proper treatment of the body is that the body may be sanctified in truth and cleanliness, as well as the spirit (Church History and Modem-day Revelation, 1:383).
We Are Commanded Not to Take Certain Things into Our Bodies
The first question in this section is, “What has the Lord commanded us not to take into our bodies?” (p. 167). President Joseph F. Smith declared that there were only two options for latter-day Saints when it comes to the Word of Wisdom:
Perhaps those who are accustomed to these habits think this is a very trivial or very unimportant thing to talk about to a vast congregation like this, but I never see a boy or a man, young or old, addicted to this habit and practicing it openly but I am forced to the conclusion to the conviction in my mind that he is either ignorant of God’s will concerning man or he is defiant of God’s will and does not care anything about the word of the Lord, and that alone is sufficient to bring sorrow to the heart of any man who has any regard or respect for the word or will of the Lord and would like to see it obeyed (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, 325).
The Word of Wisdom was first given “not by commandment or constraint” (D&C 89:2). However, these were words added by Joseph Smith (see heading to D&C 89). Here is President Joseph F. Smith’s explanation of this:
The reason undoubtedly why the Word of Wisdom was given as not by “commandment or restraint” was that at that time, at least, if it had been given as 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. Later on, it was announced from this stand, by President Brigham Young, that the Word of Wisdom was a revelation and a command of the Lord. I desired to mention that fact, because I do not want you to feel that we are under no restraint. We do not want to come under condemnation (Conference Report, October 1913, p. 14).
It is true that early in the history of the Church the Word of Wisdom was not emphasized as strongly as it later was. However, from the Encyclopedia of Mormonism we learn:
…by 1930 abstinence from the use of alcohol, tobacco, coffee, and tea had become an official requirement for those seeking temple recommends (p. 1584).
However, as will be learned by reading the statements of earlier prophets in this blog, they had no question from the beginning that this was revelation from the Lord. Brigham Young certainly felt this way, as well as denying that this commandment was past its usefulness:
This Word of Wisdom which has been supposed to have become stale, and not in force, is like all the counsels of God, in force as much today as it ever was. There is life, everlasting life in it—the life which now is and the life which is to come (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, 212).
A terrific endorsement of the Word of Wisdom as well as pronouncement of another great blessing not mentioned in the manual comes from President Joseph F. Smith:
President Joseph F. Smith taught that the Word of Wisdom was more than a prohibition against tea, coffee, tobacco, and alcohol; it contained practical counsel for good health and spiritual growth, and those Saints who obeyed it would draw nearer to the Lord and become more like Him. To remind the Saints of the importance of the Word of Wisdom, he sometimes read Doctrine and Covenants 89 in its entirety in a meeting. “Now, it may seem altogether unnecessary and out of place, perhaps, to many, for me to occupy the time of this vast congregation in reading this revelation,” he once said, but read every word of it anyway to emphasize the great value of the message (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, 323).
President Grant discussed the false concepts of some:
I have heard any number of Latter-day Saints say 'Why, the word of wisdom is not a commandment'. What does the Word of Wisdom say? That is the mind and the will of the
Lord The day is gone by when the Lord will trifle with the Latter-day Saints. He has said that His Spirit shall not always strive with man (Gospel Standards, 55-56).
President Grant added these feelings:
As I read the Word of Wisdom, I learn that it is adapted to the weakest of all the weak who are or can be called Saints [see D&C 89:3]. And I believe that it would be a wonderful aid in the advancement of the kingdom of God if all the Latter-day Saints would obey this simple commandment of the Lord…
There is not a man or a woman among all the Latter-day Saints but who could keep the Word of Wisdom if they got down on their knees … and pray[ed] to God for help (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Heber J. Grant, 196).
In President McKay’s day, there certainly was no question, as explained in the heading in a Priesthood/Relief Society manual:
“The Word of Wisdom is a clear commandment given by revelation from the Lord” (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: David O. McKay, 104).
President McKay reinforced this:
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stands committed unequivocally to the doctrine that tea, coffee, tobacco, and intoxicants are not good for man. True Latter-day Saints refrain from indulgence in tobacco and drink, either of stimulants or of intoxicants, and by example and precept, teach others to do the same (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: David O. McKay, 108).
