View source for Question: Did Joseph Smith give some of the brethren money to purchase whiskey in violation of the Word of Wisdom?

{{FairMormon}}
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==Question: Did Joseph Smith give some of the brethren money to purchase whiskey in violation of the Word of Wisdom?==
===The use of whiskey as a stimulant while traveling was allowed, but abusing it by getting drunk was not===
Liquor in judicious amounts was used as a medicinal substance, and seen as a stimulant or restorative against fatigue. This is why Joseph "investigated the case"--he wished to know if the use had been acceptable or to excess. (In a similar way, a modern-day Church leader who heard that a member was using morphine might investigate to discover if such use is appropriate--e.g., under a doctor's supervision in proper prescribed amounts for a legitimate ailment--or whether they were abusing it to get "high".)

Here's what Joseph said,
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The company moved on to Andover, where the Sheriff of Lee County requested lodgings for the night for all the company. I was put up into a room and locked up with Captain Grover. It was reported to me that some of the brethren had been drinking whiskey that day in violation of the Word of Wisdom.

I called the brethren in and investigated the case, and was satisfied that no evil had been done, and gave them a couple of dollars, with directions to replenish the bottle to stimulate them in the fatigues of their sleepless journey.<ref>''Millennial Star'' 21:283</ref>
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===The complete prohibition on alcohol was phased in gradually===

Critics of the Church who use this quote as evidence that Joseph disregarded the Word of Wisdom also do not inform readers that the complete prohibition on alcohol was a [[Word_of_Wisdom#Phasing in of enforcement|gradual matter]], and so Joseph's judgment on the issue was possible (which explains why no one at the time was shocked or outraged by it). Later nineteenth century Mormons, such as [[Word of Wisdom/Brigham Young's whiskey distillery|Brigham Young]], understood the matter in the same way, and also distinguished between the excessive and judicious use of spirits.
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{{endnotes sources}}
[[Category:No Man Knows My History]]
[[Category:The Changing World of Mormonism]]

[[es:Pregunta: ¿José Smith dio a algunos de los hermanos dinero para comprar whisky en violación de la Palabra de Sabiduría?]]
[[Category:Questions]]