This Podcast Is... Uncalled For - Thoughts on the Word of Wisdom

Episode Date: October 25, 2024

No alcohol.  No tobacco.  No tea.  No coffee.  Or is there more to the famous LDS dietary code?  We read Section 89 of the Doctrine and Covenants and answer that question.

Hi, I'm Mike Chernivsky, and your listen to this podcast is Un Called For. I welcome to the first official recording for season eight of the podcast. This will, of course, be airing after our fringe program. And I'm really, really excited about that, of course, and you will all have heard it by the time. your listening this but I thought

I'd get this season as a production of it started on a

bit of interesting notes I'm recording this just a couple days after

the monthly ex-mormon coffies that have been going to and one subject

came up that think would be good to explore and all that. And it's about the Word of Wisdom. The Word of Wisdom, I'm actually going to take today to read Section 89 of the Doctrine and Covenants, where the Word of Wisdom comes from. but first I want to address something I heard from the coffee that there's a gentleman by the name of Tim Ballard

no relation to M. Russell Ballard who is a Mormon apostle apparently this guy was this guy at Tim Ballard was commissioned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to do some research to the word of wisdom for those who are not Mormon the word of wisdom is basically

a health code as interpreted by the church today no alcohol, no tobacco no tea, no coffee some Mormons will take that to mean no caffeine period but it is worthy of examination

so before we actually get into reading the Word of Wisdom I will read from ABC4.com This is the ABC affiliate in Salt Lake City, I believe. Congratulations again, your new hockey team, by the way. So, the Word of Wisdom, the Arkles,

Tim Ballard's victims claim connection between him and late LDS Apostle. it also represents only one side of a story okay so so new claims about deceased church later the late president M. Russell Ballard probably did occur to me that he had passed but whatever

of the churches across the light I Saints had been released in an amendment to a lawsuit against former Operation Underground Railroad CEO Tim Ballard. The amendment was filed April 6, 2024 in relation to a lawsuit filed by five women against Tim Ballard, his wife and other associate companies and members of the OUR board. Let's skip to where it says Word of Wisdom. Quote, under information and belief, President Ballard and other members of the Mormon Church asked Tim Ballard to write a book declaring that the Word of Wisdom is not true. According to church beliefs, the founder of the Lard-day Saint Faith received direction from God. what members of the church

should and should not consume for their physical and spiritual benefit members of the faith are urged not to drink alcohol tea or coffee and tea I'm sorry I'm butchering it in addition to avoiding

tobacco the lawsuit claims Tim Ballard was addicted to drugs, alcohol and sex Quotes Ballard was for intuitively given his commands to write book for the Mormon church, declaring that the Word of Wisdom was not true doctrine, thus allowing him to consume excessive amounts of alcohol in the form of tequila, of his own volition.

Okay, so, um, so a little history about the Word of Wisdom, at least my understanding. of the history. It came about in the early days of the LDS Church because Emma Smith

got sick of cleaning up the spits from tobacco at the time because all the

early Mormons were heavy drinkers and chew tobacco. This is dated February 27, 1833 out of Curtland, Ohio, which, by the way, the Kirtland Temple, the first ever temple of the LDS faith, still stands. It recently changed hands, and when it was purchased by the LDS Church from the community of Christ, the former RLDS. and they won't be doing their rituals in that temple but we'll keep it as a historic sites

and that's cool because that temple was built for purposes other than the current LDS temple rituals so here we go section 89 of the doctrine in covenants verse one a word of wisdom for the benefit of the council of high priests assembled in cartland and the church and also the saints in zion to be sent greeting not by commandment or constraint but by revelation and the word of wisdom showing forth the order and will of god in the temporal salvation of all saints in the last days. So there are first two, it says it's not a commandment, but rather just revelation. The LDS Church believes in a minor day revelation and continuing

revelation through its presence who they view as a prophet seer and revelator of God. So here we are. First two, this isn't even a commandment. You know, This is just a suggestion. Right? Moving on. Given for a principal promise adapted to the capacity of the weak and the weakest of all saints

who are and can be called saints. Behold verily, thus saith the Lord unto you in consequence of evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days, I have warned you and forewarned you by giving unto this word of wisdom by

revelation. Once again, just a suggestion. I'm just telling you what you should do. You don't have to listen to what I'm saying here, but just you should do this. Continue with first five. that as much as any man drinketh wine or strong drink among you behold it is not good neither meet in the sight of your father only in assembling yourselves together

to offer up your sacraments before him and behold this should be wine yea pure wine of the grape of the vine of your own make so pause LDS sacrament means

as they call communion instead of a wine they now use tap water they've been using tap water this whole time and I remember during my time in the church that's one of the first

things we do we go prepare the sacraments as they say and then involved loaves of white bread, which you could buy at any grocery store, that we would break up with our hands and have to say a prayer over that. But before even that, we would take these trays with little paper or plastic cuss, depending on which ward. I think my ward used paper and fill them with... tap water and before each

uh was a given out we would have to say a prayer and uh for everyone that a prayer that you can find in the book of mormon as well as the uh doctrine and covenants and was printed and placed on the uh all on the altar area that we had to read word for word you screw it up once yeah you look up at the bishop you'll either give

you a nod or no if it gives you the note yeah I do it all over again just that part of the prayers I'm not going to waste everyone's time trying to read that prayer

right now so we continue and again strong drinks are not for the belly but for the washing of your bodies they're talking specifically about strong drinks

that's spirits yeah that's your uh whiskeys your tequila your uh your vodka your gins

that sort of thing again tobacco is not for the body neither for the belly, and it's not good for man but as an herb for bruises and all sick

cattle to be used with judgment and skill. And I read that immediately think of Eddie Izzard talking about the difference between British English and American English.

