Comments on: Is caffeine okay in small amounts?

By: Douglas Self

Douglas Self — Sat, 20 May 2017 08:57:00 +0000

It’s well to consider one’s intake of foods and drinks that contain caffeine in varying degrees for the sake of one’s health AND a desire to not be ‘enslaved’ to anything, even if the item isn’t specifically prohibited.
D&C 58:26, 27 is perhaps my fave scripture, emPHAsizing that it’s not good to be ‘commanded in all things’. We already KNOW what’s commanded insofar as being compliant with the WoW in order to qualify for a temple recommend. If having a Diet Coke or a Red Bull is your thing, by all means, drink up, and don’t allow anyone else to judge.
The Word of Wisdom is just that, and it’s a greatly LIBERATING principle. However…as the late Bruce R. McConkie put it, it’s NOT the Gospel, nor is the Gospel just all about the WoW.
Being a nonsmoker and teetotaler doesn’t necessarily mean that one is living his life IAW Gospel principles, as the English New Wave performer Adam Ant well sang about 35 or so years ago (“You don’t drink, don’t smoke, what do you do?”), especially if ‘subtle innuendos follow…”, the famed video implying that whatever he’s about to engage in with Bond girl Caroline Munro is being done w/o benefit of marriage. Me, I’d rather be known for ALL aspects of how I live the Gospel, not merely what I refrain from ingesting or inhaling.

By: Silhouette

Silhouette — Tue, 30 Dec 2014 05:12:00 +0000

I asked my Bishop about this very thing, in reference to whether or not it is all right to drink Coke and Pepsi. His firm response was that one should remember “TACT” when the question arises. T = Tea. A = Alcohol. C = Coffee. T = Tobacco. TACT. The Bishop said that nowhere does the Word of Wisdom counsel against drinking soda or even caffeine. He said that this idea is a false interpretation added by man. I have a friend who is my Visiting Teacher. We have lunch together often, and she always orders a Diet Coke. She is also an active temple ordinance worker. The Bishop who counseled me this way is now in the Stake Presidency. I avoided soda for over 40 years, but I no longer do so. I was counseled not to listen to false doctrine or allow myself to be confused by it. I’m assuming my leadership know what they’re talking about, so I don’t let it worry me anymore.

By: Antodav

Antodav — Sun, 28 Dec 2014 21:23:00 +0000

Good response, but this person needs to learn that it is not meet for man to be commanded in all things. The consumption of caffeine itself is not specifically prohibited in the Word of Wisdom; many simply assume that because both coffee and tea are caffeinated, that caffeine must be the objectionable element within both substances (indeed, I’ve even had a stake president tell me that he could give a temple recommend to someone who drinks decaffeinated coffee). The Word of Wisdom however was written at a time before there were caffeinated sugary drinks or highly caffeinated energy drinks, and the Lord has not seen fit to give us any specific revelation on these substances. It is up to us to understand that the spirit of the Word of Wisdom is simply to take care of our bodies and to avoid ingesting harmful substances into them. Thus even if one completely avoids caffeine, if a person is constantly consuming huge amounts of refined sugar and junk food, one is not really living the spirit of the Word of Wisdom even if that person is still temple-worthy. The blessings of good health that we receive from following the Word of Wisdom come to us in as much as we are willing to follow the spirit of the law without being commanded or forced to do so. Blessed are they who humble themselves without being compelled to be humble (Alma 32:16).