Comments on: A Utah Non-Mormon Talks About The BYU Study

By: Jann

Jann — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:53:26 +0000

"So much of my experience with growing up [in Utah] was blaming things on the Mormons." This is exactly why, as a Mormon I do not live in Utah.

"Religious faith also promotes acceptance of one's body. A Cornell university study finds that religious adherents are less likely to perceive themselvles as overweight." (Psychology Today, May 2007, p. 16)

It all depends on how you look at it. The Salt Lake Tribune will cast the data in a way that negatively reflects upon Mormons. Thank goodness I live outside of Utah - not for the Mormons but for the anti-Mormons.

By: Camille S.

Camille S. — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 20:08:35 +0000

One thing that came to mind when reading this article was that mormon women generally have more children opposed to "non-mormon" women, which can cause weight gain. Another factor could be that mormons aren't active on Sundays which non mormons can go enjoy there Sunday afternoons walking, hiking, ect. I wouldn't necessarily say that the direct correlation between mormons who weight more and the word of wisdom is an accurate assessment. You would have to include all the physical and environmental factors. Another thing to remember if you read in D&C 89 that verse that says this is for the "week and the weekest." It probably wouldn't be such a big deal if everyone could use moderation.

By: Rosa Gerth

Rosa Gerth — Sun, 13 Aug 2006 15:57:06 +0000

If I had a dime for every article or study showing that tea, black or green, is actually GOOD for people, and that there isn’t much wrong with coffee as well, I would have a lot of dimes by now. Smith was never original about anything – there were great debates at the time about health damage caused by “hot drinks.” Didn’t God know about sugar? Sweets are many times worse for people than tea or cofee. Also, at the time, people were dying of typhoid fever and tea or coffee should be many times better than water not boiled!!! Where was the “wisdom” of it? Wine in moderation also isn’t that bad for people’s cardiovascular health. Didn’t Jesus himself make wine? Shouldn’t HE know about the “word of wisdom”?

By: Emily Elizabeth

Emily Elizabeth — Tue, 21 Mar 2006 07:53:48 +0000

The answer to that question is two-fold. One, some people are more genetically pre-dispositioned to be heavier than others. But, the main reason is that many people forget the part in D&C 89 that states all things must be used in moderation. So, some people eat more than they should, and that's not obeying the Word of Wisdom. Plus, exercise is required and being active. LDS people aren't protected from being obese. Great post!