Mormon Should Mean More Good
"... I think of what we call the Word of Wisdom. This is a divine code of health received through revelation in 1833, 157 years ago. It proscribes alcohol and tobacco, tea and coffee, and emphasizes the use of fruit and grains. This Word of Wisdom came to us from the Father of us all, the God of heaven, for our blessing and the blessing of all who would observe it.
I regret that we as a people do not observe it more faithfully. But remarkable have been the blessings that have come of its observance to the degree that we have observed it. Newspapers across the nation have recently run reports on a significant California study. It was conducted by Dr. James Enstrom of the UCLA School of Public Medicine. It included a substantial number of active members of the Church — 5,231 high priests and 4,613 of their wives. I quote now from a newspaper story:
"Compared to the other groups, the study found the Mormons had an average of 53 percent fewer fatal cancers . . . 48 percent fewer deaths from heart disease and 53 percent fewer fatal illnesses of all kinds. (Salt Lake Tribune, 12 Sep. 1990.)
Dr. Enstrom, speaking of the eight-year study, said that he "can predict that a very active, health-conscious 25-year-old Mormon male will live 11 years longer than the average American male of the same age." (Ibid., italics added.)
Can you doubt that the word Mormon, spoken in this context, means "more good?" It means, on average, a longer life. It means, on average, a life substantially more free of pain and misery. It means more happiness. It means "more good."
Of course, some of our people suffer from these same diseases that afflict others. Some of them die young. But here are the scientific data, released to the world, of an independent study of eight years made by a faculty member of one of the great universities of the nation, a recognized expert in public health who knows whereof he speaks.
Excerpt from Pres. Hinckley's Oct. 1990 Gen. Conf. Address: "Mormon Should Mean More Good"