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What Happens Inside Gaza’s Secret Tunnels? | Unpacked Hamas Torture Bodycam Footage: "These Monsters Filmed it All" | IDF Warfighter Doron Keidar, Ep. 225 EXPOSED: The Dark Truth About the Hostages in Gaza New Task Force Ready To Expose Dark Secrets Egypt Amasses Forces on Israel’s Southern Border | World War 3 About to Start? "Trump wants to dismantle the Education Department. Here’s how it would work" test "Federal Workers Concerned That Returning To Office Will Interfere With Them Not Working" "Yes, the Democrats Have a Governing Problem – They Blame America First, Then Govern Accordingly" "Trump and His New Frenemies, Abroad and at Home" "The Left’s Sin Is of Omission and Lost Opportunity" "How Trump’s team will break down the woke bureaucracy" Pete Hegseth will be confirmed in a few minutes Status: Not Logged In; Sign In Religion See other Religion Articles Title: Is It Okay for Christians to Use Marijuana (Cannabis) and Other Drugs? Source: godandscience.org/d URL Source: http://www.godandscience.org/doctrine/marijuana.html Published: Jun 22, 2015 Author: Rich Deem Post Date: 2015-06-22 21:39:36 by Gatlin Keywords: None Views: 1855 Comments: 14 A number of young Christians these days use marijuana and other recreational drugs. Some of them write to ask if this kind of behavior is acceptable for Christians. Click here for the remainder of the article. Poster Comment: I think a Christian does not approve of the taking of illegal drugs, including recreational drugs and all those which can alter the mind. What do you think? Post Comment   Private Reply   Ignore Thread   Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest Begin Trace Mode for Comment # 9. #3. To: Gatlin (#0) Here is what I think: (1) From a traditional viewpoint, the Catholic Church says that drug use is sinful, so it's sinful to the extent that the Catholic Church has the power to decide such things. If the Church has the power to make moral laws, then it's sinful for Christians to use drugs. If the Church doesn't, then the fact that the Church says it's a sin doesn't make it a sin. (2) From a Scriptural viewpoint, the question is not answered in the Bible. On the one hand, God gave man dominion over all of the plants, for his use. And he did not give men dominion over other men, so men do not in fact have the authority to restrict other men from exercising the freedoms God has given them, and further, when men DO assert such authority, through lawmaking, the act of making laws that purport to take away the liberties God gave is ITSELF a sin, and everybody who enforces such laws or supports them is a sinner for doing so, but the man who disregards those immoral laws in order to exercise the liberty God gave him is not a sinner. On the other hand, God warns in several place of the dangers of excess alcohol use, Based on that, some Christians have made up a tradition of morally prohibiting ALL alcohol use. However, those Christians sin by doing so, for they have added a tradition that exceeds what God imposed, and the effect of that tradition would have been to deprive the Apostles of being able to drink of the cup of wine at the Last Supper. (The notion that Christ and the Apostles, Jews at Passover, were drinking non-alcoholic grape juice is risible.) Drug use is not home free, however, because of a problem arising on the very last page of Scripture, twice! Twice God lists the sins that will result in a man failing judgment, and twice the Greek word that is traditionally (and wrongly) translated as "sorcery" appears. The word, however, is "pharmakeia", and what it MEANS is the particular practice among the ancients of "pharmacons" selling drugs to induce altered mental states which were said to be magical, and were said to channel demons. Seeing all of the violence that comes with drug use, and all of the mental instability, I personally believe that illicit drugs, and also legal drugs used for psychiatric treatment, DO open up the brain and weaken the resistance, and open up the person to demons. But then, so does alcohol and lust. Drugs appear to be PARTICULARLY potent, however. So, is illegal drug use "pharmakeia"? I would say probably not, as such. Drug peddlers today sell drugs for money, and people use it to get high. Nobody thinks they're doing magic or channeling demons or casting spells. Mental intent matters when it comes to mortal sin. Drug peddlers know they're selling things that kill people, though, and the violence inherent in the trade edges such people towards violence that will itself land a man in the Lake of Fire. But is it a cut-and-dry slam dunk? No, it is not. Fact is, if something is important, God - both YHWH and Jesus - hammer the point home over and over and over again. So if we're trying to find a doctrine by taking one word, a difficult word that is usually translated oddly, and then make a doctrine of Hell out of it, we're working too hard. If