The Word of Wisdom

Mormons are not
supposed to drink coffee

The next topic at LDS-Church-History will be the Word of Wisdom.

Some have suggested the Word of Wisdom has taken the place of polygamy as the common outward badge of identification for Latter-day Saints. Though the 19th and into the early 20th century the Mormon church was most commonly identified as a polygamous church.  With the abandonment of polygamy by the LDS church and the increased enforcement of the Word of Wisdom into the mid-20th century, members of the Church of Jesus-Christ of Latter-day Saints are more likely to be identified as those who don't drink coffee, alcohol, or smoke.

A vigorous temperance movement
swept the U.S. in the early 19th century

Factors related to the Word of Wisdom include an evolving standard of compliance for church members and the influence of a prohibition movement. Also an important factor for the Word of Wisdom, was temperance movement in the early 19th century that caught the attention of the early saints, and could have served in part as a catalyst for the revelation.

The overall spirit of the Word of Wisdom is healthy living.  More specifically it suggests avoidance of habit-forming substances with a focus on healthy foods.  Latter-day Saints have enjoyed a greater measure of health by following these standards.

Items related to the Word of Wisdom are pulled from a database of church history built from a wide variety of sources. Several items will be posted each day via Blog, Email, Twitter, Facebook, and Feed.

Consider subscribing at LDS-Church-History for this this chronology of the Word of Wisdom (beginning May 4th)