205 - Did Brigham Young Enjoy Tobacco? I Church History Matters I Word of Wisdom

Summary

Church History Matters – Episode 205: "Did Brigham Young Enjoy Tobacco? Word of Wisdom in Early Utah"

Podcast: Church History Matters
Hosts: Scott (B) and Casey (A)
Date: May 19, 2026

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Overview

This episode explores how the Word of Wisdom—the Latter-day Saint health code—was interpreted, taught, and lived during Brigham Young’s administration. Scott and Casey investigate whether Brigham Young elevated the Word of Wisdom to a commandment, how church leaders and members actually practiced it, and the complex social, economic, and spiritual contexts that shaped its observance in the 19th-century church.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Persistent Evolution of the Word of Wisdom

• Generational Reinterpretation: Each generation reshapes religious principles like the Word of Wisdom, negotiating between encouragement, prohibition, and personal health choices.
  • Quote (A, 02:52): “Each generation kind of has to redefine religious principles for themselves…what are we encouraged to not use and what are we forbidden from using?”
• Early Ambiguity: Doctrine & Covenants 89:2: “Given not by commandment or constraint…but it is given by the will of God.” This ambiguity fueled varying interpretations in every era (B, 04:17).

2. Context: 19th-Century America and Brigham Young’s Era

• Health Reform Influence: The Word of Wisdom arose amid national debates on substances like alcohol, tobacco, coffee, tea, and even spices like pepper and mustard (B, 05:41).
• Sacrifice & Survival: The pioneer era was marked by tremendous physical sacrifice. Survival took precedence over strict dietary adherence (B, 11:39).
• Maslow’s Hierarchy Analogy: The church’s focus was on foundational needs—food, safety—not spiritual or dietary perfection (B, 14:23).

3. Observance in Brigham Young’s Utah

• Low Adherence: Despite faith and sacrifice, Word of Wisdom observance was likely at an all-time low in Utah’s pioneer period.
  • Official Lists Included Coffee: Saints were encouraged to pack coffee for the westward trek (A, 12:52).
  • Tea, Coffee & Tobacco as Campfire Staples: "Campfire habits of the pioneers...included tea and coffee and even tobacco." (A, 13:17)
• No Test of Fellowship: Brigham Young initially did not require Word of Wisdom adherence for church fellowship or leadership (A, 14:40).
• Empathy for the Older Generation: Leaders distinguished between “old fogies” (seen as too addicted to change) and youth, whom they enjoined to abstain (B, 27:30).
  • Quote (Brigham Young, 27:30): “If the old fogies take a little tobacco, a little whiskey, or a little tea and coffee, we wish you boys to let it alone and let those have it who have long been accustomed to its use.”

4. Leadership Views and Personal Struggles

• Brigham Young’s Own Practice:
  • Used tobacco and tea for much of his life, later publicly announced he’d stopped—“almost two years and a half since I have tasted [tobacco]” (Young, 32:09).
  • Advocated moderation and privacy if one “must use tobacco” (A, 42:52).
  • Memorable quote (Young, 42:52): “If you must use tobacco, put a small portion in your mouth when no person sees you…”
• Orson Pratt’s Temptations: Frankly discussed liking tea (“sweetened up and a little cream turned in, it is very pleasant, as no doubt also was the forbidden fruit”) but striving for a good example (A, 21:59).
• Variable Observance Among Leaders: Brigham Young noted most bishops used at least one prohibited substance (A, 41:26).

5. Public and Outsider Observations

• Notable Visitors: Accounts from non-LDS travelers highlighted reduced, though not absent, alcohol and tobacco use compared to national norms (B, 23:57, 24:52).
• Motivations: Abstinence was attributed to voluntary choice, temperance ideals, or simple poverty (A, 26:09).

6. Commandment Status Controversy (Did 1851 Change Everything?)

• The 1851 Vote: At a general conference, Brigham Young asked Saints to sustain abstention—votes were unanimous (A, 30:48).
• Later LDS Leaders’ Retrospective Claims: Leaders (e.g., Joseph F. Smith) would later assert 1851 as “commandment” status, but evidence is murky (B, 29:25).
• Brigham’s Own Words: “I never chose to make observance to the Word of Wisdom a test of church fellowship. I do not think that I shall do so. I have never done so.” (Young, 66:15)
• Practice Lagged Behind Rhetoric: Even after public commitments, compliance remained inconsistent—even among leadership.

7. Economic Factors and Practicality

• Self-sufficiency or Abstinence: Brigham Young proposed growing tobacco and tea in Utah to prevent money flowing out—but not necessarily so Saints would quit, but possibly to export for profit (A, 48:25; B, 49:19).
• Pragmatism Surfaces: Brigham Young’s rationale was as much economic as moral: “If you are one that struggles with various things like tobacco use or tea use, please don’t fatten the wallets of people outside our territory. Instead, use the stuff that we grow ourselves.” (B, 49:19)

8. Reformation and Retrenchment

• Reformation Questions: 1850s spiritual survey focused on major sins and only asked about “drunkenness” under Word of Wisdom (A, 37:40).
• Retraining the Next Generation: Increased emphasis on youth organizations (YM/YW, Primary, Relief Society relaunch) aimed at fostering higher standards, including on the Word of Wisdom (B, 46:34).
• Maintaining LDS Identity: As non-LDS filtered in through the railroad, Word of Wisdom observance became a boundary marker of LDS communal identity (A, 64:27).

9. Sacramental Use and Exportation of Wine

• Wine Used for Sacrament: Brigham Young taught that wine (ideally made locally) was acceptable for the sacrament (A, 54:44).
• Export Rather Than Drink: Saints encouraged to produce wine and ship it to outside markets, not use it locally (A, 53:54).

10. Summary & Reflection

• Observance Rising, But Not Absolutist: Word of Wisdom importance clearly increased, but not at “complete abstinence” level, nor as a strict test of membership during Brigham Young’s era.
• Complex Dynamics: The narrative is shaped by spiritual ideals, practical challenges, and economic necessity, resulting in gradual cultural change rather than instant compliance.

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• Brigham Young’s, “Make it and be damned!” – On saints unwilling to give up whiskey-making, reflecting both frustration and resignation (A, 42:06).
• On substance use among bishops: “I could not learn that there was one [bishop] who did not drink whiskey. And I think that most of them drank tea and coffee.” (A, 41:15)
• Emily Dow Partridge’s 1877 Lament: “Could we find 50 Latter Day Saints in the territory who abstain from tea, coffee, whiskey, and tobacco or considers that it is worthwhile to even give it a thought?” (A, 54:44)
• Brigham Young (1861): “Some of the brethren are very strenuous upon the Word of Wisdom ... make it a test of fellowship. I do not think that I shall do so. I have never done so.” (B, 66:15)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00–02:52: Early framing of the Word of Wisdom’s shifting status and generational tension
• 11:33–14:40: Faith, sacrifice, and the practical realities of pioneer Word of Wisdom observance
• 15:46–19:49: Early church publications, sermons, and Brigham Young’s distillery—what did “rational purposes” mean?
• 27:30–29:25: Leadership attitude: “old fogies” and the aspiration for youth abstinence
• 29:25–34:24: The 1851 “commandment” controversy—did the vote change everything?
• 37:31–39:18: The Church’s Reformation-era “catechism” and what it prioritized (or didn’t)
• 41:15–42:52: Bishops and practical, non-absolutist advice about observance
• 46:34–54:38: Economic arguments, the retrenchment era, and exporting rather than importing or consuming
• 54:44–57:36: Emily Dow Partridge’s critical snapshot of 1877 observance
• 66:15: Brigham Young’s firm stance on not making the Word of Wisdom a test of fellowship

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Conclusion

The episode paints a nuanced, sometimes paradoxical portrait of the pioneer church: Brigham Young and his contemporaries valued the Word of Wisdom, at times called for stricter adherence, and struggled publicly and privately to live up to its ideals. Yet, practical realities, health understandings, and powerful economic factors prevented it from being a strict commandment or test of fellowship in his tenure. The transformation into the form observed in the modern church would only emerge in the generations to come.

