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Mormon dietary restrictions


YPestis

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There are plenty of equally bizarre dietary restrictions in the Bible, it's just that most Christians don't bother following them. Mark 11:12-14, anybody? That's the one I like to use as an example since it's in the New Testament- Christians can't justify ignoring because it actually came out of Jesus's mouth.

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One thing I remember is that several years ago, National Geographic magazine had an article about the people who lived the longest, and Utah wasn't on that list, but a community of Seventh Day Adventists living in Loma Linda, CA was. The reason for that is that Seventh Day Adventists are vegetarians because it's part of their religion.

I've known Adventists who were not vegetarian. The vast majority are. I think that some of the big reasons that Adventists may live longer is their stress on healthy living overall. (you can be a vegetarian and eat crap) They stress healthy living overall, not just encouraging vegetarianism. They also are strong supporters of modern medicine.

(other than the stressing of vegetarianism and their focus on the end times, I am pretty comfortable with a lot of their theology.)

Recent research has shown that slightly restricting calories helps people live longer- it's hard to overeat when you are on a diet that restricts meat and fat, so that could be a reason why they live longer. Restricting calories causes less growth hormone, which makes it much less likely for a person to come down with cancer or diabetes. (a show that explains some of this http://video.pbs.org/video/2363162206 )

And to get back to the main topic, I've known Mormons who follow the dietary laws to different extents. Most stay away from alcohol and hot caffinated coffee and tea, some include all caffine as well, while others will drink caffinated sodas.

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There are plenty of equally bizarre dietary restrictions in the Bible, it's just that most Christians don't bother following them. Mark 11:12-14, anybody? That's the one I like to use as an example since it's in the New Testament- Christians can't justify ignoring because it actually came out of Jesus's mouth.

This is Mark 11:12-14 He is cursing a specific tree for not bearing fruit at the time.

(NIV)12 The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13 Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. 14 Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.†And his disciples heard him say it.

(KJV)12 And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry:

13 And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet.

14 And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.

Cursing one tree, does not mean nobody is allowed to eat figs from other trees. He did not say "nobody must eat figs anymore." He said "May no one ever eat fruit from you again." I think that this is included in the Bible as a sign of his humanity.

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First post. Long time lurker. Recently left the LDS church.

The tannins are what is bad. That's what I've always understood.

Also, no issue with codeine. Few years back I had a dentist who was a member of my ward, and he prescribed me Tylenol w/ Codeine after pulling wisdom teeth.

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There are plenty of equally bizarre dietary restrictions in the Bible, it's just that most Christians don't bother following them. Mark 11:12-14, anybody? That's the one I like to use as an example since it's in the New Testament- Christians can't justify ignoring because it actually came out of Jesus's mouth.

I always thought those verses were talking about that particular tree, not all fig trees in general? Those verses confuse a lot of Christians anyway though :lol:

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There are plenty of equally bizarre dietary restrictions in the Bible, it's just that most Christians don't bother following them. Mark 11:12-14, anybody? That's the one I like to use as an example since it's in the New Testament- Christians can't justify ignoring because it actually came out of Jesus's mouth.

I'm obviously a lurker, but I had to give a call out to that one! I'm actually Jewish, but students from my alma mater protested WBC using my username, and I couldn't resist taking up the flag.

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:clap:

I'm obviously a lurker, but I had to give a call out to that one! I'm actually Jewish, but students from my alma mater protested WBC using my username, and I couldn't resist taking up the flag.

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I asked some missionaries about this a d they said something about someone's wife being annoyed about men chewing tobacco in sacrament meetings. I think it was probably quite culturally acceptable at the time as an extension of the temperance movement

My theory has always been that the Mormons are afraid that if their members sat down for coffee and a chat, they might have thoughts, which could lead to discussion, which could lead to more thoughts.

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This is Mark 11:12-14 He is cursing a specific tree for not bearing fruit at the time.

Cursing one tree, does not mean nobody is allowed to eat figs from other trees. He did not say "nobody must eat figs anymore." He said "May no one ever eat fruit from you again." I think that this is included in the Bible as a sign of his humanity.

