Re "OK, Mormons, drink up — Coke and Pepsi are OK" (Tribune, Aug. 31):

Once when I was in England, I spotted two Mormon elders along the road and took them to dinner. When the topic of converts came up, I asked how hard it was to get British tea addicts to quit their national drink.

Damn difficult, they said. When they were asked why tea was forbidden, they said many missionaries explained it was because of the caffeine in tea and coffee. But that reason only made them look silly when they were next asked if the ban included Coca-Cola, too.

It is hard to see why God would ever draw the line of righteousness at caffeine when so many fat people addicted to sugar are obviously righteous. Jesus himself said: "Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man."

Joseph DiStephano

Salt Lake City