{"id":15853,"date":"2011-06-02T13:34:57","date_gmt":"2011-06-02T18:34:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/?p=15853"},"modified":"2011-06-05T10:46:13","modified_gmt":"2011-06-05T15:46:13","slug":"taking-section-89-seriously","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/2011\/06\/taking-section-89-seriously\/","title":{"rendered":"Taking Section 89 Seriously"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"raw-meat-1\"Which revelations we cherish and consider central, and which one\u2019s we sideline and (sometimes literally) forget is surely a result of a complex host of variables. Local culture and politics are obviously a huge deal. The Word of Wisdom is a revelation that is particularly interesting given the way in which we both obsessively focus on and selectively forget it. Mormons are known for the Word of Wisdom the way Jews are known for kosher. It\u2019s part of our temple recommend. But culturally the Word of Wisdom does not <\/em>mean D&C 89<\/a>, but only a small list of proscriptions. We forget the rest. This focus\/forgetting effects not only our interpretation of the revelation, but also the way that we view our history \u2013 Joseph\u2019s enjoying a glass of wine in Carthage or Brigham\u2019s chewing tobacco for his toothache aren\u2019t well known facts and certainly don\u2019t make for good discussion in polite company.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a lot to say \u2013 both about this phenomenon and about the Word of Wisdom itself \u2013 which I\u2019m not going to say here. Instead, I\u2019m going to quote Mark Bittman, give a hearty \u201churrah!\u201d for the revelatory insights of the Word of Wisdom (something Church pulpits and PR ought to be doing as well), and then ask questions for ya\u2019ll to debate.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s<\/a> what Bittman wrote today:<\/p>\n

90 percent of the animal products we\u2019re offered . . . [are] produced badly, they cause immeasurable damage to both our bodies and the earth, and \u2014 compared with the real thing \u2014 they don\u2019t taste that good.\u00a0In limited quantities, [ahem\u2026sparingly?] meat is just fine, especially sustainably raised meat (and wild game), locally and ethically produced dairy and eggs, the remaining wild or decently cultivated fish.\u00a0No matter where we live, if we focused on those \u2014 none of which are in abundant supply, which is exactly the point \u2014 and used them to augment the kind of diet we\u2019re made to eat, one based on plants as a staple, with these other things as treats, we\u2019d all be better off.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Taking a serious look at \u201cconspiring hearts\u201d in international agribusiness, in the dysfunctional but politically untouchable farm bill, in unhealthy food subsidies everywhere, in the supplanting of family farms with factory farms, and given the overall impact (on our health and the environment) of the developed world\u2019s meat consumption, one can only cry \u201cHallelujah!\u201d when one reads Section 89. Here is the voice of a prophet, declaring the wise path to the world long before that path became conspicuous common sense. I\u2019m grateful for these words that can indeed only be called wisdom.<\/p>\n

Why then, is there such a jarring discrepancy between our revelations and our practices on this issue? What is it that makes Mormons known for funeral potatoes and jello rather than for fruits, vegetables, and whole grains? As a people, why don\u2019t we live up to the lines of our scriptures and hymns and \u201ceat but a very little meat!\u201d (put another way, why is it that Brazilian BB-Q made it\u2019s US premiere and continues to thrive in Utah)? Why don\u2019t we lead the way in terms of healthy and sustainable dietary practices? Why aren\u2019t we known \u2013 even amongst ourselves \u2013 for our prescriptions rather than merely our proscriptions?<\/p>\n

Or, to ask more generally, why are we religious folk so eager to give evidence to those dismissive of religion, that our religion in actual fact makes very little difference to our lives and values? For example, why isn\u2019t the default Christian position pacifism? Why are devoted religionists and fundamentalists known for filling the ranks of the military but not the diplomatic core? (Feel free to discuss your own favorite example.)<\/p>\n

And finally, given how large and not-going-anywhere the issue of meat gluttony is in our society, do you suspect we\u2019ll see a cultural shift in Mormonism on this issue? Do you foresee our taking Section 89 more seriously?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Which revelations we cherish and consider central, and which one\u2019s we sideline and (sometimes literally) forget is surely a result of a complex host of variables. Local culture and politics are obviously a huge deal. The Word of Wisdom is a revelation that is particularly interesting<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":122,"featured_media":15854,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,18,54],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15853","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-corn","category-general-doctrine","category-mormon-life"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/raw-meat-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15853","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/122"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15853"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15853\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15859,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15853\/revisions\/15859"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15854"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15853"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15853"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15853"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}