The Word of Wisdom is a core aspect of what it means to be a Mormon today. However, it’s also a deeply misunderstood and misapplied revelation, with most people focusing on only a very small part of it. Today, the leaders simply use it to say drinking a cup of coffee will take us straight to hell. However, there is so much more in the Word of Wisdom that is completely ignored including the almost complete prohibition of eating meat.
Word of Wisdom
I am not going to go much into the Word of Wisdom text itself, as I have already done that previously. D&C 89 itself is quite small and relatively focused unlike some of the other revelations which seem to include everything possible. However, in the minds of the members of the LDS church, D&C 89 is simply reduced down to tea, coffee, and alcohol are bad. This is really it. In virtually every lesson on the Word of Wisdom that I have ever been in, this is the extent of the discussion. It is all quite superficial and misses what the text itself actually says.
However, in reading the text then it is clear that there is so much more to it. The text even says directly in verse 1 that it is not a commandment, verse 5 that wine is allowed for sacrament, and in verse 17 that barley can be used to make beer, which is what they would call a mild drink. No where in the text does it say alcohol is prohibited, or that tea and coffee are as well. This is a complete interpretation of man.
It is not even something that was followed by the church for almost the first 100 years of its existence. Today, the Word of Wisdom has become a gatekeeper to God, and it isn’t even followed correctly. It is supposed to simply be guidance and a set of good ideas. It was never meant to be a rigid set of commandments. I remember on my mission, if an investigator couldn’t give up coffee, then they couldn’t get baptized. This is incredibly silly to say the least. No wonder some people think of Mormons as being modern day Pharisees.
Sparingly
What I want to focus on is verse 12, which almost exclusively is skipped because of the controversy in verse 13. To begin, verses 10 and 11 say that plants and fruits are to be used with “prudence and thanksgiving”. Prudence, according to the 1828 Webster’s dictionary means, “wisdom applied to practice”. Not all plants and fruits are good for the use of humans, however those that are should be used wisely and with appreciation to God for them.
Immediately after this, the text of the revelation switches to discuss the use of living animals for food. It clearly says that animals can be used for food, however we should do so in a very limited manner. In verse 12 it mentions:
Yea, flesh also of beasts and of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly;
D&C 89:12
The text mentions that birds and land animals can be used for food, as God has given them to us for this purpose, however they should be “used sparingly”. Today, everyone has a unique definition for what the word ‘sparingly’ means to them. Some say sparingly is half of each meal, while others say sparingly means once a day. However, if we look again at the 1828 Webster’s dictionary then sparingly has a very clear definition, which means to rarely do something. The 1828 Webster’s dictionary defines the word ‘sparingly’ as:
Sparingly, 1828 Webster’s Dictionary
- Not abundantly
- Frugally
- Abstinently
- Seldom
- Cautiously
It is clear then that the word ‘sparingly’ has a connotation similar to the words ‘limited’, ‘sporadically’, and ‘rarely’. This of course is not what most people like to hear, since it is so much opposed to the standard American way of eating meat constantly, almost directly from birth. Verse 11 then can be simplified into two main statements which are:
- Meat is good for the use of man
- Meat should be consumed rarely
If we keep these two points in mind, then the infamous controversial comma in verse 13 loses almost all of its appeal.
Controversial Comma
Verse 13 of the Word of Wisdom has had endless debates, discussions, and studies over whether the comma between ‘used’ and ‘only’ should be there or not. Many people feel that since the original text didn’t have the comma, then the current text shouldn’t have it either. In general, I would completely agree. Ideally, the text should rarely change. However, language itself sometimes changes, and small updates do need to happen to make the text continue to have the same meaning it originally did.
The source of the confusion is with the comma, which seems to suggest that God wants us to not eat meat except in cases where we need it for our survival. Without the comma then it appears God wants us to eat meat all year long. The actual text of the revelation reads:
It is pleasing unto me that [meat] should not be used only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine.
Revelation, 27 February 1833, D&C 89
From that text it certainly seems like the revelation is suggesting that it is pleasing to God to eat meat all year long. However, if we combine verse 13 with verse 12 then it becomes very confusing. This confusion is then used to essentially ignore this entire concept and conclude that God wants us to eat meat all year long because we have dominion over the animals as Genesis 1:26 claims we do.
If we however combine verse 12 and 13 together then it really seems like the controversy is incredibly artificial and simply based on individuals that want to justify their current practices. For instance, which of the following is more consistent with the meaning of the text:
- God saying meat is okay to eat, however he wants us to rarely eat it all year long, or
- God saying meat is okay to eat, however he wants us to rarely eat it except when we need to for our survival.
It also becomes much more clear, if we look at the historical definitions for the word ‘only’. The word ‘only’ can have many different usages such as ‘single’, ‘no others’, or ‘above all others’. However, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, then ‘only’ can also mean ‘except for’. Therefore, if we take that definition for the word ‘only’ then the text would have God saying:
It is pleasing unto me that [meat] should not be used except for times of winter, or of cold, or famine.
D&C 89:13 (Modified)
This is much more consistent with verse 12 where God is saying that meat is okay to eat, however we should rarely eat it. It doesn’t seem consistent at all for God to be saying to rarely eat meat all year long. Why would it be important for us to be eating meat in times of the year when others foods are very plentiful?
