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by Krys on August 15th, 2007
The truth is that they cannot drink caffeinated beverages,although some will drink soda for "headaches".
Hot drinks are prohibited in general because of scripture, but in practice, it is interpreted to mean herbal teas and hot chocolate are usually accepted.
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Comments
Great answer. I "get" the no caffeine rule because it's a drug and it does things to you. Not to mention it's addictive. But why are hot drinks prohibited because of scripture?
by Eltinwe has a life Swan - DYOH on August 15th, 2007
Yes, I agree with Krys. They aren't supposed to drink any beverages that have caffeine. It is against their beliefs.
by Anna on August 15th, 2007
The "hot drinks" prohibition is contained in the Mormon doctorine under the "Words of Wisdom". The scripture is then interpreted, although the church's official position is limited in it's interpretation, there are generally accepted cultural interpretations.
Because those called into service are laymen, and not formally or classically trained in religious theology, widely-accepted cultural interpretation of the scriptures often carries equal weight with church members as the official church positions do.
Yikes! Hope that's not too much info...
by Krys on August 15th, 2007
No, it was a brilliant answer! Exactly what I was looking for. Thanks.
by Eltinwe has a life Swan - DYOH on August 16th, 2007
Thank you for the reply. I still don't know why hot drinks are prohibited, though..
by taber1 on August 16th, 2007
Oh - well basically the answer is that one of the founders of Mormonism wrote it in his book "Words of Wisdom". Mormons believe this was divinely inspired, and thus obey it as "gospel truth" just as they do the Bible. From a perspective of NOT believing it to be divinely inspired, it's hard to say why Joseph Smith (or whoever) included that particular tidbit of "wisdom", except he probably felt coffee and tea were the only "hot drinks" available and both contained caffeine, and he clearly felt that caffeine was a drug which ought not be taken. Considering he is dead, that's probably about the best answer there is.
by Eltinwe has a life Swan - DYOH on August 16th, 2007
Just an FYI for those who keep down-rating me.... I am not anti-Mormon. I was born and raised into a Mormon family and have studied both within and outside of the accepted religious texts. I am trying to promote understanding and facts.
Thank you for the question.
by Krys on August 19th, 2007
Sean:
Unfortunately, we seem to have a disagreement over symantics. "Prohibited", as was used in the intent of the question, suggests that those of devout faith do not engage in the behavior and the behavior is strongly rejected or outright disallowed by the heirarchy of the church. When I was going through my temple recommend and advance study classes, this was an item that was much reinforced, although surprisingly, it was debated on the point of "prohibition" versus "discouraged".
I appreciate your feeback, although I disagree with your downrating of me over a matter of symantics rather than accuracy.
by Krys on December 14th, 2007
Read the Words of Wisdom and Pearl of Great Price.... Compare these to the beliefs held by the members. Perhaps it is more cultural than scripture, but that depends on the amount of importance you put on these teachings I just named.
Further, read the discourses of the past prophets, or any of the Mormon-centered theology books from Ricks junior college or BYU. Sorry to disagree with you, however, your understanding seems fairly shallow. Good luck with that.
by Krys on December 16th, 2007