Word of Wisdom/Cola drinks and caffeine

This page is based on an answer to a question submitted to the FAIR web site, or a frequently asked question.

Question

Is it true that cola drinks (e.g. Coke, Pepsi, Dr. Pepper) are forbidden to members of the Church?

Answer

Spencer W. Kimball made his own and the Church's view of cola drinks clear:

I never drink any of the cola drinks and my personal hope would be that no one would. However, they are not included in the Word of Wisdom in its technical application. I quote from a letter from the secretary to the First Presidency, 'But the spirit of the Word of Wisdom would be violated by the drinking or eating of anything that contained a habit-forming drug.' With reference to the cola drinks, the Church has never officially taken any attitude on this at but I personally do not put them in the class as with the tea and coffee because the Lord specifically mentioned them [the hot drinks].^[1]

Bruce R. McConkie observed:

Some people become cranks. … There is no prohibition in Section 89 as to the eating of white sugar, cocoa, chocolate, … or anything else except items classified under tea, coffee, tobacco and liquor. If some particular food disagrees with an individual, then that person should act accordingly without reference to the prohibitions in this particular law of health.^[2]

Many members of the Church abstain from cola drinks as part of their personal application of the Word of Wisdom. But, use of cola products poses no challenge to full activity in the Church, while the use of coffee, tea, tobacco, alcohol, or illicit drugs would.

Endnotes

1. [note]  Spencer W. Kimball, Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, edited by Edward L. Kimball, (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1982), 202.

Further reading

External links

• Clifford J. Stratton, "Caffeine—The Subtle Addiction," Ensign (June 1988): 60.off-site

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