I preface this blog with this interesting doctrinal anomaly so that the next doctrinal anomaly, new revelation, will be understood to be old doctrine. So . . . here it is: Since FIRST is LAST, AND NEW is OLD, THEN I HOPE IT WILL BE NO PROBLEM TO CONVINCE YOU THAT HOT is COLD! With this maze of words in mind, I now pose a question that has been the central subject of the Word of Wisdom since the days of Joseph Smith:
What are "HOT" drinks mentioned in D&C 89:9?
Before you stop reading, recall that I said that I prefaced this blog with a doctrinal anomaly so that the rest of this blog is palatable. I know how much we like our energy drinks and that we have, in large part, justified our indulgence on the basis that these drinks are not generally thought of as being prohibited in the Word of Wisdom. But I hope the following will provide a view that opens eyes and tempers feelings. And I specifically beg of you to read the full blog, so you do not miss the NEW and critical point made towards the end.
It seems that the question concerning the religious legality of caffeinated drinks arises every time the Word of Wisdom is discussed. Over the years, various Brethren have counselled against partaking of caffeinated drinks. It is not my intent to recount all of their comments in this blog. But due to the recent lack of attention given to this topic, I think recalling a few is worthwhile:
First, President Spencer W. Kimball wrote:
Second, in a talk given in the Assembly Hall on September 17, 1976, President Ezra Taft Benson likewise taught: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 tea and coffee because the Lord specifically mentioned them [i.e., hot drinks].... I might say also that strychnine and sleeping pills and opium and heroin are not mentioned in the Word of Wisdom and yet I would discourage them with all my power (Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p. 202).
You have been counseled repeatedly to "live in the world, but not be 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. (Ezra Taft Benson, The Gospel Teacher & His Message.)
Finally, in April 1975, Bishop Vaughn J. Featherstone recounted the following experience:
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 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. (Featherstone, Vaughn, J., A Self-Inflicted Purging, Conference Report, April 1975, pp. 99-102; Ensign, May 1975, pp. 66-68.)
Official Statements concerning the use of caffeinated drinks are not as numerous as statements made by the Brethren. However, several are also worth noting. The Church Handbook of Instructions gives the following counsel regarding the definition of "hot drinks" in the Word of Wisdom:
Likewise, the Priesthood Bulletin referred to by Elder Featherstone above, discourages the use of any habit-forming drugs:The only official interpretation of “hot drinks” (D&C 89:9) in the Word of Wisdom is the statement made by early Church leaders that the term “hot drinks” means tea and coffee.
Members should not use any substance that contains illegal drugs. Nor should members use harmful or habit-forming substances except under the care of a competent physician.
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 that 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 acquiring the habit. Any beverage that contains ingredients harmful to the body should be avoided.
In more recent years, several informative articles regarding the abuse of energy drinks were published in the December 2008 New Era and Ensign. In each, Dr. Thomas J. Boud identifies the harmful effects of energy drinks (see also Caffeine-The Subtle Addiction). Of particular interest was the inclusion of images of webs created by spiders that had been given traces of various drugs, one of which was caffeine. One can easily judge as to whether caffeine provides any benefit for a spider.
I presume I could spend a lifetime quoting the Brethren, Official Church Policies, and medical doctors concerning the spiritual and temporal effects of ingesting caffeinated drinks, but I seriously doubt it would change the minds or direction of so any who have a well-developed habit of drinking the daily cola. Hence, since Elder Packer has aptly taught that doctrine changes behavior, I return to the central question regarding this element of the Word of Wisdom: What is a "hot" drink? What does the word "hot" mean? This is a question that is not answered by any of the foregoing talks, policies, or articles. I believe, however, that the answer to this question is what provides the doctrine that should guide one's conduct.
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| Images of webs created by spiders on drugs |
I presume I could spend a lifetime quoting the Brethren, Official Church Policies, and medical doctors concerning the spiritual and temporal effects of ingesting caffeinated drinks, but I seriously doubt it would change the minds or direction of so any who have a well-developed habit of drinking the daily cola. Hence, since Elder Packer has aptly taught that doctrine changes behavior, I return to the central question regarding this element of the Word of Wisdom: What is a "hot" drink? What does the word "hot" mean? This is a question that is not answered by any of the foregoing talks, policies, or articles. I believe, however, that the answer to this question is what provides the doctrine that should guide one's conduct.
In response to this question, Elder John A. Widstoe noted:
When the Word of Wisdom was first promulgated in 1833, the question was at once asked: What is the meaning of "hot drinks?" Was it an injunction against consuming beverages so hot as to burn the tongue or mouth? That did not seem reasonable. (John A Widtsoe, Word of Wisdom: A Modern Interpretation, 85)
If Elder Widstoe is correct—and I believe that he is—then what is wrong with a drink that is “hot”? This can perhaps be understood by referring to another warning in the Word of Wisdom—the warning to avoid “strong drinks”. What is meant by “strong”? It would be silly to suppose that, in using the word “strong,” the Lord was referring to the muscularity of a liquid. Rather, the Book of Mormon plainly describes that the “strength” of a “strong drink” pertains to the chemical properties of one of its physical ingredients—alcohol (see Alma 55:13-16) and the effects that it has when ingested.