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Next Time: The story continues—how did the Word of Wisdom finally become enforceable doctrine and a key marker of Latter-day Saint identity in the early 20th century? Stay tuned for part two.

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Transcript

[A]

Word of Wisdom was not observed in Brigham Young's time the same way that it is in the church today.

[B]

Did Brigham Young elevate the Word of Wisdom to commandment status in 1851?

[A]

It is for us to stop the tide of physical degeneracy.

[B]

If the old fogies take a little tobacco, a little whiskey, or a little tea and coffee, we wish you boys to let it alone.

[A]

And we should point out, at that time they were using wine in the sacrament.

[B]

Some of the brethren would like to have me preach upon it, and many it a test of fellowship. I do not think that I shall do so.

[A]

If you must use tobacco, put a small portion in your mouth when no person sees you.

[B]

But then, as they get more established now, they're in a better psychological space.

[A]

Some even told me that they would starve if they did not make whiskey. I said to them, make it and be damned. Hello, Scott.

[B]

Hello, Casey.

[A]

We're back, and we're continuing our path through the history of the Word of Wisdom. And this has been really fun, first of all. But second of all, I'm starting to understand why this was our most requested topic, because we were supposed to start recording, like, an hour ago, and we've been sitting here arguing back and forth on various questions, and you mentioned you have a son that's in the mission field, and he gets asked about this quite a bit. So what are people asking our missionaries when it comes to this subject?

[B]

Oh, yeah, yeah. Especially when it comes to, like, coffee and tea and stuff like that. Like, people will push back and say, well, that's healthy, you know, but energy drinks are not. Are energy drinks against your word of wisdom? And what about sugar? Sugar is bad for you, right? How come that's not in your word of wisdom? But other things are. And he's out there fighting a good fight. Yeah, talked to him this morning about that.

[A]

And.

[B]

And he says. He says, I'm. We're bringing this up every day. He says there's a lot of skunk smell in the air where he lives, which is not from the animal, but a little marijuana. A lot of marijuana. Apparently.

[A]

A little bit of the wacky tobacco there, huh?

[B]

Wacky tobacky. Yeah. So anyway, yeah, I just talked to him this morning, and there's. There's lots of conversations going on about this every day in the mission field, and I think to some extent in our classrooms as religious educators. But, I mean, it's relevant, Casey. No wonder people are requesting this and want us to talk about this, and the history of it is so fascinating, as we talked about last time, like the Word of Wisdom observance in Joseph Smith's day, that didn't look a whole lot like how we do it today. And so it's fun.

[A]

One of the things we're finding is that each generation kind of has to redefine religious principles for themselves. And it seems like the consistent through line on the Word of Wisdom is this boundary between what are we encouraged to not use and what are we forbidden from using. Because in our conversation, you and I actually pulled up the 2019 statement on the Word of Wisdom, which uses those exact words that we're encouraged to stay away from certain things and encouraged to use other things and forbidden to use some things, too. And it seems like that's the story that every generation is redefining it for themselves. And we sometimes wish that the Lord would come out and say, no, this is forbidden, when sometimes it's encouraged. I would say people are encouraged to not eat a lot of sugar to be healthy, but is it forbidden? No. I remember being in a church meeting once where this older guy got up and started going off on how we needed to stop using sugar altogether because it's addictive. And that is a word that we often associate with the Word of Wisdom. It's addictive, it's harmful. And he's not wrong. I got to have my sugar on a regular basis, and I'd probably be better off if I didn't use it, but I'm not forbidden from using it.

[B]

So, yeah. And each generation does need to figure out how to navigate the tension that is unambiguously in verse 2 of Doctrine and Covenants 89, like we mentioned this last episode, where clearly, on the one hand, the Lord says, this is given not by commandment or constraint.

[A]

Right.

[B]

But on the other hand, in the same sentence, he says, it is given by the will of God. So. So how do you navigate that tension? How do you interpret it? And each generation has done it a little different. And there's been internal diversity, by the way, within each generation, different people interpreting it different ways. And so we've been trying to track, like, how do the church leaders, how are they talking about it? And then how does that sort of trickle down and in the way that the saints live it during that era, which, you know, then leads us to today's examination. We want to know, what about the Brigham Young era? Right?

[A]

Yes.

[B]

How did he live it? And how did the saints during his administration, how were they encouraged to live it? How did they live it? Was it A commandment, was it not? That kind of dialogue. So, lots to talk about today, Casey.

[A]

Yeah. And honestly, in our previous episodes, we have dealt with the fact that the word of wisdom did not come forth in a vacuum, that it wasn't completely out of the blue, Right?

[B]

No. This came in a context of high alcohol use in the US which led to temperance societies popping up all over the place. Temperance movement came about precisely because of the widespread alcohol use. But that was even a subset of a broader health reform movement which was examining the benefits and costs, health costs of things like wine, beer, cider. I'm quoting from a list from that time. Tobacco, opium, coffee, tea, and our two favorites, pepper and mustard. All of these were on the chopping block. All of them were being debated. It's kind of two. Two categories, Right? The categories of harmful effects on the body, one. And then the second category is what are the things that actually promote health, though, Right. Like meat consumption, how much grains, fruits, vegetables. And so, yeah, this is all in the air when the word of wisdom was received.

[A]

Yeah. And like we said, it doesn't come as a bolt out of the blue. It came in the context specifically of this health reform movement, where the very things addressed in section 89 were being debated in society. And so they were already on the minds of Latter Day Saints to one degree or another. In other words, this revelation, like nearly all the revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants, was given in response to urgent questions that the saints faced at the time, while also containing enduring principles that continue to apply in our day.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. And so last episode, we wanted to see how did Joseph Smith live it and teach the saints to live it and how they navigate that tension we talked about earlier in. In terms of this is not a commandment, but it is the will of God. Like, how do you navigate that? And so that was a really fun one. What should we highlight from Joseph Smith's what do you want to review that was so fun?

[A]

Well, I mean, the major thing people should know so that they don't get tripped up is that Joseph Smith did not practice strict abstinence as his interpretation of the word of wisdom. What we do today would be different than what Joseph Smith did. He found that he avoided strong drinks like whiskey, which he openly admits is a big temptation for him. But. But he also occasionally drank wine or beer in social and celebratory settings, and he often viewed such moments as consistent with scriptural precedent. So, you know, we cited an example where he's attending a wedding and he feels like it's okay to drink wine because this is a sacramental occasion. And we should point out at that time, they were using wine in the sacrament.

[B]

Yeah. And at the same time, conflicting accounts from supporters and critics make his exact level of observance difficult to pin down, perhaps illustrating the complexity and the gradual development of how the Word of Wisdom was understood and lived in his day.

