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You have asked about our standard of avoiding tea, coffee, tobacco, drugs, and alcohol and state that you do not understand how God can not want us to have caffeine.
The reason we avoid these things is because they are addictive. It is our belief that we must not become slaves to such substances or we lose free agency. Not only do we lose agency, but modern day medicine has proven that caffeine, tobacco, and alcohol are harmful to the body. They affect one’s health greatly, and are responsible for such problems as heart attacks, high blood pressure, cancer, and failure of internal organs. If indulged in regularly, these addictions will keep us from being able to control our own lives and live long and happy on this earth. Along those same lines, I believe that anything addictive should avoided. A job can sometimes overtake ones life to the point that he or she becomes a workaholic. I love the scripture in the Book of Mormon where it says "O be wise; what can I say more?" (Jacob 6:12)
Your second question has to do with what happens when we die and whether or not there is actually a heaven.
I want to assure you that there is a heaven. It has many parts. The highest degree of that heaven is called the Celestial Kingdom of God where our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ
dwell. Our Lord’s plan of salvation gives us the direction and the promise that if we will learn of Christ and His ways and do all that we can to lead Christ-centered lives, when we come
to the end of this life our spirits will leave our bodies and return to Paradise. There we will rest in a state of happiness and joy mingling with friends and family from the past, awaiting the
day of our own glorious resurrection where our physical body and our spirit will be reunited as a perfected, immortal body and we will live forever in the kingdom.
Zoe, I assure you that the Lord knows who you are. He is mindful of you and he guides you ever carefully to that plan of salvation so that you can learn for yourself and know personally
with total assurance that what I have just told you is true. If you like, I would be happy to have a couple of young women who represent our Church call on you and explain exactly what
we believe and why regarding this and many other questions. Please let me know if I should do that.
Donny
Sincerely,
Donny Osmond
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