The Mormon Word of Wisdom prohibits coffee, tea, alcohol, and tobacco while allowing energy drinks, soda, and other highly caffeinated products. What started in 1833 as health advice “not by commandment or constraint” later became a requirement for entering an LDS temple.
This episode examines the history of the Mormon health code, including the original reference to “hot drinks,” the influence of the temperance movement, Joseph Smith’s Nauvoo tavern, his use of wine, and the stricter enforcement introduced under Heber J. Grant.
We also cover Mormon Diet Coke culture, dirty soda shops, coffee substitutes, food storage, prepper culture, prescription drugs, medical marijuana, and the contradictions created when one cup of coffee affects temple worthiness while five energy drinks do not.
The Word of Wisdom shapes Mormon identity, family relationships, social status, and religious participation. We look at how beverage choices become visible signs of worthiness, why members monitor one another’s behavior, and how a supposed health code became a test of obedience and institutional loyalty.
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