[A]

And part of this complexity is that we pin a lot of our understanding of the Word of Wisdom from that time on Joseph Smith. Like, we're looking at him as our example, when in reality, there are a lot of records that show that observance of the Word of Wisdom varied widely among church members. In Joseph Smith's day, for instance, there are a lot of records that show that someone could receive church discipline for excessive drunkenness. But it was never, as far as we can tell, in the historical record, the only reason why people receive church discipline. It was always paired with some other kind of offense.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. For instance, one of the charges made against Oliver Cowdery in his 1838 excommunication was that he was violating the Word of Wisdom. But that was just one of a litany of charges against him. And that one in particular wasn't really discussed much in the minutes from his church hearing.

[A]

That's right. That's right. And that's just one example. It also appears the church leaders and church members varied widely in the use of tea and coffee and tobacco. Tea was often used medicinally, but there's also records of missionaries who refused to drink any tea or. Or coffee, even when they'd been offered it after a long journey. And use of alcohol was discouraged. But there seems to have been less strong feelings about what they called vinous spirits, which were alcoholic beverages made from grapes.

[B]

And according to one account, Joseph Smith even once smoked a cigar right. After teaching a lesson about the Word of Wisdom just to sort of test his audience, which. Which seemed to set off some people in Nauvoo. And so, anyway, the list goes on and on. Go back and check out our previous episode where we. We. We dug into all of that. But that leads us to today's question, which is, okay, so what about the next prophet? What about Brigham Young's era? What was observance of the Word of Wisdom like in his time and place? Now upload all those stories in your mind about, you know, the. The pioneers and crossing the plains and settling Utah. What about that time period? So how should we start with this, Casey?

[A]

Yeah, that's the paradox. Right. Because in many ways, the pioneer Era of the church was sacrifice and devotion to God its finest hour. This is where Brigham young and the 12 lead the Saints out of Nauvoo. There's this epic trek across the plains to a new home in the Great Basin of the western reaches of North America. It's where the headquarters of the church is still located there. This is the era of Vanguard companies, handcart rescues. I usually tell my classes it's so epic and faith building that we, you know, reenact it on a. On a regular basis in youth groups. I don't want to use the word cosplay, but, like, we go out and we pretend like we're pioneers so that we get infused with their, like, devotion, which we really admire.

[B]

I still remember my own Pioneer Trek as a youth.

[A]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

Super fun.

[A]

Huge for me. Yeah.

[B]

Yeah, it's. Yeah. So it's interesting you use the word paradox. I like that it's the paradox. Is this, right? That right during this season of, like, peak devotion and sacrifice to God and the Cause of Zion, Word of Wisdom observance was probably at its lowest point in the church. Like, that's. That's the paradox, isn't it? Like, during this. During this faith in every footstep pioneer Hera Latter Day Saints were less inclined to observe the Word of Wisdom than perhaps any other time in our church's history. And there's probably some good reasons for this, right? Like, for instance, many Latter Day Saints during this time felt that alcohol, tobacco, tea, and coffee had some redeeming qualities when it came to medicinal concerns, like exhaustion and fatigue. Remember, these were considered stimulants. Right. The church was also in survival mode. They're heading into a wilderness. And these are all substances that could travel easily, they wouldn't spoil. And when you got really tired, they could help you pep up a little

[A]

bit, give you a little pick me up.

[B]

Yeah. Now, that might sound like a justification, but I think there's more going on here than just that.

[A]

Yeah. And, I mean, we're not talking about people that are sneaking a little coffee. Just to cite one example, in the last episode, we mentioned that one of the items published in the Nauvoo newspaper that was on the official packing list for Saints leaving Nauvoo was a large supply of coffee. Coffee. And that was on the official approved packing list.

[B]

I don't remember that being on my packing list for my youth conference Pioneer Trek when I was a teenager, but my memory could be fuzzy. Casey.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, I don't remember it either. And we should point Out. It wasn't just coffee either. Abraham O. Smoot, for instance, he mentioned in an 1860 discourse that the campfire habits of the pioneers as they were crossing the plains often included tea and coffee and even the use of tobacco.

[B]

Yeah, that sounds like more than just using these things for medicinal reasons.

[A]

Yeah. And another likely reason that the Word of Wisdom's observance was low during this time was that at least initially, Brigham Young did not make observance of the Word of Wisdom a test of fellowship in the church. As we'll come to show. He did eventually emphasize it, but there's still sort of an argument over did he make it a commandment or if he did make it a commandment, what did he mean by that? Specifically? What's crystal clear from the record is that the word, Word of Wisdom was not observed in Brigham Young's time the same way that it is in the church today. He was focused on getting the maximum number of people safely to the west and then successfully establishing Latter Day Saint communities throughout the region. That's his priority.

[B]

Yeah, it kind of makes me think of like Maslow's hierarchy of needs, where like before you try to be some kind of exceptional self actualized human up at the top of the triangle, you need to first take care of your biological survival needs, right? Water, food, shelter. Then you focus on your safety needs in your environment, stability, protection. Let's get people building homes and stuff and being protected from outside influences that are negative. Then you work on love and belonging in your community and then self esteem, etc. All the way up to self actualization. So it's like when the saints cross the plains and arrive in the desert of Utah. They're right there at the bottom of the hierarchy triangle. Right. They're focused on basic survival, safety, just way down at the bottom. Not focused so much on dietary refinements to optimize their health and living, which seems to be way up closer to the top, near self actualization. But then as they get more established and they have a sense of stability and they build out the community now they're in a better psychological space to begin to explore and to reach for the higher aspirations contained in the Word of Wisdom. I think that makes sense that that's not going to be your sermon when you're out on the plains. It's not going to be about the Word of Wisdom. It's going to be about some more fundamental things than that.

[A]

Now we should be clear here too, in saying the Word of Wisdom was not ignored entirely during this Era either. For instance, the Millennial Star, which is the church newspaper in the British Isles, reported that discussions about the Word of Wisdom had, quote, given ris some dissension in various branches of the church. So they're having intense discussions about among the British saints. And the deseret news in 1850 published a declaration that read, quote, we recommend a thorough perusal of the Word of Wisdom to the twelve high priests, seventies elders, bishops, priests, teachers, deacons, brethren and sisters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and that the officers present the subject before the church and decide whether they are sent forth in the wisdom of heaven or the folly of man. So that's basically okay. Everybody needs to be thinking about the Word of Wisdom and measuring if they think they're doing their best to keep it. If they're sent forth in wisdom or folly. That seems like strong language.

[B]

Yeah. In fact, that same year, 1850, December of that year, we have a record in the journal History of the Church of a meeting that was held where Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Parley P. Pratt and a couple other church leaders met in Brigham's upper room to pray. During the meeting, they concluded to, quote, renew the Word of wisdom. Close quote. But there's still questions about what it meant to renew the Word of Wisdom. Right. Like, does this mean to renew their emphasis on living it? Does that mean church leaders should revive the saints consciousness of it to help them recommit to living it? Like, what does it mean? That is unclear from that meeting, but it does seem to be. You know, there's something that's starting to seep into the church leaders feeling of renewing.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. It seems like the approach to the Word of Wisdom during this time was kind of a mixture of idealism, what we should be doing, and pragmatism, what we have to do. The same year, the Deseret News, for instance, asked members to take another look at the Word of Wisdom. It also published an article taking a positive view on building a brewery in Salt Lake City. In fact, Brigham Young gives a sermon, sermon in 1863, where he cautioned the saints against building distilleries, but also mentioned that he had built one for practical purposes. And here's this word. I went back and I read this entire sermon to try and tease out the context, but here's what he said. He said, okay, suppose I had brought large quantities of goods from abroad, encouraged gold mining, trading, trafficking, speculating, erecting whiskey palaces and gambling saloons. I should have been hailed as a great prophet, a wise Leader and a great financier by those who love to swim in such waters, and hundreds would have been with me, heart in hand. When there was no whiskey to be had here and we needed it for rational purposes, I built a house to make it in. When the distillery was almost completed and in good working order, an army was heard in our vicinity, and I shut up the works. He's making reference here to the Utah War and Johnston's army. Picking up the quote again, I did not make a gallon of whiskey at my works because it came here in great quantities, more than was needed. I could have made thousands of dollars from my still, which has ever since been as dead property. Have others followed my example in this? They have not. But there was a whiskey shop established here and another there. Some even told me that they would starve if they did not make whiskey. I said to them, make it and be damned, for they will be damned anyhow. So, boy, there's a lot to, like, process there where he's saying, I could have been rich if I had just relaxed on all this stuff. But I did build the distillery, and then I'm mad that I didn't get to use it because all this illicit whiskey came into the territory. And for those of you that think you can't survive without whiskey, you're going to be damned anyway. So. Well, there's a. That's an emotional roller coaster, to say the least.

