Strong Drinks and Hot Drinks

Our bishop came up with the novel idea of having the bishopric (ward clerk and executive secretary included) stand up at the front and sing a musical number. That’s an entire post in itself.

Anyhow, we were discussing this yesterday and the ward music chair wants to meet with us after our bishopric meeting on Tuesday to go over the piece. Unfortunately, she can’t do it until after 9:30 and we’ll probably be done way before then.

One of the counsellors suggested that we go to DQ for Blizzards while we wait. Bishop was unsure he wanted to do that before he sang. I told him he could have the cheesecake Blizzard and the cheesecake would cancel out the effects of the ice cream.

Anyhow, again, I went on to say that I thought I would have a mocha Blizzard this time and they all laughed. I said, well, it’d not a hot drink; they just use the granules that make the hot drink.

One of the counsellors then went on to talk about an experience he had this past week at a relative’s house. His wife made a salad with a vinaigrette dressing. Someone asked what was in the dressing because it was very tasty. She listed all the ingredients including some cooking wine. The wife of the person who asked went berserk. She?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s pregnant and accused the counsellor’s wife of trying to hurt her baby.

I piped it at this story and said, ?¢‚Ǩ?ìWell it wasn’t a strong drink. It was eaten with a salad.?¢‚Ǩ¬ù

Does it matter if something is flavoured with coffee or cooked with alcohol? The Word of Wisdom specifically states drinks.

15 thoughts on “Strong Drinks and Hot Drinks

  1. According to the “rule” of the WoW as long as your not drinking it, it is fair game. I think the europeans have a much more healthy attitude that americans (I don’t know about the Canadians).

    We can’t help ourselves from twisting and pulling at the rule to cover as much as possible. Maybe the puritanical ethic or something.

  2. The WofW doesn’t say anything about coffee anyway. Because it defines it as hot drinks doesn’t make it ok cold. Later revelation says coffee is prohibited, it doesn’t say hot coffee and cold is ok.

    I have a hard time justifing coffee in ice-cream when I can’t justify ice-tea.

    Alchol in any form, on salad, in a drink or in ice-cream or whatever I think is against the WofW.

    It goes back to personal justification, are we looking for ways “around” the commandments?

  3. “I have a hard time justifying coffee in ice-cream when I can’t justify ice-tea.”

    The difference however is that iced tea is simply cold tea. Mocha ice-cream, however, is ice cream flavoured with coffee granules (among other things).

  4. The question that gets me is what kinds of tea are considered “tea”. I’ve heard some say that it’s green tea and black tea, but on my mission we just taught people that black tea was wrong. Does anyone know for sure?

  5. Eric,

    It is my understanding that it includes any drink made from the Camellia sinensis plant. This, of course, includes both green and black tea, as well as a host of other variations. The only difference between green tea and black tea is the amount of oxidation the leaves undergo.

  6. It’s all about interpretation. I think a lot of people use the “appearance of evil” card when it comes to products like beer-battered fries, Jack Daniel’s BBQ sauce or even coffee cake.

    I don’t think eating these products is a violation of the WofW.

  7. Kim, when you have mocha flavoring in your blizzard/ice cream how much mocha is ok. Is there an amount that is ok, but then if you add a few more granules it’s not ok?

    If you take your coffee with cream, then couldn’t you just say you’re drinking cream with mocha flavoring?

  8. “when you have mocha flavoring in your blizzard/ice cream how much mocha is ok”

    Well, that’s asking much of what I was asking with this post.

    “If you take your coffee with cream, then couldn’t you just say you’re drinking cream with mocha flavoring?”

    No, you’re drinking coffee with cream flavouring.

  9. The WoW says:
    Strong drinks are not for the belly.
    It would seem to me that the reasoning has to do with where the alchohol goes, not how it got there. I know some great chocolates you can ea–and just where to get them–that could get you drunker than a monkey in no time. I would say that given that the wording is the same for “hot drinks,” and that subsequent revelations have interpreted that as coffee and tea, I’d take the same tack with them.

  10. “It would seem to me that the reasoning has to do with where the alcohol goes, not how it got there.”

    That’s complete speculation though. The Lord has not told us why strong drinks (or hot drinks for the matter) are bad for the belly, only that they are.

    It is interesting to note, for example, that the Lord says “hot drinks” and not “ingredients in hot drinks”.

  11. I believe that we shouldn’t need to be commanded in all things. Also, the WoW, while specific in some areas, is extremely vague in others. In my estimation, everyone needs to exercise good judgement and avoid foods that aren’t healthful for you.

    For me, I have to avoid onions. I get extremely sick if I eat any onions. Now, it makes sense that I avoid onions. Of course, that probably doesn’t hold true for others. Right?

    Also, I have observed that certain people ought not to counsel others on matters pertaining to the Word of Wisdom. There is nothing I hate more than to have someone who is overweight counseling me to give-up my evil caffeine! Yeah! I got two words for you- DIET & EXERCISE!

  12. Brian

    I agree with you to a point, but I want to point out one thing. Your suggestion that overweight people need to “diet and exercise” and all their problems will be fixed is a little simplistic. Not that eating healthy shoudln’t be very important, adn being active. I agree one hundred percetn. But…having dealt with weight problems most of my life, I have BEEN there. Many excess weight problems are created by other issues that are not easily controlled strictly by diet and exercise. And to lump every person who is overweight into the same category as basically being lazy and lacking in self control, is to be unaware of these issues or to misunderstand these things.

    You probably can have sugar once in awhile, or pretty often. You can probably eat a few cookies without them wreaking havoc on your system. Not me. I have PCOS. I can’t eat the things that many people take for granted, EVEN once in awhile. I lost a lot of weight last year and it was due to increasing my activity and improving my nutrition,but guess what? I already was eating healthy. And I know PLENTY of “skinny” people who get next to no exercise. The outside doesn’t tell you the whole story. And I also know many “skinny” folk who eat like crap. Literally. The only vegetables they get might be french fries. And fruit might be lemon flavoured pop.

  13. Mary,

    Agreed. I realize that diet and exercise are not cure-alls for everyone; but it’s a great place to start.

    In January I tipped the scales at 215 lbs, which is heavy for me. I had a 36″ waist and ate like there was no tomorrow.

    My goal for the new year was to lose weight. So, I joined a gym, went on a diet and subsequently lost 18 lbs of fat and 2″ off my waist.

    I have to be very careful about my sugar intake or I very quickly start packing on the pounds. Sugar just isn’t a big part of my diet anymore and I feel much better not eating it.

  14. where in the bible does the Lord say that drinking hot drinks or strong drinks is wrong? He said don’t get drunk…but hot drinks refresh you…they don’t get u intoxicated!!!

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