The institution
The Word of Wisdom
It says not by commandment, endorses beer, and Joseph drank wine at Carthage.
The point in one sentence
The revelation says it is not by commandment, endorses beer, commands wine for the sacrament, restricts meat to winter and famine, says nothing about caffeine, and Joseph Smith drank wine in Carthage Jail hours before he died.
What D&C 89 actually says, and what is actually enforced
Pull up the section and read it straight through. This is the whole conversation.
- Given "not by commandment or constraint" (v.2)
- Wine is commanded for the sacrament, "pure wine of the grape of the vine, of your own make" (v.6)
- Barley for "mild drinks," which is beer (v.17)
- Meat only "in times of winter, or of cold, or famine" (v.13)
- No mention of caffeine anywhere
- Required for a temple recommend since 1921
- Any alcohol disqualifies you
- Beer explicitly prohibited
- The meat restriction is universally ignored and never taught
- Caffeine was widely believed prohibited until a 2012 Church statement
Source: Doctrine and Covenants 89, churchofjesuschrist.org
Where it came from
Not a health revelation. A complaint about a dirty floor. The Church's own history page: "Emma Smith was bothered by tobacco use in the School of the Prophets, prompting Joseph to inquire of the Lord." Church page
Brigham Young's account: the men chewed tobacco and would "spit all over the room. This, and the complaints of his wife at having to clean so filthy a floor, made the Prophet think upon the matter." Journal of Discourses 12:158
The founders did not keep it
- Joseph Smith drank wine in Carthage Jail on June 27, 1844, hours before he was killed. From John Taylor's history: "Dr. Richards uncorked the bottle, and presented a glass to Joseph, who tasted." FAIR
- Benjamin F. Johnson, who knew him: "he did not always refuse the wine that maketh the heart glad."
- Joseph installed a bar in the Nauvoo Mansion House, removed later at Emma's request.
- Brigham Young used tobacco.
How it became a requirement
It was optional for 88 years. Heber J. Grant made it a temple recommend requirement in 1921. The thing that now determines whether a member can attend their own child's wedding was, in the founding prophet's lifetime, explicitly not a commandment.
Caffeine
2012: the Church stated the revelation "does not mention the use of caffeine." Coverage 2017: BYU began selling caffeinated soda for the first time since the 1950s. BYU's announcement
Generations of members felt real guilt over a Coke, over something that was never in the text.