Has the Church Relaxed its Word of Wisdom Standards.

[Johnnie Cake]

A Stake President friend of mine recently told me that drinking ice tea is NOT against the word of wisdom.  He then doubled down and told me that he personally would not refuse a temple recommend to someone who drinks iced coffee either.  After I picked my jaw up from off the floor, I asked him if he was acting due to new directives from Church headquarters or if this was merely his own interpretation.  All he would say is and I quote..."There is a new wind a blowing".

I'm still gobsmacked...so is my friend a rougue Stake President who has left the reservation or has some new directive been released that would allow a SP to find flexibility within the temple recommend interview to allow someone who drinks their caffeine cold this level of latitude.  Is anyone aware of the church relaxing its WoW standards?

Edited May 1, 2017 by Johnnie Cake

[clarkgoble]

I disagree with that view but that's nothing new. Even around Provo back when I was in college there were some stakes like that. These ambiguities and differences of interpretation have always been there. The common one used to be coke or pepsi where some saw it as against and most did not. And then there were a few real extreme cases (individuals, not leaders) who even saw vinegar as against it. (I never understood that) 

[HappyJackWagon]

13 minutes ago, Johnnie Cake said:

A Stake President friend of mine recently told me that drinking ice tea is NOT against the word of wisdom.  He then doubled down and told me that he personally would not refuse a temple recommend to someone who drinks iced coffee either.  After I picked my jaw up from off the floor, I asked him if he was acting due to new directives from Church headquarters or if this was merely his own interpretation.  All he would say is and I quote..."There is a new wind a blowing".

I'm still gobsmacked...so is my friend a rough Stake President who has left the reservation or has some new directive been released that would allow a SP to find flexibility within the temple recommend interview to allow someone who drinks their caffeine cold this level of latitude.  Is anyone aware of the church relaxing its WoW standards?

I haven't seen or heard of any move in this direction and would be more likely to chalk it up to leadership roulette.

IF it's a general shift there would be some kind of documentation, either in a handbook or in the leadership communications library. I don't have access any more but someone does and I suspect that documentation would be posted on MormonLeaks at least.

 

[rongo]

He's rogue. There has been no directive or guidance on this. It is subject to leader roullette.

I would say that 99%+ of leaders enforce the party line on this. 

[JLHPROF]

I haven't heard this, but the Church did clarify recently that caffeine isn't a WoW issue (the whole BYU thing).
And given what D&C 89 actually says, I don't know that your rogue SP friend is that far off.

But I think it will be a while before the Church officially announces any change.  (Just showing how much of this is revelation and how much is policy.)

[CV75]

1 hour ago, Johnnie Cake said:

A Stake President friend of mine recently told me that drinking ice tea is NOT against the word of wisdom.  He then doubled down and told me that he personally would not refuse a temple recommend to someone who drinks iced coffee either.  After I picked my jaw up from off the floor, I asked him if he was acting due to new directives from Church headquarters or if this was merely his own interpretation.  All he would say is and I quote..."There is a new wind a blowing".

I'm still gobsmacked...so is my friend a rougue Stake President who has left the reservation or has some new directive been released that would allow a SP to find flexibility within the temple recommend interview to allow someone who drinks their caffeine cold this level of latitude.  Is anyone aware of the church relaxing its WoW standards?

Here's the way to to test that: bring him some iced tea to share into the chapel on a busy night and ask him to drink it with you in front of the members. Cheers!