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Tea And The Word Of Wisdom


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Posted

You probably couldn't get alcohol-free beer before the invention of the refrigerator

I'm sure you're right about that.

Posted

"Herbal tea" isn't actually tea, drinks from the tea plant are. It's much clearer in some other languages.

Posted

"Herbal tea" isn't actually tea, drinks from the tea plant are. It's much clearer in some other languages.

Hey, cut it out! Your use of one clear sentence which says the same thing as the page full I posted is just unfair. How can you say so much in so few words?

But can we EAT the tea leaves without steeping them in water first? That's what I want to know.

Posted

Hey, cut it out! Your use of one clear sentence which says the same thing as the page full I posted is just unfair. How can you say so much in so few words?

But can we EAT the tea leaves without steeping them in water first? That's what I want to know.

Your digestive juices turn them into tea.

Direct injection into the bloodstream, maybe?

Posted
Posted

I believe when it says hot, it means... hot. Drink all the tea, of any kind, that you want- just drink it "iced" not boiling hot.

Posted

So, one of my kids just returned home from BYU-Idaho with an interesting report. Apparently, students are drinking green tea and white tea, which they claim aren't against the Word of Wisdom. Only black tea is against the Word of Wisdom, they say. The thing is, tea is tea, green, white, or black. The only distinction is the level of oxidation, drying, or fermentation. I have to admit I've never heard anyone suggest that green or white tea is acceptable for Latter-day Saints. (I don't drink tea, though I do like a few herbal teas, such as hibiscus and rooibos.)

 

Has anyone heard of such a thing? I am inclined to believe it's just a form of rationalizing.

Not to derail, but rooibos is technically not a tea.  It comes from the Aspalathus linearis bush that is found in southern Africa.

Posted

I was under the impression that any tea from the tea leaf was wrong. I remember that converts needed to give it up. They could not get baptized. Since then I have asked my bishop and SP about it. They both confirmed that they would give a TR to anyone that drinks tea or coffee. Of course at the time I was specifically asking about decaf. How ever they didn't even make a distinction on the decaf. They both said that neither of those were mentioned in the WoW so because of that they would not deny some one.

 

Guess things change.

 

On top of that I have a friend who drinks green tea regularly and he has a TR. I asked him about and he said his bishop has no issue with it. Soooooo.

I have a friend who is a tea drinker and she has a TR.  

Posted

Hello Tacenda,

 

Your understanding seems to be most prevalent among Utah Mormons.  It is always best to go to the text - read the 89th Section.  It is a promise between God and the saints.  Observance of this eating standard has specific blessings.  It is not the beginning or ending of proper nutrition, but a specific promise to the saints.  It is entirely acceptable to pursue additional nutritional standards based upon the understanding of men or just plain old common sense.  If we violate the standards of the Word of Wisdom we do not have the promise of the blessings.  It is our choice.

 

Anything beyond what is clearly stated in the Word of Wisdom is not the Word of Wisdom, but the speculations of humans and has nothing to do with the promises the Lord has given.  This is a simple teaching and people want to muck it up at every turn - we seem thrown to be pharisees.  Stick to the scripture and you will not go wrong. 

I agree we should stick to the scripture, but the scripture says not by way of commandment.  It seems like a disconnect.

Posted

I agree we should stick to the scripture, but the scripture says not by way of commandment.  It seems like a disconnect.

It is a principle with promise though. And what are those promises?

The last four verses point towards the temple endowment, and specifically the veil ceremony (which itself is a shadow of celestial resurrection ordinances).

So, whatever your views on the divine command status of the Word of Wisdom, the fact that it is a principle promising entrance into the temple should give pause to anyone regarding it as unnecessary for ultimate exaltation.

Posted

Not to derail, but rooibos is technically not a tea.  It comes from the Aspalathus linearis bush that is found in southern Africa.

 

There is no "a tea".  This is not a generic.  It's a specific plant, camellia sinensis, and Aspalathus linearis is not tea, it's a different species altogether.

 

Don't get caught up in the word "tea" -- it's misused like a son of a gun all over.  In England the word can be used to mean a midday or afternoon meal, regardless of what you drink while having it.  Technically, steeping herbs in hot water is to make an "infusion", not to make a "tea".  Peppermint tea is NOT tea, for example.

 

Sloppy language.

Posted

I agree we should stick to the scripture, but the scripture says not by way of commandment.  It seems like a disconnect.

 

That's because it wasn't a commandment when given, but the Church later accepted it as one. 

Posted (edited)

You can argue all you want that picking apart the word of wisdom overlooks the spirit of the law (an assertion with which I agree), but the current incentive structure provided by the Church does not target the spirit of the law. While there may be a local leader that may turn a blind eye in some situations, a person who drinks a glass of wine a week, or a small cup of tea each morning will likely be barred from entering the temple. They cannot be sealed to their families, and they cannot be exalted (assuming the behavior persists), despite there likely being more benefits than harm to the body by consuming wine and tea in those amounts. Such is not the fate for a member who consumes unhealthy amounts of soda, energy drinks, fried foods, sugary snacks, etc. A member can consume all the crap they want, balloon up to a dangerously unhealthy BMI and waddle their way into the temple and eternity with their family. "Oh you have advanced heart disease and type 2 diabetes due to your poor diet? Come into my kingdom! You there, you drank green tea each morning.....I never knew you." What a great God. But that is the God that is put forth by the current interpretation of the WoW.

"Oh you fool, you're clearly missing the point, it's about avoiding addiction!" Oh really? Then why pick on tea and coffee. Why not soda, sugary foods, excessively salty foods, fried and fatty foods, etc? All can be addictive. "Because they're okay in moderation." The same scientific methods used to show that salt, sugar, and fats can be fine in moderation, also show that alcohol, coffee and tea can also be fine in moderation.

"I'm sorry you don't understand that it's about obedience." This gets into matters related to the character of God. Personally, I don't care for a god who only gives commandments for the sake of cultivating obedience...but others may be okay with it. That's fine.

In short, I think JS had it mostly right in the beginning. Wisdom not commandment. Subsequent leaders just ruined a good idea.

Edited by SmileyMcGee
Posted (edited)

I believe when it says hot, it means... hot. Drink all the tea, of any kind, that you want- just drink it "iced" not boiling hot.

 

We all have ways to justify our favorite sins.  Mine is to use it for medicinal purposes.  When I have an upset stomach and feel so achy and tired I can hardly stay awake a cup helps me keep functioning.  I don't like No Doz.  It doesn't help much and still leaves me with an upset stomach.

 

I have a box of tea bags in my cupboard that has been there for five years.

Edited by ERayR
Posted

For what it is worth, 40 years ago as a missionary in southeastern Mexico, we were instructed to tell investigators and members that the "tea" prohibited by the word of wisdom was "te negro de China"--"black tea from China".  Thus, at least in our mission, green and white teas (if they existed and were sold there) were not viewed as covered by the word of wisdom.  How is the "tea" prohibited by the word of wisdom currently defined by missionaries in spanish speaking countries (I am asking others who have served spanish speaking missions).  Of course, our mission leaders might have been off base. 

Posted (edited)

We all have ways to justify our favorite sins.  Mine is to use it for medicinal purposes.  When I have an upset stomach and feel so achy and tired I can hardly stay awake a cup helps me keep functioning.  I don't like No Doz.  It doesn't help much and still leaves me with an upset stomach.

 

I have a box of tea bags in my cupboard that has been there for five years.

 

Well, except for the fact that I haven't really been a fan of coffee or tea... but whatever floats your boat.

Edited by BookofMormonLuvr
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