If that's the commonly accepted interpretation, then it was a poor example to use. I still find it interesting that Biblical dietary restrictions are routinely ignored by Christians, while sexual restrictions/rules are so rigidly enforced. Well, at least the one about homosexuality.

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There are some Mormons who are vegetarians and some who don't each much meat. The ban on caffeine is a bit ridiculous. As another FJer pointed out there are health benefits to green tea as well as white and oolong tea. Drinking black tea or coffee here and there aren't horrible things to do either. I drink white and green tea daily and I drink 2 or 3 diet sodas a week. I'm not huge a coffee drinker. But I would never do well banning caffeine completely. I find it odd that Mormons eat chocolate which does contain caffeine. There are a few Mormon bloggers that I follow who are constantly making chocolate type desserts.

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If that's the commonly accepted interpretation, then it was a poor example to use. I still find it interesting that Biblical dietary restrictions are routinely ignored by Christians, while sexual restrictions/rules are so rigidly enforced. Well, at least the one about homosexuality.

I think what you need to realize is that the vast majority of Christians are mainstream, possibly not even church going, who don't think that homosexuality is wrong, or push for the death penalty, or worry all that much about what their neighbor is doing. On this board we focus on extremist, and in general the noisy ones are the ones who are judgmental and do these things. Most people just go on with their lives.

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I asked some missionaries about this a d they said something about someone's wife being annoyed about men chewing tobacco in sacrament meetings. I think it was probably quite culturally acceptable at the time as an extension of the temperance movement

My theory has always been that the Mormons are afraid that if their members sat down for coffee and a chat, they might have thoughts, which could lead to discussion, which could lead to more thoughts.

The story goes that Joseph Smith was having meetings in his home, and the dudes were chewing tobacco and not being very considerate about how they got rid of the spit. Emma, Joseph's wife, was pissed about having to clean that up in her living room, so she told Joseph to have a revelation about it. And that, dear children, is how we got the Word of Wisdom.

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I think what you need to realize is that the vast majority of Christians are mainstream, possibly not even church going, who don't think that homosexuality is wrong, or push for the death penalty, or worry all that much about what their neighbor is doing. On this board we focus on extremist, and in general the noisy ones are the ones who are judgmental and do these things. Most people just go on with their lives.

I was curious about your assertion that the "vast majority" of christians don't think homosexuality is wrong, so I went looking for some sources. According to a poll done by the Human Rights Campaign, Christian support of gay marriage is 52%, according to this article in the Christian Post. christianpost.com/news/focus-on-the-family-were-losing-fight-against-gay-marriage-50445/

So certainly a slim majority if not a vast one.

In a way, I just suppose that I'm disappointed that more mainstream Christians, both Catholic and Protestant, aren't out there voicing their opinions if the majority actually support gay marriage. I know many people who personally support full equal rights for homosexuals, but belong to churches that do not. It's really frustrating to see- not that it makes them bad people, but still frustrating. (For what it's worth, over the course of my lifetime I've been a part of many Christian churches in a variety of denominations, anything from IFB to Assemblies of God to modern evangelical mega-church to a Methodist church with a lesbian minister. I'm no longer religious.)

Anyway, sorry about the thread drift.

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The story goes that Joseph Smith was having meetings in his home, and the dudes were chewing tobacco and not being very considerate about how they got rid of the spit. Emma, Joseph's wife, was pissed about having to clean that up in her living room, so she told Joseph to have a revelation about it. And that, dear children, is how we got the Word of Wisdom.

Can't say I blame her. Ewwwwwwww, that is nasty.

It's funny that various Mormons have various explanations for the whys and wherefores of this. It's as if nobody on high wants to clarify it. I am at a loss as to why.

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Can't say I blame her. Ewwwwwwww, that is nasty.

It's funny that various Mormons have various explanations for the whys and wherefores of this. It's as if nobody on high wants to clarify it. I am at a loss as to why.