The Word of Wisdom prohibits “hot drinks” (verse 9). The manual states, “Church leaders have said that this means coffee and tea, which contain harmful substances” (p. 169).
The following comes from the Doctrine and Covenants Institute Student Manual:
The Prophet Joseph Smith said: “I understand that some of the people are excusing themselves in using tea and coffee, because the Lord only said ‘hot drinks’ in the revelation of the Word of Wisdom. . . .
“Tea and coffee . . . are what the Lord meant when He said ‘hot drinks.’”
Brigham Young also discussed this in historical context:
This Word of Wisdom prohibits the use of hot drinks and tobacco. I have heard it argued that tea and coffee are not mentioned therein; that is very true; but what were the people in the habit of taking as hot drinks when that revelation was given? Tea and coffee. We were not in the habit of drinking water very hot, but tea and coffee—the beverages in common use (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, 212).
Hopefully Latter-day Saints do not have as much trouble living the Word of Wisdom today as they apparently did in President McKay’s day, but just in case some still do not think “We are commanded…” (title of this section) is as serious as the Lord intends it, here is President McKay’s council about this commandment:
The particular sentence that I wish to call attention to is this: “Inasmuch as any man drinketh wine or strong drink … behold it is not good, neither meet in the sight of your Father.” That is the word of God to the people of this generation. It stands with just as much force as the words of the Savior, “If any man will do His will he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God or whether I speak of myself” [John 7:17]. Latter-day Saints, you know this statement of the Savior’s is true; we testify that if any man will do the will of God he will get the testimony, in his heart and in his life, that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is true. We accept the words of the Savior, “Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish” [Luke 13:3] Those eternal truths, so tersely expressed, we accept as true. We may not live up to them wholly, but as a people we accept them, because they are the word of God. Just so strong, just so eternal stands this truth … , “Strong drink is not good for man” [See D&C 89:7]. Yet [many years] have passed, and during that time this doctrine has been preached every week, if not every day, in some congregation of Israel, and still we find in our midst a few who say, by their acts, it is good for man.
I am glad when I study this passage, to find that the Lord did not say, “Strong drink to excess is not good;” nor “Drunkenness is not good.” Suppose He had weakened that expression by modifying it and saying, “Strong drink in excess, or when taken in large quantities, is not good,” how soon we should have justified ourselves that a little drink is good. But like other eternal truths it stands unqualified; strong drink is not good.
I think tobacco is a vice which should be shunned as the bite of a rattlesnake. … The Lord has said that tobacco is not good for man. That should be sufficient for Latter-day Saints.
Members of the Church who have formed either the tobacco habit or the tea and coffee habit, or both, are prone to seek justification for their indulgences in things which the Lord has said plainly are not good for man. Whenever they try to do so, they only parade the weakness of their faith in the Lord’s words, which were given as admonition and “wisdom,” and obedience to which will bring blessing as certain and sure as if he had said, “Thou shalt not” (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: David O. McKay, 104-5).
President Joseph F. Smith also taught about the opportunity for each of us to learn for ourselves about this commandment as well as the resultant safeguards that follow:
When we do the will of the Lord, then shall we know of the doctrine, that it is of God; then shall we build upon the rock; then when the floods descend and the storms beat upon the house, it will not fall (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, 326).
In this section is discussed that tobacco, tea and coffee should not be used. These are all stimulants. President McKay explained the medical problem with stimulants:
There is a substance…which when taken into the human system, tends to increase the beating of the heart; which in turn increases the rapidity of the circulation of the blood and of breathing. This causes the body to become warmer and more exhilarated. After a time, however, this temporary enlivenment passes off, and the body is really in a greater need of rest and recuperation than it was before the beverage was taken. Stimulants are to the body what the lash is to the lagging horse—it causes a spurt forward but gives no permanent strength or natural nourishment. Frequently repetitions of the lash only make the horse more lazy; and the habitual use of strong drink, tobacco, tea, and coffee, only tends to make the body weaker and more dependent upon the stimulants to which it is addicted (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: David O. McKay, 105).
