Re: Mormon chick, I have a question...

"Poop Dogg" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>"Garrison Hilliard" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote...
>> > Will the next South Park episode show how many doctrinal changes the LDS
>> > have made?  That would be amusing as well.
>>
>> Such as the changing of the ban on caffeinated drinks after the LDS
>> bought up huge shares of Pepsi (or was it Coke?)?
>
>I did some research on this previously and learned that it has never
>been caffeine that was prohibited by Mormonism.  The actual prohibition
>was against "hot drink" which on the surface would seem to include
>hot chocolate.  But Joseph Smith (or was it Brigham Young) soon
>clarified it to specifially mean coffee and tea; for some reason these
>two beverages can't be consumed even if they are chilled, or even if
>they are decaffeinated.  I worked with a Mormon and he dutifully
>obeyed the prohibition but chugged several 1L bottles of Mountain Dew
>daily until he was bouncing off the walls.  Last time I was in SLC I
>personally witnessed a Coca-Cola vending machine in the Mormon-owned
>ZCMI department store.  My cousin told me this was because the Mormon
>church had purchased large amounts of Coca-Cola stock


Try this:


                      COLA DRINKS AND THE WORD OF WISDOM
                              Selected Statements
                               by Dean Hunsaker

      Cola Drinks
      The Word of Wisdom, section 89 of the Doctrine and
Covenants, remains as to terms and specifications as found in
that section. There has been no official interpretation of the
Word of Wisdom except that which was given by the Brethren in the
very early days of the church when it was declared that hot
drinks meant tea and coffee.
      With reference to cola drinks, the church has never
officially taken a position on this matter, but the leaders of
the Church have advised, and we do now specifically advise,
against the use of any drink containing harmful habit-forming
drugs under circumstances that would result in the acquiring of
the habit. Any beverage that contains ingredients that would be
harmful to the body should be avoided.
                 -- The Priesthood Bulletin, Feb. 1972, p. 4.    
           (Also published in the Ensign, June 1972, p. 46.)


      Your letter of April 22nd addressed to the office of the
First Presidency asks for information regarding the Church's
attitude pertaining to the use of cola drinks, particularly as it
pertains to the Word of Wisdom ...       I am directed to tell
you with reference to the cola drinks that the Church has never
officially taken any attitude on this matter, but the leaders of
the Church have advised, and do now specifically advise, against
the use of any drink containing harmful habit-forming drugs under
circumstances that would result in the acquiring of the habit.
Any beverage that contains ingredients that would be harmful to
the body should be avoided.
                           -- Elder Joseph Anderson,
                      Secretary to the First Presidency,
                          letter dated 27 April 1971.



      ... I say to the Latter-day Saints, and it is my right to
say it -- because you have sung, since this conference started
(whether you meant it or not, I am not saying) --
            We thank Thee, O God, for a prophet, 
            To guide us in these latter days ...
Now, if you mean it -- I am not going to give any command, but I
will ask it as a personal, individual favor to me, to let coca-
cola alone. There are plenty of other things you can get at the
soda fountains without drinking that which is injurious. The Lord
does not want you to use any drug that creates an appetite for
itself.
                         -- President Heber J. Grant,
                    Conference Report, April 1922, p. 165.


      Personally, I have no knowledge as to the contents of cola
drinks and therefore cannot give expert advice as to their
contents. However, I have the statement on the examination of a
capable chemist that cola drinks contain caffeine, the element
that is so prevalent in coffee and other stimulants. There is one
thing that I do know, however: this stimulating drink is not
served in my home, and no matter where I am I personally avoid
it."
                      -- President Joseph Fielding Smith,
                    The Improvement Era, Sep 1966, p. 767.


      There are constantly questions about Cola Drinks and the
First Presidency has given an answer to the particular use of
cola drinks, as it pertains to the Word of Wisdom ... I am
directed to tell you with reference to cola drinks that the
Church has never officially taken any stand but the leaders of
the Church have advised and do now specifically advise against
the use of any drink that contains any habit forming drugs under
circumstances that would result in the acquiring of the habit.
Any beverage that contains ingredients that would be harmful to
the body should be avoided ... Section 89 is the Word of Wisdom,
but the spirit of the word applies to all of these various
substances, and we ought to leave them alone.
                          -- President Harold B. Lee,
                 Seminar for Mission Presidents, 23 Jun 1970.


