Article
Why Can't Mormons Drink Coffee?
Doctrine and Covenants 89 says hot drinks are not for the body. Latter-day prophets teach that this means tea and coffee. The church’s statements also name green tea and coffee-based products.
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Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints abstain from coffee because their prophets teach that “hot drinks” in Doctrine and Covenants 89 means tea and coffee. That section is Latter-day Saint scripture, dated February 27, 1833. Verse 9 says hot drinks are not for the body or belly. A 2019 church statement also names green tea and coffee-based products. Those pages do not forbid every caffeinated drink, and they do not mention deodorant.
Key points
- Doctrine and Covenants 89:2
To be sent greeting; not by commandment or constraint, but by revelation and the word of wisdom, showing forth the order and will of God in the temporal salvation of all saints in the last days—
Doctrine and Covenants 89:2 · English, churchofjesuschrist.orgOpen source says the Word of Wisdom was given “not by commandment or constraint, but by revelation and the word of wisdom.” (1) - Doctrine and Covenants 89:9
And again, hot drinks are not for the body or belly.
Doctrine and Covenants 89:9 · English, churchofjesuschrist.orgOpen source says hot drinks are not for the body or belly. (1) Verses 5 through 8 proscribe wine, strong drink, and tobacco. - Gospel Topics, Word of Wisdom, says latter-day prophets have taught that “hot drinks” in verse 9 refers to tea and coffee. (2)
- The church’s statement of August 15, 2019, calls the Word of Wisdom a law of health and says leaders have clarified that vaping or e-cigarettes, green tea, and coffee-based products are prohibited. (3)
- The same statement says marijuana and opioids should be used only for medicinal purposes as prescribed by a competent physician. (3)
- What do Mormons believe? is the wider teaching. Articles of Faith 1:3
We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.
Articles of Faith 1:3 · English, churchofjesuschrist.orgOpen source ties salvation to obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel. (4)
What does Doctrine and Covenants 89 say?
Doctrine and Covenants 89 is Latter-day Saint scripture. The heading calls it the Word of Wisdom and says the use of wine, strong drinks, tobacco, and hot drinks is proscribed. (1) Verse 2 addresses the saints with a limit that matters. On that pageTo be sent greeting; not by commandment or constraint, but by revelation and the word of wisdom, showing forth the order and will of God in the temporal salvation of all saints in the last days—
Doctrine and Covenants 89:2 · English, churchofjesuschrist.orgOpen source:
To be sent greeting; not by commandment or constraint, but by revelation and the word of wisdom, showing forth the order and will of God in the temporal salvation of all saints in the last days—
that page · English, churchofjesuschrist.org
Verse 5 says wine or strong drink is not good, except in assembling to offer the sacraments. Verse 7 says strong drinks are not for the belly, but for the washing of the body. Verse 8 says tobacco is not for the body, neither for the belly, and is not good for man. Verse 9 says hot drinks are not for the body or belly. The section also calls grains the staff of life and says flesh is to be used sparingly. It does not name coffee, tea, caffeine, or soda. The identification of “hot drinks” comes from later teaching, in the next section.
Does “hot drinks” mean coffee?
Gospel Topics, Word of Wisdom, says Joseph Smith received the revelation on February 27, 1833, now section 89, and that the Lord prohibits some substances that are not good for the human body. (2) The page lists alcoholic drinks, tobacco, and tea and coffee among the harmful substances. A note on the page says latter-day prophets have taught that the term “hot drinks,” as written in verse 9, refers to tea and coffee. On that pageSee Doctrine and Covenants 89:9; latter-day prophets have taught that the term “hot drinks,” as written in this verse, refers to tea and coffee.
Gospel Topics, Word of Wisdom · English, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsOpen source:
See Doctrine and Covenants 89:9; latter-day prophets have taught that the term “hot drinks,” as written in this verse, refers to tea and coffee.
that page · English, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
That is the church’s reading of its own verse. The 1833 sentence says hot drinks. The prophets’ sentence says tea and coffee. Members are taught to refuse both.
How is the Word of Wisdom applied today?
The August 15, 2019, statement on the Newsroom calls the Word of Wisdom a law of health for the physical and spiritual benefit of God’s children. (3) On that pageIn recent publications for Church members, Church leaders have clarified that several substances are prohibited by the Word of Wisdom, including vaping or e-cigarettes, green tea, and coffee-based products. They also have cautioned that substances such as marijuana and opioids should be used only for medicinal purposes as prescribed by a competent physician.
