“H” is for Health—The Word of Wisdom

“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—”¹

When I first started working for the L.A. Times, just shortly after I joined the LDS Church back in 1973, I was disconcerted to discover that I was followed by several of my co-workers whenever I went on break. This continue for several days until, exasperated, I turned around and asked, “Is there something I can do for you?” Taken by surprise, they stood mute for about two seconds, after which their response took ME by surprise, “We know you’re a Mormon, so why are you drinking Coke?” I put their dear little hearts at ease, by telling them (truthfully) that I was in fact drinking root beer, not Coke. I would like to point out that drinking Coke or other similar beverages is not prohibited, but only suggested that we not drink them.

Other foods and drinks that are warned against include alcoholic beverages, coffee, tea, tobacco and stimulants. It is also advised to eat meat sparingly, in times of winter or famine. There are many foods which we are encouraged to eat including herbs, grains, cereals, fruit, etc.

A number of people have tried to get me, and others, to drink wine, saying that it is nothing more than fermented grape juice and that grape juice is good for you; they also like to point out that it was used all over in the Bible. I like to show them these verses found in the Bible:

“Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine or strong drink, and not any unclean thing.”²

 “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.”³

As a result of keeping these commandments, we are are promised that we will be free from bonds, and that we will “find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures”⁴

 

¹Doctrine and Covenants 89:4

²Judges 13:4

³Proverbs 20:1

⁴Doctrine and Covenants 89:19

“G” is for Genealogy

“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: And he will turn the heart of the fathers toward the children, and the heart of the children toward their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.”¹

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has perhaps the largest collect of genealogical archives in the world, and it is in constant expansion. There are Family History Centers all over the world where all people (not just the LDS) are invited to visit and begin their research for their ancestors. And if you don’t live near a Family History Center – where personal assistance in learning all you need to know to find your ancestors is guaranteed – you can take advantage of the services offered online, all free of charge (both in situ or online).

While I was in Italy, doing my husband’s genealogy was tedious, and at times dirty and a bit iffy, but the heavy, delicate volumes were at my gloved fingertips – up to a point: while the tomes went back as far as the early 1500s, some of his ancestors only came to the city we lived in, in 1710. Now, a great deal of this information is available at http://familysearch.com. I am now working on my own family’s genealogy and am finding names that heretofore were unavailable.

Indexing is a project that the Church began in 2006 to further assist in searching for our ancestors. It consists of looking at original documents and entering the information found into the Church archives. This is done on a voluntary basis, and anyone who wishes to participate in this project may, whether they are members of the Church or not; just click on the hyperlink in the preceding paragraph and then click on indexing if you are interested.

The Church’s interest in genealogical research is based on the scripture introducing this article. If you are interested in knowing more about WHY it is so important to us, you will need to wait for the letter “T” in this series.

 

¹Malachi 4:5-6 (Old Testament)

© Mary Purpari 2015 All Rights Reserved.