In this election year Mitt Romney, a Mormon, is running for president of the United States. This has brought Mormonism into the limelight once again. IMHO, Mr. Romney will not get his parties nomination for president largely based on his religion. Americans like - and believe in - the separation of religion and state so much that they would rather have a non-believer as a leader of their country than a believer in the Almighty. Again, this is just my humble opinion. Mr. Romney did not force his religion as governor any more than Mr. Kennedy forced his religion onto the American people as president. This is an interesting link to read:
http://pewresearch.org/pubs/587/religion-campaign-08
But because of this election year, all of the misconceptions concerning Mormons will be brought to the surface, but I also believe that much good will come of this. By being spotlighted, the LDS Church will probably grow more rapidly in membership in the next few years than normal.
Some of the questions that will come will be focused primarily on : plural marriage; the abstaining of alcohol, tobacco, coffee, and tea; eternal marriage; the use of temples; baptism for the dead; and the Mountain Meadows Massacre. I will try to address each of these topics eventually, but today I would like to address The Word of Wisdom.
The Word of Wisdom was given to the Saints in 1833 after the Prophet Joseph Smith received revelation concerning the temporal salvation of all saints in the latter days.
Paragraph 3 of the revelation I can personally attest to. It states, " 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."
I fit into the category as "the weakest of all saints".
For some 25+ years I smoked a pack of cigarettes daily, and while drinking with friends at a bar or shooting pool, I would smoke as many as three packs a day. I cannot begin to tell you how many times I tried to quit smoking and how many promises I made to quit that I broke. I would literally throw a partial pack of smokes out the window, and within 15 minutes, drive to a 7/11 store to purchase more. I would smoke used butts at home if I ran out of cigarettes. For many years I smoked Camels, then Marlboro's, and then finally, Marlboro Lights in my futile attempts to quit smoking. I was as hooked as anyone can be hooked.
I drank coffee from morning until late afternoon. But I always used cream to dilute the effects. ;-)
Oh, how I loved my Jack Daniels! And wine. My wife got me started onto good wines, and I was hooked. Hey, it was good for the heart, I was told. I literally drank every day....every day. I'm not talking about one drink......I don't think I ever went through a day without the minimum of three drinks to calm my nerves from drinking all that coffee during the day. I drank so much beer, that it would effect my left kidney at times, and I would have to switch to something else. But how else was I to get to sleep at night? I was as hooked as anyone can be hooked, because this went on for 25+ years.
On April 1, 2003 I gave up tobacco, alcohol, and coffee......all at once......all on the same day, ( April Fools Day, since I was a fool to start in the first place).....and I have never looked back. I have never had a desire for cigarette or a drink since that day. What was really amazing was that I experienced no ill effects that normally follows. Those addictions that I had were VERY addictive......yet I had no withdrawal symptoms. I had a Priesthood blessing to help me quit my addictions, and I know that a miracle was performed.
The Word of Wisdom is a revealed law of health. It speaks to us also about using grains and meats, and so the use of alcohol, tobacco, tea, and coffee are just part of the Word of Wisdom. We are also counseled to use all that the Lord has given us in moderation. Obedience to this law brings about many temporal and spiritual blessings.
I'm fairly certain that the harmful effects of tobacco and alcohol on are bodies was not well known back in 1833, yet we know of the harm caused by them on our bodies today.
Every worthy member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints must obey the Word of Wisdom in order to hold a Church office or to visit a Temple. Consider it a test. The Lord has spoken, and we must obey if we want the blessings that come with obeying. IMHO
Tomorrow's topic will be eternal marriage.
