I have been a Mormon all my life, and have always strived to live by the church’s teachings on food and how I can keep my body healthy. Thank you for taking the time to search this topic and to understand my belief more fully.
I’ll go into as much detail as I can in this blog post, but the truth is that Mormons don’t have many food restrictions. Our diet is not so very different from any other person. We eat meat, try to eat with moderation so we stay healthy, and avoid anything that would harm our bodies.
Mormon Teachings on Food
Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) believe in the Bible. We also believe in modern prophets who reveal to us the will of God. The Mormon prophet Joseph Smith received a revelation from God on health, which is commonly referred to as The Word of Wisdom.
The Word of Wisdom was revealed to Joseph Smith in the 1830s. It contains admonitions against tobacco and alcohol. At the time, the thought of tobacco being bad for one’s help was almost entirely unheard-of (though some did suggest this before this revelation). It was not until the 1950s and later when scientists and doctors came to widely teach the terrible things tobacco was doing to people.
The Word of Wisdom also tells members of the church to avoid hot drinks such as coffee and tea. This is strange to some who are used to these drinks as a part of everyday life, but to me as a Mormon I really don’t even think about it. I’ve never had a drink of coffee (and frankly I don’t care to. It smells terrible in my opinion!).
The Word of Wisdom also teaches members of the church to eat meat sparingly. No, we aren’t vegetarians and there are no specific types of meat (pork) that are off-limits like in the Old Testament.
Food Storage
Members of the church are counseled to be prepared for natural disasters or times of personal financial hardship. We do our best to be frugal, save money, and also to keep reasonable stores of food so that we can use them in times of need.
In my family, we try to keep our pantry well stocked. We keep more food on hand than most people do. We have a big barrel of wheat and tons of canned goods in our pantry that have a long shelf-life. I know that if something crazy happened and my business were to fail and we didn’t have money coming in for a short time, I know we’d still be well fed and comfortable during a tough time.
I’m not paranoid about disasters and I don’t have a bunker in my backyard or anything crazy like that; however, I do feel more confident that I’ll always be able to provide for my family because I make some reasonable preparations.
Conclusion
Thank you for being so thoughtful to search info online about my religion and to understand my beliefs. If you’d like to understand why I’m a Mormon and why I believe in Jesus Christ, check out this blog post.
I’m really grateful for the teaching of my church that help me to be more healthy.
Thank you, Jim.
Growing up my neighbors were baptist, hindu, catholic, mormon, muslim, etc.
I still hold a great admiration, for my childhood friends going on mission to communist russia.
amazing to me they could take the word literally half a world away.
But thanks again for shining some light.
I hope you find the joy in faith that gives me hope for us all.
ben
prayer is still new to me, but i see god in the wind and the water … i don’t hear him, but i see where he moves the trees and the ocean.
enjoy tomorrow’s sunrise, every day is new
Hi Jim. Small typo:
At the time, the thought of tobacco being bad for one’s help [should be health]
I am not a Mormon, but I am a church organist (I have a master’s degree in that field). One thing that inspired my interest aside from having a mother who is a retired church musician is “Music and the Spoken Word.” Thank you for this great gift! The Mormon Tabernacle Choir sings great music, and in 1976, we went to Temple Square when I was 10, and I got to sit in the choir loft for the organ recital! I got to meet organist Roy Darley. It was incredible seeing something for real that I saw on TV! I had a church job once where the organ had 5 keyboards. I come out of the Episcopal and the Unitarian Universalist traditions. I’m also an electrical engineering manager, and I share an office with a Mormon who used to direct choirs.