LDS Place

Knowing our health and our spirituality are interrelated, I would like to offer a few medical insights into what the scientific world is learning about cancer.

Doctrine and Covenants 89, known commonly as the Word of Wisdom, is a remarkable revelation given to the Prophet Joseph Smith almost 175 years ago—long before there was any scientific proof to influence him on issues of health.

Though at first reading, Doctrine and Covenants 89 may seem to be simply a list of dos and don’ts about such nonspiritual topics as tobacco, alcohol, and diet, it is much more. The Lord says, “all things unto me are spiritual, and not at any time have I given unto you a law which was temporal” (D&C 29:34).

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One December night several years ago, I went Christmas caroling with several members of our ward. Among those we visited were several Latter-day Saints who smoked. The bishop, who was with us, had become friends with them over the years. He knew their challenges with tobacco, and they knew he loved them. They also knew that he hoped they would quit smoking.

Spiritual motivation is often high for members or potential converts to quit using tobacco, since being tobacco-free is a requirement for baptism and temple attendance. The physical challenges of quitting tobacco use are daunting. Most smokers, such as those we visited on that cold December evening, find themselves caught up in the all-too-familiar trap of dependence on tobacco.

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Dear brothers and sisters, throughout my life I have known men and women who keep the commandments of the Lord with diligence and joy and who have, through their examples, edified and blessed the lives of those around them. Some of them now occupy prominent, challenging positions in their personal and professional lives. In the midst of their success, they are not afraid of recognizing that they are where they are because of the blessings of the Lord.

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Smokeless is not harmless. This bait is for suckers only. If you are tempted to bite, here are some things you should know.

The young man walked through the door, then stopped, not quite sure what to do next. He had an important question to ask, but he didn’t know who to talk to.

Marion Peterson, the education vice-president of the Utah office of the American Cancer Society, went into the hall to help him.

“He asked me,” said Marion, “if I would look in his mouth and see if he needed to be worried. He had been using chewing tobacco for a while. He pulled down his lip, and it looked horrible, suspiciously like cancer. I told him he had to get help immediately. But he said his mother didn’t know about his habit, and she would find out if he went to the doctor because of their insurance. I begged him to go to a clinic. But he left, and I never knew his name.” Marion still worries about this boy and wonders if he got help in time.

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These marvelous young people in this choir are typical of the young people that we meet all over the Church. How we love them. How grateful we are for you, our youth. Nothing is more precious than our children, our youth. And it is to you, our youth, that I speak. Several years ago in Africa I learned how dangerously invisible crocodiles can be. I then warned our youth about unseen spiritual crocodiles lying in wait to destroy them.

Those invisible dangers have greatly increased in number, and now there are many kinds of them.

Some of them are like land mines hidden about in a field you must cross on your way to maturity. Neighborhoods and schools, which once were safe, are no longer secure. Fortunately you have within you a spiritual power much like a mine detector. If you learn how it works, it will warn you of the presence of unseen crocodiles and mines, and you can avoid trouble.

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Each day brings more and more evidence showing how important it is to live the Lord’s law of health and how dangerous forbidden substances are to our bodies.

During my final two years of schooling to become a dentist, I had the privilege of being taught weekly by one of the world’s foremost maxillary-facial surgeons. His personal preparation and training had been long and intense. After receiving his dental degree, he had received additional degrees in orthodontics, oral surgery, plastic surgery, and pathology. Because of his renowned ability, he was sought after by people from many parts of the world to repair mouths and faces following traumatic accidents or to remove destructive tumors that left faces deformed and in need of his talents at facial reconstruction.

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Dealing with the problem of protocol when entertaining and being entertained by those with standards different from our own.

Because I’ve spent many years mingling with nonmembers, entertaining and being entertained by them, I’m often asked how a member of the Church should respond when confronted with a conflict of standards, particularly in regard to the Word of Wisdom. Perhaps the best way to answer the question is to relate some of the ways I’ve handled the problem and share some of the principles I’ve learned from my experiences.

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My beloved brethren and sisters, one hundred and fifty years ago the Prophet Joseph Smith organized the School of the Prophets. The purpose of this school was to prepare selected members of the priesthood to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to all the world.

