Words of the Wise

This last week, I attended a fundraiser for mental health. It was a great cause and I was happy to help raise money for it. As my friend and I drank wonderful wine and danced the night away, I couldn't help but look around at all the wonderful people who also were donating their time and money to such a good cause.

I also couldn't help but notice that there were no mormons in attendance. Why? I had to ask, as I already knew the answer. Avoid the appearance of evil, as there was wine and beer being served. Once again, I was sad and angry at the hypocrisy and ignorance exhibited by the mormons once again. Not only were they not here supporting such a good cause, but they simply do not understand current health codes.

There has been significant research done in the last several years on food and drink. When I would attend mormon functions, there were all sorts of food dishes that were brought by mormons, and almost all of them contained sugar. Sugar is one of the most harmful substances. The mormons consume soda, jello, pudding, diet soda, and sugary drinks of all kinds. Sugar deposits in the liver, contains no vitamins or minerals, is deposited as fat in the body, and has other negative health issues:      negative effects of sugar    Consuming sugar and soft drinks has worse consequences on the body that consuming fat: 76 negative dangers of consuming sugar This study is by a world renowned heart surgeon says that inflammation causes heart disease, but what causes inflammation? Simple, high processed carbohydrates:  causes of heart disease

Yet, sugar is the drug of choice of Mormons.

Let's look at coffee. According to this article by WebMD, there are benefits and drawbacks to coffee, but it is according to how much a person drinks, not by abstaining that determines the benefits and drawbacks.  Coffee has benefits in preventing type 2 diabetes.  The antioxidants and nutrients in coffee prevents tissue damage caused by free radicals and helps regulate insulin. Coffee  It counters the effects of heart attacks and stroke, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's. It lowers the risk of liver cancer. Also, 12 ounces a day has no effect on pregnancy.  The down side is that the caffeine may raise blood pressure, is a mild diuretic, and may increase heartburn.

What about tea? Tea is full of antioxidants, therefore and reduce the risk of cancer, Alzheimer's, type 2 diabetes, and increase bone density. It does contain caffeine and therefore contains the same issues as coffee.  Three cups a day are beneficial:  Tea health benefits of green tea

Wine: There are several benefits to drinking wine; it contains antioxidants, so it lowers your risk or heart disease and raises your levels of good cholesterol.  It can help prevent type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer's, cancer, and tooth decay.  benefits of wine  Of course, with the consumption of any alcohol, there is the risk of drinking to much and becoming addicted.  Wine also helps control blood sugar levels, fight off colds, starve cancer cells, or prevent the growth of fat cells.  wine

When I started to drink coffee and tea and wine, I was surprise by their taste...they weren't sweet! I realized that I was raised on one taste bud...sweet. All the things I had grown to like were sweet. I had to add sweetener or sugar to coffee or tea to even drink them. I remember a mormon telling me it was god's way of telling me they were bad for me. I knew she was wrong, but it took me awhile to figure out what it was, exactly.

As I did research, it occurred to me that sugar was the drug of choice for mormons and how damaging that is for them, and me.  I knew I had to stop my addiction. I researched and discovered how bad sugar is for the body. I lost weight as I stopped eating and drinking so much sugar. I stopped eating processed foods. I started drinking iced teas and adding lemon into my tea instead of fake sugar.

The word of wisdom as contained in the D&C talks about moderation, yet the way the mormons practice it today is of total abstinence from alcohol, tea and coffee. Do they know how it got to be that way? I do, but that is for another day. As a person can tell from the research I have presented, drinking coffee, tea and wine in moderation is good for the body, yet mormon's do not practice moderation, they practice abstinence; yet one more contradiction in their doctrine.

I am learning to like red wines, which are drier and not as sweet as white wines.  It is a process. I cook whole foods instead of processed foods. As I read over the word of wisdom, I even realize that its emphasis on grains was written for a time when people were very active and farmers and they burned a lot of calories. We are a people that sit at desks and our dietary needs have changed,as have the way we buy our food.  Trying to make an 1800 diet fit for a 2000 year technology just doesn't fit.

It's time the mormons change their beliefs.

I know I have and I'm healthier for it.

Perception

When I was a child, I was put in a program where a college student worked with me once a week. I don't know why I was put in this program or what the purpose was. I was very shy, I suppose she was supposed to help me with my shyness, I don't know; this isn't really the point.

One day, she took me to her apartment and fixed me some Tang. I didn't know what Tang was, I only knew that I had never tasted it before since my Mom never bought it for our family.  I had somehow gotten the impression that if my Mom didn't buy it for our family, it was bad and wrong. I told the college student I couldn't drink it because it was bad for me.  She was incredulous and asked what was bad about it. I couldn't tell, her, only that my Mom never bought it.

I realize now, that I had put it in the same category as tea and coffee and cigarettes and alcohol. Why? Because of the mind of a child; if my family didn't consume it, it must be bad for you. I  perceived it as bad because it wasn't in our home.

I grew up in a church that taught me that drinking tea and coffee and wine is bad for you.  They placed a value on it that I accepted because they told me to.  Even when I would read things in the news that contradicted what I was told, my perceptions didn't change.

Then one day, I grew up and decided that I was capable of changing my perceptions. As I opened my mind to different perceptions, I read and studied and learned that it was okay to value things differently than what I was taught as a child.

I changed my perceptions.
I was told by those in my former religion that I was a sinner.
I told them no, I had only changed my perceptions.

My Words of Wisdom

Almost one year ago, I resigned my membership in the mormon church.  I placed a lot of thought into that decision.  I knew there would be repercussions. I knew how very disappointed my family would be in me, that they would worry for my eternal soul, that they would think I am a very unhappy person. (The one thing that didn't occur to me is that they would interpret everything I do as being angry, odd.) I don't really blame them, they are taught by their church leaders from the time they are born that there is only one path to happiness, one path to heaven and that is through following their rules. If a person diverges even a little bit, they are considered bitter, unhappy, in hell.  It is very controlling and it kept me in line for years; even when I wasn't happy following those rules. Fear and guilt are very controlling, I have discovered.

When I turned my resignation letter into the bishop, he tried to turn our talk into an interview of *worthiness*.  He asked me if I was keeping the word of wisdom. I was taken back at first. I paused then asked him why would I keep something that I didn't believe in?  He didn't know how to answer that.  I wish now that I had more time to spend with him. (We were standing on his porch in zero degree weather). I wish that I could have asked him why, when it says right there in the mormon scriptures that the word of wisdom is not given as a commandment, but as advice, his church has turned it into a requirement to get a temple recommend (in order to get into the mormon heaven, a person must answer 9 questions to gain a temple recommend and attend their temple to be worthy to enter heaven. One of those questions is if they abstain from coffee, tea, tobacco and alcohol as listed in the word of wisdom).  What started out as advice is now a requirement for them to get into heaven. How did that happen? I bet he couldn't tell me.

When blinders fall off and you are able to see things clearly, it is amazing how obvious things are.  Even when I would study the word of wisdom, so much didn't make sense. Why does it say to eat meat sparingly, yet it isn't enforced within the church? Why is it okay to be obese in the church and not eat in moderation?  Why does it say to eat food in season, yet this isn't followed and is out of date since we have transportation that provides for fruits and vegetables to be provided year round?  Where does it say cola drinks are part of the word of wisdom yet so many are forbidden from drinking them?

None of this makes sense because it is nonsensical.  As most things mormon, it evolved over time, not because of inspiration, but because of the dictates of man (IMO). Too bad they don't listen to the scientific research on wine and tea and coffee.

http://www.mormonthink.com/wow.htm