And one of the examples he gave was the word herb. Yeah, we say herb in America and the British they say herbs because there's a fucking age in it.

Again, hot drinks are not for the body or belly. Well, what drinks are traditionally served hot? Tea and coffee. I don't see anything in there about Coca-Cola. or Diet Coke or other caffeinated beverages and where's the prohibition according to this hot chocolates is a no-no because it's served well hot

so does this mean soups are a no-no because soup is traditionally served hot So. So that's the thing about it. Okay. Continue. We're on first ten now. And again, verily, I say unto you, all wholesome herbs God hath ordained for the constitution, nature, and use of man. Every herb in the season thereof, and every fruit in the season thereof, all these to be used.

used with prudence and thanksgiving. Yea, flesh also of beasts of the fowls of the land, I the Lord, have ordained for the use of men with thanksgiving, nonetheless there to be used sparingly.

Sounding like my doctors, saying, yeah, you got cut down on the triglycerides. Well, triglycerides come mostly from meat, and I am very much a carnivore but they're saying eat more fruits and vegetables so all right

we can do that all right and it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used only in times of winter or of cold or famine so during the summer months we just be vegans is that what this is in

all grain is ordained for the use of man and of beasts to be the staff of life not only for man but for the beasts of the field the foul of heavens and all wild animals that run or creep on the earth okay

so another thing I've noticed no mention of seafood so fish are we supposed to stop being fish or shellfish for that matter because there's they mention

beasts of the land so that's pork and beef they mention fowls so that's chicken or other poultry but nothing about seafood food. I digress. War on verse 15 now.

And these hath God made for the use of man only in times of famine and excess of hunger. All grain is good for the food of man. And also the fruits of the vine. That which yieldeth fruits. whether in the ground or above the grounds. So potatoes are out. I'm not a lot of

a lot of I'm a lot of I'm I'm I'm going to be a lot of the same.

I'm going to I'm going to I'm I'm going to I'm going to I'm going to be a bit of

I'm I don't know. For 17. Nevertheless, wheat for man and corn for the ox, and oats for the horse, and rye for the fowls and for swine and for all beasts of the field, and barley for all useful animals, and for mild drinks, as also other grain.

Hmm, barley for mild drinks. Uh, what drink that is still around today is made primarily with barley? Oh yeah, beer. So according to the word with some, uh, alcohol is a bad thing, but you can drink beer. All right. So, uh, so, uh, can't do a giant Walker. but, yeah, you can do it bad wise, you're going to be fine

with it. So, according to the word with him, beer's fine. We continue. And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the

commandments, but don't they just say this isn't a commandment? Shall have health in the navel and marrow in their, marrow to their bones oh boy oh boy

so if you so once again I'm going recommend a new name Noah Mike Norton and his Secrets

LDIS Temple videos but that phrase health and the navel marrow in the bones is very much part of

the endowment ceremony and I will refer you to his work for that so they're only three more verses and shall find wisdom and

great treasures of knowledge even hidden treasures and shall run and not be weary and shall walk and not faint and I the Lord give unto them a promise that the destroying angels shall pass by them as the children of Israel and not slay them. Amen. All right, so, so yeah, doesn't say anything about iced coffee or iced tea, so those should be fine, just hot stuff, yeah, hot stuff avoid.

but does that mean soup is that other question is there's nothing about fish or seafood so as shellfish is already not kosher so that I mean that mean we stop eating trouts or tuna

I'm not having a tuna but do we stop eating that sort of stuff and do you all start drinking beer all right it says barley can be used for mild drinks barley is used to make beer

so drink all the beer you won so there's your destruction of the word of wisdom so have a beer have a nice coffee

and yeah you'll be fine, but yeah, probably stay away from the tobacco still. And says nothing of weed which, by the way, still very much illegal right where I am sitting. Let's just go a few miles east and should be no problem, right? So anyway, that's

going to do for this edition. We're going to to leave. Since the subject of beer came up, we're going to leave with the sunflower brew. Theme music, which I created in a garage band back

in the day. So, in conclusion, this podcast is Uncalled for. Is hosted, produced, and edited by myself, Mike Cheneffsky. The opening music is Iron Bacon by Kim McLeod and Incombe. tech.com license under creative commons by attribution 4.00 license and our outro music once again the Sunfly Brew theme composed by me using garage band

and shout out to the Mormon church for such interesting doctrine and right it's just a suggestion it's not commandment and we will talk to you Next time. If you are in the United States or Canada, you can call us at 816-832-5-1-60. Leave your message or question for us, and if we like it, we will play it on the podcast. Please support the podcast and purchase our exclusive uncalled for merchandise, t-shirts, sweatshirts, mugs, stickers, and so much more. Go to www.cafepress.com slash uncalled for pod. Thank you so much for listening. We will see you next time. Thank you.