Criticism of Mormonism/Books/The Changing World of Mormonism/Chapter 18



Chapter 17
A FAIR Analysis of:
Criticism of Mormonism/Books
A work by author: Jerald and Sandra Tanner
 Chapter 19


Claims made in Chapter 18: Word of Wisdom

468

Claim
  • The admonition not to eat meat is mostly ignored by the Church.

Author's source(s)
  • John J. Stewart, Joseph Smith the Mormon Prophet, p.90
Response
  •  Mind reading: author has no way of knowing this.: the authors have not explained how they understand "sparingly," and how they would assess this in individual's lives. Do they have any statistics? Studies? Or just a "gut feeling"?
  • Eat meat sparingly

469

Claim
  • Joseph Fielding Smith said that drinking tea can bar a person from the Celestial Kingdom.

Author's source(s)
  • Doctrines of Salvation 2:16
Response
  •  Internal contradiction: the authors are impossible to satisfy. Strict consequences for the Word of Wisdom are critiqued, but they later expected us to be shocked and trouble because Joseph had tea. There is no effort to help readers understand these matters—the authors' efforts are all dedicated to the search for scandal.
  • Tea: keep you out of the celestial kingdom?
  • Michael R. Ash, "Up In Smoke: A Response to the Tanners' Criticism of the Word of Wisdom," FAIR Conference, 2000. off-site

469-470

Claim
  • Church members feel that Joseph "carefully observed" the Word of Wisdom. Joseph wouldn't be able to get a temple recommend today.

Author's source(s)
  • John J. Stewart, Joseph Smith the Mormon Prophet, p.90
Response
  •  Presentism or anachronism: the requirements of the Word of Wisdom were different in Joseph's day than in the 20th century. The authors hope their audience will be shocked by this, and do nothing to explain the differences in application of the Word of Wisdom.
  • Word of Wisdom
  • Michael R. Ash, "Up In Smoke: A Response to the Tanners' Criticism of the Word of Wisdom," FAIR Conference, 2000. off-site

470

Claim
  • Joseph sometimes drank wine.

Author's source(s)
  • History of the Church 2:369
  • History of the Church 2:378
  • History of the Church 6:616
Response
  •  Presentism or anachronism: in Joseph's day, wine was not forbidden by the Word of Wisdom, especially if used in a medicinal sense.
  • Word of Wisdom

470

Claim
  • Joseph smoked a cigar.

Author's source(s)
  • "Joseph Smith As An Administrator," M.A. thesis, Brigham Young University, May 1969, p.161
Response
  • Word of Wisdom
  • Michael R. Ash, "Up In Smoke: A Response to the Tanners' Criticism of the Word of Wisdom," FAIR Conference, 2000. off-site

471

Claim
 Author's quote: In one instance, Joseph Smith asked "Brother Markam" to get "a pipe and some tobacco" for Apostle Willard Richards. These words have been replaced with the word "medicine" in recent printings of the History of the Church. At another time Joseph Smith related that he gave some of the "brethren" a "couple of dollars, with directions to replenish" their supply of "whisky." In modern editions of the History of the Church, twenty-three words have been deleted from this reference to cover up the fact that Joseph Smith encouraged the "brethren" to disobey the Word of Wisdom. In the third instance, Joseph Smith frankly admitted that he "drank a glass of beer at Moessers." These words have been omitted in recent printings of the History of the Church.

Author's source(s)

  • Latter-Day Saints' Millennial Star, vol. 23, page 720. (Reference to beer) compared to History of the Church, vol.6, p.424.
  • Millennial Star, vol. 21, p.283. (Reference to whiskey) compared to History of the Church, vol. 5, p.450.
  • Millennial Star, vol. 24, p.471 (reference to the pipe and tobacco) compared to History of the Church, vol. 6, p.614.

Response

  •  Presentism or anachronism: strange is it is for modern readers, people in Joseph Smith's day sometimes regarded tobacco as a medicinal substance.
  • See also p. 33 for the Tanner's further exploitation of this presentism.
  • Beer was not forbidden by the 19th century application of the Word of Wisdom, and moderation with alcohol was the general standard.
  • Whiskey could also be used medicinally.


471

Claim
  • Joseph wrote in his diary that he had tea with breakfast. Joseph prophesied that he would drink wine with Orson Hyde in the east.

Author's source(s)
  • Joseph Smith Diary, March 11, 1843
  • Joseph Smith Diary, January 20, 1843
Response
  •  Presentism or anachronism: wine was not forbidden by the Word of Wisdom in Joseph's day.
  • Drinking wine in Palestine
  •  Presentism or anachronism: In consulting the journal entry, we read: "Saturday, March 11th Too cold last night as to freeze [p.332] water in the warmest rooms in the city. River filled with anchor ice. 8 1/2 o'clock in the office, Joseph said he had tea with his breakfast."[1] In Joseph's day, medical thinking held that "hot drinks" (such as tea and coffee) could heat the body and vital fluids to prevent illness. As a physician, Willard Richards (who wrote Joseph's journal for him) would have known this.
  • Joseph used tea?

472

Claim
  • George A. Smith reported that some church members left the church after finding that their leaders drank tea and coffee.

Author's source(s)
Response
  •  Presentism or anachronism: The authors count on their readers not understanding the historical context. George A. Smith obviously believes that those who apostatized on this issue are being foolish. His statement helps us see why.
  • Tea: George A. Smith account

472

Claim
  • Almon W. Babbitt was brought to church trial for breaking the Word of Wisdom, but he said that he was following Joseph's example.

Author's source(s)
  • History of the Church 2:252
Response

472-473

Claim
  • Joseph Smith sold liquor in Nauvoo.

Author's source(s)
  • History of the Church 6:111
  • The Saints' Herald, January 22, 1935, p.110
  • "Journal of Oliver B. Huntington," typed copy at Utah State Historical Society, vol. 2, p.166"
Response

474

Claim
  • Brigham Young chewed tobacco for many years.
  • Brigham Young broke the Word of Wisdom by taking "snuff and tea."

Author's source(s)
  • The authors list Journal of Discourses, vol. 12, p.404. There is no page 404—it should be page 29)
  • Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses 12:29.
  • On The Mormon Frontier, vol. 1, p.75
Response
  •  Presentism or anachronism: the Word of Wisdom was observed differently in the nineteenth century
  •  History unclear or in error: Brigham reported that his use was medicinal.
  • Brigham Young and tobacco

474

Claim
  • Brigham Young told Church members to "make beer as a drink" and sponsored a bar in Salt Lake City.

Author's source(s)
  • John D. Lee, p. 116
  • Herbert Howe Bancroft, History of Utah, p.540, footnote 44
Response
  •  Presentism or anachronism: beer was not forbidden under the 19th century application of the Word of Wisdom; it was a "mild drink."
  • Michael R. Ash, "Up In Smoke: A Response to the Tanners' Criticism of the Word of Wisdom," FAIR Conference, 2000. off-site

475

Claim
  • Brigham built a whiskey distillery.

Author's source(s)
Response
== Notes ==
  1. [note]  Joseph Smith, An American Prophet's Record:The Diaries and Journals of Joseph Smith, edited by Scott Faulring, Significant Mormon Diaries Series No. 1, (Salt Lake City, Utah: Signature Books in association with Smith Research Associates, 1989), 331, entry for Saturday, 11 March 1843.
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