Desires and Treasures

From Elder Teh of the Seventy:

I bear testimony that our priorities, tendencies, inclinations, desires, appetites, and passions will have a direct bearing on our next estate. Let us always remember the words of the Savior: “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

When I think of the Lord's statement that I will be judged on my desires, I often tend to link that with my desires for what I hope to someday be, or what deep down I know is best. But I don't always think of my everyday desires and tendencies--all those times I pay attention to lesser things or desire to do easy things instead of hard ones. Those are counted too, and are just as much a part of me as the former desires. Clearly I need to work harder to make my daily choices such that the gap between the two dwindles.

Evils, Designs, and Conspiring Men

Someone posted this article today about how even "pro-organic" entities are cutting deals to allow more genetically modified produce to spread and be marketed. Now I don't know a whole lot about this debate and how all of this works, but the politics behind it remind me that there really are "evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days," in regards to both the positive and negative admonitions in the Word of Wisdom.

This counsel, "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 with prudence and thanksgiving," combined with the long-standing instruction of prophets to keep a garden, is really significant and prophetic counsel for these days.

p.s. I am terrible about all of this, but working on it!

Interesting note for carnivores

There is no statement in the scriptures indicating that the flesh of animals and birds and other living creatures was used as food before the days of Noah. It was after the landing of the ark that the Lord gave his commandment concerning the eating of flesh.

Joseph Fielding Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, 4:42.

Instead of our first parents eating animal food, they subsisted upon herbs and fruits of the earth, which were originally designed for the food of man.

Orson Pratt, in Times and Seasons, 6 [1 June 1845]: 918.

I am still eating chicken for dinner tonight. I just thought these were interesting and didn't remember hearing anything of the sort beforehand.

Evil Designs...in the hearts of conspiring men

Law school has a substantial writing requirement, meaning that every student must write at least one thirty-page paper supervised by a professor. I wrote my paper on morality and internet governance, overseen by a professor who has done a lot of research on internet governance, focusing on pornography and the internet. She has helped work on the Internet Community Ports Act among other legislation.

In any discussion of law and "morality," people get up in arms about being "controlled" by another person's morality. In many people's view, the burden should be on the individual consumer to avoid offensive or harmful content without any limits upon the producer or other consumers. So I thought that this quote from Revelations of the Restoration (p. 653) was particularly interesting, even though it is originally talking about the Word of Wisdom.

In today's world evil abounds. Greedy and conspiring men seek wealth and power, marketing prostitution, pornography, weapons, drugs, vulgar music, and entertainment offensive to the light of Christ. A prime target for their avarice will always be our children. The tobacco industry markets an addictive and killing poison, knowing it to be such. Profit is their only concern. We have found it necessary to pass numerous laws that protect consumers in the supermarket, yet all manner of destructive influences are available on the streets, in our schools, and even in our homes through television and internet. 

There is no form of wickedness that someone will not make available for a price. To give their evil designs some sense of respectability, they hide them behind weak phrases: "If it offends you, don't buy it." We in turn are expected to be so foolish as to suppose that if we don't buy that which is evil or offensive we will be spared its effects. The logic is threadbare. Our choice not to operate a smelter will not protect us against another man's choice to do so. We all breathe the same air; nonsmoking sections in a restaurant provide precious little protection to the non-smoker. Again, one man's choice not to use alcohol will hardly protect him from drunk drivers.

Gratefully, the spirit and direction of the revelations of the Restoration are such that not only are we warned against the designs of evil men, but a path of safety is marked so that we can--to the extent possible--protect ourselves from their destructive influence in our society.

I really am grateful for the revelations of the Restoration, including the continuing revelation through our current prophets. The traps seem to be growing more pervasive and insidious, but we know how to tread safely.

A WOW Wake-up call p.s.

Want to feel better about that post c/o the Widtsoes?

In the epilogue to the biography, Elder Widtsoe's grandchildren share that it was Sister Widtsoe who was very strict with their diet, and Elder Widtsoe liked to sneak treats and take them to his childrens' homes. During family outings he would pretend that the car was independently taking them to the ice cream shop against his will, while Sister Widtsoe contested. It was kind of a family joke.

I still want to do better, but I don't feel quite as bad now =)

WOW Wake-up call!

 Hold on to your hats... these quotes are a doozy! I've got a lot of work to do.

