Discovering the Word of Wisdom: Getting to the Meat of D&C 89, Part II
FEATURES
- Who Is a Mormon? by Christopher D. Cunningham
- 746 Times: What a Word Cloud Revealed About the April 2026 General Conference by Patrick D. Degn
- Broadway’s Last Acceptable Bigotry by Joel Campbell
- An Experiment in Prayer: Ocean to Ice by Mike Loveridge
- Shamar: What It Means to “Keep” the Commandments in Hebrew by Steve Densley, Jr.
- What Joseph Smith Saw in Exodus That We’ve Been Missing by Alvin H. Andrew
- (Re)Discovering Lorenzo Ghiberti’s “Gates of Paradise” at the BYU Museum of Art by John Dye
- “All Things Point Us to the Savior’s Atonement”–Come Follow Me Podcast #19: Exodus 35-40; Leviticus 1; 4; 16; 19 by Scot and Maurine Proctor
- When You Only Have Five Minutes to Get Out by Carolyn Nicolaysen
- When Symbols Become Idols: Remembering What Points Us to Christ by Spencer Anderson
















Comments | Return to Story
ChrisDecember 10, 2014
This is an excellent analysis. I would like to add another reason for these verses: The welfare of animals themselves. JST Gen 9:11 "And surely, blood shall not be shed, only for meat, to save your lives; and the blood of every beast will I require at your hands." Furthermore the words "sheddeth blood" or "wasteth flesh" referred to in D&C 49 don't seem to be referring to health concerns, but to the needless slaughtering of an animal. Finally, with regard to the word "sparingly," as used in the Word of Wisdom, Hyrum Smith wrote at the time "Let them be sparing of the lives of animals." Take a look at a more full explanation here: https://www.vegsource.com/articles/catano.htm Thank you, Jane, for this wonderful article.
ElisabethDecember 9, 2014
The warning against the unnecessary shedding of blood directly contradicts your earlier assertion that eggs and milk products are simply liquid meat. Milk and eggs do not require the shedding of blood; therefore, they are not under the prohibition.
ADD A COMMENT