What do Mormons believe about the Word of Wisdom?
Mormons believe the physical body is a sacred gift from God. As such, we are to treat it with respect, understanding that Jesus Christ has bought our bodies for a price, through the atonement. He sacrificed His life so that all God’s children could come to earth and be resurrected after they die. In Mormonism, the body is a gift that we each waited a long time to receive. Mormons believe that we lived in heaven before coming to earth. In this state we were only spirits of our Heavenly Parents; we had no physical body. We understood that in order to attain complete eternal joy, we would have to go to earth to receive a physical body and be tested. Mormon belief teaches that our bodies are made in the image of the Lord and that the Spirit of the Lord can reside in our bodies when we live worthy of that blessing.
1 Corinthians 3:16-17: “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, his shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.”
Because the body is such a precious gift, the Lord has given us rules as to the care of the body. Taken especially from modern-day revelation, these rules are taken seriously by Mormons. One specific section of the Doctrine and Covenants—the book of revelations recorded by Joseph Smith and others throughout the early days of the Mormon church—outlines a superb system for the care of the body. Section 89, otherwise known as the Word of Wisdom, explains that there are certain foods/substances that are good, and others that are not as good, for the body. For example, the use of coffee, black and green tea, tobacco, alcohol, and the various narcotics and illegal drugs is condemned by the church. Mormons believe that any substance that alters the body or the mind is not condoned by the Lord. When individuals disobey the commandments the Lord has set forth, they lose the freedom and control over their bodies that is such a blessing to each of us.
In addition to the guidelines on the harmful substances, the Word of Wisdom suggests the use of herbs, meat, fruit, and grain, stating that they are on the earth for man’s benefit and should be used in their proper season.
Mormonism teaches that the Lord wants all of us to be happy on earth and after this life. In order to attain that happiness, though, we must follow the rules the Lord has set for each of us.