Drinking is not a sin. Otherwise Jesus would have not turned water into wine on that wedding (see John:2 for details) for people to drink. Plain and simple. Period. Any objections?
I'll drink to that.... No really, like right now a 16 oz Miller lite in my hand. But I just got home from work so I have an excuse for drinking at 7:35 a.m. plus it's only one before I go to bed.
There is another passage I prefer to that one .. Deut 14 The Law of the Tithe 22 “Set aside a tithe—a tenth of all that your fields produce each year. 23 Then go to the one place where the Lord your God has chosen to be worshiped; and there in his presence eat the tithes of your grain, wine, and olive oil, and the first-born of your cattle and sheep. Do this so that you may learn to honor the Lord your God always. 24 If the place of worship is too far from your home for you to carry there the tithe of the produce that the Lord has blessed you with, then do this: 25 Sell your produce and take the money with you to the one place of worship. 26 Spend it on whatever you want—beef, lamb, wine, beer—and there, in the presence of the Lord your God, you and your families are to eat and enjoy yourselves. Talking about a big Summer Solstice Thanks-giving party --- get the tribes together and have a big wooo how .. ! probably some heavenly Hash going around as well .. as this is part of how YHWH and his Consort Asherah was worshiped .. Jah .. Rastafa !
I'm Southern Baptist. Officially the Southern Baptist church takes an abstinence stance not because it's a sin to consume alcohol but because Alcohol can lead into destruction...addiction and destroy families and health. Southern Baptists don't have to abstain to remain in the church if they disagree unless they are in a leadership position...like a Pastor. Personally...I enjoy a glass of wine at the end of the day or with a meal. But I also found that one can easily learn to depend on that one drink as the only thing that can relax you at the end of the day. Being dependent on Alcohol simply isn't healthy. So I'm very occasional now. Church families are there to offer people choices....and some offer wine during communion. And some has the official abstaining of Alcohol in their mission. Just a difference of opinion. Being drunk is a sin but drinking wine is not.
Yep. Glass of wine or couple of cold ones are not the problem. Drunkenness is what gets people in trouble and what the Bible warns about.
Well, I am dependent on food. If I don't eat good everyday, I become nervous, grumpy, even evil. What are we gonna do about that? How do I get over my food dependency?
I don't think alcohol is the problem. Its what drinking too much leads some people to do that is the problem. If you can handle your liquor, then there is no problem.
I surprised you want to start a debate about it. If you think its ok to depend on alcohol---then fine. Get dependent. For me---I thought it an unhealthy place to feel panic if I didn't have wine in the house. But that is me.
We are dependent on many things - food, water, gas, electricity, lately the Internet. It is a fact, whether you like it or not. What now? No more than not having sunflower oil or salt in the kitchen. And yet, some people panic if they run out of those items. Is this bad?
I have, but I grew up Southern Baptist. They even tried telling us that the "wine" mentioned in the New Testament was actually just grape juice and it was a mistranslation. There are multiple problems with this interpretation.
I usually drink regular bush, just the store closest to us was out and I didn't feel like driving eight extra miles for the bush
Man, that reminds me of a public speaking class I took in college. My high school journalism teacher taught it, and she was super religious. One of the girls in the class chose to speak about the religious significance of pot. The prof looked uncomfortable the entire time the speech was going on, but she still gave her an A.
Maybe I havn't known a lot of Pastors, but I recall the one from the church I used to go to having his share of beer at his daughters wedding. Maybe you're just going to all the wrong churches?
Drinking in moderation. Many people are not very good about controlling themselves though. If someone finds they have trouble only drinking one drink and has to drink multiple times on different days of the week, it probably may not be wise for them to continue drinking at all. If they become a slave to the drink, then it is a sin. (Gluttony can be a sin too, but usually alcohol is considered much more problematic than food) Would you try to argue that smoking opium is not a sin, when the majority who smoke it a few times will inevitably become hopelessly addicted? That seems to be very foolish. Wouldn't that be like going to a remote cabin with a woman who is not your wife and then getting naked? But thinking you will have the willpower to stop it there. Something can be like a sin if it is very likely to lead to a sin. In many cases alcohol can be a grey zone. There are several stories of men who got drunk and then made very foolish decisions. (Genesis 19:30, Daniel 5:1, Matthew 14:6 )
Old Baptist joke....If you take a Baptist fishing he'll drink all you beer. If you take two Baptists fishing they won't touch your beer.
lol, my wife and I tell that joke all of the time. And, given my family fishing trips, I can tell you it is quite accurate. My most "observant" and wealthiest uncle still invites the "menfolk" to his fishing cabin once a year, and we play a game of hiding our drinking from him while he pretends not to notice. He caused quite the stir this year when he informed his wife that any gender non-conforming kids will be welcome to attend moving forward.
It's absolutely accurate and it's Biblical from a Baptist perspective. There is nothing in the Bible that says drinking alcohol is a sin. Ephesians 5:18 says don't drink too much, but it doesn't say what too much is. Also, we are not to do anything to make our brother stumble. If your friend thinks it's a sin, then we are not to do it in front of him so as not to upset him. 1 Corinthians 8:7-13 Their example was breaking with Jewish traditions concerning diet, but it could just as easily apply to alcohol. I choose not to drink because I want my sons to follow my example, but there is nothing wrong with drinking responsibly.
