Vegetarianism and LDS doctrine

[Marduk]

Reading the church doctrine on this (e.g., the word of wisdom) it seems that one possible conclusion is that we should be vegetarians. I mean, we're taught to eat meat sparingly and only in times of famine, and with the ability to get food grown from a variety of different places around the world, right here at home, it seems there is never a tiime of "famine". Does that mean we should be vegetarian? Thoughts?

[habiba]

You've got a snag in D&C 49:18-19

And whoso forbiddeth to abstain from meats, that man should not eat the same, is not ordained of God; For, behold, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and that which cometh of the earth, is ordained for the use of man for food and for raiment, and that he might have in abundance.

Additionally, there was a comma added to the text of the Word of Wisdom that wasn't present when the revelation was given or in publications before 1920 (when the text was broken up into columns) that changes the text a bit. Before:

And it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine,

After:

And it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used, only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine,

That single pesky comma changes things. Lorenzo Snow was pretty clear in his counsel to only eat meat as necessary, but that changed after Joseph F. Smith became prophet. Now the official CES Doctrine & Covenants student manual says:

"[m]odern methods of refrigeration now make it possible to preserve meat in any season", the Word of Wisdom's limitations on the time of eating meat is not as important as observing the counsel to use it "sparingly".

If it's a personal decision to be vegetarian that's perfectly fine (just please take care of yourself! I've known a few malnourished vegetarians/vegans and it's a mess!), but teaching it as church doctrine is not.

[Marduk]

My intent wasn't to say that it was required by such to abstain from meat, only that that possible interpretation could be taken. Continuing on with D&C 49, verse 21 says "And wo be unto man that sheddeth blood or that wasteth flesh and hath no need." So one possible interpretation of that is to say, with the easy abundance of alternatives, there is no need to eat meat.

[Darth Fedora]

Disclaimer: I am a vegetarian. And these are my personal opinions, not anything I'm pretending is doctrine or applicable to everyone.

I've heard the comma argument before, but I find it difficult to swallow that the original intent of such an important document was allowed to be deliberately lost by adding a comma. If that were the case, wouldn't someone have figured it out by now? And what about modern revelation that uses the comma-ed wording and meaning? I just think it's much more believable that at first, not having the comma, the meaning was ambiguous, so the comma was added to clarify, not to obscure. I don't think the meaning of that passage has been changed.

I know that I personally have no need to eat meat (I'm a nutrition major, if that impresses any of you into believing me). I track my diet carefully and even on days that I don't eat any eggs, milk, or legumes, I still get well over 100% of my protein requirement. Most Americans, especially meat-eaters, usually get double or triple the amount of protein their bodies actually use (exceptions being children, pregnant or nursing women, and extreme dieters or people who otherwise aren't meeting their calorie requirements). Multivitamins with iron, B12, and zinc make it very easy for a vegetarian to get adequate and balanced nutrition.

When you add that to the fact that a vegetarian diet can provide defense against obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, and cancer (yes, I have citations. No, I'm not typing them up unless someone specifically wants to look them up), I think the "health card" is a totally legitimate reason to avoid eating meat. That was just for the writers in today's question who didn't think that health is a good enough reason.

So yeah, I think everyone would be happier and healthier if they didn't eat meat. But I also think people would be happier and healthier if they avoided over-processed junk food and exercised frequently. Those are just my opinions. Using agency wisely and learning to live with the consequences of our choices is an important part of mortality.

[Unit of Energy]

I know plenty of people who don't eat meat for health reasons completely unrelated to the benefits of not eating meat. Personally I don't think I would enjoy life very much if I didn't eat meat, but at this point in my life I can't afford to buy meat, so I don't eat much.