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What contemporary issues of the 1800s are reflected in LDS Scriptures?
How about the word of wisdom given to Joseph Smith on February 27, 1833. Then over 100 years later we learned:What contemporary issues of the 1800s are reflected in LDS Scriptures?
How about the word of wisdom given to Joseph Smith on February 27, 1833. Then over 100 years later we learned:
"Lung cancer was once a very rare disease, so rare that doctors took special notice when confronted with a case, thinking it a once-in-a-lifetime oddity. Mechanisation and mass marketing towards the end of the 19th century popularised the cigarette habit, however, causing a global lung cancer epidemic. Cigarettes were recognised as the cause of the epidemic in the 1940s and 1950s, with the confluence of studies from epidemiology, animal experiments, cellular pathology and chemical analytics. Cigarette manufacturers disputed this evidence, as part of an orchestrated conspiracy to salvage cigarette sales. Propagandising the public proved successful, judging from secret tobacco industry measurements of the impact of denialist propaganda. As late as 1960 only one-third of all US doctors believed that the case against cigarettes had been established. The cigarette is the deadliest artefact in the history of human civilisation. Cigarettes cause about 1 lung cancer death per 3 or 4 million smoked, which explains why the scale of the epidemic is so large today. Cigarettes cause about 1.5 million deaths from lung cancer per year, a number that will rise to nearly 2 million per year by the 2020s or 2030s, even if consumption rates decline in the interim. Part of the ease of cigarette manufacturing stems from the ubiquity of high-speed cigarette making machines, which crank out 20,000 cigarettes per min. Cigarette makers make about a penny in profit for every cigarette sold, which means that the value of a life to a cigarette maker is about US$10,000."
From: The history of the discovery of the cigarette-lung cancer link: evidentiary traditions, corporate denial, global toll - PubMed
(Doctrine and Covenants | Section 89:1 - 8)
1 A WORD OF WISDOM, for the benefit of the council of high priests, assembled in Kirtland, and the church, and also the saints in Zion—
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—
3 Given for a principle with promise, adapted to the capacity of the weak and the weakest of all saints, who are or can be called saints.
4 Behold, verily, thus saith the Lord unto you: In consequence of evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days, I have warned you, and forewarn you, by giving unto you this word of wisdom by revelation—
5 That inasmuch as any man drinketh wine or strong drink among you, behold it is not good, neither meet in the sight of your Father, only in assembling yourselves together to offer up your sacraments before him.
6 And, behold, this should be wine, yea, pure wine of the grape of the vine, of your own make.
7 And, again, strong drinks are not for the belly, but for the washing of your bodies.
8 And again, tobacco is not for the body, neither for the belly, and is not good for man, but is an herb for bruises and all sick cattle, to be used with judgment and skill.
Tobacco usage was a contemporary issue of the 1800s and has continued to be an issue to this day.
At the time the word of wisdom was a very unique revelation. It was actually Emma who sought the answer to her question about the activities of the saints. Neither am I surprised by these attempts at conspiracy theories to try to make the revelations from God seem as though they were not heaven sent. I know they were.http://67.20.122.117/wp-content/uploads/sbi/articles/Dialogue_V14N03_48.pdf
"When the Word of Wisdom was revealed to Joseph Smith in February 1833, the Ohio area had already become “a hotbed of temperance and health reform sentiment.”2 This fact has led some observers to conclude that the Word of Wisdom was only a product of the time, not a revelatory injunction. For example, “according to Dean D. McBrien [writing in 1929], . . . the Word of Wisdom was a remarkable distillation of the prevailing thought of frontier America in the early 1830’s. Each provision in the revelation, he [McBrien] claimed, pertained to an item which had formed the basis of widespread popular agitation in the early 1830’s.”3 Therefore, questions such as, “Did Americans generally know that alcohol, tobacco, tea, coffee, and excesses of meat, were bad for you; and that grains and fruits were good for you?” is a moot
...
question. Although no one in the 1830s had the kind of scientific evidence
we possess today, many individuals and societies did write and speak about
the items mentioned in the Word of Wisdom.4
The more important question
that needs to be asked is, “Were the Latter-day Saints (especially those in
Kirtland, and Joseph Smith in particular) aware of the negative and positive
ideas about health that were generally afloat in their day?” My conclusion is
that they could hardly have escaped not knowing or being familiar with these
ideas. To demonstrate this, I will present a sampling of the historical evidence
of the dietary elements in the Word of Wisdom that existed in spatial and temporal proximity to Kirtland in 1833. After presenting the evidence I will then
explain why the Word of Wisdom is different and unique even when there is
nothing new in it.
