Hello and welcome to Not So Mali Mormon podcast. This is Katie. I'm your host today. I'm flying solo. Sarah is once again not feeling very well, so I am by myself. I hope you guys don't mind. I couldn't stay away. I still wanted to put out an episode. So today I wanted to talk more about

coffee. I feel like this is something that comes up a lot in conversations with people who

have never been Mormon. When they learn that I was Mormon, they're like, what's up with

that coffee thing? It's usually polygamy and coffee. And it's very difficult to explain because

it doesn't make any sense. It doesn't make any sense as to why Mormons aren't allowed to drink

coffee. So I want to read just a little bit of the background that is from

the Mormon website. When you go to church of Jesus Christ.org and you search coffee, this is what

comes up. But overall, coffee is pretty much demonized, as anyone who has ever been Mormon knows.

But this is what the Mormon Church says on their website about coffee.

According to God's guidance in the Word of Wisdom, Mormons are advised to avoid coffee.

Mormons, more properly referred to as the members of the

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, believe they are divinely counseled not to drink coffee.

In 1833, Church Prophet Joseph Smith received a revelation from God regarding health, known as the Word of Wisdom.

Sure you did, J-Dog, sure you did.

This revelation advises which food and drink are good for the body and which substances should be avoided.

It lists hot drinks as one of the harmful substances, saying that they are not for the body or the belly.

Church leaders have since explained that hot drinks means both coffee and tea, excluding herbal

teas. I'm just going to pause here because they have interpreted this to mean

coffee and tea, but you can have herbal tea, but you cannot have iced tea. You cannot have iced coffee. But you can have hot chocolate. So it's all about control, right? But this is their, this is what they say.

In recent years, the church has clarified coffee drinks that go by different names, as the word coffee isn't always included.

The update states, drinks with names that include cafe or cafe, mocha, latte, espresso, or anything ending in chino are coffee and are against the Word of Wisdom.

As with all of God's commandments, Latter-day Saints are free to choose.

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