health – What Do Mormons Believe?

Question Box: self-harm

Question: I was curious if we believe in self harm (cutting and slapping yourself) and I was also curious to know if we believe in having eating disorders?

A: I don’t fully understand the question. I think we believe that these are problems and we should be treating our bodies as sacred gifts from our Heavenly Father given to us to house our spirits while we are on this earth. So…don’t do self-harming. Keep your body healthy and strong so you can serve others and your Heavenly Father. We understand that these problems do exist, and we fully support getting therapy or other needed help. We don’t look down on those that struggle with these problems, but we care about them and encourage them to get the help they need to overcome these problems. If you’re not sure where to stop, visit your Bishop for some advice and counsel.

What Do Mormons Believe: Health

“Because we are created in the image of God (see Genesis 1:27), our bodies are temples and should be treated with care and respect (see 1 Corinthians 3:16–17).

“The Word of Wisdom, found in Doctrine and Covenants 89, is the Lord’s code of health and was revealed to Joseph Smith in 1833. It teaches that we should eat nutritious foods and avoid harmful substances. Apostles and prophets have since taught that we should shun all substances or practices that abuse our bodies or minds and that could lead to addiction.”¹

“Our physical bodies indeed are temples of God. Consequently, you and I must carefully consider what we take into our temple, what we put on our temple, what we do to our temple, and what we do with our temple.”²

“Regular exercise can prepare us physically, mentally, and spiritually to function better, whether it’s in our relationships with others or in our all-important relationship with our Heavenly Father.”³

For more information, see the Physical Health section of providentliving.org.

Question Box: Does Sin Cause Disease?

What do Mormons believe about illness and causes of illness?

Simply put, Mormons seek to know, understand and believe anything that is true. We are encouraged to seek truth from all good sources. By-and-large, the origin of disease is not something specifically addressed by doctrine revealed through the priesthood. That leaves it up to individual members to decide what they believe personally, with the injunction to “seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith.” (D&C 88:118)

Mormons tend to accept well-established scientific truths, including truths about pathogens, genetics, nutrient deficiencies and other well-established causes of disease. Throughout recorded history, a common belief has been that disease is a punishment for sin. This idea isn’t entirely refuted by revealed doctrine, but it isn’t completely accepted either. Because many of the natural consequences of sin lead to poor health or disease, it can be said that disease is a punishment for certain sins. For example, illegitimate sex is against the the teachings of Jesus Christ and His servants. Such behavior can lead to sexually transmitted diseases that one would avoid by righteous living. In this sense you can say somebody is “punished” for illicit sexual behavior when they contract genital herpes. However, most Mormons would simply say that the disease was a natural consequence of sin, and not that the sin “caused” the disease.

Consistency

As you can see, Freddy Rodriguez consistently exercised his right arm, but not his left.

It has been difficult for me to come up with a topic to write on this month. There has been a lot of change in my and my family’s life in the last month. Change always brings adjustment for me—adjustment to a new schedule, new places, new activities. Interestingly, it is during these times that it is hardest for me to be consistent in those things that provide a solid foundation in my life, namely scripture study and prayer. However, it is consistently doing the right things in life that brings the richest of experiences and the greatest of blessings. By and large, one cannot experience the complete blessings of a commandment or good activity until it is done consistently.

When one is consistent at exercising for an extended period of time, exercise becomes an integral part of that person’s life. Sure, one may miss a day here or there, but consistent exercise over time brings benefits that can only be known and felt by that person. In the same manner, consistently adhering to God’s commandments, whether it is studying the scriptures daily, or being meek and lowly of heart continually, will bring blessings, peace, and joy that only that person can know.

If you don’t know what I am talking about, or have yet to experience the sweet fruit of consistency, pick a commandment that you could polish a little, or a good activity, like exercise, and live it daily. Do it consistently for a week, then a month, then 3 months, then a year. You will look back on that time and realize that you have truly changed, because something good; something God-like has become an integral part of you. In some small way you will have fulfilled Christ’s commandment to “be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 6:48).