Alcohol
Alcohol consumption was a major societal problem in the United States in
the first quarter of the nineteenth century. This led to the establishment of the
first teetotaling temperance society, founded in Saratoga County, New York,
on February 13, 1826.5
Five years later, most likely on October 6, 1831, the
Kirtland Temperance Society was created with 239 signatories. It purchased
the only distillery in Kirtland “under the agreement that it should never again
be used as a distillery.”6
Long after Joseph Smith had arrived in Kirtland, and
a little less than a month before he received the revelation we call the Word of
Wisdom, the Kirtland “Temperance Society succeeded [on February 1, 1833]
in eliminating a distillery in Kirtland [and] the distillery in Mentor, near Kirtland, was also closed at the same time.”7
Not everyone in Kirtland was happy
with the closing of the distillery, and two abortive attempts were made to start
up new ones.8
Such was the scene in Kirtland before and after the Prophet
arrived—a temperance society on the one side militating against alcohol, and
some citizens agitating for a new distillery on the other.
In addition, a number of people who converted to Mormonism in the
Kirtland area, including Sidney Rigdon and Frederick G. Williams, had previously been associated with the reformed Baptist community (later called
Disciples of Christ) led by Alexander Campbell, and it was Campbell who
was one of the chief proponents in the Ohio area. Before any of those associated with Alexander Campbell joined with the Latter-day Saints, he published
under his own editorship and guidance the Millennial Harbinger. As early as
June 1830, the following article appeared in Campbell’s publication:
THE FOUR GREAT SOURCES OF HEALTH.
One of the most pleasing of our duties is, to be able to direct into our own channel, and thereby circulate widely through the land, what we know to be wise counsel;
as is our good fortune to do upon the present occasion, by laying before our readers
the following chapter from a valuable work, entitled, “Simplicity of Health.”
“The poor injure themselves materially by intoxication, and that with drink of
an inferior and hurtful quality. It is certain that every fit of drunkenness has its share
in the shortening of life; for, however we may find men to whom it appears to do
no injury, nothing is more reasonable than to conclude, that they would live longer
by avoiding inebriation. Amongst the better classes, this vice has happily, for many
years past, been gradually declining; and it is now a great reproach to gentlemen to
be seen drunk. But they use rich wines, liqueurs, and spirits, of which, at their numerous meals, without getting tipsy or drunk, they take too much altogether.” [End of the
quote; the editorial continues:]
We are glad to see intemperance in drinking on the wane. ‘Tis a lame charity
which does its work by halves. We want two or three combinations more to double our
domestic comforts, and to quadruple our social enjoyments. . . . A combination against
Rum, Brandy, Whiskey & Co. we already have.9
This publication, coming nearly three years before the revelation of the
Word of Wisdom, certainly would have influenced many reformed Baptists in
the Kirtland area who later converted to Mormonism. Notice that the “wise
counsel” included a call to “double” their efforts to combat items which they
considered injurious to good health. The passage continues by placing more
emphasis on distilled liquors and less on fermented drinks, but without a call
for total abstinence from alcoholic beverages. The Millennial Harbinger’s
commentary on the quote, most likely written by Alexander Campbell, also
falls just short of clearly calling for total abstinence. In fact, Campbell was
decidedly against “the efforts now being made by some of the friends of Tem
perance to abolish the use of wine at the Lord’s Supper” and substitute instead
“milk or water for wine.”10
...
