Mormon,Mormonism Moderation in All Things

In Section 89 of The Doctrine and Covenants, commonly known as the Word of Wisdom, the Lord tells us to have prudence (verse 11) in our choice of food. The 1828 edition of The Webster Dictionary says the following about the word prudence.

Prudence implies caution in deliberating and consulting on the most suitable means to accomplish valuable purposes, and the exercise of sagacity in discerning and selecting them. Prudence differs from wisdom in this, that prudence implies more caution and reserve than wisdom, or is exercised more in foreseeing and avoiding evil, than in devising and executing that which is good. It is sometimes mere caution or circumspection.

Prudence, that is caution, is a form of moderation. In addition, in verses 12 and 13 of Section 89, the Lord said we should consume meat sparingly and to use meat primarily in the winter or in famine, a clear statement about the need for moderation in our use of meat.

Leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints counsel that we avoid excesses in our lives and exercise moderation in our decisions and activities. President Joseph F. Smith said this of moderation.

The Saints should not be unwise, but rather understand what the will of the Lord is, and practice moderation in all things. They should avoid excesses and cease from sin, putting far from them ‘the lusts of men’; and in their amusements and pastimes adopt a course that looks to the spirit as well as the letter, the intention and not the act alone, the whole and not the part, which is the meaning of moderation. In this way their conduct will be reasonable and becoming, and they shall find no trouble in understanding the will of the Lord. (Gospel Doctrine, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1939, p. 239.)

President James E. Faust said the following about moderation.

Part of the spirit of the Word of Wisdom is moderation in all things, except those things specifically forbidden by the Lord. It is well to avoid extremes in dress, hairstyles, makeup, conduct, speech, and music. Extremes may attract the attention of some, but they are more likely to turn off those you really want to impress.

When I was a young man, my friends and I went to an amusement park, where we rode the flying saucer. It was shaped something like an upside-down plate that went round and round. Most of us tried to get to the middle so we wouldn’t be thrown off by the centrifugal force as the saucer picked up speed. Sometimes those on the edge would grab a friend who was closer to the middle, but that would pull them both completely off the saucer. I soon recognized that the centrifugal force was far less powerful in the middle. I was quite safe in the center even though the saucer was still spinning. But it was risky when someone on the fringe latched on to me. I learned that safety comes from staying close to the center. (April 2003 General Conference)

 Elder Richard L. Evans said the following in one of his essays on The Spoken Word.

To whom, professionally, for example, would we turn or entrust ourselves—to one grubby, unkempt, an extremist who follows frivolous fashion, or to one clean, well groomed, attired in good taste? Clothes don’t make the man, but they may suggest some symptom of something inside. As a certain king once said: “I can make a lord, but only the Almighty can make a gentleman.” It isn’t the label or the ostentation that makes the man. And that which is merely for show, merely for attracting attention to itself, may, by its very nature, be somewhat suspect. And so we need some guidelines on such a variable subject, some basis of what would seem acceptable. And among these are moderation, modesty, morality; reasonableness, self-respect; shunning extremes, along with some latitude for personal taste, but without exploitation or compulsion for profit—the kind of pressures that seem to compel so many people to follow the tyranny of fashion. Of course there is the counsel of Alexander Pope: “Be not the first by whom the new are tried, nor yet the last to lay the old aside” —which is good as far as it goes—but, old or new, there are some things that should never be tried or turned to. Remember cleanliness, decency, wholesomeness, health; moderation, modesty, morality. Beyond these, nothing should ever induce us to follow the tyranny of fashion. (March 14, 1971)

There are temptations for us to focus on one aspect of a decision or activity and not see other aspects that might be important. For example, we have to decide the time we will retire at night and the time we will awake the next morning. These decisions could be difficult since some people in a family might have a natural tendency to stay up late at night while others might want to retire early and arise early. Some families might have a rigid rule about always going to bed at a certain time, regardless of circumstances that might need a more liberal policy about the time. This type of rigid rule might be considered by some people as an excess in establishing family policies and enforcing such policies. On the other hand, some families might have no policy about time so going to bed and getting up from bed, thus allowing each member of the family to decide about these decisions; these families seem to be excessive in their granting of freedom to family members, regardless of age.

The counsel to avoid excesses and to exercise moderation implies that our decisions will be flexible and reasonable and will take into account situations that might require decisions and activities different than those normally used. In the example of sleep that was mentioned above, a family might have a policy that older family members will go to bed by such and such time and that younger members will go to bed at such and such a time. The family will, however, recognize that situations will occasionally occur that involve different times for retiring and getting up, and the family will vary their policy to fit the needs of the family members who are in peculiar situations.

Excesses, and thus the need for moderation, can occur in almost all aspects of our lives. We eat meals that are nutritionally unbalanced. We consume too many calories. We don't get enough sleep to maintain our health. Our teenagers go to extremes in the clothing they wear, the color and styles of their hair, the number and type of rings and other ornamentation they wear, and the music they listen to. Many of us spend inordinate amounts of time and money on our hobbies. We incur expensive debts because we buy houses, automobiles, and clothes that are beyond our needs and that serve, mainly, to increase our stature in the social world of our minds. The counsel of our church leaders to have balance and moderation is wise, and we would do well to heed that counsel.