President McKay continues with the spiritual problem with the use of stimulants:
A person’s reaction to his appetites and impulses when they are aroused gives the measure of that person’s character. In such reactions are revealed the man’s power to govern, or his forced servility to yield. That phase of the Word of Wisdom, therefore, which refers to intoxicants, drugs, and stimulants, goes deeper than the ill effects upon the body, and strikes at the very root of character building itself. …
During the last one hundred years, the marvelous advance of science has made it possible for man to determine by experiments the ill effect of intoxicants and drugs upon the nerves and tissues of the human body. Observation and experiment have demonstrated their effects upon character. All such experiments and observations have proved the truth of the … statement: “Strong drinks and tobacco are not good for man” (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: David O. McKay, 106).
In this section is found a powerful sentence, “We should avoid anything that we know is harmful to our bodies” (p. 169). President Boyd K. Packer first declared the commandment and then discussed those things not included:
We have accepted as the Word of Wisdom in the Church standards that we will not change. You are not going to go on a mission unless you observe it. You are not going to go to the temple for the more sacred ordinances unless you observe it. That is no tea or coffee or liquor or tobacco or whatever else is covered by it.
We get strange letters asking if this or that is a part of the Word of Wisdom. Marijuana is not listed in section 89! And neither is strychnine or arsenic listed! But, of course, they are not habit-forming.
The point is, if you want to move on spiritually and do as you ought to do in this life, the principle outlined in the Word of Wisdom shows you the requirements. You cannot just toy with it (CES Fireside for Young Adults, 2 February 2003). These firesides can be found at “institute.lds.org” then click on “CES Firesides” on the top bar.
One of the very best resources for this lesson, especially to help parents teach their children the principles of the law of the Word of Wisdom is For the Strength of Youth pamphlet. If parents do not have a copy of this in the home, they need to ask their bishops for one. It is also found online at “lds.org” then click “Menu” at the top then under “Family” click “Youth” then scroll down and find under “Quick Links” (on the right) click on “For the Strength of Youth.” The information below is from the section on “Physical Health.” There is found very specific guidelines from the Prophet to youth:
Never use tobacco products, such as cigarettes, snuff, chewing tobacco, cigars, and pipe tobacco. They are very addictive and will damage your body and shorten your life. Also, do not drink coffee or tea, for these are addictive and harmful.
Never use tobacco products, such as cigarettes, snuff, chewing tobacco, cigars, and pipe tobacco. They are very addictive and will damage your body and shorten your life…
Any drug, chemical, or dangerous practice that is used to produce a sensation or “high” can destroy your physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. These include hard drugs, prescription or over-the-counter medications that are abused, and household chemicals (p. 36-37).
One of the questions that inevitably come up with a discussion of the Word of Wisdom is “What about coke?” The Encyclopedia of Mormonism states the following:
With the appearance of cola drinks in the early 1900s, the Church was confronted with cold beverages containing caffeine, a harmful substance believed to make coffee and tea unacceptable. While no official Church position has been stated, leaders have counseled members to avoid caffeine and other addictive chemicals (p. 1584).
Brigham Young taught that failure to live the Word of Wisdom is failure to the community:
A man who indulges in any habit that is pernicious to the general good in its example and influence, is not only an enemy to himself but to the community so far as the influence of that habit goes. A man who would not sacrifice a pernicious habit for the good it would do the community is, to say the least of it, lukewarm in his desires and wishes for public and general improvement (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, 214 ).
It may be important in this lesson to discuss the exorbitant price that our society pays for not following the Word of Wisdom. Here is what President Joseph F. Smith emphasized:
If this commandment were observed by the whole people, the vast amount of money that now goes out to the world for strong drink and these other things forbidden in the word of wisdom, would be saved at home, and the health, prosperity and temporal salvation of the people would be correspondingly increased (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, 324).
Under President Heber J. Grant, the First Presidency issued the following:
Over the earth, and it seems particularly in America, the demon drink is in control. Drunken with strong drink, men have lost their reason; their counsel has been destroyed; their judgment and vision are fled; they reel forward to destruction. Drink brings cruelty into the home; it walks arm in arm with poverty; its companions are disease and plague; it puts chastity to flight it knows neither honesty nor fair dealing; it is a total stranger to truth; it drowns conscience; it is the body guard of evil; it curses all who touch it. Drink has brought more woe and misery, broken more hearts, wrecked more homes, committed more crimes, filled more coffins, than all the wars of the world has suffered" (Conference Report, Oct. 1942, 8).