Health and the Word of Wisdom

For the past two years I have sat for probably thousands of hours learning and studying about the human body as a medical student. The more I learn, the more I realize that our God truly is God. It is amazing to think that there is someone who knows perfectly how our bodies work and what each little enzyme does, exactly how each muscle contracts, and so on. We think that we know a lot, and we do, but there is so much more to learn.

The Human Body

With regard to physical health, it is important that we take care of our bodies and part of that process involves being wise in what goes into our bodies. God revealed to Joseph Smith a general outline of how we should do this. This is known as the Word of Wisdom (Doctrine and Covenants 89). I find that by patterning my physical lifestyle and health philosophy after the Word of Wisdom is liberating–I feel better about who I am, I am healthier, and I have faith that God will bless me with certain things that he has promised to those who live by the Word of Wisdom (see below). I hope to encourage you to see the wisdom that is found in living the principles found in the Word of Wisdom.

As I have thought about how I should live my life with regard to physical health, I often think of what Paul teaches the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 1 Corinthians 6:19):

“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are (1 Cor. 3-16-17) . . . For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s (1 Cor. 6:19).”

Salt Lake City, Utah LDS Temple

I don’t think that it could be any more plain–we are supposed to take care of our bodies in every way, because they are temples, temples where the Holy Ghost resides. Furthermore, our bodies aren’t ours, they are God’s, because they have been bought with the blood, tears, and suffering of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Therefore, we should take care of them.

I truly hope that you will think about how you treat your body. Do you maintain your temple by eating properly, exercising sufficiently, and sleeping the right amount? I believe, based on what Paul teaches, that we will be held accountable before God for the way that we have treated our bodies.

So, how does the Word of Wisdom apply? The Word of Wisdom and what Paul teaches are in essence the same thing, but the Word of Wisdom gives a few more guidelines for how to maintain our “temples”. The point that I want to emphasize are the promises that God gives to those who live their lives according to the Word of Wisdom (D&C 89:18-21). He states:

“And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones; and 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. Amen.”

Just as the destroying angel passed over those houses in Egypt that had the blood of a lamb painted on their door post (a reminder that it was the blood — Atonement — of the real Lamb saving them from destruction), those that abide by the Word of Wisdom will also not be hewn down. Furthermore, health, strength, and treasures of knowledge will flow into our lives. I know that these promises are true, because I have seen them come into effect in my own life.

What does the Word of Wisdom teach us about health? After the Lord lays out what we shouldn’t take into our bodies, He discusses what we should eat and how we should eat. He states that we should eat mostly grains (D&C 89:14, 16), lots of fruits and vegetables (D&C 89:10-11, 16), and we should eat meat sparingly. And when we do eat meat it should be during the winter or when there is a famine (D&C 89:12-13). The diet that the Lord prescribes is a very sound diet. Your body doesn’t need a lot of excess meat, what it needs most of is glucose and that is supplied by grains, fruits and vegetables. Of course you can’t leave out the fact that their are essential amino acids, fats, and vitamins that we need from meat. But if you eat just a small quantity of meat and variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, you will get everything that you need.

nutrition_veg

In addition, the Lord teaches us that we need to use all of our food with thanksgiving and prudence (D&C 89:11). I find it interesting that he says prudence. According to the 1828 version of Webster’s dictionary, prudence means wisdom applied to practice. This might be a stretch, but what I take away from that is that we need to be wise in how we eat–generally, we should eat less than what we typically do and we need to eat good wholesome foods (double-bacon cheeseburgers, fries, and many store-prepared foods really don’t fit in this category).

I wish that I could talk more about health, there is so much to say, but I don’t think that this is really the forum for that. Please take care of your body by eating wisely, consuming the right amount and types of food, and exercising regularly. It will reap benefits in your life and from what the Lord and Paul teach, we will be much happier and live longer if we do.