"We shouldn't be sick, the Lord didn't intend it. . . . people shouldn't be sick. The Lord gave us the Word of Wisdom to keep us well and if we're sick, its our own fault, because we don't know any better. I have reached 91 years and I haven't an ache or a pain in any part of my body. . . I've outlived my grandparents, and my parents by 15 years, and I attribute it to my observance of the Word of Wisdom."
-Oral history interview with Leah Eudora Widtsoe, 11 February 1965, 7, Leah D. Widtsoe Papers, BYU Special Collections.


"The greatest reward of keeping these laws of health and refraining from undermining practices is the mastery which man acquires over his body, and the self-control which he develops and maintains. The power of the human will to say 'no' to evil, and 'yes' to good is the supreme test of mortal achievement. When so exercised, one may know that mortal life is being lived in its fullness."
-Leah D. Widtsoe, "Religion and Health," Millenial Star, April 1930, 283.



"Cola drinks contain the drug, caffeine. For that reason, every argument used against coffee and tea, and some other arguments, may be used against cola drinks, and all other beverages containing caffeine, even in small amounts. They are determined habit formers and may lead to the coffee and tea habit. They injure human health."
-John A. Widtsoe, "Caffeine in Cola Drinks," Improvement Era, November 1939, 659.


"In the true Gospel of Jesus Christ, the sanctity of the body is second only to that of the spirit. It is the duty, as well as the desire, of every person to preserve his physical health, so that he may live out most completely the destiny of his existence."
-John A. Widtsoe, "The Word of Wisdom," Millennial Star, 3 November 1932, 714.

"[I]t is evident that the people of the Church are not observing fully all the factors of health as given in the Word of Wisdom, else they would have an even greater immunity from all diseases."

"Too much of the modern food supply comes from tin cans or packages, for often women as well as men work in factories and offices, and the can opener is coming to be the most used kitchen implement."
-John A. and Leah E. Widtsoe, The Word of Wisdom, 6, 11-12.

"A person who cannot obey a temporal law, such as the Word of Wisdom, seldom can obey spiritual laws, which reach more profoundly into the nature of man. That is, those who are living the high spiritual laws of the Gospel, true saints, must have achieved sufficient desire and power of will to obey the temporal commandment known as the Word of Wisdom. Unless they have done so, the spiritual integrity of such persons may be called into question."
-Id. 21.


"The essential thought remains, that to abstain from the things forbidden in the Word of Wisdom as injurious to health is not sufficient; it is equally important to partake of foods that build the body properly and meet bodily needs. Men may heed the laws of life and live; or they may ignore or pervert them and suffer disease and finally perish."
-Id., 119.

Aaaaand here is the kicker:

"John's discussion of cocoa and chocolate may be less popular than his teachings about cola drinks. He reported that cocoa beans, from which chocolate is made, contain theobromine, a close relative of caffeine. Perhaps as dangerous as theobromine, he wrote, are the sugary preparations that accompany it in chocolate mixes. They are a menace to human health. Theobromine acts upon the body, especially upon the kidneys, very much as does caffeine. While it does not have as strong an effect upon the central nervous system, it is more irritating to the kidneys.' He was especially concerned about the danger chocolate poses to children. Experiments had shown that it reduces the availability of needed calcium and phosphorus, especially in the digestion of milk. 'The chocolate milk used extensively for school children should be eliminated. To thus adulterate nature's finest food for children seems almost criminal.'"
-Parrish, p. 586-87, Quoting Id., 88.

Yikes. 

"That the expression 'hot drinks' was used in the Word of Wisdom rather than 'coffee and tea,' is notable; for by so doing a host of other injurious habit-forming beverages now used (or that may be used) become subject to the Word of WIsdom. Indeed the use of the words 'hot drinks' implies a knowledge beyond that possessed by man when the Word of Wisdom was received. It is remarkable indeed that Joseph Smith could so boldly declare himself against coffee and tea, as against all similar beverages, at a time when the world's learning could not safely make the statement."
-Widtsoe and Widtsoe, Word of Wisdom, 90.

Things to remember: This was not published by the Church, but by Elder Widtsoe, who was an Apostle. His and his wife's book on the Word of Wisdom was used as a course of study for the Priesthood in 1938, and several of these quotes were published in the Improvement Era, the predecessor of today's Ensign magazine. Still, the topics were plenty controversial in their time, and still are today.

