Word of Wisdom

interpretation · current teaching

The indexed General Handbook heading names tea and coffee. It does not state a separate rule about caffeine. It says some harmful substances are not specified and leaves room for judgment. That is not an official approval of every caffeinated drink, and it is not a documented ban on caffeine as such.

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documented fact · current teaching

The current General Handbook (38.7.10) says the Church opposes non-medical marijuana use but allows medical use when a licensed physician or other legal medical provider determines it is medically necessary and the dosage is followed; it does not approve smoking marijuana, and vaping only if the provider authorizes it.

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documented fact · scripture

Doctrine and Covenants 89, received in 1833, discusses wine, strong drinks, tobacco, and hot drinks, and it frames the Word of Wisdom at the outset as counsel rather than as a commandment or constraint.

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documented fact · past practice

A Church History topic says that in 1921 President Heber J. Grant required abstinence from alcohol, tobacco, coffee, and tea for a temple recommend, a more uniform standard than the early decades after 1833.

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documented fact · past practice

The Word of Wisdom began in 1833 as advice in a temperance setting and became a firm requirement for temple attendance in the early twentieth century.

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documented fact · current teaching

The current General Handbook treats the Word of Wisdom as a commandment and says prophets have clarified that it includes abstinence from tobacco, alcohol, and hot drinks, meaning tea and coffee.

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documented fact · current teaching

A 2019 Church magazine clarification says hot drinks means tea and coffee and that vaping is against the Word of Wisdom.

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Church History Topics: Word of Wisdom (D&C 89)

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Event date discussed: 1921

This Church History topic describes the 1833 setting of the Word of Wisdom, uneven observance in the nineteenth century, and a 1921 decision under President Heber J. Grant that required abstinence from alcohol, tobacco, coffee, and tea for a temple recommend. It says the revelation did not name every modern substance. The 1921 date is an event in the practice of the principle, not the publication date of this topic page. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Doctrine and Covenants 89

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Event date discussed: 1833

Doctrine and Covenants 89 is the 1833 revelation known as the Word of Wisdom. It discusses wine, strong drinks, tobacco, and hot drinks, and it frames the instruction at the outset as counsel rather than as a commandment or constraint. Later church practice treated the principle more strictly. This is a summary of the section's role, not a quotation. The event year is 1833; the scripture page is a current publication of that text.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

General Handbook, 38.7: Medical and Health Policies

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints · 2026-10

Section 38.7 covers autopsies, burial or cremation (a family decision), stillborn and miscarried children, euthanasia (including assisted suicide) as contrary to God's commandments while ending extreme life support is not euthanasia, HIV, hypnosis, intersex conditions, medical marijuana (allowed when a licensed provider deems it necessary, never smoked), organ donation, life support, vaccinations (encouraged, a personal decision), and the Word of Wisdom (tobacco, alcohol, tea, and coffee, plus harmful or addictive substances). Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

General Handbook, chapter 38, Word of Wisdom and Healthy Practices

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints · 2024

General Handbook chapter 38 includes a heading on the Word of Wisdom and healthy practices. In the copy reviewed while seeding this library, it calls the Word of Wisdom a commandment and says prophets have clarified that Doctrine and Covenants 89 includes abstinence from tobacco, strong drinks (alcohol), and hot drinks, meaning tea and coffee. It also says some harmful substances and practices are not specified and that members should use wisdom and judgment. Caffeine is not given a separate prohibition in that heading. This is a summary, not a quotation. The handbook is revised, so the live page should be re-read.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

The Word of Wisdom (Revelations in Context)

Jed Woodworth · The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints · 2016

This Revelations in Context essay explains the 1833 Word of Wisdom in the temperance movement of its day, and notes it was given as advice and became a firm requirement for temple attendance only in the early twentieth century. Summary, not a quotation.

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Vaping, Coffee, Tea, and Marijuana

New Era (Church magazine) · The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints · 2019-08

The Church clarifies that hot drinks means tea and coffee, that vaping is against the Word of Wisdom, and addresses marijuana and other substances. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

The Word of Wisdom in Early Nineteenth-Century Perspective

Lester E. Bush Jr. · Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought · 1981

Bush places the 1833 revelation within the health reform and temperance ideas of its time. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

The Word of Wisdom: From Principle to Requirement

Thomas G. Alexander · Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought · 1981

Alexander traces how the Word of Wisdom moved from advice to a requirement for temple attendance in the early twentieth century, noting leaders' changing emphasis on details. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification