207 - How the Word of Wisdom Became a Temple Standard I Church History Matters I Word of Wisdom Series

Church History Matters

Scripture Central

Religion & Spirituality:christianity, Christianity, Religion & Spirituality

4.9 • 2K Ratings

🗓️ 2 June 2026

⏱️ 73 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Join hosts Scott Woodward and Casey Griffiths for a fascinating deep dive into the evolution of the Word of Wisdom from the era of Brigham Young to Heber J. Grant. Discover how early Church leaders viewed the revelation as inspired counsel rather than a strict commandment, why enforcement varied across generations, and how attitudes toward tea, coffee, alcohol, and tobacco gradually changed over time. The episode also explores John Taylor and the intriguing “lost revelation” theory connected to the Word of Wisdom during his administration. Finally, Scott and Casey examine the pivotal moment under Heber J. Grant when full adherence to the Word of Wisdom became a requirement for temple attendance, forever shaping modern Latter-day Saint culture and identity.

Transcript

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0:00.0	What were the circumstances that led to the Word of Wisdom becoming a temple standard?
0:05.0	This is one of the, quote, most apparent characteristics of Mormon society.
0:09.0	The time has come when all Latter-day Saints should be held to a little stricter
0:15.0	account with regard to the Word of Wisdom.
0:17.0	There may be things contrary to the Word of Wisdom that we indulge in and that we think we cannot live without.
0:21.4	If we cannot, let us die.
0:23.4	And what I have said to them, better die and keep the commandments of the Lord than live and break them.
0:29.6	So on the one level, it's a commandment, sure, but let's not gatekeep temple access.
0:34.6	You better throw away your pipe and liquor habits and keep the commandments of the
0:39.5	Lord or give way to someone who will. Temperance efforts in the United States were reaching their
0:45.4	zenith. I made up my mind before I came to this conference that I would never again say,
0:51.1	Word of Wisdom. Holy cow, is there a lost revelation on the Word of Wisdom that's out there?
0:59.7	Hello, Scott. Hello, Casey. How you doing, man? I'm doing well. How are you doing? Doing great.
1:07.1	I mean, today we get to keep going. We get to keep talking.
1:11.8	Yeah.
1:12.6	Word of wisdom.
1:13.4	This is fun.
1:14.6	Yeah.
1:18.2	This is one of those topics where I've been like, I can't wait to get to this part.
1:19.6	And I can't wait to get to this part.
1:26.9	And had some genuine, I didn't think there was anything that would surprise me about the word of wisdom, but I had some
1:27.6	genuine surprises when I was going through the material and setting up things for today.
	...

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