D&C 89:5-7 - Alcohol

89:5-7 – The first substance that the Lord addresses is that of alcohol. He says that Heavenly Father is not pleased when “any man drinketh wine or strong drink among you… except for use with the sacrament. And, behold, this should be wine, yea, pure wine of the grape of the vine, of your own make. And, again, strong drinks are not for the belly, but for the washing of your bodies.” The IM teaches, “Over the earth… the demon drink is in control. Drunken with strong drink, men have lost their reason; their counsel has been destroyed; their judgment and vision are fled; they reel forward to destruction. Drink brings cruelty into the home; it walks arm in arm with poverty; its companions are disease and plague; it puts chastity to flight; and it knows neither honestly nor fair dealing; it is a total stranger to truth; it drowns conscience; it is the bodyguard of evil; it curses all who touch it. Drink has brought more woe and misery, broken more hearts, wrecked more homes, committed more crimes, filled more coffins than all the wars the world has suffered.” This is such a true and devastating statement, alcohol is so evil. I was an alcoholic for many years, in fact, while I was inactive, I wanted to come back to church but I didn’t because I didn’t want to give up drinking. Law enforcement decries alcohol and the reason for a large percent of their calls, there’s addiction, it’s so terrible, and the ability to just say “no thanks, I don’t drink” solves so many problems. Now I never worry how I’m going to get home, I don’t have to worry about check points or DUIs, I don’t have to worry about passing out somewhere, I don’t have to worry about having enough money to buy alcohol, I don’t have to worry about getting violent or saying or doing something stupid while I’m drunk. They say that when you’re drunk you are who you really want to be but aren’t when you’re sober because you know better, and that goes back to the natural man. Deep down inside there is another part of me, but I know that she is no welcome here because she’s my “natural man.” But not everyone who drinks turns into alcoholics or doesn’t do absolutely crazy things, so why can’t we drink in moderation? If we were allowed to only drink in moderation, that’s a very ambiguous standard, what is “moderate” to me could be extreme to someone else. And if we were given the opportunity to drink “moderately” then we would spend much of our energy and resources deciding “ok, how much is moderate?” or “is it moderate if I drink every night of the week?” By removing the choice, we are given the freedom to devote ourselves to other pursuits, ones that the Lord has said will make us happy. As far as the concept of wine being used in the sacrament can be referenced with D&C 27:3-4 which says, “Wherefore, a commandment I give unto you, that you shall not purchase wine neither strong drink of your enemies; Wherefore, you shall partake of none except it is made new among you.” DJR suggests that “new” used here means “fresh” or newly made, not fermented. The IM says, “The Lord’s instruction in verse 6 that for the sacrament the Saints use ‘pure wine of the grape of the vine, of your own make’ reinforces His earlier instruction that ‘you shall not purchase (for the sacrament) wine neither strong drink of your enemies; Wherefore, you shall partake of none except it is made new among you.’ The ‘pure wine’ in Doctrine and Covenants 89:6 ‘is understood to mean new or unfermented grape juice, since the Word of Wisdom declares unequivocally against the internal use of alcohol in any form. This interpretation is reinforced by the fact that… water was early in the history of the Church submitted for wine, for sacramental purposes. The revelation reads: ‘For, behold, I say unto you, that it mattereth not what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink when ye partake of the sacrament, if it so be that ye do it with an eye single to my glory- remembering unto the Father my body which was laid down for you, and my blood which was shed for the remission of your sins.’ Alcohol is a valuable cleansing agent for wounds and abrasions. When used to bathe an injured part of the body, alcohol performs a service for which it was intended.”