To get a feel of what this statement means today, there have been about 1.3 million soldiers die in U.S. wars. For comparison, about 100,000 people die each year just from causes related to alcohol. This means that deaths just from alcohol in about 12 years totals more than the deaths of U.S. soldiers in the entire 234-year history of our country.
It goes without saying that prophets are, of course, prophetic. Now, concerning “social consequences” to just our nation of breaking the Word of Wisdom. An internet search of government statistics reveals that about one of every five dollars spent by the US government in the 1990s on health care was for the treatment and conditions due to tobacco, alcohol and other drugs. The economic cost due to these same vices in that same time period was almost half of what the government spent on social security.
President George Albert Smith said some interesting things about tobacco:
The use of tobacco, a little thing as it seems to some men, has been the means of destroying their spiritual life, has been the means of driving from them the companionship of the Spirit of our Father, has alienated them from the society of good men and women, and has brought upon them the disregard and reproach of the children that have been born to them, and yet the devil will say to a man, “'Oh, it's only a little thing" (Conference Report. April 1918).
It may also be good to quote President Grant who had this to say to those who complained about this doctrine:
Some members of the Church in President Grant’s day complained about the numerous sermons they heard on the Word of Wisdom. President Grant commented: “There is seldom a conference when someone does not take it upon himself to tell us: ‘Please do not speak on the Word of Wisdom. We hear it so much, we are sick and tired of it.’ ” President Grant responded to such complaints by saying: “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 the Presidents of the Church: Heber J. Grant, 190).
Online at “LDS Resources on Codependence” is found an article entitled, “Hold On To Hope: Help for LDS Addicts and Their Families,” by Elder Vaughn J. Featherstone (of the Seventies) and Dr. Rick H. From this series presentation (the whole series is terrific) comes the following concerning the idea that breaking the Word of Wisdom will not keep us from God’s presence:
A bishop tells the story of an elderly sister who came in for a temple recommend. When he asked her about adherence to the Word of Wisdom, she admitted that she had one cup of coffee each morning. When he asked if she could quit and was told no, he suggested that he could not issue a recommend until compliance with the law was met. The woman grew very angry and said, "I don't think it is that significant! One cup of coffee is nothing. I can't believe a loving Father would hold me out of the celestial kingdom for one cup of coffee a day. Why then, should you hold me out of the temple?" For a long moment the bishop looked at her and then said very gently, "I suppose that there are many, many things far more serious than a cup of coffee. Certainly one of those more serious things is rebellion against God. As a member of the church you know what the Lord has taught concerning the Word of Wisdom. If you know the law and still refuse to obey it, that is a very serious state of rebellion. So as long as you continue in this state of opposition, you cannot dwell with God."
Elder Robert C. Oaks, of the Seventy, further emphasized in an Ensign article:
Some Church members may have reservations because of a physical appetite they are not quite willing to surrender. In an effort to justify their behavior and to avoid facing the challenge of keeping their appetites within heavenly bounds, they may say, “Surely the Lord will not keep me out of the celestial kingdom over a cup of coffee every once in a while” (Ensign, July 2005, 30).
President Joseph Fielding Smith had this to say on the matter of breaking the Word of Wisdom and going to the celestial kingdom:
Yes, he will forgive you, because he is going to forgive every man who repents; but, my brethren, if you drink coffee or tea, or take tobacco, are you letting a cup of tea or a little tobacco stand in the road and bar you from the celestial kingdom of God, where you might otherwise have received a fulness of glory? (Doctrines of Salvation 2:16).
While breaking the Word of Wisdom may not be a serious as breaking other commandments, it remains a commandment. There are serious consequences for breaking any commandment.
A great resource for this section is:
Brad Wilcox, "What’s Not on the Warning Label", New Era, Oct. 2008, 38–41
We Are Taught That Certain Things Are Good for Our Bodies
President Joseph Fielding Smith said the following relating to this section:
So much stress has been place upon the "don't" in this revelation that whenever we hear it mentioned the vision of prohibited liquors, tobaccos, teas, coffees, etc., comes before us. We seldom hear of the things mentioned which are "ordained for the constitution, nature, and use of man." The Lord has given us all good herbs, fruits, and grains. These are to be the main foods of men, beast, and fowls. But we should not overlook the fact that they are to be used with "prudence and thanksgiving" (Church History and Modern-day Revelation, 1:385).