[B]

Yeah, a little whiplash there. I want to know what he meant by. When there was no whiskey to be had here and we needed it for rational purposes. Yeah, I built a house to make it. What is rational purposes, Brother Brigham? He's just talking about washing. Washing hands with alcohol or the word

[A]

of wisdom that mentions using strong drink for the washing of your body. So that's my. That's what my money's on. The rational purposes were for disinfecting, washing

[B]

your hands in whiskey.

[A]

Yeah. Or it's. It's a distillery. So they're making alcohol basically from different substances.

[B]

So it's the first hand sanitizer company that was.

[A]

He doesn't really say it, but that.

[B]

He doesn't.

[A]

Explanation. Yeah, I just.

[B]

I just raised my eyebrow, and he said, for rational purposes. I'm like, say more.

[A]

Well, everybody in the congregation must have been like, yeah, yeah, sure, sure. Rational purposes.

[B]

Like most of Brigham Young sermons, this one is a mixture of practical and theological and a little bit of. A little bit of humor and irony. Let me quote a different one. So. So during this era, we do have a few references to the word of wisdom, but it doesn't rise to the level of what I would call an emphasis of any sort. And I know that's a subjective kind of tier, but I don't. I don't see it emphasized. But let me give you an example. Orson Pratt, he does give a sermon during this time where he says, quote, the word of wisdom was given for our benefit and temporal salvation. It is true disobedience to that is not so gross a sin as some others, but still it is given for our temporal salvation and should be observed for a thing like tea to have influence over us so that we can only obey the word of wisdom two days and then break it until we hear another discourse, and thus breaking our covenants, it shows the folly and weakness of man. Close quote. Well, yeah, so it's not super serious, but it is breaking your covenants, but it's not. It's not as bad as other things. That's interesting.

[A]

He's saying it's not as serious as some other sins. And it's interesting because in the same discourse, Orson was really frank about his temptations with regards to the word of wisdom. For instance, he says, in making these remarks, I take them to myself, although I have, as an individual, been very strict in relation to the word of wisdom since I've been in the valley and years before. Do not I like the good old tea? Yes, I do. When it is sweetened up and a little cream turned in, it is very pleasant, as no doubt also was the forbidden fruit. But it is for me to use my endeavors to have it observed by setting a good example that I may have influence over my neighbor and my family. So I love how he's talking about exactly how he likes his tea prepared. And then he's like, oh, man, it's so good.

[B]

A little bit of cream in there,

[A]

has the turn and says, but it's like forbidden fruit. And I need to set a good example. So you can sort of see them in real time wrestling with the fact that they were raised using all these things, and now they're trying to manage. Like, in a lot of ways, it's really humanizing here to say, you know, even Orson Pratt, this venerable apostle, is saying, yeah, I love tea, and here's exactly how I like it. But it's. I made a promise, so I'm not gonna live it. I'm not gonna do it.

[B]

Yeah. And at the same time, it does seem like some saints did take observance of the word of wisdom really seriously. For instance, Richard Ballantyne he noted while he was selling to his mission in England that many of the missionaries never partook of tea or coffee, quote, preferring to observe the word of wisdom. Close quote. And non Latter Day Saints who came and visited Utah. They also noted significantly less use of alcohol, tobacco, coffee and tea than in other places. For instance, a traveler named Franklin Langworthy who passed through Salt Lake in 1850, he noted that Latter Day Saints did not use intoxicating drink.

[A]

Yeah, and there's another traveler named S.N. carvalho who actually spends 10 weeks in salt Lake City. So this isn't just I was riding through. He notes a lack of grog shops and said that he never saw a drunken man. Another person, William Chandlis, commented after eating dinner with a Latter Day Saint family on the lack of tea and coffee in their home. And he also kind of wryly noted that while the saints had a word of wisdom, this was the only family he had seen that while rich enough to obey, followed the advice. So he's noting that they didn't have tea and coffee, but then he says this is the only family that had the money that actually followed the word of wisdom. So back and forth on these things.

[B]

Yeah, some people probably didn't have enough money to buy that stuff is what I hear him saying. But his family did.

[A]

That might be his justification.

[B]

Jules Remy is another visitor. He summed up his observations this way by saying, quote, although there are neither grog shops nor dealers in any kind of drinks to be met with, it does not necessarily follow that the saints refrain from the moderate use of spiritus or fermented liquors. So he's not fully buying the totally like no alcohol, he says no command compels them to reject certain productions of nature or of art. It is true that Joseph Smith, in a sermon entitled Word of Wisdom, he calls it a sermon that's not accurate. But whatever. Brother counsels the true believers to abstain from the use of fermented drinks and tobacco, recommend such abstinence as a means of arriving at perfection. Not what Joseph Smith said, but we're just going to give that to him anyway. Continuing, the more fervent do abstain with this view, but occasionally they make no scruple of the moderate use of drink. Many of them take beer to make which they cultivate hops in their valleys. Others drink wine when they can get it, and some even indulge in whiskey, which they distill from the potato. Close quote. So he's. He's not painting a picture of perfect abstinence. Or temperance when it comes to alcohol.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. At the same time, too, here's another thing he said. He added, quote, the majority abstain from fermented or spirituous liquors, either voluntarily or from motives of temperance or on account of their poverty. That's three reasons. They're either doing it voluntarily or because they want to be temperate or because they're too poor. And then he added, he said the use of tobacco is less usual among them than other parts of the union. That's the end of his statement.

[B]

There you go. Less usual.

[A]

And so there's clearly some use being observed here, but he's saying it's way less than you would observe in other parts of the country. And another dynamic from this era that we maybe should go into is that church leaders in this time seemed somewhat sort of resigned to the fact that older people were already addicted to these substances, but they didn't want the rising generation to pick up their habits. So, for instance, George A. Smith was a counselor in the First Presidency, and he gave a discourse where he taught that it was disgraceful for any man younger than 35 to use tobacco. This is another fun thing because we would totally say, this is a do as I say and not as I do. But they were actually saying, like, it's too late for us guys, but the rising generation, you guys. You guys can do better than we're doing.

[B]

Oh, man. Yeah. In a 1855 sermon that Brigham Young gave, he emphasizes that he doesn't want the youth in the church to pick up on the older members bad habits. Here's what he says. Quote, this one cracks me up. If the old fogies take a little tobacco, a little whiskey, or a little tea and coffee, we wish you boys to let it alone and let those have it who have long been accustomed to its use. It's far better for these, my brethren, who are young and healthy, to avoid every injurious habit. There are a great many boys here who are in the habit of chewing tobacco. They should stop it and take no more. They're better without it. Some may turn around and say, father, do you think so? Yes, let the old folks have it. But you young, smart gentlemen, let it alone. Close quote.

