I’m a Mormon, So…

Chel Owens

I’m a Mormon, so I do not smoke cigarettes or take recreational drugs.

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No cigars, vaping, cannabis, cocaine, chewing tobacco, LSD, amphetamines, MDMA, opiates, psychedelic mushrooms, etc…. Using drugs for non-recreational purposes is fine, as needed for medical reasons. The main rule is whether their use might be addictive and/or harmful.

Prophets have …taught members to avoid substances that are harmful, illegal, or addictive or that impair judgment.

Word of Wisdom and Healthy Practices, 38.7.14, Handbook for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Given this, I’ve personally never tried any of these things (except for the usual pain-relievers, in situations where pain relief was required). This may be a good time to note that I would not immediately go to hell if I had smoked a joint. We do have a policy on repentance.

©2022 Chel Owens

……

Technically, we Mormons are officially members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and are to drop any name but that. Since many still run with the nickname of ‘Mormon,’ however, I will keep pace.

My other note is that I will keep to official doctrinal practices. I will add my own application of them, especially in response to comments.

My final note is that I LOVE discussing anything I write. Don’t be rude, obviously, but any and all queries or responses are welcome.

My final note beyond the final note is that I do not seek to convert anyone. I ought to, but am motivated by forming connections, answering curiosity, and straightening pictures. So, you’re safe.

53 thoughts on “I’m a Mormon, So…”

      1. I tried them once, in my one and only experiment with marijuana. They tasted pretty good, but the trip that followed didn’t impress me much. I’ve stuck with regular brownies ever since.

        Liked by 1 person

  4. What about addictive medicines, like codeine? I’ve been prescribed it on occasions, but I hate taking it. Would that be ok because it’s a medicine?

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Well, a toke or two before a trip, then a coupla beers with a shot or three to chase ’em down jest makes me sharper behind th’ wheel … … … Now where’d I put them keys?

    Liked by 1 person

  6. The thing I find most fascinating and scary about LDS is how effective their methods of teaching rules like this are. I don’t know how they do it , but it works great! If only we could get the whole world to not use drugs . What’s the secret ??

    Liked by 1 person

    1. It is a little scary. 😀 Efficiency is great in my book.

      I wish we could eradicate anything like this that leads to terrible ends; but it’s all in how people choose to use things. The LDS church teaches just as much anti-drug as public schools, after all. It’s still up to the people learning. 😦

      Liked by 1 person

  8. I don’t think the Mormons are really going out on a limb with this one – most people would philosophically agree with the idea regardless of their particular religious club.
    But it does raise some questions in terms of what may or may not be harmful – and, indeed, what the very notion of ‘harmful’ might mean. There have certainly been more than a few people who have reported beneficial results from hallucinogenics and some religions that openly embrace them. Whether or not such things have been good for Kieth Richard or Hunter. S. Thompson, for example, is a matter of debate.
    To be sure though, any belief in a loving, interventionist God requires a degree of rethinking reality.

    But, on a far more basic level, I am inclined to value more strongly the word of those who have tried these things over those who haven’t.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I’m on the same page as you, RR. We had a relative pass away from pancreatic cancer during the COVID years and had arranged for medical cannabis when symptoms developed to be painful.

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      1. Well …. I think that we really are on the same page in many respects, but perhaps not this particular page. You see, there is no way that I would either imbibe or refrain from any of these substances based upon a directive originating in religious doctrine. You are right …. medical cannabis is apparently very helpful for people suffering from cancer (the non-medical variety works just the same, of course) and I think it’s great that this is being embraced by modern medicine.
        But I am also interested in the idea that drugs, alcohol, and all sorts of other things we haven’t even thought of yet, might actually enhance the lives of perfectly healthy people. My own experience is limited – and such experience has been both good and bad. But I am not ready to take a definitive stance one way or the other.
        I am a staunch atheist. I have only recently learned that I am classified in a group referred to as ‘the new atheists’ – more well known members of the group are Richard Dawkins and (the late) Christopher Hitchens. We are, apparently, characterised by own inclination to be almost (paradoxically) evangelical about our atheism. So I should be careful not to preach to you!
        But, hey …. I have been personally invited into the tabernacle in Salt Lake City …. which is maybe not a claim that most Australian atheists can make …. so I really do try to keep an open mind.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. I am quite serious in my suggestion. While I do not currently feel the way you describe, I am ever the considerate of both sides and have walked the world of atheism.

          Liked by 1 person

  10. I went to a pretty conservative Christian university with a strict no alcohol/drugs policy. It didn’t stop people from abusing substances, but it did discourage people from being honest about it. That’s why I’m hesitant regarding religious edicts against using substances.

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      1. Of course it’s normal for students to experiment with different substances, so my classmates weren’t anything special in this regard. But the fact that we were incentiviced to be dishonest about it really bothered me.

        Liked by 1 person

    1. That is a great point, Frank. I love advances in medicine and have personally benefitted from them, but feel confused when others tell me “there are no side effects.” Ha! Even water has side effects.

      Liked by 2 people

  12. What’s the line on over-the-counter pain relief drugs? Say, for a headache or some transient inflammation, to help it on its way; or would you suffer it naturally?

    Liked by 1 person

      2. Yeah. Another way I show my age! Cigarettes were the only thing (other than alcohol) I had access to. They never interested me. Out of the ten siblings (including me because I was one), all but three of us smoked. I hadn’t thought of this before, but we three have other things in common that make us different from the other seven too. Interesting. #3, #6 and #10 so it’s not as if we were close growing up.

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        1. That’s a lot of kids! -Having more kids seems a relic of the past, too, although I am curious how people limited their family size before The Pill.

          Kevin came from a family of seven siblings and there’s a similar, un-associated group that are most responsible. Smoking cigarettes was so much more common, in general, a short while ago.

          Liked by 1 person

          1. It’s interesting to hear there’s a similar pattern in Kevin’s family. ‘We’ used to always say that Mum and Dad never found out what caused it. I’m sure it could be so for some. 😅

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  15. I have drank before but I’m 36 years old and I’ve never been drunk. I’ve never smoked, taken drugs of any kind that were not prescribed to me by a medical professional or otherwise. It took a LOT for me to try CBD and I’ve since discovered just how much it helps me with the list of ailments that I have (from my stomach disease, to my kidney disease, and the many issues have beyond that). I’m so thankful for stepping out of my comfort zone to try it and I’ve come to learn that God made it to help me as well.

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