From my loooong membership in the Church, that's always been the story I've learned. The wiki for the WoW says

"According to Joseph Smith, Jr., the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, the Word of Wisdom was received in 1833 as a revelation from God. After Smith's death, Brigham Young stated that the revelation was given in response to problems encountered while conducting meetings in the Smith family home:

"When they assembled together in this room after breakfast, the first they did was to light their pipes, and, while smoking, talk about the great things of the kingdom, and spit all over the room, and as soon as the pipe was out of their mouths a large chew of tobacco would then be taken. Often when the Prophet [Joseph Smith] entered the room to give the school instructions he would find himself in a cloud of tobacco smoke. This, and the complaints of his wife at having to clean so filthy a floor, made the Prophet think upon the matter, and he inquired of the Lord relating to the conduct of the Elders in using tobacco, and the revelation known as the Word of Wisdom was the result of his inquiry."[3]"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Word_of_Wisdom

Now why do we all interpret it differently? Eh, cause we're human.

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Interesting discussion regarding Mormon's dietary bans here. The only one that sounds logical is the one pertaining to a show of religious faith. I can understand giving up something as a sign of your devotion. After all, people give up stuff for Lent. I still think giving up coffee or alcohol would be horrible way to live but that's because I'm a coffee addict and part-time alcoholic. The other explanations don't ring true to me. How can one abstain from hot drinks but think coco is ok? Or think caffeinated sodas is healthier for you than coffee or alcohol. If anything, modern science has shown coffee and moderate wine can have health benefits. There are few, if any health benefits of soda. Plus, given our obesity epidemic, the Mormon Church should do well to focus on the moderate meat eating (or healthy diets in general) more than anything else. After all, heart disease is the #1 killer in this country, not caffeine addiction (or even alcoholism).

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First post. Long time lurker. Recently left the LDS church.

The tannins are what is bad. That's what I've always understood.

Also, no issue with codeine. Few years back I had a dentist who was a member of my ward, and he prescribed me Tylenol w/ Codeine after pulling wisdom teeth.

I've heard that, too. But there's no ban on pomegranate, or persimmon, and those have tannins. And I understand that the LDS strongly suggests that families keep a store cupboard sufficient to feed their families for some significant amount of time, emphasizing the usefulness of dried beans. But dried lentils? Are tannin-rich.

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I've heard that, too. But there's no ban on pomegranate, or persimmon, and those have tannins. And I understand that the LDS strongly suggests that families keep a store cupboard sufficient to feed their families for some significant amount of time, emphasizing the usefulness of dried beans. But dried lentils? Are tannin-rich.

Something about how it's roasted, the tannins will tear at the lining of your stomach. It's never made much sense to me anyway. Now that I'm not a member, I've fallen in love with coffee. Also dyed a pink streak in my hair and got tattoos. Living dangerously over here.

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Of course we're all human, emesbe, but I would think that given how so much in the LDS church comes from the top that some sort of explanation for the rules would come from them as well. The lack of clarity seems odd to me in a group that is pretty specific about many things. That's what confuses outsider me.

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And to get back to the main topic, I've known Mormons who follow the dietary laws to different extents. Most stay away from alcohol and hot caffinated coffee and tea, some include all caffine as well, while others will drink caffinated sodas.

I think Nie Nie once had one of those dumb "Nie asks on BlogHer" posts where the question was about your favorite drinks. I didn't click through to answer, but it made me think that other than water, I have almost no regular drinks in common with Mormons... I stopped drinking most juice and soda a couple of years ago, so my main drinks are water, coffee, tea, and wine. It's funny seeing some of these Mormon blogger posts with tables full of sugary drinks at parties for the adults.

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Of course we're all human, emesbe, but I would think that given how so much in the LDS church comes from the top that some sort of explanation for the rules would come from them as well. The lack of clarity seems odd to me in a group that is pretty specific about many things. That's what confuses outsider me.

It confuses me, too. It confuses a lot of people.

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The reason why its confusing is that the whole thing is based on 19th century ideas about diet. At the time, these things were taken totally for granted, so the logic didn't have to be explained.

Basically, food was either 'stimulating' or it wasn't. Stimulating food and drink excited and heated the body, and too much of it lead to all sorts of disease and disorder. Tobacco, tea, coffee and alcohol were at the top of the list of foods that were overly stimulating, but meat and hot bread could also cause problems if used immoderately.

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