[A]

Yeah. Again, these are juicy quotes. We did try to contextualize them all. So lest you think that Brigham is guilty of hypocrisy, in the same sermon, he also made a really sincere plea to the adults in the audience to cut back, to curtail their use of substance against the word of wisdom, here's what he Said, he said, it is for us to stop up the tide of physical degeneracy, to lay the foundation for a return to the position from which the human family has fallen. We have that privilege by keeping ourselves pure. If we take the right course, our children will live longer than we shall, and their children shall surpass their fathers and have longer life and so on, till they obtain to the age of those who lived in the early period of the world. So he literally believes, like, if we. If we do this, each generation will get better and better. And I'm. I'm thinking he's, like, implying, like, we'd get back to Adam living to be 930 or Methuselah, you know, multiple centuries of living.

[B]

Fascinating. Okay, I think we should throw in a controversy right here. Are we ready for a controversy? Yeah. And. And whenever we say controversy, I think we're really just talking about complexity. All right, so here's a dose of historical complexity. So some records suggest, and it's also pretty commonly taught later on that Brigham Young officially made the word of wisdom a commandment in 1851. So. So let's just take a minute and explore that. Okay, this is the controversy. Did Brigham Young make the word of Wisdom a commandment in 1851? We should note that this is a claim made by a lot of later church leaders, including. Let me give you a list here. Angus M. Cannon in 1883, Brigham Young Jr. In 1895, Matthias F. Cowley in 1904, and no less a figure than Joseph F. Smith also in 1904. They're. They're talking retrospectively and saying, in 1851, this became a commandment. So let's explore the evidence for just a couple minutes. Did Brigham Young elevate the word of wisdom to commandment status in 1851? What do we know about this, Casey?

[A]

Okay, well, what we know is that at a general conference held on September 9, 1851, an action was taken that appears to have elevated the word of Wisdom.

[B]

Okay, and what was that action?

[A]

Okay, so according to records we have, Brigham Young called on all sisters who would refrain from using tea and coffee to manifest it by raising their right hand. He then asked all boys under 90 to abstain from tobacco, whiskey, and other undesirable elements mentioned in the revelation. And apparently, both votes were unanimous in the affirmative. And after the conference, a letter was sent from the first presidency declaring, the conference voted to observe the word of Wisdom and particularly to dispense with the use of tea, coffee, snuff, and tobacco. And in this thing, as well as many others. What is good for the saints in the mountains and is good for the saints in other places.

[B]

Okay, that kind of sounds pretty official. So what's the controversy? Well, what complicates this is that afterwards, it appears that Brigham Young personally still observed the word of wisdom unevenly, like in. In 1855. Four years later, Jules Remy observed Brigham Young preparing what he called a quote, quid of Virginia tobacco. This apparently happened in private, by the way. Quid, I believe a quid is a pinch. Is that a pinch of chewing tobacco? I don't know the. The lingo, Casey, but, yeah, I'm not

[A]

sure what the lingo is from the time, too.

[B]

My brain says quid is a pinch. I could be totally wrong. This apparent. This apparently happens in private. But Brigham Young was also very public about his struggles with the word of wisdom, for instance, in an 1862 sermon. So this would be 11 years after that 1851 moment. He talked at length about his own struggles to overcome habits contrary to the word of Wisdom. Quote. I have been in the habit of using tobacco a great deal in my life, he said, but it is now almost two years and a half since I have tasted it. So if you do the math, this is what, 1859, probably since he last had tobacco eight years post 1851. Continuing the quote, has the forsaking of it caused me much suffering? Do I look unusually wrinkled, gray, pale, and wan? It's a year and a half since I have tasted tea. Do you think that I have suffered much through the want of it? Do you think that I am less influenced by the gift and power of the Holy Spirit than formerly? I do not drink tea, coffee, nor intoxicating drinks. Does abstinence from these injure my health or improve it? My appearance will answer this question. So he's only recently ditched those habits, apparently, According to this 1862 sermon, a year and a half with tea, two and a half years with tobacco. So interesting.

[A]

But that sermon's given, what, 11 years after the commitment that's made in General Conference, and the fact that all these other general authorities who worked with Brigham Young, including Brigham Young Jr, who is his son, and Joseph F. Smith, like people that know him really well, they all cite 1851 as it becoming a commandment. So that might raise the question, was 1851 when the word of wisdom went from being counsel to commandment? And the second question we might ask is, what does it mean that it's a commandment? It seems to be something that is not strictly observed, although they recognize that. They want to. They want to get there, basically.

[B]

Yeah. Let me give you my take on it, and then I'd be interested to hear what you think. But I think maybe this language of making it a commandment isn't the best framing of that 1851 meeting. Maybe the best way to frame that moment was simply Brigham Young's effort to elevate the saint's commitment to live the Word of Wisdom that God had already given. And that's all right. So he asked that group of Saints, both women and men, to commit and step up their Word of Wisdom observance, which they did. They committed. After that meeting, the First Presidency sends out the letter to the rest of the church saying, what is good for the Saints in the mountains is good for the Saints in other places. To me, that sounds like a recommitment. It seems to me to fall short of elevating the Word of Wisdom to a commandment level for at least one really important reason, which is this. Brigham Young did not, after that moment or ever in his presidency, actually make living the Word of Wisdom a test of fellowship. In fact, he'll state as late as 1861 that he, quote, never chose to make observance to the Word of Wisdom a test of church fellowship. He viewed it as a vital principle for building the physical kingdom of God, but not as an absolute measure of one's salvation. Right. So he continues to encourage the saints to observe the Word of Wisdom, while at the same time, he seems to maintain a pastoral tolerance for this throughout his entire life.

[A]

Yeah, and it's interesting to me that they do send out, like, an official First Presidency letter that's found in messages of the First Presidency. That makes it seem like it's a big deal. But let's look at another official document from this time that seems to give us the counter side. So, in the late 1850s, the church launches this movement called the Reformation, where basically, they've been in the Utah territory for 10 years. It's time for them to start picking up the pieces and putting the castle back together. And so they send out a list of questions to assess their commitment and devotion. And some of these questions are pretty intense. We've cited some on the podcast before, but here's a couple examples. Do you pray in your family night and morning and attend a secret prayer? Okay, that seems pretty standard.

[B]

That's fine. That's fine.

[A]

Here's another one. Have you committed murder by shedding innocent blood or consenting thereto? So things escalated Pretty significantly, quickly, have you committed adultery by having any connection with a woman that was not your wife or a man that was not your husband? That's pretty intense. And that's alongside questions like have you cut hay where you had no right to, or turned your animals into another person's grain or field without his knowledge and consent. So this is intense stuff. Like, this would be the world's most intense temple recommend interview. These are really probing and very specific questions. And with these types of questions.

[B]

And these aren't. And these aren't temple recommend questions, right?

[A]

No, no, no.

[B]

How are they delivered? Are they delivered by home teachers? Or who's doing these questioning?

