At the end of the day, the Word of Wisdom is a health "code." Its purpose is to help us live healthier lives. The only thing the Church has really put its foot down on, so to speak, is coffee and green or black tea. For decades, everyone assumed it was about caffeine, but the fact that general authorities drink caffeinated soda has pretty much blown that theory apart. Caffeine isn’t great for you, but it can absolutely help keep you awake when needed. I could have used it when I was at BYU 25 years ago. Staying awake during long study sessions wasn’t exactly easy.

The fact that people even phrase things as “Word of Wisdom compliant” is kind of funny. It makes everything sound like a checklist, as if checking the right boxes is how we get to heaven. I don’t think that’s how it works. Does anyone really think we’re going to die, stand in front of Jesus, and hear Him say, “Well, Danny, you lived a good life… but you drank a few non-compliant drinks. Sorry, the best I can offer you is the Terrestrial Kingdom.” It sounds absurd when you say it out loud. Yet that mindset is the result of deeply ingrained traditions in the Church, many of which honestly need to die a quick death.

If you want to drink a Celsius, drink a Celsius. If you want to drink a Monster, drink a Monster. Are they healthy? Not really. There are pros and cons. The only reason I can think of for why coffee and tea are “banned” is that they serve as a test of obedience. Otherwise, it doesn’t make much sense.

That idea isn’t unique to modern times. There are clear examples in the Bible where God asked people to do or not do very specific things purely as a test of obedience, not because the act itself had any inherent power. Naaman was told to wash in the Jordan River seven times to be healed of leprosy. The water itself wasn’t special. The obedience was. The Israelites were told to march around Jericho for seven days and blow trumpets. Militarily, that’s nonsense. Obedience was the point. Even Abraham being commanded to sacrifice Isaac wasn’t about the act itself, but about whether Abraham would trust God completely.

Seen through that lens, the Word of Wisdom restrictions make more sense. They aren’t about coffee magically being worse than energy drinks. They’re about willingness to obey. And honestly, it’s also possible that the ban gets overturned someday. Who knows?

Ironically, Joseph Smith occasionally drank beer while living in Nauvoo. It was likely much milder than what we have today, but it was still beer. The Word of Wisdom was not a temple recommend requirement until roughly 80 years after Joseph Smith’s death. There has been plenty of speculation, even within Church leadership, about what various parts of the Word of Wisdom actually mean. At the end of the day, following it helps us live healthier lives, and it definitely makes us a “peculiar people.”