D&C 89:12-21

89:12-17 - The concept of how, when, where, and how much meat to eat has always been complicated for me. I’ve struggled with the knowledge and understanding, because honestly, I’ve never been taught anything like that, it’s always been associated with shaming and inconsistency. The Lord says that we are to eat meat sparingly and “only during times of winter, or of cold, or famine,” the IM teaches, “’The Word of Wisdom is not a system of vegetarianism. Clearly, meat is permitted. Naturally, that includes animal products, less subject than meat to putrefactive and other disturbances, such as eggs, milk, and cheese. These products cannot be excluded simply because they are not mentioned specifically. By that token most of our foodstuffs could not be eaten.’… This verse has caused some to ask if meat should be eaten in the summer. Meat has more calories than fruits and vegetables, which some individuals may need fewer of in summer than winter. Also, before fruits and vegetables could be preserved, people often did not have enough other food to eat in winter. Spoiled meat can be fatal is eaten, and in former times meat spoiled more readily in summer than winter. Modern methods of refrigeration now make it possible to preserve meat in any season. The key work with respect to the use of meat is sparingly.” One of the interesting things about the use of meat in the church is that because the church authorities have come out and said that this doesn’t mean vegetarianism the church culture has become embedded itself with the idea that vegetarianism is wrong. When I was studying for this, somewhere I heard that something to the effect of “is someone wants to ascribe themselves to vegetarianism, they are welcome to do so, but it’s not a church wide doctrine.” I think that I’ve discussed this before, that I’m a person of extremes, and that the only thing that I’ve discovered to work for me personally is veganism. I’ve found that generally there are two types of commandments, clear cut, specific commandments where there is repeated, explicit instruction given by the Lord, like the coffee, tea, alcohol, tobacco, drugs part of the WoW. Then there’s the other part that the Lord gives us guidance but not dictation, such as the meat and grains issue. He’s not commanding a vegetarian diet, but he’s suggesting more plants and not a meat based diet. This is why a personal relationship is so important, so that you can know what’s right for you on these other issues.

89:18- - Here are the promises for those who are obedient, “health in their navel and marrow to their bones; And shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures; and shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint. And I, the Lord give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them.” The IM says, “Doctrine and Covenants 89:3 states that this revelation was ‘given for a principle with promise.’ To receive the promise, we must obey the principle. The purpose of the Word of Wisdom is more spiritual than physical. The blessings of obedience are much greater than just physical health. Obedience is the condition on which all blessings are predicated. Elder John A. Widtsoe wrote: ‘The reward for keeping the Word of Wisdom is four-fold. 1. Self-control is developed. That is implied in verse 3 of the revelation which states that the Word of Wisdom is ‘adapted to the capacity of the weak and the weakest of all Saints.’ 2. Strength of body, including resistance to contagion, is a result of wise living. 3. Clearness of mind is a gift of those whose bodies are in a healthy condition. 4. Spiritual power comes to all who conquer their appetites, live normally and look upward to God.’… Elder Ezra Taft Benson, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve under President Brigham Young, broadened the usual interpretation of the Word of Wisdom when he said: ‘When we first heard the revelation upon the Word of Wisdom many of us thought it consisted merely in our drinking tea and coffee, but it is not only using tea and coffee and our tobacco and whisky, but it is every other evil which is calculated to contaminate this people. The Word of Wisdom implies to cease from adultery, to cease from all manner of excesses, and from all kinds of wickedness and abomination that are common amongst this generation- it is, strictly speaking, keeping the commandments of God, and living by every word that proceedeth from His mouth.’… Many scientific and technological advances are attributable to the new light and knowledge poured out to the world since the restoration of the gospel. But there is a far more important kind of knowledge with which Latter-day Saints are also concerned. Elder LeGrand Richards asked if there is ‘any treasure of knowledge in this world to be sought after, more desirable than to know that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ, to know that his kingdom has been established again in the earth, to know that God has promised a reward for every commandment that he has given, to know that he has created this earth that we might prove unto him that we would do all things, not just a few of them, all things whatsoever the lord our God hath commanded?’ President George Albert Smith pointed to a literal fulfillment of the promise of great treasures of knowledge: ‘I refer you to the Febraury, 1944, number of The Improvement Era wherein was published a graph showing the relative position of the states of the Union as to the number of scientists born in those states in proportion to population. Strange as it may seem, if you began at the lower corner of that graph and followed up state by state, you would come to the state of Massachusetts next to the highest on the graph to find Utah, the state that has produced more scientists born within its borders per capita than any other state in the American Union. That wasn’t an accident; it was a fulfilment of the promise of God as a result of observance of the Lord’s commandments. President J. Reuben Clark Jr. said of verse 21: ‘This does not say and this does not mean, that to keep the Word of Wisdom is to insure us against death, for death is , in the eternal plan, co-equal with birth. This is the eternal decree. But it does mean that the destroying angel, he who comes to punish the unrighteous for their sins as he in olden time afflicted the corrupt Egyptians in their wickedness, shall pass by the Saints, ‘who are walking in obedience