[A]

I've heard it called the Catechism that basically there's a really well known broadside. You can download it from the church library site that has all the questions listed. Maybe we'll put it in the show notes. And I'm not sure exactly how it was administered. Like if they had teachers and deacons go to people's homes and read this, but it seems like it was fairly well known and it's hung around. And in the middle of this, if all these things are so important, you would expect there to be some questions about the Word of Wisdom. But surprisingly, there's only really one question in the document that's linked to the Word of Wisdom and it is this. Have you been intoxicated with strong drink? That's it. And I'm pulling up the document right now, but there are. It doesn't actually have it, but we're talking like around 50 questions. And that's the only one that comes close to engaging with the Word of Wisdom, which is interesting.

[B]

Yeah. Fascinating that in a list that's intended to assess your commitment and devotion, the level of Word of Wisdom, like devotion, is intoxication. That's when you've stepped over the line big time. Right. So, yeah, that's a little telling when they're asking questions like have you taken another's horse or a mule from the range and rode it without the owner's consent? Or have you branded an animal that you did not know to be your own? Alongside questions about adultery? And that you would think that the word of wisdom would be more intensely probed in our modern sensibilities, but it wasn't. The level was drunkenness and that's it.

[A]

Yeah. So comparing those two documents, that does highlight this idea of, yeah, they committed to it, but it also seems like it wasn't their top concern. Or the fact that it doesn't mention some of the Other substances. It seems like if I were to sum up, Brigham Young is asking everybody to do the best that they could, but he's not demanding strict abstinence. He was aware, for instance, that many bishops varied in their observance of the word of wisdom, and yet this was not a disqualifying factor for them to serve as bishops. For instance, listen to this sermon he gives in 1867. He says, you go through the wards in the city and then through the wards in the country and ask the bishops, do you keep the word of wisdom? The reply will be, yes. No, not exactly. Do you drink tea? No. Coffee? No. Do you drink whiskey? No. Well, then why do you not observe the word of wisdom? Well, this tobacco, I cannot give it up. And in this, the bishop sets an example to every man and to every boy over 10 years of age in his ward to nibble at and chew tobacco. You go to another ward, and perhaps the bishop does not chew tobacco nor drink tea nor coffee, but once in a while, he takes a little spirits and keeps whiskey in his house, in which he will occasionally indulge. Go to another ward, and perhaps the bishop does not drink whiskey nor chew tobacco, but he cannot give up his tea and coffee. And so it goes through the whole church. Not that every bishop indulges in one or more of these habits, but most of them do. I recollect being at the trial not long since, where quite a number of bishops had been called in as witnesses, but I could not learn that there was one who did not drink whiskey. And I think that most of them drank tea and coffee. So we're not talking about, like, the random elders, crew members. He's talking about the bishops.

[B]

The bishops.

[A]

And he's basically saying that almost all the bishops, and there weren't a ton of bishops in the church during this time, had a little problem here or there with the word of wisdom.

[B]

Yeah. And what's so fun about this quote is even after saying all of this, he still doesn't push the bishops or church members for total abstinence. Here's how the quote ends. He says, I say of a truth that where a person is diseased, say, for instance, with canker, there is no better medicine than green tea. And where it is thus used, it should be drank sparingly. If a person is weary, worn out, cast down, fainting, or dying, a brandy sling, a little wine or a cup of tea is good to revive them. He said, do not throw these things away and say they must never be used. They are good to be Used with judgment, prudence, and discretion. Ask our bishops if they drink tea every day, and in most cases, they'll tell you they do if they can get it. They even take it when they don't need it and when it injures them. Close quote. So a little chiding there maybe, of the bishops. A little chiding, but this does not disqualify bishops from serving in their calling, and it certainly is no test of fellowship. And this is, as you said, Casey, this is 1867. So if the 1851 moment was the moment of making the Word of Wisdom a commandment, this history doesn't make sense. Right. Again, I think it's best understood as asking Church members to elevate themselves to the level of the Word of Wisdom, rather than elevating the Word of Wisdom itself, if that makes sense.

[A]

Yeah. And again, a lot of it's wrapped up in the meaning of the word commandment and how they read that. So we've been making it sound like Brigham Young was not very strict about the Word of Wisdom. And that may be kind of true, but I think it's more his practical personality shining through. For instance, he gave a sermon in 1860, this is one of my favorites, where he advised those who use tobacco to be modest about it. For instance, he said, if you must use tobacco, put a small portion in your mouth when no person sees you, and be careful that no one see you chew it, adding, I do not charge you with sin.

[B]

So if you're gonna do it, just do it subtly so people don't see it.

[A]

Like, don't embarrass yourself. It seems like what he's saying here.

[B]

So my order.

[A]

You can't help but love the gu. And how frank and honest he is. But at the same time, too, you know, a modern church member would look at this and go, what was going on?

[B]

What was that?

[A]

What were they doing?

[B]

Yeah. And I think you could say that Brigham Young will get maybe a little more strict as time went on. Like Paul Peterson, whose master's thesis we've been drawing much of this material from. He argues that this happened first because beginning around 1862, Brigham Young was able to begin to curb some of his own addictions to substances forbidden by the Word of Wisdom. And I quoted from that earlier, right. He's like, it's been two and a half years. It's been one and a half years. Right. So once he feels like he's got control of it, he felt maybe in a more of a authentic position to ask Church members to Step up. But second, the conditions of the Mormon economy. This is quoting from. From Paul Peterson. The conditions of the Mormon economy made strict enforcement practical, if not necessary. This is an argument that's also made by Leonard Arrington, who serves as church historian for a time, and he has an article called An Economic Interpretation of the Word of Wisdom. And this is interesting. And it brings up another controversy we should probably talk about.

[A]

Yeah. So you could explain, at least partially, the increased emphasis on the word of wisdom in the 1860s by Brigham Young's own success and finally mastering it. But it seems like the emphasis on the word of Wisdom kicks into high gear with the coming of the railroad, which starts in 1867. The railroad's completed in 1869. Arrington's argument is that the arrival of the railroad, which effectively ends the semi isolation that the Saints had enjoyed from the rest of the country, was a major factor in increasing emphasis on the word of wisdom.

[B]

Yeah. And we spent some time before we pushed record today talking about what that might mean. Emphasis on the word of wisdom might mean that they're talking about it more often, but let's walk through the history here and try to chew on what it meant in terms of observance of the Word of Wisdom. So we've talked in past episodes about retrenchment, which was the effort made by Brigham Young and church leaders in the late 1860s to get members back to the basics. They're worried about the possible problems that the railroad might bring to Utah. Right. It's going to bring the world into Utah. So this. This leads to the. To the relaunching of the Relief society after over 20 years of dormancy. It leads to the beginning of the young women's, young men's and primary programs. Like, we're ramping up the strength of the Saints to be able to withstand the onslaught of the world that the railroad is now going to make possible. Right. So that's one thing.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah. And there were concerns not just about the effect of the railroad on the morality of the Saints, but also the economic impact that it might have on them. It seems like Brigham Young was also concerned that the Saints would spend a lot of money on importing substances that were against the Word of Wisdom and therefore send a lot of their limited resources outside of the Great Basin.

[B]

So you might think that at this moment, Brigham Young would ramp up his rhetoric to observe the Word of Wisdom so that we don't buy that stuff. Right. That's not what he does. Instead, he suggests a novel economic strategy. He Actually saw this as an economic opportunity. He says, what if instead of spending all of our money to import things that are discouraged in the word of wisdom anyway, what if they just grew those things themselves, he says, and then export them to other people outside of our territory? Right. Start making some. Some money off of this. Use the railroad to our advantage there. Here's a letter of instructions he sends out. This is July 1863, right? This is before the railroad is complete. He says, this community, speaking of Latter Day Saints, has not yet concluded to entirely dispense with the use of tobacco, and great quantities have been imported into our territory. I know of no better climate and soil than are here for the successful culture of tobacco. Instead of buying it in a foreign market and importing it over a thousand miles, why not raise it in our own country or do without it? True principles of domestic and political economy would suggest the production at home of every article of home consumption. For herein lies the basis of wealth and independence for any people.

