Many Critics of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints complain about the Mormon health law. (When critics talk about health laws they mean those things which we are commanded to take into or not to take into our bodies.) They claim that since the LDS church has a health law we must be under the Law of Moses.
But what do the scriptures say about God and His giving of health laws?
First off, God has always been concerned with the health of mankind. This predates the Law of Moses. He sometimes gives health laws without explaining the benefits of the law. Let us begin…. at the beginning. In Gen 1:29 God tells Adam and Eve "I have given you every herb bearing seed,...and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat." Here God clearly laid out what they should eat: "every herb bearing seed" and "the fruit of a tree yielding seed." But in the next chapter God puts a Health Law restriction. He tells Adam in Gen 2:17 " But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." Surely this was a health law of God’s which had nothing to do with the Law of Moses.
The thing about health laws given from God is that they are always changing. I know that the Critic will say that God never changes, but can they really believe he doesn't change his laws? An example of a health law that God changed is found in Gen 9:3-4, here the Lord tells Noah and those saved by the flood what they could and could not eat. "Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things. But flesh with the live thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat." (Gen 9:3-4) Notice the Lord had given them "every moving thing" as food the only restriction was not to eat of the blood!
God then gives a health law known as the Law of Moses which changes again the diet of God’s people. Deut 14:2-3 "For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God, and the Lord hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth. Thou shalt not eat any abominable thing." The Lord then follows this with what things the people should and should not eat! What is extremely important is why the Lord decided to give them this health law. They were a "holy people unto the Lord" and "the Lord hath chosen (them) to be a peculiar people unto himself." And so has God's people been every time he has given them a health law.
Let’s look at the changes made in the New Testament era. In Acts 10: 9-16 Peter, the head of the Church after Christ's death and ascension, is given a vision of unclean animals (according to the Law of Moses). In verse 13-15 it says "And there came a voice to him, rise Peter; kill, and eat. But Peter said, not so, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean. And the voice spake unto him again the second time, what God hath cleansed, that call not thou common." In Eph 5:18 Paul teaches "be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit." Many other health laws were given to the people of God which help them to become, as Peter said, "a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people." (1 Pet 2:9)
Just like God’s people in every age have been given a health law so have his people in this day and age received a health law from the Lord. This law is found in a modern day revelation known as the Doctrines and Covenants found in section 89. The Lord tells us why we would need a health law today: "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)
Some of the highlights of the “word of wisdom” include, “as any man drinketh wine or strong drink among you, behold it is not good,” (D&C 89:5) “”tobacco is not for the body, neither for the belly,” (D&C 89:8) “Every herb in the season thereof, and every fruit in the season thereof; all these to be used with prudence and thanksgiving,” (D&C 89:11) “all grain is ordained for the use of man,”(D&C89:14) and “flesh also of beasts and of the fowls of the air, I , the Lord have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving.” (D&C 89:12) These are the instructions God gave to his people as early as 1833. Who, in this generation, could disagree with the Lord’s “word of wisdom?” And maybe the bigger question to ask is: why would you want to?
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