In the absence of a temple, the first School of the Prophets was held in a small room in the home of Bishop Newel K. Whitney. Brigham Young was one of the early participants in this school, and he described a scene which frequently presented itself during meetings:

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I am impressed to speak out on a problem of deep concern—the worldwide epidemic of drug addiction. As a medical doctor, my study of drugs began early in medical school. Each doctor spends months in specialized courses learning potential benefits and risks of medicinal agents. Proper prescription of drugs is the forte of skilled physicians. Generally, when their advice is carefully followed, results are remarkably successful. In addressing this topic, I specifically exclude such application of modern knowledge by educated professionals.

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It is difficult to resist when your peers are pulling you down into the swamp of narcotics. It takes steel in your spine to say no.

I should like to say a few words on a subject that is much in the public press these days. It is the widespread use of illegal drugs with all of the ramifications associated therewith.

I received a letter the other day from a government official who for years has been involved in the fight against illegal drugs. He says: “I know from firsthand knowledge what a scourge illicit narcotics are to this country and others. The drain on the human and monetary resources of the world being caused by this dilemma is inestimable and threatens the very foundations of freedom. I have watched as families dissolved, morals collapsed, and lives were lost, both directly and indirectly due to the effect of drugs.”

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“Now, as to faith: Believe me, you can count on all that God has said. More than a hundred thirty-six years ago, to a young prophet he said simply, ‘… tobacco is not… good for man….” (D&C 89:8.) It has taken medical science more than a century to prove that the Lord knew what he was talking about. When he tells us something, he expects us to believe it. It doesn’t take faith to believe the Word of Wisdom any more. It just takes a little common sense.”

- Richard L. Evans, “Conference Report,” October 1969, Afternoon Meeting, p.67 – 68

“The Word of Wisdom does not promise you perfect health, but it teaches how to keep the body you were born with in the best condition and your mind alert to delicate spiritual promptings….

“The promise of health for living the standard of the revelation is not limited to members of the Church. Tell your nonmember friends about the Word of Wisdom and urge them to live it.”

- Boyd K. Packer, “The Word of Wisdom: The Principle and the Promises,” Ensign, May 1996, 18

Joseph Smith through revelation taught a new concept of the human body as the tabernacle of the spirit. A man’s body is sacred and is not to be violated. Any willful impairment is an affront to God, and therefore care of the body is of spiritual significance. To assist us in keeping our bodies as proper abodes for our spirits, Joseph Smith received a revelation known as the Word of Wisdom, which if followed will bring great blessings to body and mind.

—President N. Eldon Tanner, General Conference, October 1979

There is another part of this revelation that constitutes a pertinent warning to this modern generation: “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.” (D&C 89:4.) The Lord foresaw the situation of today when motives for money would cause men to conspire to entice others to take noxious substances into their bodies. Advertisements which promote beer, wine, liquors, coffee, tobacco, and other harmful substances are examples of what the Lord foresaw. But the most pernicious example of an evil conspiracy in our time is those who induce young people into the use of drugs.

—President Ezra Taft Benson (April 1983)

Marrow has long been a symbol of vibrant, healthful living. But in a day of life-saving bone marrow transplants, the phrase “marrow to their bones” takes on an additional significance as a spiritual covenant. The promises for those who keep the Word of Wisdom continue. Those who observe this law ” shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures; and shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint. And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them” (D&C 89:19-21).

—Elder James E. Faust, General Conference, April 1992

Your body is the instrument of your mind. In your emotions, the spirit and the body come closest to being one. What you learn spiritually depends, to a degree, on how you treat your body. That is why the Word of Wisdom is so important…. Do not ignore the Word of Wisdom, for that may cost you the “great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures” promised to those who keep it. And good health is an added blessing.

—Elder Boyd K. Packer, General Conference, October 1994

The physical blessings of health and strength that are promised through obedience to the Word of Wisdom are now well-known and well documented. In addition, the spiritual blessings of “wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures,” come to those who keep their bodies free from addictive substances. When we obey the Word of Wisdom, windows of personal revelation are opened to us and our souls are filled with divine light and truth. If we keep our bodies undefiled, the Holy Ghost “shall come upon [us] and… dwell in [our] heart[s]” and teach us “the peaceable things of immortal glory.”

—Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, General Conference, October 1995

When the Word of Wisdom was given, many people questioned it, and many didn’t accept it as the word of the Lord. Some say it was not a commandment, but when the Lord said he would like you to do it, to me that is commandment enough.

—President N. Eldon Tanner, General Conference, October 1973