Some good understanding of the ideas presented in this section could come from just discussing the picture on p. 168.
Two terrific resource articles for this section are:
William T. Stephenson, "Cancer, Nutrition, and the Word of Wisdom: One Doctor’s Observations", Ensign, July 2008, 42–47
Lora Beth Larson, "The Do’s in the Word of Wisdom", Ensign, Apr. 1977, 46
Elder James Talmage cautioned about this section:
In the observance of the Word of Wisdom caution should be used. Personal opinions often color our practices. We have the right of free agency, but nevertheless we should not try to stretch the Word of Wisdom to conform with our own opinions. For example: The Word of Wisdom is not a system of vegetarianism. Clearly, meat is permitted. Naturally, that includes animal products, less subject than meat to putrefactive and other disturbances, such as eggs, milk, and cheese. These products cannot be excluded simply because they are not mentioned specifically. By that token most of our foodstuffs could not be eaten" (Evidences and Reconciliation, 3:155).
Work, Rest, and Exercise Are Important
If more discussion of the value of work is desired, you may refer to this blog, November, Chapter 27.
Rest instead of stimulants was encouraged by Brigham Young:
The constitution that a person has should be nourished and cherished; and whenever we take anything into the system to force and stimulate it beyond its natural capacity, it shortens life. I am physician enough to know that. … If you will follow this counsel, you will be full of life and health, and you will increase your intelligence, your joy, and comfort (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, 212).
Brigham Young continued concerning rest:
Instead of doing two days’ work in one day, wisdom would dictate to [the Saints], that if they desire long life and good health, they must, after sufficient exertion, allow the body to rest before it is entirely exhausted. When exhausted, some argue that they need stimulants in the shape of tea, coffee, spirituous liquors, tobacco, or some of those narcotic substances which are often taken to goad on the lagging powers to greater exertions. But instead of these kind of stimulants they should recruit by rest (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, 212).
Joseph F. Smith also had wise counsel for this subject:
In the mad rush of life for worldly honors and for the possession of the perishable things of this earth men do not stop before they get weary, and they do not rest before they become faint. They appear to think that what is necessary for them when they become weary and faint is to take stimulants to refresh themselves, that they may be able to run a little farther for a few moments. In this way the man of business braces himself up by taking strong drinks. The housewife and the mother who has the care of her family upon her hands, after she has toiled until she has become faint, feels that she must, in order to keep up her strength, take a cup of tea, and thus brace up her nerves and strengthen herself for a little while that she may be able to finish her day’s work. Now, if the pure intelligence of the Spirit of God were substituted for the stimulating influence of the tea and the liquor; if we could by some means get a sufficient portion of the Spirit of the Lord within us that would cause us to know just what to do when we felt weariness and faintness coming upon us, without resorting to the aid of stimulants and drugs that go far to injure our systems and make us slaves, to an acquired appetite, it would be a great deal better for us (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, 326-7).
If more discussion on exercise is desired, it would be greatly enhanced by going to the newly revamped “lds.org” and clicking on the bar “Search all LDS.org” at the top then type in “exercise” and hit “Enter” on your keyboard (okay, don’t hit it too hard). Some terrific articles and quotes from general authorities pop up on the first four pages found there.
Promised Blessings for Living the Lord’s Law of Health
The manual explains:
The scriptures tell us about God’s laws: “No temporal commandment gave I … , for my commandments are spiritual” (D&C 29:35). This means that His commandments concerning our physical state are for our spiritual good (p. 171).
President Grant taught:
There is absolutely no benefit to any human being derived from breaking the Word of Wisdom, but there is everything for his benefit, morally, intellectually, physically and spiritually in obeying it (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Heber J. Grant, 193).
President Ezra Taft Benson also declared:
The Word of Wisdom is a law—a principle with promise. If we obey the provisions of the law, we receive the promises. If we do not, there will be both temporal and spiritual consequences (Ensign, May 1983, 53).
