Criticism of Mormonism/Books/The Changing World of Mormonism/Chapter 18

Chapter 17

A FAIR Analysis of: Criticism of Mormonism/Books A work by author: Jerald and Sandra Tanner

Chapter 19

Claims made in Chapter 18: Word of Wisdom

Page	Claim	Response	Author's sources
468	The admonition not to eat meat is mostly ignored by the Church.	Word of Wisdom/Eat meat sparingly  [needs work]	John J. Stewart, Joseph Smith the Mormon Prophet, p.90
469	Joseph Fielding Smith said that drinking tea can bar a person from the Celestial Kingdom.	Internal contradiction: {{{1}}}: the authors are impossible to satisfy. Strict consequences for the Word of Wisdom are critiqued, but they later expected us to be shocked and trouble because Joseph had tea. There is no effort to help readers understand these matters—the authors efforts are all dedicated to the search for scandal. Tea: keep you out of the celestial kingdom?  [needs work]	Doctrines of Salvation 2:16
469-470	Church members feel that Joseph "carefully observed" the Word of Wisdom. Joseph wouldn't be able to get a temple recommend today.	Presentism or anachronism: the requirements of the Word of Wisdom were different in Joseph's day than in the 20th century. The authors hope their audience will be shocked by this, and do nothing to explain the differences in application of the Word of Wisdom. Word of Wisdom	John J. Stewart, Joseph Smith the Mormon Prophet, p.90
470	Joseph sometimes drank wine.	Presentism or anachronism: in Joseph's day, wine was not forbidden by the Word of Wisdom, especially if used in a medicinal sense. Word of Wisdom	History of the Church 2:369 [citation needed] History of the Church 6:616"
470	Joseph smoked a cigar.	Word of Wisdom	"Joseph Smith As An Administrator," M.A. thesis, Brigham Young University, May 1969, p.161
471	The words "pipe and some tobacco" were replaced by the word "medicine" in History of the Church. References to buying whisky  [check spelling] and beer were removed.	Presentism or anachronism: strange is it is for modern readers, people in Joseph Smith's day sometimes regarded tobacco as a medicinal substance. See also p. 33 for the Tanner's further exploitation of this presentism. Beer was not forbidden by the 19th century application of the Word of Wisdom, and whiskey could also be used medicinally.	[ATTENTION!]
471	Joseph wrote in his diary that he had tea with breakfast. Joseph prophesied that he would drink wine with Orson Hyde in the east.	Presentism or anachronism: wine was not forbidden by the Word of Wisdom in Joseph's day. Drinking wine in Palestine  Presentism or anachronism: In consulting the journal entry, we read: "Saturday, March 11th Too cold last night as to freeze [p.332] water in the warmest rooms in the city. River filled with anchor ice. 8 1/2 o'clock in the office, Joseph said he had tea with his breakfast."[1] In Joseph's day, medical thinking held that "hot drinks" (such as tea and coffee) could heat the body and vital fluids to prevent illness. As a physician, Willard Richards (who wrote Joseph's journal for him) would have known this. Joseph used tea?	Joseph Smith Diary, March 11, 1843 Joseph Smith Diary, January 20, 1843"
472	George A. Smith reported that some church members left the church after finding that their leaders drank tea and coffee.	Presentism or anachronism: The authors count on their readers not understanding the historical context. George A. Smith obviously believes that those who apostatized on this issue are being foolish. His statement helps us see why. Tea: George A. Smith account	Journal of Discourses 2:214
472	Almon W. Babbitt was brought to church trial for breaking the Word of Wisdom, but he said that he was following Joseph's example.	Almon Babbitt followed Joseph	History of the Church 2:252
472-473	Joseph Smith sold liquor in Nauvoo.		History of the Church 6:111 The Saints' Herald, January 22, 1935, p.110 "Journal of Oliver B. Huntington," typed copy at Utah State Historical Society, vol. 2, p.166"
474	Brigham Young broke the Word of Wisdom by taking "snuff and tea."	dd	On The Mormon Frontier, vol. 1, p.75
474	Brigham Young chewed tobacco for many years.	Brigham Young and tobacco  [needs work]	Journal of Discourses, vol. 12, p.404 (incorrect page - should be page 29)
474	Brigham Young told Church members to "make beer as a drink" and sponsored a bar in Salt Lake City.	Presentism or anachronism: beer was not forbidden under the 19th century application of the Word of Wisdom; it was a "mild drink."	John D. Lee, p. 116 Herbert Howe Bancroft, History of Utah, p.540, footnote 44
475	Brigham built a whisky distillery.	Brigham Young's whisky distillery [needs work]	Journal of Discourses, 10:206

Endnotes

1. [note]  Joseph Smith, An American Prophet's Record:The Diaries and Journals of Joseph Smith, edited by Scott Faulring, Significant Mormon Diaries Series No. 1, (Salt Lake City, Utah: Signature Books in association with Smith Research Associates, 1989), 331, entry for Saturday, 11 March 1843.