[A]

And then he adds this. He says, tea is in great demand in Utah, and anything under that name sells readily at an extravagant price. This article opens a wide drain for the escape of much of our circulating medium, meaning money. Tea can be produced in this territory in sufficient quantities for home consumption. And if we raise it ourselves, we know that we have the pure article. If we do not raise it ourselves, I would suggest that we do without it. So it seems like observing the word of wisdom isn't just about holiness. It's about the saints being independent and not exporting their last dollar to pay for tea or coffee or things that they're supposed to be avoiding anyway. It was either grow it ourselves, which is harder to do, or do without, which is easier to do.

[B]

Yeah, this is the part we were chewing on before we pushed record, right. We're saying, like, what, what. What is. What is he saying?

[A]

What's the. What's the strategy here?

[B]

Yeah, yeah. So is. Is he encouraging Latter Day Saints to stop using the substances forbidden in the word of wisdom and instead grow that stuff and then export it to make a buck? Or is he just saying, let's grow this stuff and make some money, and if you want to use it, then use the stuff you grew yourself rather than paying for it from. From foreign people that you know thousands of miles away? He says, just use it. Your use. Use the stuff that you grew yourself. So, so, so Arrington, right. Seems to suggest that this is an emphasis on observing the word of wisdom, but just looking at the sources, like, what am I Missing Casey. It seems like what he's saying is the railroad has brought us a great opportunity economically, and so we should use it. And if you are one that struggles with various things like tobacco use or tea use, please don't, like, fatten the wallets of people outside our territory. Instead, use the stuff that we grow ourselves.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

How are you reading this?

[A]

Yeah, I'm trying to fit it into his mindset, because, I mean, this is post Civil War. And I really do think that the Saints during this era, from my study, were sort of waiting for the world to collapse, and then they could go back and build Zion and Missouri and all those kinds of things. And it seems like Brigham Young's big worry, especially during around the last 10 years of his presidency, was that the Saints be independent, that they didn't get sucked into this economic system where they became really dependent on outside imports, and that they could take care of themselves. And as part of that, he's going to relaunch the consecration effort during this time, too, where he is saying, let's try to live the law of consecration again, too. So it's complicated, but it's all kind of wrapped up in those things as well. And it seems to tie into his whole, you know what? I'd rather you not use it, but if you have to use it, grow it yourself or grow it for profit so that the resources stay in our community. It's complicated.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah, it is complicated. And yet, on the other hand, I think with the retrenchment movement by renewing organizations like the Relief Society, and they're going to renew the school of the Prophets during this time, they're going to create new organizations, like I mentioned, Young Men's, Young Women's Primary for Children. Now that we're getting these organizations in place, we're going to have more church institutional mechanisms to be able to reinforce obedience to the word of wisdom. Right. So I. I think that's a good argument that as the railroad is coming, Brigham Young is seeing the dangers of the world creeping in. We're doing some retrenchment. We're trying to strengthen the church, strengthen the young men, young women, and the women of the church. And then now we've got a nice way to talk word of wisdom and to reinforce it and to strengthen Saints commitments to living it and to supporting each other in doing so. So it's interesting that the. The railroad coming in is. Is simultaneously an opportunity for the Saints to recommit to their morality and their principles. But it's also. Brigham Young says Explicitly an economic opportunity to sell tobacco and tea abroad. And so just sit with that tension and just wrestle with that.

[A]

Yeah, it's kind of showing the practical and the spiritual side of his. Like, they're trying to survive. Right. And he sees this is an opportunity for us to make some money. But at the same time, too, he's wrestling with the fact that they shouldn't be using it. I mean, it seems like from the documents of the time, the part of Brigham's plan was to make these substances so they could sell them to the influx of non Latter Day Saints that are coming into the territory. And he also saw how that could be a boon to the Saints who were living in places where they were struggling economically, places like St. George. So, for instance, concerning wine production, he counseled the saints. This is a discourse from 1874. First, by lightly pressing, make a white wine, then give a heavier pressing and make a colored wine, then barrel up this wine. And if my council is taken, this wine will not be drunk here, but will be exported and thus increase the fund. And it seems like a lot of the. Those are from the minutes of the St. George steak. By the way, a lot of the wine that they produced in St. George eventually goes to miners working in the Nevada territory.

[B]

So miners M I N O R s or M I N E R s?

[A]

The. The pickaxe. And yeah. Ers.

[B]

Yeah, they weren't selling wine to miners. Ors. Okay, yes.

[A]

Mine is not.

[B]

Clarification.

[A]

You're quoting one of the great films, Galaxy Quest, right there. But I get where you're.

[B]

Yeah, okay. So. So, yeah, I love the line where he said, if my counsel is taken, this wine will not be drunk here, but will be exported. Like, I think he recognized this was a little risky proposition. He was.

[A]

But I. I also love the fact that he's, like, telling them how to make. Make the wine, like, part of his counsel.

[B]

Gentle press.

[A]

Gentle press, hard press, white wine, sell it to the miners. Yeah, that kind of thing.

[B]

And we should also clarify that Brigham is not advocating that they drink the wine in, like, any celebratory way, but he will teach them to use wine in sacramental services. Like, that's true, which section 89 makes total allowance for. For instance, back in 1864, he expressed his desire, again there, for the Saints to make their own wine. And this is what he said, quote, I anticipate the day when we can have the privilege of using at our sacraments pure wine wine produced within our borders. I do not know that it will injure us to drink wine of our own make, although we would be better without it than to drink it to excess.

[A]

So, yeah, I mean, that's another thing we should probably take into account here is that their sacraments had to do with wine, and they needed wine for those purposes, too. At the same time, too, I mean, maybe the reason why it seems like the sources are so all over the place is that these economic efforts and all this sermonizing move the needle a little bit. But it still seems like the saints really did not follow the word of wisdom, at least not in the sense that we do today. They're better than other people, but complete abstinence, which is what we sort of see as the norm, was not the norm among them. And to cite evidence of that, here's Emily Dow Partridge. She is again daughter of Edward Partridge, original bishop. She's one of Brigham Young's wives, and she writes in 1877, which is the last year of Brigham Young's life, lamenting the state of observance of the word of wisdom. This is what she writes in her diary. Do we as a people realize the importance of those precious words? Do we accept them as the word of God unto us? Are they observed by this people as they should be? Could we find 50 Latter Day Saints in the territory who abstain from tea, coffee, whiskey, and tobacco or considers that it is worthwhile to even give it a thought? Is it not high time to wake up and open our eyes and look about us? If the Lord had no purpose in giving the word of wisdom, why did he take the trouble to give it? And if it is not necessary for us to observe it, what is the use of having it? So that's a pretty frank assessment where she is in a higher level position because she's married to Brigham Young, and she's saying, I don't think there's 50 people in the Utah territory that actually fully observe the word of wisdom, and we're not taking it seriously enough. So she is distressed over the fact that despite all these economic and social and preaching efforts, it just doesn't seem like they were moving the needle significantly.

[B]

Frank assessment, indeed.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So what have we learned, Casey, about this time period of Brigham Young? We've certainly hit on a couple of controversies that sometimes people ask about. Maybe let's review those real quick. So one of them is, why did Brigham Young build a distillery in Utah? And what's the answer?