The manual states that one of the blessings is “Physically we have been promised good health” (p. 171). President Heber J. Grant shared his motivation for preaching so many sermons on this subject:
Much of President Grant’s motivation for preaching the Word of Wisdom came because he had a friend whose life was ruined by cigarettes and liquor. This young man gave up smoking so he could serve a mission, but he started to smoke immediately after his release from full-time missionary service. Smoking led to liquor drinking, and liquor drinking led to a loss of virtue and to excommunication from the Church. He died at a young age, and Heber J. Grant went to visit his grave. “As I stood at his grave,” President Grant recalled, “I looked up to heaven and made 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 the Presidents of the Church: Heber J. Grant, 189).
In President Grant’s manual is also made an important statement worth discussing:
From personal experience, President Grant knew that those who obey the Word of Wisdom will not be immune from all sickness and disease. He acknowledged that “being blessed does not mean that we shall always be spared all the disappointments and difficulties of life.” However, he repeatedly testified that when Latter-day Saints keep the Word of Wisdom, they receive blessings of health, prosperity, and spiritual strength that they would not be able to receive if they did not obey this law…
When disease attacks a man whose body is full of tobacco and full of liquor, or who has been guilty of excesses and abuses in any phase of living, then he has no claim on these promises [referring to D&C 89:18-21] (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Heber J. Grant, 190, 195).
Thus, keeping the Word of Wisdom may not prevent us from diseases usually associated with those who break this commandment, but keeping this commandment will always benefit us spiritually.
In this section we read, concerning D&C 89, “The Lord promises us that we “shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures” (p. 171). Brigham Young had this to say about that:
It is a piece of good counsel which the Lord desires his people to observe, that they may live on the earth until the measure of their creation is full. This is the object the Lord had in view in giving that Word of Wisdom. To those who observe it he will give great wisdom and understanding, increasing their health, giving strength and endurance to the faculties of their bodies and minds until they shall be full of years upon the earth. This will be their blessing if they will observe his word with a good and willing heart and in faithfulness before the Lord (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, 213-4).
President Joseph F. Smith added his testimony and concerns about “treasures” as promised:
Are not “great treasures” of knowledge, even “hidden treasures,” something to be desired? But when I see men and women addicting themselves to the use of tea and coffee, or strong drinks, or tobacco in any form, I say to myself, here are men and women who do not appreciate the promise God has made unto them (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, 328).
President Grant added this terrific statement concerning knowledge:
The Lord has told us through the Prophet Joseph Smith:
“If a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life, through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come” [D&C 130:19].
No man who breaks the Word of Wisdom can gain the same amount of knowledge and intelligence in this world as the man who obeys that law. I don’t care who he is or where he comes from, his mind will not be as clear, and he cannot advance as far and as rapidly and retain his power as much as he would if he obeyed the Word of Wisdom (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Heber J. Grant, 192).
Another blessing of living the Word of Wisdom not mentioned in the manual is that of discipline. It is always good to remember what President James E. Faust taught in conference:
The word for disciple and the word for discipline both come from the same Latin root—discipulus, which means pupil. It emphasizes practice or exercise. Self-discipline and self-control are consistent and permanent characteristics of the followers of Jesus, as exemplified by Peter, James, and John, who indeed “forsook all, and followed him” (Ensign, Nov 2006, 20).
Concerning this blessing, President McKay explained:
You show me a man who has complete control over his appetite, who can resist all temptations to indulge in stimulants, liquor, tobacco, marijuana, and other vicious drugs, and I will show you a youth or man who has likewise developed power to control his passions and desires…
The Church urges men to have self-mastery to control their appetites, their tempers, and their speech. A man is not at his best when he is a slave to some habit. A man is not his best who lives merely to gratify his passions. That is one reason why the Lord has given the Church the revelation of the Word of Wisdom so that, even from boyhood and girlhood, young men and young women may learn to control themselves…
He who fails to live it robs himself of strength of body and strength of character to which he is entitled. Truth is loyalty to the right as we see it; it is courageous living of our lives in harmony with our ideals; it is always power (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: David O. McKay, 108-10).