Tea and Coffee Tea and coffee, like some alcoholic drinks, evoked mixed reactions among Americans in Joseph Smith’s day. Perhaps because Alexander Campbell liked his tea, he was not as vociferous in his writing against the herb in his editorials in the Millennial Harbinger. 18 Nevertheless, other voices cried out against the use of both tea and coffee. Perhaps the most shrill of these voices was Samuel Thomson, father of Thomsonian medicine, which rejected the procedures of the early nineteenth century medical establishment in favor of botanical ingestion.19 Joseph Smith would have heard about this new style of medicine while growing up in Palmyra because “nowhere was Thomsonianism so successful in its early days as [in the burned-over district] in western New York.”20 If the Prophet had somehow escaped exposure to Thomsonian medicine in New York, he certainly would have gained first-hand knowledge of Thomsonian practices and practitioners when he moved to Ohio. “By the mid-thirties, Thomson claimed, half of the population of Ohio adhered to his practice, and orthodox physicians conceded that at least a third did.”21 Among those who had taken up the Thomsonian brand of medicine was Frederick G. Williams, who had been a member of one of Sidney Rigdon’s reformed Baptist congregations and had practiced Thomsonian medicine in Kirtland before he joined the Church in 1830.22 By March 1832, Frederick G. Williams had been called as a counselor to Joseph Smith and subsequently served as a counselor in the First Presidency from 1833–1837.
...
The double ambiguity between fermented and distilled drinks, and moderation and total abstinence evident in the Millennial Harbinger, was also
reflected in some popular perceptions of the Word of Wisdom among some
early Latter-day Saints. That is, did wine and beer fall into the same category
as whiskey and rum? And were the Saints obliged to abstain or just to be moderate? These popular sentiments and ambiguities notwithstanding, whether
from members or nonmembers, the official pronouncements of the Church
between 1833 and 1839 do not reflect these perceptions. The official Church
position, as published in the Church’s Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate, was abstinence, except in the sacraments, including marriage, and it
made no distinction between distilled and fermented drinks.11 Unofficially, an
exception to abstinence was made for wine in the sacrament and the medicinal
use of alcohol, the latter also reflecting many contemporary opinions in those
days that moderate medicinal use of alcohol contributed to good health.12
In short, there can be no question that before their encounter with Mormonism, many in the Kirtland area had been exposed to the idea that alco" https://ensignpeakfoundation.org/wp...-Cultural-and-Social-Setting-of-the-1830s.pdf
http://67.20.122.117/wp-content/uploads/sbi/articles/Dialogue_V14N03_48.pdf
It is clear from the cultural environment, the word of wisdom was simply a regriduation of his culture. Using Occam's razor it is not a revelation from God, but is simply writing down what was already known by everyone.
At the time the word of wisdom was a very unique revelation. It was actually Emma who sought the answer to her question about the activities of the saints. Neither am I surprised by these attempts at conspiracy theories to try to make the revelations from God seem as though they were not heaven sent. I know they were.
It was not common knowledge that there was a cover up by the tobacco companies.common knowledge is not unique in anyway. friend
It was not common knowledge that there was a cover up by the tobacco companies.
The word of wisdom was written on February 27, 1833. It states:wrong time period friend, we are talking about the 1800's when the word of wisdom(unsure of book name) was written.
The word of wisdom was written on February 27, 1833. It states:
(Doctrine and Covenants | Section 89:4 - 8)
4 Behold, verily, thus saith the Lord unto you: In consequence of evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days, I have warned you, and forewarn you, by giving unto you this word of wisdom by revelation—
5 That inasmuch as any man drinketh wine or strong drink among you, behold it is not good, neither meet in the sight of your Father, only in assembling yourselves together to offer up your sacraments before him.
6 And, behold, this should be wine, yea, pure wine of the grape of the vine, of your own make.
7 And, again, strong drinks are not for the belly, but for the washing of your bodies.
8 And again, tobacco is not for the body, neither for the belly, and is not good for man, but is an herb for bruises and all sick cattle, to be used with judgment and skill.
God knew of the evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days.
