Seventeen

[Al Jenn Mael]

Meesh what is your religion, if I may ask?

[mmeeshal]

First of all, they're not "by-laws."  And they're not "rules" either.

 

Secondly, nothing specific about caffeine has been officially stated.  The Church's stance on coffee and tea (except herbal tea) is that it's not good for you and so shouldn't be drunk, but it hasn't taken a position one way or another on caffeinated drinks like soda.  So that's a personal choice there.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Word_of_Wisdom

The "Word of Wisdom" is the common name of a section of the Doctrine and Covenants, a book considered by many churches within the Latter Day Saint movement to consist of revelations from God. It is also the name of a health code based on this scripture, practiced most strictly by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), and to a lesser extent, some other Latter Day Saint movement denominations. In the LDS Church, compliance with the Word of Wisdom is currently a prerequisite for baptism, service in missionary work, attendance at church schools, and entry into the church's temples; however, violation of the code is not considered to be grounds for excommunication.

 

Alcohol--The prohibition of "wine or strong drink" is widely interpreted as a blanket prohibition of all alcoholic beverages, regardless of the level of alcoholic content of the drink.

Hot drinks--Generally, members of the church view the prohibition on "hot drinks" as covering coffee and tea, whether or not the drinks are hot. There is generally thought to be no prohibition against herbal tea, hot chocolate, or malt drinks such as Ovaltine or Milo. Other members choose to prohibit themselves from drinking any beverage that contains caffeine.

 

Cola and other caffeinated beverages--

A longstanding issue among members of the church is whether it is permissible to ingest drinks containing caffeine that are not coffee or tea. In 1918, Frederick J. Pack, a Latter-day Saint professor at the University of Utah, published an article in an official church magazine in which he reasoned that because Coca-Cola contained caffeine, which is also present in tea and coffee, Latter-day Saints should abstain from Coca-Cola in the same way that they abstain from the Word of Wisdom "hot drinks".

 

The church has no official stance on the consumption of caffeinated beverages and the consumption of such does not constitute a violation of the Word of Wisdom. However, a number of church leaders have discouraged the use of such products. For example, in 1922, Church President Heber J. Grant counseled the Latter-day Saints:

 

"I am not going to give any command, but I will ask it as a personal, individual favor to me, to let coca-cola [sic] alone. There are plenty of other things you can get at the soda fountains without drinking that which is injurious. The Lord does not want you to use any drug that creates an appetite for itself."

 

Two years after making this statement, Grant met with a representative of the Coca-Cola Company to discuss the church's position on Coca-Cola; at the conclusion of their second meeting, Grant stated that he was "sure I have not the slightest desire to recommend that the people leave Coca-Cola alone if th[e] amount [of caffeine in Coca-Cola] is absolutely harmless, which they claim it is".[39] Grant never again spoke out against the use of cola drinks.

 

Approximately fifty years later, the church issued an official statement which stated:

 

"With reference to cola drinks, the Church has never officially taken a position on this matter, but the leaders of the Church have advised, and we do now specifically advise, against the use of any drink containing harmful habit-forming drugs under circumstances that would result in acquiring the habit. Any beverage that contains ingredients harmful to the body should be avoided."

 

**EDIT FOR AL JENN**

I'm a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints; called LDS by some but more commonly known as Mormons.

[Al Jenn Mael]

That is what I was thinking, but didn't want to guess. I would say that if you took an average person from any group Mormons have tended to be the nicest I've meet. Not the ones I get along with best ;p, but the nicest. I stayed in Gardner Montana for a while back in 2006 and attended a service or two there, really nice people.

 

 

As for caffine it's nice but soda is just... so sugary. I like sweet stuff but it really isn't refreshing nor does it quench your thirst. Every once in a while I think it is nice to mix things up a bit.

 

Didn't realize Tea was a no-no though. Hopefully you have plenty of hot chocolate though!

[mmeeshal]

:D Yeah, you're not the first person to say that in general Mormons are really nice people.  It's true; no one's perfect and there are always exceptions, but I have never gone to services anywhere without people being really nice.  I've moved a few times, and we've traveled a bit, so I have been to a couple of wards in California, and a few in Iowa (can't remember if we've gone anywhere else or not).  Members of the Church are usually very friendly. :D

 

I don't like caffeine much; I've drank a little bit of caffeinated soda at work when I was falling asleep but in general I choose not to.  I'm not a huge soda fan either; I like water and lemonade and milk and fruit juices and that's pretty much it.  I do drink pop sometimes, and I have preferences, but it's not healthy and I prefer water when I have the chance.  (I lost a lot of weight this summer because of all the water I drank)

 

Yup, hot chocolate is good.  It's a pain in the butt to make when you're as impatient as I am, and want a quick 30-second drink, but it's yummy.  I do drink herbal tea sometimes, if I have a sore throat or when I was having problems sleeping (chamomile and mint, I think it is), since herbal tea is okay.

[bad company]

I don't see how coffee and tea or even alcohol in moderation should affect someones faith but that might just be the algican in me

[mmeeshal]

Pretty sure no one ever said it affects someone's faith. ::)

[Locke]

Not really a fan of tea, coffee, or soda.  I mostly just stick to water and juice.

 

 

[mmeeshal]

I mostly stick to water and milk. :D

 

Water rocks.  Water is GOOD for ya, guys!

[Al Jenn Mael]

Milk is tasty.

[bad company]

It is unless you have a cold

[Locke]

3 cheers for water! *3 cheers* :D

 

Aw, almost page 15.

[mmeeshal]

More pointsies for Eebsy!!!

[Locke]

Exactly! ;D

[Al Jenn Mael]

Well this has to get to page 17 then die, M'kay?

[LedZepMan]

i will kill you puny lighties

[bad company]

With what, pray tell?

[Locke]

*tips hat to Al Jenn*

[Al Jenn Mael]

*Does a Jig*

[Locke]

With a capital J eh?

[Al Jenn Mael]

Well any jig that is 17 jigs should be called a Jig.

[Locke]

Your favourite number too?

[Al Jenn Mael]

Nope that privilege would belong to the number 7.

[mmeeshal]

15 is better. ::)

 

I'll sneaksy let this thread go to page 17, though, just 'cuz it's Eebs' thread. ;D

 

Ha, I'm not even staff here anymore, and I'm locking threads still..but I do have mod privileges, and the BT staff have been pretty busy, I think, so I'm just helping out while I can. :)

 

POST!!!!!!!!!!!!

[LedZepMan]

you post.......

[mmeeshal]

Wow, that was really special. ::)