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Funny every Mormon I've known thought soda was a big no-no. Guess we'll be seeing Mitt take a big swig of soda on the campaign trail sometime soon:
"Despite what was reported, the Church revelation spelling out health practices (Doctrine and Covenants 89) does not mention the use of caffeine. The Church’s health guidelines prohibits alcoholic drinks, smoking or chewing of tobacco, and “hot drinks” — taught by Church leaders to refer specifically to tea and coffee.”
So why doesn't BYU sell caffeinated drinks on campus?
"At the LDS Church-owned Brigham Young University, caffeinated drinks are not sold. It is not because of a church or university edict, said spokeswoman Carri Jenkins, but customer demand. “Dining Services has made the decision to not sell or serve caffeinated beverages on campus,” she told FOX 13. “Simply based on what our customers want or do not want."
Uh huh.
Let me see if I can understand this...
--"Hot drinks", which are never specified in the Book of Mormon as to type, have been interpreted for decades as their prohibition of tea and coffee.
--"Hot drinks" somehow does not prohibit hot chocolate (which also is hot and contains caffeine), hot broth, or hot herbal tea.
Root beer and 7-up are caffeine free, so those have never been an issue, have they? But I always loved being out with a group of Mormons and watching the politics of the beverage order. Those that ordered Coke or coffee always seemed to feel the need to admit that they were being "bad," like a Catholic eating meat on a Friday during Lent.
What actually bothers me about this announcement is BYU's statement that it is everyday Mormons who demanded that caffeinated drinks, including sodas, not be offered on campus. How stupid does that spokesperson think we are? Even your description of your open house refutes the logic behind her comment.
I work with a Mormon; he's a convert and likes his cold soda drinks. LOL
Many Mormons drink caffeinated sodas because they are not prohibited.
Have they ever been prohibited? I can remember Olive Osmond on the Mike Douglas show years ago explaining the LDS church and she said they (Mormons) don't drink any form of caffeine.
I've definitely had Mormons tell me they don't drink anything with caffeine because the church said "no". Which leads us to the first time I heard the term Jack Mormon.
As idiotic as is the ban on coffee/tea (Well sort of... I guess iced teas and coffees are OK? What a weird and pointless distinction...), Mormonism has no monopoly on nonsensical, arbitrary, do-it-just-'cause-I-say-so rules!
No, they have never been prohibited, but it's been a long-standing assumption among many Mormons that tea and coffee were initially prohibited specifically because the one ingredient they have in common is caffeine. Those same individuals are likely the ones who believe that any caffeinated beverages are also prohibited. On the other hand, it would be accurate to say that caffeinated beverages are "discouraged." Like I said in a previous post, though, the fact that probably at least one-third of the fifty Mormons I had at my house a week ago chose Diet Coke from among a wide variety of other drinks they could have picked from indicates that a lot of us do simply avoid tea and coffee, but still drink caffeinated sodas. (By the way, nobody was hiding what they were drinking from anybody else. )
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I can remember Olive Osmond on the Mike Douglas show years ago explaining the LDS church and she said they (Mormons) don't drink any form of caffeine.
Many don't, but I can assure you that many (including many who are definitely practicing members of the Church, and not "jack Mormons") do.
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I've definitely had Mormons tell me they don't drink anything with caffeine because the church said "no". Which leads us to the first time I heard the term Jack Mormon.
Well, the church has never said "no caffeine"; it has, for many, many years, said "no tea or coffee."
You really have to put this into the context in which the "Word of Wisdom" (the Church's health code) was initially issued, back in 1838. The actual wording of what we believe was a revelation to Joseph Smith, prohibits "hot drinks." In 1838, that was understood to mean one thing only: tea and coffee. There was no Coke, Dr. Pepper or Mountain Dew back then. The Church has continued to state its "official" position in the same way over the years: No "hot drinks," meaning "tea and coffee." The same revelation also prohibited "strong drinks," which was interpreted as "alcoholic beverages" and no "tobacco." It also stresses a diet high in whole grains, fruits and vegetables and with meat in moderation.
The whole point behind the Word of Wisdom is to provide a guideline for healthy eating. Studies (most notably at UCLA) have shown that practicing Mormons have a significantly longer life expectancy (here in the U.S.) than the average non-Mormon. Caffeine -- because it is addictive -- probably isn't good for you, and most Mormons who drink caffeinated sodas would probably acknowledge that. Likewise, many non-Mormons who drink alcoholic beverages and who smoke would acknowledge that those things aren't good for you either. There is often a discrepancy between what we know to be wise and what we choose to do anyway.
Last edited by Katzpur; 09-01-2012 at 08:24 PM..
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