4 Behold, verily, thus saith the Lord unto you: In consequence of evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days, I have warned you, and forewarn you, by giving unto you this word of wisdom by revelation—I already gave sources that demonstrates that all that was common knowledge back then.
Have a good night friend.
daniel
Still nothing in there about the conspiracy of the tobacco companies in the last days."A Note from History: The Use of Tobacco Steven I. Hajdu1 and Manjunath S. Vadmal2 1 Westlake Village, California 2 Department of Pathology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
Fig. 1. Title page of Thomas Venner’s Via Recta, published
in London in 1620 [7].
As time went by, it was recognized that tobacco
was not a cure for all. In 1601, an anonymous
pamphlet, “Work for Chimney-Sweepers,” was
distributed in London. The pamphlet described
tobacco as a poison and indicated that medicinal
use of tobacco or smoking was harmful because it
deprived the body of nourishment, dried up men’s
sperm, and had a stupefying effect, not unlike
opium. The pamphlet added that tobacco should
be avoided by young people and pregnant women
because tobacco weakened the body [5].
In 1604, King James I of England rendered a
written warning that smoking was harmful to the
eye, nose, brain, and lungs [6]. He placed a heavy
duty and a local tax on imported tobacco. Korea
and Japan introduced a ban on smoking to prevent
fires. China and Turkey prohibited smoking to
prevent an inbalance of trade with foreign countries.
In 1660, England prohibited the planting of
tobacco and placed restrictions on selling imported
tobacco. Coalitions of women were formed against
tobacco in many countries. They claimed, among
other things, that tobacco diminished male virility
and they advised women not to marry smokers. For
those who were married to a smoker, it was lawful
to become divorced [5].
In 1620, Thomas Venner of London warned
against smoking [7] (Fig.1). In his book, he wrote
that immoderate use of tobacco hurts the brain and
the sight, diminishes digestion, and induces
trembling of the limbs and the heart. He advised
that tobacco should be limited to medicinal use
and should not be consumed for pleasure.
In 1761, John Hill (1716-1775), a London
surgeon, reported ulcerated cancers of the nose in
two men who had used large quantities of snuff for
many years [8]. In 1795, Samuel T. Soemmerring
(1755-1830), Professor of Anatomy at Mainz,
reported an association between pipe smoking and
cancer of the lower lip [9]. In 1844, Walter Walshe
(1812-1892), a London pathologist, published a
book on cancer [10] in which he cited smoking,
mechanical irritation, mental affliction, drunkenness, and constitutional predisposition as causes of
neoplasia.
In the 1800s, chemists isolated the active
ingredient in tobacco and named it nicotine in
memory of Jean Nicot, who imported tobacco into
Europe in the 1500s. Nicotine is an alkaloid,
C10H14N2, that is one of the most potent vegetable
poisons. The proportion of nicotine in different
varieties of tobacco varies from 2 to 8 percent. Pure
nicotine is a colorless oily liquid. It boils at 240°F,
it becomes brown and crystallizes on exposure to
air, and it dissolves in water, alcohol, and oils [11].
The smallest quantity of nicotine capable of causing
death of a person is unknown, but it is probable,
that 2 or 3 drops of pure nicotine may be fatal. The
poisonous effects of freshly prepared nicotine may
be almost as rapid as those of cyanide or hemlock.
Death is caused by respiratory arrest. Several cases
were reported of accidental, suicidal, or homicidal
fatalities by medicinal infusions or enemas of
tobacco, or by the ingestion of food and wine
contaminated with snuff or chewing tobacco [11].
Medicinal use of tobacco gradually decreased
in the 1800s, but was replaced by the habit of
smoking for pleasure. Celebrities, for example the
Baroness de Dudevant, Frederic Chopin’s mistress,
who was reportedly the first woman to smoke in
public in Paris, gave a helping hand to tobacconists
to sell a new product, hand-rolled cigarettes"
http://www.annclinlabsci.org/content/40/2/178.full.pdf
Still nothing in there about the conspiracy of the tobacco companies in the last days.