Why can't mormons date until they're 16?

Question

Also, why can't they have caffeine?

Answer 1

The "Don't date until you're 16" concept is a guideline, not official church doctrine (the guidelines also say youth may attend dances at age 14, and when starting to date, that they go in groups, which I personally think can be more fun at that age anyway). It's to allow time for youth to learn about appropriate and inappropriate activities in dating relationships, and to (hopefully) learn to be mature enough to handle being in such a relationship.

As for caffeine, there's no doctrine against consuming it. Section 89 of the Doctrine and Covenants (known more commonly as the Word of Wisdom) states that people should not consume, among other things, "hot drinks" (some time after that was given, Joesph Smith was asked to clarify what "hot drinks" meant, and he stated that it was specifically referring to coffee and tea; none of the presidents of the Church have since provided any different interpretation of the term, so that's what official Church policy remains to this day).

(And no, the Mormon Church doesn't own a majority of Coca-Cola, Pepsi, or any other such business. See the link below for an article on Snopes.com, a website that works to show whether popularly held beliefs about a variety of things are really true or just an urban legend.)

Answer 2

You've got some really good answers already, but I just wanted to add some comments.
Someon said:
The caffeine has now changed to only warm caffeinated beverages. They also own big shares of Coke a Cola co.

I almost fell off my chair when I read that. First of all, the Word of Wisdom (health code) has not changed at all! It never even mentions caffeine, so how can it change to just warm or whatever? Also, the Coca Cola thing is just a myth -- not true.
Many (not all) Mormons avoid caffeine because the Word of Wisdom (a revelation from God) advises us not to drink "hot drinks." It says "And again, hot drinks are not for the body or belly." It doesn't say why or go into detail about what "hot drinks" are. Members of the Church have interpreted it to mean Coffee and Tea. What's wrong with coffee and tea? Well, apparently its the caffeine, which is a drug -- a stimulant. But that's not spelled out in the revelation. So its a bit extreme to go and stop consuming all sources of caffeine, like chocolate. But each one takes God's counsel as he feels best.

Answer 3

Coming from a mormon background and having my kids brought up in the calvinst thelology church, it is great that the mormons have one standard for everyone and the church I go to , all the teens and there parents have so many differnat styles on relationships, some let their kids date early, some make them wait, some won't ever let their kids date until theya re out of th ehouse, some believe in courting (Ikissed dating good-bye...by Joshua Harris) but Mormons still kiss and make-out and leave it up to the female how far to first or second base the making-out goes from what I remember, a big burden for a teenage girl to carry.
As for caffeine, its addicting so some mormons don't drink sodad drinks with caffiene in them. So you will see mormons hooked on chocolate.

Answer 4

It's a guideline not a rule. The guideline is no "single dating" until 16 "group dating" at 14...

Single dating: A one on one date..
Group dating: 2 or more couples going out together..

Each parent decided for their child if they want to apply the guideline... The guideline is there to discourage teens being alone with the opposite sex in the hopes it will dissuade sexual behavior..

Caffeine: It's part of the Word of Wisdom.. A series of do's and don't to promote healthy living.. Tobacco, strong drink (coffee, tea, etc.) and others things are don't...

Below is a link to the actual text of what is commonly called the Word of Wisdom...

http://scriptures.lds.org/dc/89

Answer 5

Most Mormon teens don't date until they're 16 because that's usually the age when parents let them date. It's about obeying parents' rules more than anything else. As far as drinking caffeine that's totally up to the person to make that choice for his or herself. Most Mormons who don't drink caffeine make it their own choice.

gw

Answer 6

Dating until 16 applies to single dating... It is just a good rule of thumb... teen pregnancy in our church is very low due to certain rules being in place... these are guidelines that are given to families. It is up to the parent to enforce them. It's just good parenting.

As for the caffeine thing. This has never been a rule in the church or part of the Word of Wisdom... True the Prophet Spencer W. Kimball recommended we stay away from it... simply because it can be addicting and it is not the best thing for our bodies. Strong drink refers to coffee and tea, but not due to the caffeine... it is due to other ingredients such as tantic acid found in both. Tantic acid is used in the leather industry to tan hides. Imagine what prolonged use does to your stomach? Hot chocolate does not have tantic acid in it.

Answer 7

Im not a Mormon, but that has always been the rule in our home for generations. No dating til 16 applied to both girls and boys for at least 5 generations that Iam aware of.

Answer 8

It's more of a guideline. A lot of my non-LDS friends couldn't date until they were 16 either, so it's not that different. Caffeine is just supposed to be limited, because too much isn't good for your body.

Answer 9

It's mostly about responsibility. Most LDS kids go through classes in their church that teach them to abstane from sex, and also teaches them the importance of marrage in the temple and to think about a mission one day if they are boys. Also, they are at an age where they may make the wronge choices and regret it. Most LDS families believe that sins can be forgiven but some things can't be changed and it is far better NOT to sin then to have to clean up a mess.

We are a strick people, but the outcome is always good.

As far as caffeine. It's not good for your body. Neither is Mc Donalds you may say. Well our bodys are a temple and we should respect and preserve them. We will have them hopefully for a long time. We try to teach our children this wisdom by expecting them to eat healthy.

God bless.

-JD

Answer 10

Caffeine is a drug and we believe in abstaining from (recreational, not medicinal) drugs.

No dating until 16: Yeah, it seems pretty limiting. But it's not intended to. A kid at 16 is still pretty immature, and often lacks the wisdom to make good decisions. We discourage (strenuously discourage) pre-marital sex (and all the numerous problems which accompany it!) and try to give our youth other things to do besides focus on sexuality. Kids who are dating young tend to get in "trouble". Period.