In a recent blog post, Dave
Bartosiewicz (the anti-Mormon whose stupidity is boundless) wrote the
following:
Interesting our King of Kings, Jesus, the one without sin, drank wine
but to Mormons, drinking wine is a Sin and makes one unworthy..How can this be
true if Jesus did it? Was He unworthy? Don't think so...Someone got it wrong
and it's not Jesus.. Luke 7:34 The Son of Man has come eating and drinking ,
and you say , 'Look , a glutton and a winebibber , a friend of tax collectors
and sinners!' Please think.. (source)
This only shows that Dave is either a
liar, an idiot, or both (less one be accused of a false dilemma). Drinking wine
in that dispensation and even some of this dispensation was not sinful let
alone something that made one unworthy. Initially, the Word of Wisdom (D&C
89) was advise and by drinking in moderation one kept it; it was only later in
the Church's history that it was strengthened to be a commandment like it is
now. It should be noted that drinking wine per
se is not sinful (it is not sinful when a Jew drinks wine during the
Passover, for example); it becomes sinful when one covenants not to keep the
Word of Wisdom and then breaks it by drinking wine. Dave’s ignorance of LDS
theology on this simple point is staggering.
For instance, on p. 208 of the
current student manual for the New Testament (Religion 211-212), we read
the following:
John 2:1–11. “Good Wine”
There are many references in the Bible to the evils of drunkenness and
strong drink (for example, see Proverbs 23:20–21; Isaiah 5:11–12; Ephesians
5:18). These verses do not specifically forbid the use of alcohol, but they do
condemn overindulgence and drunkenness. In our day, the Lord has revealed the
Word of Wisdom, which does forbid consumption of alcoholic beverages (see
D&C 89:4–7). We should avoid judging the people of earlier dispensations by
the commandments the Lord has given us in our day.
For a good discussion of the Word of
Wisdom and its history, see
Mike also cites many good articles on the
Word of Wisdom and its development in LDS history that one should pursue if
they wish to learn more. LDS historian, Steven C. Harper, has a good book on
the Word of Wisdom entitled, Setting the
Record Straight: The Word of Wisdom (Brigham Distributing, 2008) which I
would recommend to anyone interested in this issue.
That this is the case can be seen in
uniquely LDS Scriptures where Jesus institutes the Lord's Supper/Eucharist
using wine, such as 3 Nephi 18:1-3, 8:
And it came to pass that Jesus commanded his disciples that they should
bring forth some bread and wine unto him. And while they were gone for bread
and wine, he commanded the multitude that they should sit themselves down upon
the earth. And when the disciples had come with bread and wine, he took of the
bread and brake and blessed it; and he gave unto the disciples and commanded
that they should eat . . . And it came to pass that when he said these words,
he commanded his disciples that they should take o the wine of the cup and
drink of it, and that they should also give unto the multitude that they might
drink of it.
Furthermore, in the Doctrine and
Covenants, Jesus allows for the use of wine for the Lord's Supper and even
states that wine will be consumed in the Messianic Banquet:
Listen to the voice of Jesus Christ, your Lord, your God, and your
Redeemer, whose word is quick and powerful. For, behold, I say unto you, that
it mattereth not what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink when ye partake of
the sacrament, if it so be that ye do it with an eye single to my
glory--remembering unto the Father my body which was laid down for you, and my
blood which was shed for the remission of your sins. Wherefore, a commandment I
give unto you, that you shall not purchase wine neither strong drink of your
enemies; wherefore, you shall partake of none except it is made new among you;
yea, in this my Father's kingdom which shall be built up on the earth. Behold,
this is wisdom in me; wherefore, marvel not, for the hour cometh that I will
drink of the fruit of the vine with you on the earth . . . (D&C 27:1-5a)
Furthermore, to see the anachronism Dave
is guilty of, imagine a critic of the Bible reading Peter's vision declaring
all foods to be acceptable in Acts 10 and then arguing that Moses was en par
with the Judaizers in Galatia who were condemned by Paul for introducing the
clean/unclean distinction. If that sounds absurd (which it is), keep in mind
Dave is doing the same thing, but is being serious.
One could go on, but it is clear that Dave
Bartosiewicz is way out in the left of field on this issue, and, sadly, the
very nature of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. His inability to engage in
exegetical and logical reasoning is seen in my
responses to some of his works, as well as our brief email
exchange where his lack of integrity became explicit from the get-go. The
man is clearly unregenerate and a purveyor of a false gospel (cf. Gal 1:6-9).
