the mormons are not the only religion that prohibits alcohol to their members. as a jehovah's witness i come across many religions on a reglar basis and there are other religions that say drinking alcohol is against the bible. the bible does not condemn the consumption of alcohol, as with wine, or otherwise. in the mosaic law there was no prohibition against the use of alcohol. wine was even a substance required in some of their festivities, such as the passover. the notion that this was non-alcoholic wine is absurd. this idea is propagated by religious leaders of religions that condemn the use of alcohol. the bible gives us several cases of God's serveants being intoxicated, such was the case with noah and also lot. no no one is implying that what they did was right, only what happened to them and some of the consequences. the bible though it does state that wine can put a sparkle or twinkle in your eye(a way of saying it is quite fine to enjoy a glass of wine or two), it also warns us about the way alcohol, when abused can be very harmful. this is found in proverbs 20:1 "wine is a ridiculer, intoxicating liquor is boisterous, and everyone going astray by it is not wise." so even though it is not telling us that the consumption of alcohol is wrong, it is implying to exercise great caution when ever we engage in drinking. as you mentioned if it had been wrong to drink alcohol, jesus would never have produced wine as his first miracle. the bible in the greek scriptures, (you call them the old testament) tells us that "drunkards will not inherit the kingdom of God" (1corinthians 6:9) again as you can see what the bible condemns is excess and abuse, not drinking in moderation. so enjoy your cold glass of favorite beer, wine or cocktail. as for me i personally do not drink for health reasons. science has now found out about the benefits of drinking wine for health reasons. interesting the apostle paul advised young timothy to drink a little wine for his digestive problems. for more information go to www.watchtower.org

Mormons have four books of scripture that they follow. There are the Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price. According to the Mormons, Doctrine and Covenants is a collection of revelations from God to Joseph Smith. These revelations are considered holy writ and as applicable as anything from the Bible. Doctrine and Covenants addresses a variety of topics such as how to form and organize the church.

One particular chapter addresses how to care for your body. After Joseph Smith's wife, Emma, asked him if smoking and drinking were activities of godly men Smith said he didn't know and proceeded to pray to God for the answer. His prayers resulted in what is now referred to as the Word of Wisdom (D&C 89).

The Word of Wisdom addresses the topic of alcohol among other things. D&C 89:5-7 specifically talks about wine and strong drink. It is unclear from the text whether or not beer and ales are included; however the prophets of the church, who are believed to be true prophets who are intermediaries between God and mankind, have interpreted this to include all forms of alcohol.

It looks like this thread may have been dead for a while, but I thought I might throw something in. I was a missionary for the LDS church for two years, and realize everyone likes to give their own answer to this question. Personally I like referring directly to the passage in question.

1 A Word Of Wisdom, for the benefit of the council of high priests, assembled in Kirtland, and the church, and also the saints in Zion—
2 To be sent greeting; not by commandment or constraint, but by revelation and the word of wisdom, showing forth the order and will of God in the temporal salvation of all saints in the last days—
3 Given for a principle with promise, adapted to the capacity of the weak and the weakest of all saints, who are or can be called saints.
4 Behold, verily, thus saith the Lord unto you: In consequence of evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days, I have warned you, and forewarn you, by giving unto you this word of wisdom by revelation—
5 That inasmuch as any man drinketh wine or strong drink among you, behold it is not good, neither meet in the sight of your Father, only in assembling yourselves together to offer up your sacraments before him.
6 And, behold, this should be wine, yea, pure wine of the grape of the vine, of your own make.
7 And, again, strong drinks are not for the belly, but for the washing of your bodies.
http://scriptures.lds.org/en/dc/89

My explanation, as I said everyone has their own, is that the church had many enemies, and they were warned against being poisoned. Regarding the whole thing about our water being more pure than before, I submit that that premise is false. Jesus drank from wells, and many people used those wells, which is still the purest form of water. Look at what we have to do to our water now just to make it "safe." I would rather drink water from a well than city water anyday.

Historically speaking, and assuming that the law did get changed (which view I hold), I would say it is this-
In bible times, drinking water from the well was a great way to get a whole host of diseases. Alcoholic drinks in those days were not nearly as alcoholic as they are now - and there was the added benefit of alcohol killing the germs. Now, we do not have that problem with water, so, alcohol is no longer needed. The bad now outweighs the good.

It's simple. Mormons believe in keeping their bodies healthy and strong. It's important not to do anything to them or ingest anything in them that impairs them. So that is why no tatoos. No alcohol because it is an addictive substance - it is a drug to some extent. Does this answer your question? Any others?