Is drinking alcohol bad

Hieromonk Joined : 20 May 2008 Posts : 154

I have my opinions on this matter but I'm also interested in hearing from you guys.

First the Bible condemns drunkenness
Proverbs 20:1
Wine is a mocker and strong drink is a brawler;
whoever goes astray by them is not wise.

Isaiah 28:1
Woe to that wreath, the pride of Ephraim's drunkards,
to the fading flower, his glorious beauty,
set on the head of a fertile valley—
to that city, the pride of those laid low by wine!

Ephesians 5:18
Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

Galatians 5:16-21
16So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. 18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
19The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God

The Bible is quiet on the fact of drinking them just over indulging. Many conservative Christians abstain completely from alcohol. I've been to a number of churches that feel this way. The only chapters that I find close to this are as follows:
1 Corinthians 8:13
Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall.

I can see that it may be wise to avoid this to prevent a brother to fall into sin.

Thoughts, opinions.

Subject: Re: Is drinking alcohol bad Tue May 20, 2008 8:07 pm

nono... you're missing a bunch. not the least of which:

1 Timothy 5:23
23(No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.)

you have to realize back then there was no such thing as grape juice. thats a new invention. if you had grapes back in the day (really until just over a hundred years ago 1869 see wikipedia grape juice) you ended up with wine, not grapejuice... stopping the fermentation is a new prospect... so anytime they put grapes in a grape skin you had wine. there's a buttload of talk of wineskins in the bible yo.

there can be no argument against alcohol altogether when jesus' first miracle was water into wine (and yes we know it was not grape juice) at a serious wedding feast.

just my thoughts, tho drunkenness definitely is frowned upon eh.
_________________
"sometimes a little more than you think you want is still a little less than you actually need"
"brilliance seems too often masked by stupid people"

Postulant Joined : 20 May 2008 Posts : 5

Alcohol is great. But like most things, it's best in moderation.

I waited until my 21st birthday to have my first beer. In the year since then I've only been drunk a handful of times, with mixed results. In some cases, it was off of crappy beer with crappy people and it wasn't much fun at all. In other cases, it helped me relax and have a ton more fun than I would have had I been sober.

The key word in most of the quoted passages is "drunkenness," which I take to be a pattern or habit of being drunk, it is by no means condemning occasional drinking. But with that, you also have to consider the people you're with and their vices. If a friend of your has struggled with alcoholism in the past, it's downright thoughtless to take him or her to a bar for a night out...even though it's not morally wrong for you to be there, that may not be the case for your friend, and respecting that is important.

Subject: Re: Is drinking alcohol bad Tue May 20, 2008 8:39 pm

Yoj shhhokulllnnt postt awh hw==yoo hafve dtanknen too m c uh a shd.

Smile

;; :"::: [;[';kl :] Smile

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Xenophile Joined : 09 May 2008 Posts : 147

In a nutshell:

Okay to drink alcohol, not okay to get drunk.
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\_ My blog: Discipulus Scripturae

Hieromonk Joined : 20 May 2008 Posts : 154

Interesting comments, thanks guys.

Personally I have no problems with having a beer. I was curious to see if there were any other opinions on the matter.

Like I said, I've been involved with some churches that basically disagree with that assessment. I respect their position and their desire to live a life glorifying the Lord, they choose to include abstaining from alcohol as part of that effort. You cannot fault them, and I don't Smile

Subject: Re: Is drinking alcohol bad Wed May 21, 2008 10:30 am

when i joined the ministry i'm in now I had to sign a waiver that said i'd be willing to not drink or smoke for the duration of my time in the ministry. I was bummed, but very willing to give them up to do what I do. Then i found out they just needed to make sure I was willing if I had to... they've never asked me not to (just to be responsible), and a beer with my buddies is part of my minitry.

not to mention the occasional pipe smoke. Where i am, if I didn't drink I think it would affect my witness as a christian (like it might in germany or something).
_________________
"sometimes a little more than you think you want is still a little less than you actually need"
"brilliance seems too often masked by stupid people"

Postulant Joined : 20 May 2008 Posts : 5

Postulant Joined : 20 May 2008 Posts : 5

On a semi-related note, a few friends and I started up a ministry for high school age kids in a nearby town last fall. Each time we met as leaders to plan the next week for the kids, alcohol was required. I've been in positions where I dread all of the meetings and stuff that comes with ministry, but in this case I always looked forward to meeting and sharing a brew or two with my friends.

Postulant Age : 24 Joined : 18 May 2008 Posts : 7

hi lamy!!! *waves with a smile* don't abuse my macnn account to badly.

Subject: Re: Is drinking alcohol bad Thu May 22, 2008 10:18 am

Looks like at least 4 from MacNN right now. Me, Brass, Laminar and ebuddy. Probably will be more.

Hieromonk Joined : 20 May 2008 Posts : 154

Subject: Re: Is drinking alcohol bad Thu May 22, 2008 2:46 pm

Subject: Re: Is drinking alcohol bad Thu May 22, 2008 4:00 pm

yea its something i wonder about quite a bit.
once and while when i've had a bit too much with a friend, the Lord shows up in a unique way, and i have a hard time imagining that it was sin when it becomes a life-altering conversation...

but that said. most of the time I feel pretty convicted about what i've done if i drink too much or even sit and debate for a while weather I want that one more that would probably begin to alter my judgement (and i'm a lightweight so thats often number 2 or 3)
_________________
"sometimes a little more than you think you want is still a little less than you actually need"
"brilliance seems too often masked by stupid people"

Hieromonk Joined : 20 May 2008 Posts : 154