I never did feel spiritually guilty about drinking a Diet Coke. And now, we get a little clarity on the subject from the official LDS church website “the church does not prohibit the use of caffeine” and that the health-code’s reference to “hot drinks” ”does not go beyond (tea and coffee).”
That was later updated to read as follows: “The Church revelation spelling out health practices does not mention the use of caffeine. The Church’s health guidelines prohibit alcoholic drinks, smoking or chewing of tobacco, and “hot drinks” — taught by Church leaders to refer specifically to tea and coffee. “
We need this bit of info for everyone, Mormons and the media. Too many uptight Mormons have frowned with dismay when a fellow Mormon has a Coke.
I don’t think anyone was quite sure what Joseph Smith meant when he said “hot drinks.” The idea that it was coffee and tea is based on an opinion of early church leaders because those were the hot drinks at the time. I will go along with this. But I am still not positive that this is the meaning of hot drinks. They used to drink their beverages too hot — burning the mouth and esophagus.
When Coca-Cola became popular, individual church leaders expressed their opinions, many who believed that these kind of sodas were addicting and therefore fell into the same category as the “hot drinks.”
But as Elder Christofferson has explained, sometimes a prophet or an apostle is expressing his opinion only — not revelation from God.
You can choose sodas with caffeine or not. No more raised eyebrows. You can choose pure cane sugar or high fructose corn syrup. You can choose to eat trans-fats too, or not. You can choose to eat read meats or fish. This is your decision. You can read the benefits or drawbacks of any of these foods. But there’s no need to look down on your sister if she is sipping a Diet Coke or eating a burger.
I bet it won’t be long before we find a Mountain Dew on the campus of BYU. This was one of the reasons many Mormons thought it was taboo — you couldn’t get one at BYU, so they must be against the health-code. And as Hugh Nibley has laughingly declared, “we don’t question things at the BYU.”
According to BYU spokeswoman, Cari Jenkins, it’s “not a university or church decision, but made by dining services, based on what our customers want.” There has not “been a demand for it,” Jenkins said Thursday. “We are constantly evaluating what those needs and desires are.”
The reason it was not at BYU? Well, I think we had some head beverage gestapo in charge and he/she was one of those people who thought it was breaking the word of wisdom. I’ve had my sons at BYU, and the MTC, going off campus to get their Coke or Mountain Dew. Coke is available in other church-owned buildings — The Lion House Pantry and The Joseph Smith Memorial.
The word of wisdom is a health guide, and it can be interpreted to mean eat healthy — vegetables, fruits, grain, and preferably no meat unless it is the dead of winter and you are starving to death. (You should see how many Mormons get angry when you say that.)
I am thankful for the clarification, and letting members choose to have an orange juice or a Mountain Dew. We know the upside and the down.
President and Prophet David O. McKay publicly asked for a Coke: “It was intermission and his host offered to get him some liquid refreshment. “‘I said, ‘President McKay, what would you like to drink? All of our cups say Coca Cola on them because of our arrangement with Coca Cola Bottling, but we have root beer and we have orange and we have Seven-up. What would you like to drink?’
He said, ‘I don’t care what it says on the cup, as long as there is a Coke in the cup.'”
LA Weekly wants to know if there’s going to be a special Mormon flavor, Sermon on the Mountain Dew.