      Wisdom goes beyond the letter of the law. Generally when we
speak of the Word of Wisdom, we are talking about tea, coffee,
tobacco, and liquor, and all of the fringe things even though
they might be detrimental are not included in the technical
interpretation of the Word of Wisdom. I never drink any of the
cola drinks and my personal hope would be that no one would.
However, they are not included in the Word of Wisdom in its
technical application. I quote from a letter from the secretary
to the First Presidency, "But the spirit of the Word of Wisdom
would be violated by the drinking or eating of anything that
contained a habit-forming drug." With reference to the cola
drinks, the Church has never officially taken any attitude on
this matter ... but I personally do not put them in the class as
with the tea and coffee because the Lord specifically mentioned
them [the hot drinks] ....
                        --President Spencer W. Kimball,
                   Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p. 202.      
                          (19 Oct. 1962)


      You have been counseled repeatedly to "live in the world,
but not of one of the world." Sometimes some of our members want
to live as close as they can to worldly standards and yet qualify
for a temple recommend. Live by the covenants you took in the
temple: do not live on the fringes. You will be judged by the
kinds of movies you attend, by the way you dress, and by the
music to which you listen. Some years ago one of our teachers
told his students that he used cola drinks and that it did not
prevent him from holding a temple recommend. This was an
indication of poor judgment on his part, and it illustrates what
I mean by living "on the fringes." Live the spirit of the
commandments.                         -- President Ezra Taft
Benson,
                      The Gospel Teacher and His Message,
              Address to Religious Educators, 17 Sep 1976, p. 20.



      The Church has never included SOFT DRINKS in the letter of
the Word of Wisdom. but it does expect that members of the Church
will have sufficient wisdom to avoid narcotics and stimulants of
all kinds ...
      Caffeine is a drug. It is classed as a narcotic. constant
use of caffeine, whether in coffee, tea, or SOFT DRINKS, can have
only a dangerous effect upon the human system.
                          -- Elder Mark E. Petersen,
                  Church News Editorial, 25 Apr 1970, p. 16.


      ADDICTIONS ARE GROWING. -- So much attention is being given
to drug addiction -- meaning the use of such things as marijuana
and heroine -- that many of the so-called 'LITTLE ADDICTIONS' are
nearly overlooked. ...       Addiction to tobacco is being fully
exposed, even by government in many parts of the world. Addiction
to tea and coffee is being recognized as a definite health
hazard.
      And now comes ADDICTION to the COLA DRINKS.
      Two Pennsylvania State University researchers, Elliott
Diamond and John Pfifferling, say that heavy cola drinkers now
are seen to be addicts in the same sense as victims of other
kinds of drugs, and that when they attempt to quit they go
through 'withdrawal' symptoms not too different from those
experienced by people quitting the 'hard drugs'.
      Some college students trying to 'kick' the habit, report
withdrawal symptoms including depression, nervousness, and a
marked decrease in alertness.       Cola drinkers also are noted
for difficult behavioral problems more than normal students, the
researchers said. Fifty-eight per cent of the 'COLAHOLICS' said
they constantly feel jittery; twice as many suffer from
SLEEPLESSNESS, and all in the test group reported a constant
craving for colas.       The research seemed to indicate that
cola drinking definitely can develop into an addiction, and to
'kick' the habit may be equally as difficult as trying to quit
tobacco.
                          -- Elder Mark E. Petersen,
                  Church News Editorial, 27 Apr 1974, p. 16.


      I was over in England a while back and a bishop asked me,
"What is the Church's stand on cola drinks?" I said, "Well, I
can't remember the exact wording of the bulletin, but I remember
seeing the bulletin when I was a stake president. The Church, of
course, advises against them."
      He said, "Well, I have read the Priesthood Bulletin, but
that isn't what it says to me.
      And I said, "Would you get your Priesthood Bulletin? Let's
read it together." And so we found under the heading "Cola
Drinks" "... the leaders of the Church have advised, and we do
now specifically advise, against the use of any drink containing
harmful habit-forming drugs ..." (The Priesthood Bulletin, Feb.
1972, p. 4.)
      He said, "Well, you see, that doesn't mean cola."
      I said, "Well, I guess you will have to come to your own
grips with that, but to me, there is no question." You see, there
can't be the slightest particle of rebellion, and in him there
is. We can find loopholes in a lot of things if we want to bend
the rules of the Church.
                       -- Elder Vaughn J. Featherstone,
                    Conference Report, April 1975, p. 102.


      We know that cola drinks contain the drug caffeine. We know
caffeine is not wholesome nor prudent for the use of our bodies.
It is only sound judgment to conclude that cola drinks and any
others that contain caffeine or other harmful ingredients should
not be used.
                         -- Bishop H. Burke Peterson,
                           New Era, Oct 1975, p. 37.