Another blessing, that of becoming worthy of the Lord’s presence is taught by President Joseph F. Smith:
We see great reasons for the principles contained in this chapter of the book of Doctrine and Covenants [section 89] being taught to the world, and especially to the Latter-day Saints. It is nothing more nor less than that simple Word of Wisdom that was given in 1833, for the benefit, the help, and the prosperity of the Latter-day Saints, that they might purify and prepare themselves to go nearer into the presence of the Lord, that by reason of keeping this law they might fit themselves to enjoy the blessings that He is more than willing to bestow upon them, if they are worthy (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, 324).
Concerning this same idea, President Joseph F. Smith plead and promised:
Now, I do wish with all my heart—not because I say it, but because it is written in the word of the Lord—that you would give heed to this Word of Wisdom. It was given unto us … for our guidance, for our happiness and advancement in every principle that pertains to the kingdom of God, in time and throughout eternity, and I pray you to observe it. It will do you good; it will ennoble your souls; it will free your thoughts and your hearts from the spirit of destruction; it will make you feel like God…it will bring you nearer to the similitude of the Son of God, the Savior of the world… (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, 328-9).
Desired blessings from God were implicit in the following admonition by Brigham Young (note the Word of Wisdom in the middle of two great principles):
Bishops, Elders of Israel, High Priests, Seventies, the Twelve Apostles, the First Presidency, and all the House of Israel, hearken ye, O my people! keep the word of the Lord, observe the Word of Wisdom, sustain one another, sustain the household of faith (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, 211).
Blessings can also be found in the opposites of the consequences warned of by Brigham Young:
The Spirit whispers to me to call upon the Latter-day Saints to observe the Word of Wisdom, to let tea, coffee, and tobacco alone, and to abstain from drinking spirituous drinks. This is what the Spirit signifies through me. If the Spirit of God whispers this to his people through their leader, and they will not listen nor obey, what will be the consequences of their disobedience? Darkness and blindness of mind with regard to the things of God will be their lot; they will cease to have the spirit of prayer, and the spirit of the world will increase in them in proportion to their disobedience until they apostatize entirely from God and his ways (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, 212).
That we can always count on blessings promised by the Lord was declared by President Grant:
I find recorded in the Doctrine and Covenants a very short passage which reads:
“I the Lord am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise” [D&C 82:10].
I wish that every Latter-day Saint would remember these few words. How I wish that they were engraven upon our memories and upon our hearts, and that we would determine that God shall be bound to fulfill His promises unto us, because we will keep His commandments. There is a law irrevocably decreed in heaven—so we are told by the Prophet Joseph—before the foundations of the world, upon which all blessings are predicated, and when we receive any blessing, it is by obedience to the law upon which it is predicated [see D&C 130:20-21]. If you and I desire the blessings of life, of health, of vigor of body and mind; if we desire the destroying angel to pass us by, as he did in the days of the children of Israel, we must obey the Word of Wisdom; then God is bound, and the blessing shall come to us (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Heber J. Grant, 191-2).
Elder John A. Widstoe listed the following blessings for living this wonderful law:
The rewards for keeping the Word of Wisdom are four fold.
1. Self-control. In verse 3 of the revelation which states that the Word of Wisdom is "adapted to the capacity of the weak and the weakest of all Saints."
2. Strength of body, included resistance to contagion, is a result of wise living.
3. Clearness of mind is the gift of those whose bodies are in a healthy condition.
4. Spiritual power comes to all who conquer their appetites, live normally and look upward to God (Teachings of Latter-day Prophets, p. 37).
Brigham Young taught of blessings from living the Word of Wisdom beyond this life:
Prepare to die is not the exhortation in this Church and Kingdom; but prepare to live is the word with us, and improve all we can in the life hereafter, wherein we may enjoy a more exalted condition of intelligence, wisdom, light, knowledge, power, glory, and exaltation. Then let us seek to extend the present life to the uttermost, by observing every law of health, and by properly balancing labor, study, rest, and recreation, and thus prepare for a better life (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, 214).
Brigham’s next injunction should go without saying for members of Relief Society and Priesthood:
Let us teach these principles to our children, that, in the morning of their days, they may be taught to lay the foundation of health and strength and constitution and power of life in their bodies (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, 214).
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