I won't argue with the Word of Wisdom’s condemnation of the addictive substance, alcohol. But in the Word of Wisdom its use is encouraged as an agent in washing the body. I am as much puzzled by this as by the Word of Wisdom’s advocating the use of tobacco on bruises, and for all the diseases of cattle. A great emphasis is placed on what Mormons should not eat or drink, but the profitable use of these substances as advised in the Doctrine and Covenants is virtually ignored (maybe because they don’t work?). Also often passed over is the Word of Wisdom’s warning against the over-use of meat. As a Mormon, I would eat meat at only one meal a day, but of all my many acquaintances in the densely LDS population of Brigham Young University, there were only a few who said they consciously limited the use of meat because of the Word of Wisdom. In addition, I knew of no Mormons who limited their intake of corn, rye, barley and oats.
For more information, see The Mormon Mirage 3rd Edition: A Former Member Looks at the Mormon Church Today(Zondervan, 2009). Also available as an audiobook and as an expanded-text E-book for Nook, Kindle and other reading devices.
