This brings us to the question, why? Can Mormons have caffeine? Are green teas off-limits too? To answer these questions we need to go all the way back to , when the Mormon Prophet Joseph Smith received insight from God about a number of issues on health, diet, and the way to live correctly. These insights were later recorded as the Word of Wisdom. In it, tobacco and alcohol were ordained as forbidden. At the time of the revelation, the most common hot beverages were tea and coffee.
Because of this coffee, teas, alcohol, and tobacco were all seen as harmful for health and not conducive to a good and pure way of living. Since then, Mormons have shunned tea and coffee, and other hot beverages that fall under these categories.
The idea of forbidding tea and coffee has led many people to think that the LDS requires followers to abstain from caffeine. After all, caffeine is a stimulant; which many stricter orthodoxies consider just as bad as intoxicants. This is also thought to be one of the reasons why Mormons are expected to abstain from tea or coffee.
In that vein, about green tea, Word of Wisdom scholars agree that it is off-limits as well. Anything that is made from traditional tea and served hot is generally out of bounds. However, Mormons also consume sodas and eat chocolate and other foods that contain small amounts of caffeine. The Church has even clarified their stance, stating that there are no rules against consuming coffee itself.
The idea, then, seems to be the amount of caffeine as well. The concept of personal interpretation is also important here. Although modern Church leadership has also forbidden iced coffees and teas , as well as vaping and recreational marijuana, there are lots of gray areas without any rulings. For instance, are Mormons allowed to consume coffee-flavored foods without the actual caffeine? Is decaf coffee allowed? The Word of Wisdom serves as a guide for the followers of this Church.
So while many things are clearly prohibited, others are not. It is up to individual Churches, families, or even people to decide the rest. Church leaders have clarified over the years the reasons for the prohibition, and canny LDS followers have found ways to fill the gap in their lives that excluding coffee brings about.
Unlike tobacco and marijuana and alcohol, coffee, as well as tea, are increasingly seen as potentially harmless—but church leaders insist that the coffee prohibition stands and that God has never given a revelation to retract the wisdom of avoiding coffee. From Salt Lake City, Utah, to various places around the world, Mormons strive to live according to what they view as the word of the lord and live a healthy life based on the tenets of the Word of Wisdom.
Ahmed Mir is a coffee enthusiast and editor of Sip Coffee. He loves to travel and learn about new cultures.
Skip to content Sip Coffee House is reader-supported. Some others only allow such substances on a case-by-case basis. Postum Instead Another long-time favorite coffee replacement for LDS members is a product called Postum, developed by the Post family of cereal fame. Wrapping Up: Word Of Wisdom Unlike tobacco and marijuana and alcohol, coffee, as well as tea, are increasingly seen as potentially harmless—but church leaders insist that the coffee prohibition stands and that God has never given a revelation to retract the wisdom of avoiding coffee.
Previous Previous. Next Continue. Learn More. Toggle Menu Close. Search for: Search. The guidance will dash the hopes of some members who hoped the church would loosen the rules about coffee, he said. Starbucks announced recently that it would open its first stand-alone shop in the heavily Mormon city of Provo near the church-owned Brigham Young University next year.
Starbucks offers some non-coffee drinks, including hot chocolate and lemonade. She also found that younger members are less concerned than older members about obeying the health code, which is one of the ways that makes the religion distinct from many other faiths. Church leaders have occasionally issued similar clarifications based on changing social norms and eating and drinking habits, Mason said. In , church leaders clarified that the health code did not prevent members from drinking caffeinated soft drinks.
The church declined to say why it decided to issue the new clarifications now. Brandt Malone, a church member from Detroit who hosts the Mormon News Report podcast, said he wishes the section on coffee would have instead provided guidance to young members about how to order and behave in coffee shops, which are a common place for professional work meetings. Malone and Riess both praised the church stance on vaping, which laments the misconception that e-cigarettes contain only flavors.
The faith worked with Utah state legislators, many of them church members, and medical marijuana advocates to craft a medical marijuana program last year.
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