What I Need to Clear Up: {Mormon's and Caffeine}

So did anyone else watch Rock Center with Brian Williams last night on NBC? They did a special called Mormon's in America.

Being a Member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, I am always interested to watch what the national news has to say about us. There were some parts that I thought were done extremely well. And I was proud in the way they represented the church in which I belong to.
Unfortunately, there are always some ways in which the church is misunderstood. And because of some questions and comments we received while living in Oklahoma, I feel the need to address a particular comment made on the show.

They were interviewing a woman that was a member of the church. She is a regular church goer, raising her family in the gospel, morning scripture study.....and all that jazz.

She said that Mormon's don't drink caffeine.

This is completely untrue.

There are some Mormon's that don't. But there are plenty that do. And maybe I feel strongly to write about this because I am an avid Diet Coke drinker, or maybe its just that I want to clear up a piece of my religion.

Never once, to my knowledge, has a prominent leader in the Mormon church ever said that we cannot drink caffeine. I do understand that some people connect not drinking caffeine to not drinking coffee. Yes, we do not drink coffee. Which we have been directly told not to do.

When we lived in Oklahoma, we got quite a few questions about caffeine and whether or not we were allowed to drink it. There were a few of Mormon's in Mike's law school class, one of which drank caffeine on a regular basis. There were several people that asked Mike about it and why he was drinking caffeine. Mike had to clear up that we can drink caffeine, it's the addiction to caffeine that would be the sin.

Drinking caffeine is fine. But if you are addicted to it, that is where the problem lies. Obviously. But, Church leaders have left the decision of drinking caffeine up to the members.

And the day that one of our General Authorities came out and said that we can no longer drink caffeine, is the day that I'll stop. But for now, I have never been told I can't, and as long as I steer clear of addiction, I am okay drinking caffeine. Some people may frown on it, like the woman on the show this evening, but that is her representation, and is in no way church doctrine.