Caffeinated or not? LDS question?

Question

So I talked to the missionaries and they said that Caffeine is okay (like soda)... it is just in excess that it isn't good.

I have talked to other people outside the church though who say that they knew Mormons who didn't drink coffee and people tell me that Mormons can't drink pop.

So... what is true?? Is it how you interpret the Word of Wisdom?? Or has a prophet told us about not drinking pop??

** I am going to be baptised into the LDS church just so you know

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

As interviewed on the Larry King show [aired September 8, 1998].....


Gordon B. Hinckley [responding to phone caller's question about WoW and eating too much meat]: Oh, I don't know. You've read a part of the word of wisdom. The word of wisdom covers many things. It covers the excessive use of meat, as I see it. It covers, in a very particular way, the use of tobacco and alcohol.

Larry King: By saying no?

Gordon B. Hinckley: By saying, by proscribing those things.

Larry King: No to caffeine?

Gordon B. Hinckley: No to caffeine, coffee and tea.


So, it's not just the hotness of them - it's the CAFFEINE.

Asker's Rating:

Asker's Comment:

Thanks :) A prophet is a good source for info

Answer 2

Caffeine is not specified in the Word of Wisdom. Some choose not to drink caffeinated beverages. If caffeine was against the word of wisdom we could not have chocolate. And if all hot drinks were forbidden, we could not have hot chocolate or soup.

The prophets have specified that alcohol, tobacco, coffee, tea (black and green), and harmful drugs (illicit or prescription abuse) should not be taken into our bodies. Everything is is left to our own wisdom. For example, Twinkies are not specified but I feel that I would not be following the word of wisdom if I ate Twinkies all day every day.
Congratulations.

Answer 3

You'll hear lots of opinions on this one and that's just what they are...opinions. The Church has not come out and directly said no caffeine but according to the Word of Wisdom we are not supposed to ingest things that are harmful to the body. Caffeine is certainly not good for your body so that's why it's up for debate. Many Mormons will abstain from caffeine to be on the cautious side but many, like me, drink caffeinated beverages in moderation. I don't drink them to the point where I'm chemically dependent on the boost it provides. In fact I don't drink it for the boost since caffeine doesn't keep me awake, I just love the taste. (Pepsi is really the only soda I drink.) Also noteworthy, in Pres. Hinkley's interview with Larry King, he said that Mormons do not drink caffeinated beverages so there's that to consider. In the end it is up to you.

Answer 4

Coffee and tea

Hot drinks are taboo for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and some other Mormon groups.[61] Most Mormons interpret this as referring exclusively to coffee and tea (e.g. not hot cocoa or herbal tea). It is also sometimes extended as a taboo against caffeine in general, including cola drinks [62].

It is also interesting to observe Taboo foods in culture and religion these include:-
# 2 Taboo food

* 2.1 Amphibians and reptiles
* 2.2 Bears
* 2.3 Birds
* 2.4 Camels
* 2.5 Caribou/Reindeer
* 2.6 Cats
* 2.7 Cows
o 2.7.1 Veal
* 2.8 Crustaceans and other seafood
* 2.9 Dogs
* 2.10 Donkeys
* 2.11 Elephants
* 2.12 Fish
* 2.13 Fungi
* 2.14 Genetically modified food
* 2.15 Guinea pig
* 2.16 Capybara and Paca
* 2.17 Horses
* 2.18 Human meat
* 2.19 Insects
* 2.20 Kangaroo
* 2.21 Living animals
* 2.22 Offal
* 2.23 Pigs/Pork
* 2.24 Primates (other than humans)
* 2.25 Rabbit
* 2.26 Rats and mice
* 2.27 Snails
* 2.28 Vegetables
* 2.29 Whales

# 3 Taboo drinks

* 3.1 Alcohol
* 3.2 Blood
* 3.3 Coffee and tea

Answer 5

My dad was not permitted in the temple because he wouldn't lie about his coffee drinking. That was years ago but I don't know the rules now.

I am an ex-mormon who still doesn't drink caffeine. I just don't like the way it makes me feel.

Answer 6

You're gonna be a mormon? well good luck, but to be honest, mormonism is like christianity 500 years ago, only in the present. LDS laws and rules are tough, pointless, and let you have several wives, so go for it!!!

Answer 7

I asked my bishop this question one time. He told me that he felt that soda and hot chocolate were ok. I don't like my hot chocolate very hot anyway. I drink pop. If you feel like you should not drink caffeinated pop, then switch to caffeine free pop. I did.I drink caffeine free coke.
This is where personal revelation comes into play.
You should pray about it and get the answer that is best for you.The lord will help you decide what is best for you, however there are a few drinks that we should not drink, namely alcoholic, coffee, certain kinds of tea,herbal tea might be ok, I am not sure. Again personal revelation comes in to play here as well.

When the word of wisdom was given, it was NOT a commandment, however over time it has come to be one. Latter day prophets have told us that the particular drinks it mentions were alcohol, coffee, tea.congratulations.