[A]

Yeah, the answer he gives is for rational purposes. And I haven't seen this one come up super commonly, but I do Remember a couple years ago, there was this organization that was making YouTube videos that were supposed to look like they were faithful, but they'd slip in all these little anti Mormon arguments. And they did bring up the fact that Brigham Young owned a distillery. Now, if you look at it in context, Brigham Young says for practical reasons and doesn't explain further, which might mean it was just so obvious that he didn't feel like he needed to explain further why they needed a distillery. If I were to make a guess, I would say for the washing of one's bodies, like the revelation talks about, but maybe for other purposes, too. Again, we're not saying they strictly followed the word of Wisdom during this time, and they may have needed something like that. So rational purposes is what Brigham Young says and the fact that nobody seems to freak out or raise any serious objections. And then. And this never gets included in anti Mormon statements. Brigham Young actually gets upset because he says, and I never got to use it because the army came into this territory. So did Brigham Young build the distillery? Yes. Why? For rational purposes. Did he ever actually use it?

[B]

No.

[A]

So it kind of turns into a nothing burger once you know all the facts surrounding it. Let me throw one at you. Based on what we've reviewed today, did the word of Wisdom become a commandment in 1851?

[B]

In 1851, I think it's safe to say there was a strong emphasis in General Conference where Brigham asked the people to raise their hand and commit to live it. That's true. Again, I don't see any elevation, any language in that as elevating the word of Wisdom to a commandment level, but rather trying to ask the people to elevate themselves to do better at living the word of wisdom. I think that's the actual language. Right. Will you commit to living it again? Because there was never any test of fellowship. I don't think you can say this is a commandment.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And I know that can be debated. But. But I think if you want to call that a commandment, that's inferential. Right. That's your inference. It's not in the facts themselves. It's your inference from the facts. My inference says no, but I'm just me. Casey. Anything else you want to say about that?

[A]

Yeah, I mean, I would say it's a little bit more than inference because we cited all those general authorities, including Joseph F. Smith. When Joseph F. Smith is really sort of pushing the Word of Wisdom towards complete abstinence, he cites this and he's there. He's part of this whole scene. And then later on, his son, Joseph Fielding Smith, when he's writing answers to Gospel questions, when he's kind of the Q and A guy, he cites this, too. And they both cite the message sent out by the First Presidency, I think, where the difficulty is in the Word Commandment, because we were talking before we hit record here today, like it's a commandment to do home teaching and ministering in the church. Now it's called ministering. And in the average elder score, maybe I'm not throwing my elder scoring president under the bus because he's a great guy and he's trying as hard as he can, but I would say our observance of ministering is pretty low. Like, maybe as low as the saint's observance of the Word Wisdom during the Sinsta Valley. Yeah. Yeah. So. So is making something a commandment, a test of fellowship, or saying this is something we should be doing and not everybody's doing it, but we strive towards striving to do it. Like our ministering isn't perfect, but we should be striving to make it perfect? Was it on that level? And we're giving the Word Commandment more weight than it merits. That's the question I would ask.

[B]

Okay, sounds like we didn't solve that one, but there's the food for thought. You can all draw your own conclusions based on that. Okay, one last one. One controversy we hit on. Casey, what are your thoughts on this? How would you summarize it succinctly? What was the economic argument for the Word of Wisdom?

[A]

Yeah, this was the hardest one for me to reconcile. And I love Leonard Arrington. I think that Leonard Arrington's great, but I went back and read his article, and I just didn't find, like, a really coherent economic argument. Like, it seems like Arrington is saying they had to do it for practical and necessary purposes. They were worried about all of the capital that the Saints had being spent on stuff from outside the territory. And so Brigham Young says, well, let's make it ourselves or just don't use it altogether. Which I guess that kind of hangs together. But it does seem sort of contradictory, too. Maybe I'm misreading Arrington here, but it doesn't seem like Brigham Young was urging more abstinence from these substances as much as he was trying to be practical about what was happening and adjust to it, though. I mean, when we were putting together these notes today, a lot of it did come from those organizations like the Relief Society and the School of the Prophets. Where they were set up to sort of regulate the saints behavior, retrench them. And it's interesting that among the retrenchment, at least the retrenchment that happens in the 1860s and 70s, they talking a lot about the Word of Wisdom and how they need to do a better job with it. So that one's the most convoluted in my mind, and I don't know if I can solve it. But Arrington makes a provocative argument. Arrington was an economist, and so he sort of saw things through that, that, that, that lens.

[B]

It does seem a little contradictory because from the morality standpoint, like the retrenchment movement makes total sense. That's a great argument that now it's time to start talking about the Word of Wisdom more in our better organized church. But that's not an economic angle. The economic angle goes exactly the opposite direction. Right. The economic angle is let's grow tobacco and tea ourselves, and if you want to use them, use them yourself. But also let's export and sell it so that we can bring money into the valley. That's not an argument for observing the Word of Wisdom. That seems to be. To go in the opposite direction. Right. So I'm with you. It does seem a little convoluted.

[A]

And I'm hearing your retrenchment argument and that set off a couple of bells in my head saying, you know, even today we acknowledge that the Word of Wisdom is probably the top first or second thing people think about when they think about Latter Day Saints, that if all these people are coming into the territory and they're losing their isolation and they want to retain their identity as a people, which is what the retrenchment movement is all about. Increasing observance of the Word of Wisdom is a great way to do that. It still sort of sets us apart from other religious faiths today. And so I'd say the retrenchment argument makes more sense than the economic arguments, which seem really convoluted. But maybe someone that knows economics better than me can. Can contradict me. I'd welcome correction.

[B]

Yeah, I think we're at the same place on that.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

As well said. So it seems like we could summarize Brigham Young's era like this, that church leaders increased the importance of the Word of Wisdom, but they stopped short of incurring any serious penalties if a person did not engage in complete abstinence. Right. Like, I think the whole era is actually captured by this 1861 statement that Brigham Young made. He said, quote, some of the brethren are very strenuous upon the Word of Wisdom and would like to have me preach upon it and urge it upon the brethren and make it a test of fellowship. I do not think that I shall do so. I have never done so. Close quote. So he is very aware of, like, all the pressure, like, there's, again, diversity in the church, and there's some people asking him to really just. Just latch down on this, like, make. Make this more. More of a standard. And he's saying, I'm not going to make it a test of fellowship.

[A]

But as we all know, complete abstinence from the substance of the Word of Wisdom is pretty standard among practicing members of the church today. So, I mean, what we're getting here is what we get from every story from church history. It's more complicated than it initially seems to be, that the development of the Word of Wisdom is a layered phenomenon. It's got ecclesiastical leadership, it's got revelation, because Brigham Young several times will say, that spirit is prompting me to emphasize the Word of Wisdom. And then let's throw a little economics in there, too. And all of this is gradually leading us to where we are right now, because one conclusion we can come to is it does seem like they were talking more about the Word of Wisdom, and they were more serious about it than they were in the Joseph Smith era. So we have gone up a step, even if we're not quite to where we view the Word of Wisdom today. We're on that road. We're on the staircase now, moving up, up.

[B]

So as for becoming a test of fellowship, it does eventually, but just not in Brigham Young's era. However, in the early 20th century, there's a series of forces that converge to bring the Word of Wisdom to the level of observance we're more familiar with today. And that will be our story in the next episode.

[A]

Yep. So until then, we'll see you next week.

[B]

Thanks, Casey.

[A]

All right, thanks, Scott.