I am reminded of something an institute teacher of mine said. He was diabetic, and expressed that he felt that for him, eating sugary foods--any at all--was breaking the Word of Wisdom because he was purposely putting something in his body that he knew was threatening to his health. And we can all adapt the commandments in our daily lives in that way, using the Spirit rather than the letter (or using the Spirit to understand the letter) of the law in our lives. We'll see how soon I get around to giving up chocolate =)

"The Word of Widtsoe"

I've been reading the biography of John A. Widtsoe for much too long (i.e. not very consistently), and I've been going over and over my current chapter on the Word of Wisdom, mostly because I am always trying to improve our family diet, but also have a serious love of ice cream and baked goods.

A few good quotes:

"Too many of our members feel that if they refrain from taking liquor, tobacco, tea and coffee, they are keeping the Word of Wisdom. They are doing so only in part. If the law be understood and lived, people would not be ill and the blessings promised may be fulfilled. Only so may they 'run and not be weary, walk and not faint.'"
-Parrish, Alan K., John A. Widtsoe, a Biography, 418.

"The Gospel of Jesus Christ is designed to give man health and happiness. Health is concerned with the spirit and mind as well as with the body of man. The Gospel is mistakenly supposed to concern only a man's spiritual heath. Mental and physical health forms the only assurance of spiritual progress. A a man who is physically or mentally ill is not truly happy, though he may approach spiritual peace. The three parts of man's nature are interrelated and depend upon one another's welfare."  -419

"December's lesson, 'A Merry Christmas,' concentrated on the trend to turn Christmas into a pagan holiday through eating excesses: 'Where plenty abounds, it is a continuous orgy of feasting and stuffing, munching and chewing sweets and pastries, with all sorts of harmful drinks, until the body sickens because of its abuse.' To those who celebrate as true believers, 'Christmas should be a sacrament and should be celebrated as such. ... Not a time of gloom, nor of disgusting bodily indulgence, but a season of joy and gladness, of gratitude for life and a determination to share the best one has with those who may be most in need."  -424 (from lesson by Leah Widtsoe)

Adapted to the Weak

John and I teach the the six, seven, and eight-year-old children in Primary. This week we are studying the Word of Wisdom, in Doctrine and Covenants, Section 89.

One phrase in the third verse caught my attention during my mission, as we were teaching a man who was struggling with alcoholism: "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 recall that my companion and I said to the man something along the lines of, "See? The Lord said that this law was adapted for even the weakest of the saints, so that everyone could keep it. Do you think that of all the people to come to Church, you're the weakest? We don't either. We know you can do it."

I suppose that made for a fancy pep-talk at the time, but I don't think that is exactly what the scripture is teaching. I think it is more relevant in answering the challenges that people make against the Word of Wisdom, such as:

• What's wrong with a little social drinking every now and again if you don't get drunk?
• Can't there be health benefits to drinking wine, etc.? All alcohol isn't all bad.
• I drink tea and coffee without any side effects or addictions. What is wrong with that?
• Why should I watch my diet if I'm seemingly healthy and don't have weight problems?

The Lord said that the principle was given for the weak. For all the people who can dabble in these things without great consequence, there is another group of people who can't. There are people who are very susceptible to addiction with only a few uses. There are people who are more susceptible to illnesses and cancers. There are people who have a lower tolerance to behavior-altering substances. And we generally don't know who we are until the bad consequence rears its ugly head. So the Lord gave the principle to everyone in order to protect the weak.

"It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak."   -Romans 14:21

I think, too, that modern science is showing us that perhaps all of us are weaker with regard to these kinds of substances that we would like to admit. Pretty much everything prohibited in the Word of Wisdom has been identified as risk factors for cancer and heart disease, while everything we are instructed to eat (fruits, vegetables, grains, scarce meat) are shown to prevent both. I can't believe that that is a coincidence.

As a mostly-unrelated aside, I audited a D&C class at BYU with John, and the professor was talking about how LDS people who keep the Word of Wisdom live quite a bit longer than their average non-LDS counterparts. He then asked if we knew who lived longer than LDS people. His answer: Seventh-Day Adventists; they have a similar code of health, but they actually keep the eat meat sparingly part that we like to ignore. They keep the commandment, they get the blessing. We need to work on that one in this house =).