Similarly, the property of “heat” in a “hot drink” has nothing to do with the physical temperature (i.e., degrees Fahrenheit) of the drink. Instead, the “heat” of a “hot drink” is a reference to the chemical properties of its physical ingredients—that is, caffeine. With this in mind, take note of the definition of the word “hot” taken from the Webster’s 1828 Dictionary--the dictionary in use at the time the Lord gave the Word of Wisdom revelation to the prophet Joseph Smith:
HOT, adjective
- Having sensible heat; opposed to cold; as a hot stove or fire; a hot cloth;hot liquors. hot expresses more than warm.
- Ardent in temper; easily excited or exasperated; vehement.
- Violent; furious; as a hot engagement or assault.
- Eager; animated; ; brisk; keen; as a hot pursuit, or a person hot in a pursuit.
- Lustful; lewd.
- Acrid; biting; stimulating; pungent; as hot as mustard or pepper.
Are "hot drinks" those that will burn the tongue if drank precipitously? Or are they cold drinks that, when ingested, heat up the body? To illustrate, our everyday usage of the word "hot" takes on new meaning when an eligible young woman is thought of as "hot" to a young bachelor. Does the young man literally think that her body temperature is higher than 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, or does the thought of her simply light a fire in him and "heat up" his inner self? (Note to Reader: I'm intentionally excluding senior citizens from this worldly analogy).
So, when Joseph and Hyrum Smith explained that “hot drinks” referred to “tea and coffee”, it seems clear that they were simply clarifying that the word “hot” was a direct and specific reference to the “hot” stimulants found therein, and NOT to the “hot” temperature of the drink. Confirming this conclusion, President David O. McKay noted that "there is a substance in tea and coffee 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" (see Teachings of the Presidents of the Church, David O. McKay, Chapter 11: Living the Word of Wisdom, Intellectual Reserve, Inc., 2003, 2011, punctuation added). More to the point, Elder John A. Widtsoe, who was an educator in biology and agricuture (and I might add that he is one of few Church members who have been able to make the goatee look distinguished), taught:
Caffeine is not in any sense a food, but, as a stimulant, must be classed with tobacco, opium and other similar substances. Owing to its action on the heart and circulation, the body becomes heated, and in that sense a solution of caffeine is a ‘hot drink’. (John A. Widtsoe, Joseph Smith as Scientist, 91-92)
In February 1834, at one of the earliest meetings of the High Council over which the Presidency of Church presided, the question was addressed "[w]hether disobedience to the Word of Wisdom was sufficient to deprive an official member from holding office in the Church after having it sufficiently taught him?" After a free and full discussion on the matter, Joseph Smith rendered the following decision:
No official member in this Church is worthy to hold an office after having the word of wisdom properly taught him; and he, the official member, neglecting to comply with and obey it. The High Council of the Church then voted unanimously to accept this decision (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 117).
This decision, although included in the minutes of the meeting and unanimously accepted by that Council, was neither included in the revelations given to the prophet nor accepted by the sustaining vote of the Church's members as scripture that now governs who should hold an office in the Church. This is an important point to make inasmuch as ample opportunity existed to include this decision in the Church's canon of scripture now known as "the Law of the Gospel" (see D&C 42:59)--and this opportunity still remains. Today, drinking a caffeinated soda should neither prevent a member from holding an office in the Church nor is it an infraction that warrants the withholding of a temple recommend by a member's Bishop or Stake President. An ecclesiastical leader may provide appropriate counsel to one who consumes caffeinated sodas, but should not presently consider such conduct in determining a member's worthiness. I know personally so many good members who occasionally ingest a caffeinated soda to eliminate a serious headache or prevent them from falling asleep during a crucial activity (such as the driving of a vehicle).
Hence, so as to prevent some from thinking that this blog is an attempt to "steady the ark", I reiterate the official position of the Church regarding the definition of "hot drinks" as it applies to the Word of Wisdom:
Hence, so as to prevent some from thinking that this blog is an attempt to "steady the ark", I reiterate the official position of the Church regarding the definition of "hot drinks" as it applies to the Word of Wisdom:
Members should not use any substance that contains illegal drugs. Nor should members use harmful or habit-forming substances except under the care of a competent physician.
In conclusion, although the term "hot drinks" should be interpreted primarily in context with the excitement, or hot feeling, created when they are ingested, it is interesting to note that a recent report issued by an international panel of 23 scientists from the World Health Organization concluded that "people who drink their coffee or tea at higher temperatures are more likely to get esophageal cancer than people who take their drinks less hot." "Hot beverages could as much as double your risk for esophageal cancer," stated Mariana Stern, Ph.D., a professor of epidemiology at the University of Southern California and one of the members of the international panel. More specifically, the panel concluded that "drinks above 149 degrees Fahrenheit are in the danger zone."
Inasmuch as the industry-average temperature of coffee is 140 degrees, the risk that "hot drinks" will cause cancer is ridiculously small. But a Mr. Coffee spokesperson says their machines heat water up to 177 to 185 degrees, and that temperature will drop only a few degrees by the time it hits your mug. So if you’re drinking your coffee immediately, it’s possible that it’s still in the red zone. For Latter-day Saints, this does not pose a problem, However, some Mormons like to drink a piping hot cup of Postum, Hot Chocolate, or Herbal Tea in the morning. For such individuals who like to live on the edge, Men’s Health Nutrition Advisor Mike Roussell, explained that the "important information for us to glean from this report is that potential cancer risk from drinking hot beverages . . . has little to do with the beverage itself, but the temperature of the water when you are drinking it." Thus, in the final analysis, it seems as though everything--including water--can cause cancer--especially if you drink it while living in, or visiting, California. 