Source(s):

I'm a life long member of the church.

Answer 8

The Word of Wisdom is a guide to stay as healthy as possible. Drinking coffee isn't bad its just not the healthiest thing. I choose not to drink caffinated drinks because I think its healthier for me. I have many friends who are addicted to caffine and get sick and have headaches when ever they take a break from it. If you want to drink coffee or coke you can although it is recommended not to.

Answer 9

I take the words of President Hinckley to mean no caffeine. Many bishops will say that this is a personal choice, interpret according to the promptings that you receive from the Holy Ghost.

All that being said, I keep a few Diet Dr. Peppers and some chocolate for when my daughter and I have a really bad headache, as this seems to help. In temple reccommend interviews, I tell my bishop/counselor that I do use caffiene medicinally, never had one refuse my temple reccommend because of it.

Source(s):

LDS

Answer 10

The MOST important thing to remember is the SPIRIT of the law.

Caffeinated drinks do NOT keep you out of the temple or from being baptized.

I hear this debated endlessly ad-nauseum in the church at times but NOBODY is going to hell for drinking doctor pepper.

Coffee, Tea, harmful drugs not prescribed and go from there.

I gave up tea and coffee to be baptized, now I just drink herbal tea on a winters night, or cider or hot chocolate....

dr. pepper is not on your temple reccomend interview....

Just remember, we're mormons, not pharisees

Answer 11

That's a common question. I found the following question and answer in a recent issue of one of the Church's magazines.

“Is there anything wrong with drinking sodas with caffeine in them? Is caffeine bad? The Word of Wisdom doesn’t mention it.,” New Era, April 2008, 41

Doctrine and Covenants 89:9 says we shouldn’t drink “hot drinks.” The only official interpretation of this term is the statement made by early Church leaders that it means tea and coffee. Caffeine is not specifically mentioned as the reason not to drink these drinks.

However, we should keep in mind this counsel given by President Boyd K. Packer: “The Word of Wisdom was ‘given for a principle with promise’ (D&C 89:3). … A principle is an enduring truth, a law, a rule you can adopt to guide you in making decisions. Generally principles are not spelled out in detail. Members write in asking if this thing or that is against the Word of Wisdom. … We teach the principle together with the promised blessings. There are many habit-forming, addictive things that one can drink or chew or inhale or inject which injure both body and spirit which are not mentioned in the revelation. … Obedience to counsel will keep you on the safe side of life” (“The Word of Wisdom: The Principle and the Promises,” Ensign, May 1996, 17–18 ).

Source(s):

http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vg…

Answer 12

No coffee, no tea. It has nothing to do with caffeine.

Herbal teas are ok. even green tea, my stake president said, it's between me and God.

Answer 13

When you have been in the church a bit longer and are preparing to go to the temple you will be asked a series of question by your bishop to see if you are ready and worthy. In that interview you will be asked about coffee and tea. So abstaining from those (and alcohol and tobacco and drugs not prescribed) are the minimum standard for a temple recommend. What is the maximum standard? That is for you to work out for yourself in your relationship with the Savior. Perfection is the goal but even the definition of that is for you to work out with Him. It might seem easier to have the rules all worked out for us like a legal contract but then what would we pray about? The process of working it out in prayer, the time spent on your knees and pondering things of eternity is why so many of these things are deliberately left fuzzy- to give you something to pray about. Not because the answers are complicated but to give you the opportunity to spend time with Him.

Answer 14

I am an ex- UT mormon, pop is fine from being a UT mormon, liek say a pop every day, if you drink a big gulp from 7-11 like my mom use to everyday then you may be pushing it. There are some mormons that didn;t even drink caffinated soda at all. I found there was a diferance between coffee when I started to drink coffee and soda, there is more caffeene (however you smell it) in a mountain dew then in a coke, and the energy drink give you a jolt as if you were injesting caffeeine, so there again, it is up to the individual. Coffee is definetly a no go. I would say if you need to the soda to keep going then you may want to consider laying off the stuff amd drink energy drinks that have lots of "B" vitamins they will give you the energy you need without the caffeen in them. There use to be stinger drinks by stacker 2, but I don;t know if you can find them anymore they had tons of "B12" vitamins in them and provided a lot of energy without caffeen.

Answer 15

Firstly, Congrats on the baptism-

As for the word of wisdom, it says avoid hot drinks. I could definitely see how Joseph Smith could have interpreted a vision of soda (and its bubbles) as a hot drink, but the only official stance of the Church is that we are not to drink Coffee and tea. Soda is fine.
People sometimes feel they have to justify this to those outside of the church. I would disagree with that. We dont have to understand all the rules, there are some things we can and should take on faith. We dont have to justify saying there is a higher concentration of caffine, or there is a change in chemical structure when the things meet, or whatever else.
Trying to justify why we do things with anything more than "Because God has asked me to," leads us to create confusion and diminish the power by which the advice came.
If we know that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that the word of wisdom is true, why do we need to try to justify listening to a prophet by pretending we know the reason for the rule? Hope that helps!