History of the Word of Wisdom

Mormons are not
supposed to drink coffee

The next topic at LDS-Church-History will be the Word of Wisdom.  Every day, a few items regarding the history of the Word of Wisdom will be posted, gradually covering its entire history.

Some have suggested the Word of Wisdom has taken the place of polygamy as the common outward badge of identification for Latter-day Saints.
With the abandonment of polygamy by the LDS church and the increased enforcement of the Word of Wisdom into the mid-20th century, members of the Church of Jesus-Christ of Latter-day Saints are more likely to be identified as those who don't drink coffee, alcohol, or smoke.

A vigorous temperance movement
swept the U.S. in the early 19th century

Factors related to the Word of Wisdom include an evolving standard of compliance for church members 
influenced by the prohibition movement.  Another important factor for the Word of Wisdom, was temperance movement in the early 19th century that caught the attention of the early saints, and could have served in part as a catalyst for the revelation.

The overall spirit of the Word of Wisdom is healthy living.  More specifically it suggests avoidance of habit-forming substances with a focus on healthy foods.  Latter-day Saints have enjoyed a greater measure of health by following these standards.

Items related to the Word of Wisdom are pulled from a database of church history built from a wide variety of sources. The goal of LDS-Church-History is to  to provide as complete of an understanding as means will permit. Several items will be posted each day via Blog, Email, Twitter, Facebook, and Feed.  Consider subscribing to one of these to get your daily dose of church history.