Statement on the Word of Wisdom, 15 August 2019 · English, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsOpen source:
In recent publications for Church members, Church leaders have clarified that several substances are prohibited by the Word of Wisdom, including vaping or e-cigarettes, green tea, and coffee-based products. They also have cautioned that substances such as marijuana and opioids should be used only for medicinal purposes as prescribed by a competent physician.
that page · English, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Verse 2 said “not by commandment or constraint.” The 2019 statement calls the same revelation a law of health and names coffee-based products and green tea. Gospel Topics adds that vaping, the misuse of prescription drugs, and the recreational use of marijuana violate church teachings, and that prophets have told members to avoid substances that impair judgment or are harmful or highly addictive. (2) The published lists are those substances. They are not a sentence against every drink that contains caffeine.
Articles of Faith 1:3We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.
Articles of Faith 1:3 · English, churchofjesuschrist.orgOpen source, Pearl of Great Price, says that through the Atonement of Christ all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel. (4) The Word of Wisdom is taught as one of those laws. 2 Nephi 25:23For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.
2 Nephi 25:23 · English, churchofjesuschrist.orgOpen source, Book of Mormon, says they are saved by grace after all they can do. What do Mormons believe? quotes that sentence beside Ephesians 2:8–92:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Ephesians 2:8–9 · King James VersionOpen source, which says salvation is the gift of God, not of works. A health code can be received as care for the body. In this church it is also taught as part of worthiness, inside that larger account of salvation.
Frequently asked questions
Why can’t Mormons drink coffee?
Because prophets teach that “hot drinks” in Doctrine and Covenants 89:9 means tea and coffee. The 2019 statement also prohibits coffee-based products and green tea.
Can Mormons drink soda, iced coffee, or hot chocolate?
The scripture says hot drinks. The church’s note says that phrase means tea and coffee. Iced coffee is still coffee. The pages quoted here do not name hot chocolate, and they do not say that every caffeinated soda is forbidden. This page does not add a drink those pages do not name.
Can Mormons drink alcohol?
Doctrine and Covenants 89 says wine and strong drink are not for the belly. Gospel Topics lists alcoholic drinks among the substances the revelation treats as harmful. The 1833 verse still allows wine when the saints assemble for the sacrament. Gospel Topics, Sacrament, says the ordinance today uses water, which What do Mormons believe? quotes.
Can Mormons wear deodorant?
No sentence on the Word of Wisdom topic or in the 2019 statement mentions deodorant. The prohibition those pages publish is alcohol, tobacco, tea, coffee, green tea, coffee-based products, vaping, and the misuse of drugs.
Keep reading
References
- Doctrine and Covenants, 89:2; 89:7–9
To be sent greeting; not by commandment or constraint, but by revelation and the word of wisdom, showing forth the order and will of God in the temporal salvation of all saints in the last days—
Doctrine and Covenants 89:2 · English, churchofjesuschrist.orgOpen source (Latter-day Saint scripture. The Word of Wisdom, February 27, 1833, at Kirtland. Verse 2 says it is not by commandment or constraint.) - Gospel Topics, Word of Wisdom
See Doctrine and Covenants 89:9; latter-day prophets have taught that the term “hot drinks,” as written in this verse, refers to tea and coffee.
Gospel Topics, Word of Wisdom · English, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsOpen source (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Prophets teach that “hot drinks” means tea and coffee.) - Statement on the Word of Wisdom, August 15, 2019
In recent publications for Church members, Church leaders have clarified that several substances are prohibited by the Word of Wisdom, including vaping or e-cigarettes, green tea, and coffee-based products. They also have cautioned that substances such as marijuana and opioids should be used only for medicinal purposes as prescribed by a competent physician.
Statement on the Word of Wisdom, 15 August 2019 · English, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsOpen source (Newsroom of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Names vaping, green tea, and coffee-based products.) - Articles of Faith, 1:3
We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.
Articles of Faith 1:3 · English, churchofjesuschrist.orgOpen source (Pearl of Great Price. Salvation by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel.)
See also
- Are Mormons Christians? — Latter-day Saints worship Jesus Christ and use his name. Their teaching of God, of Jesus, and of salvation is not the Nicene confession, so they are not a denomination inside Trinitarian Christianity.
- Do Mormons Believe in the Trinity? — No. Latter-day Saints teach that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are three separate beings, one in purpose. That is not the Nicene confession of one God in three persons.
- Do Mormons Believe They Will Become Gods? — Gospel Principles says exaltation is the kind of life God lives. The King Follett sermon says God was once as we are now, and that the faithful must learn to be gods. Isaiah 43:10 says no God was formed after the LORD.
- Do Mormons Celebrate Christmas and Easter? — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints keeps Christmas as the season of Christ’s birth and Easter as the celebration of his resurrection, with Easter Sunday services.
- Do Mormons Practice Polygamy? — Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints do not enter plural marriage today. Doctrine and Covenants 132 taught it. The 1890 Manifesto told the Saints to stop.