Historical
In order to get a better understanding of the meaning of the text, then we can also look at the historical interpretations for this section of the Word of Wisdom. For instance, it would be natural to think that the people living during Joseph’s time would have a better understanding of the meaning of the text, instead of historians today who argue over the placement of commas. This is complicated however, because the meaning of the text and following the text are two completely different things. People in general have a hard time changing their behavior, however that doesn’t mean they don’t understand that they should change their behavior though.
In the June 1842 edition of the Times and Seasons, Hyrum Smith wrote an article discussing the Word of Wisdom and mentioned that we should generally refrain from eating meat unless we needed to for our survival. He mentioned:
Let men attend to these instructions, let them use the things ordained of God; let them be sparing of the life of animals; ‘‘it is pleasing saith the Lord that flesh be used only in times of winter, or of famine” — and why to be used in famine? because all domesticated animals would naturally die, and may as well be made use of by man, as not.
Hyrum Smith, June 1842, Times and Seasons
This statement from Hyrum, completely agrees with the ‘except for’ meaning of the word ‘only’ as described previously. Meat is permissible to eat. However, it is something that should generally be avoided unless we absolutely needed to. God wants us to hold all life as sacred, however doesn’t want us to take that to the extreme.
Another early example of the meaning of the text, as understood at the time, can be found in the 1854 Catechism for Children, which was a simple description of the doctrines of the church. This small book was published in England, at the time, and intended for personal study as well as a tool for missionary efforts. The text reads:
Q: Why should flesh be eaten by man in winter, and in times of famine, and not at other times?
John Jacques, Catechism for Children
A: Flesh is heating to the human system, therefore it is not good to eat flesh in summer; but God allows his people to eat it in winter, and in times of famine, because all animals suffer death naturally, if they do not by the hand of man.
In this example, the text suggests that meat could be consumed in the winter or during times of famine, because the animals would die naturally. This would allow their bodies to serve a purpose and be beneficial to others. This interpretation seems to also agree with the text and Hyrum’s understanding of the meaning as well.
Lastly, we can see the understanding of the church, at that time, from a few examples as found in the Journal of Discourses. The Journal of Discourses has numerous conference talks given between 1854 and 1886. It contains many insights into the thoughts and feelings of the early church and how they interpreted various topics such as the Word of Wisdom.
In a November 15th, 1857, conference talk, Heber C. Kimball mentioned:
In a revelation which God gave to Joseph Smith, he says, “It is not pleasing in my sight for man to shed blood of beasts, or of fowls, except in times of excess of hunger and famine.” Go and read it for yourselves.
Heber C. Kimball, November 15, 1857
In a May 10th, 1868, conference talk, Brigham Young mentioned:
Flesh should be used sparingly, in famine and in cold.
Brigham Young, May 10, 1868
Lastly, in a April 7th, 1868, conference talk, George Q. Cannon mentioned:
We are told that flesh of any kind is not suitable to man in the summer time, and ought to be eaten sparingly in the winter.
George Q. Cannon, April 7, 1868
It seems then that the meaning of the text, as understood by the early church is quite clear. Meat was to be consumed rarely and only in times of great need such as famine, winter, or general distress. This makes sense, because if people generally had a lack of food, then the animals would as well. Therefore, we could make use of the animals to avoid starvation, which would be wise and prudent in our use of God’s creations. In the Word of Wisdom, God mentioned that he gave us the animals for our use. However, God wants us to be wise stewards of them, just as he is a wise steward of us.
Conclusion
From the text of D&C 89, and the interpretation of those of that time period, it is clear that we should give abundant thanks to God for that juicy steak. However, we should only be eating that juicy steak when we absolutely need to. Life is a sacred gift that God has given us, and this also includes the life of animals.
It can be quite difficult to limit meat consumption, or even to eliminate it entirely. It does seem like almost the entire food system is based on the consumption of meat. Certainly, almost the entire fast-food industry is meat based. Today we do have a lot of meat alternatives, however in many cases those meat alternatives are simply highly processed nutritional abominations. Much of our food system, including meat alternatives, are marketed as healthy while being incredibly unhealthy.
In addition to this, American society is based on the consumption of meat and Mormonism in America is a reflection of this cultural practice. According to estimates, approximately 8 billion chickens are slaughtered every year in America, 214 million Turkeys, 36 million cows, 124 million pigs, 23 million ducks, and 7 million sheep. This leads to almost 300 animals dying needlessly every single second. It was never supposed to be this way. We certainly have dominion over animals. However, this dominion doesn’t mean factory slaughterhouses, just so we can have that juicy steak or the Sunday pot roast.
In the interest of full disclosure, I do have to say that I personally am a vegetarian and have been for close to 10 years now. It was incredibly scary to make the initial leap because at first it seemed I couldn’t eat anything. There is also a certain amount of craving initially for what you can’t have. However, now all I see is a sacred life from God. I have no desire to kill something just so I can experience a momentary pleasure. We are blessed today, with an abundance of food choices which we can easily take advantage of. Meat doesn’t have to be such a core focus of our diets like it is.
To summarize, the text of the Word of Wisdom is very clear. God wants us to take advantage of the abundance of life that he has provided for us, which also includes animal life. However, God also wants us not to make the eating of animals a regular part of our diet. Animals should only be consumed when we need to, and we should thank God for his great blessings while doing so. This is as much a part of the Word of Wisdom as anything else is. However, it is completely skipped over in almost every single discussion. Why is drinking a cup of coffee seen as worse, than taking an animal life? Is this not extremely hypocritical?