it's IMPORTANT, God makes it plain. He wants people to follow him and be safe and happy. He doesn't play "hide the football". On balance, then, I'd say that Scripture doesn't answer the question definitively. The drug PEDDLER certainly has more to worry about in terms of direct condemnation than the user, but the user needs to worry about being open to demons. And that brings us to (3) "All is permitted, but all is not good for us." Drug users probably don't go to hell for that alone, but what they do under the influence of drugs may. And anyway, we know that drugs are bad for us. Cigarette smoking doesn't send anybody to hell, but it's certainly not good for the health. If something is bad for the health, that's a reason in and of itself to avoid doing it. After all, when God gave the kosher food laws he didn't say that it had spiritual meaning. Rather, he said that if the Hebrews followed those laws he would not afflict them with the diseases they suffered in Egypt. So, God was concerned with their hygiene and physical health, and not simply with their souls. Bottom line: I think drugs let in the demons and ruin health, and that means that one should not do them. Whether they're a deadly sin or not I cannot say. That they're physically and mentally destructive is self- evident and reason enough to teach against their use. Teaching hell fire and brimstone is exaggeration and asserting what is not revealed. That's bad in an of itself. I'd say that people - Christian or otherwise - should avoid strong drugs because they alter the mind, damage it, and open the person up to demons. They don't lead to health or happiness, and they're stronger than the weaker stuff such as alcohol, which isn't a sin in moderation, or tobacco or caffeine. The reasons not to use drugs are practical and self-interested - will God throw into Hell the miserable addict who uses drugs to mask horrible mental pain from things inflicted on him or her, simply for the fact of using drugs? There is no Scriptural basis for asserting that, and were God to do that under such circumstances he would be very different from the God who revealed himself in the Bible. It's not a slam dunk issue like, say, murder. It's a facts and circumstances question. Potatoes and carrots are better for you and me than drugs. So we should stick to those. Vicomte13  posted on  2015-06-22   22:27:09 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply   #9. To: Vicomte13, Gatlin, GarySpFc, liberator (#3) Drug use is not home free, however, because of a problem arising on the very last page of Scripture, twice! Twice God lists the sins that will result in a man failing judgment, and twice the Greek word that is traditionally (and wrongly) translated as "sorcery" appears. The word, however, is "pharmakeia", and what it MEANS is the particular practice among the ancients of "pharmacons" selling drugs to induce altered mental states which were said to be magical, and were said to channel demons. Seeing all of the violence that comes with drug use, and all of the mental instability, I personally believe that illicit drugs, and also legal drugs used for psychiatric treatment, DO open up the brain and weaken the resistance, and open up the person to demons. But then, so does alcohol and lust. Drugs appear to be PARTICULARLY potent, however. That is the crux of the argument up there. This would include abusing what are considered legal controlled substances as well. The reasons not to use drugs are practical and self-interested - will God throw into Hell the miserable addict who uses drugs to mask horrible mental pain from things inflicted on him or her, simply for the fact of using drugs? There is no Scriptural basis for asserting that, and were God to do that under such circumstances he would be very different from the God who revealed himself in the Bible. There is much to say in Scriptures of God's Mercy and Grace. He delivers the worst addicts and sinners. Walk into a Gospel mission home and see the results of His Grace and Mercy and the Peace He gives to those society have cashiered many times over. I'm sure Gary has seen this in prison ministries as well. On another note, since Gatlin put this thread in the perspective of being a Christian, which is a follower of Christ, a disciple of Christ I will answer with the following: "Do our actions day to day, hour by hour glorify God?" Do the things we do glorify God and uplift His Name, uplift Jesus Christ as King of kings and Lord of lords? That is what we must, as Christians, ask ourselves and reflect on with our every move and action AND thought. To God be the Glory! That is our mission as followers of the Holy Spotless Lamb of God. "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." (Eph 2:10) Our pursuit is to be like Jesus Christ. "If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." (Eph 4:21-24) I visit a few Christian forums now and then. I see a lot of questions where some posters are looking for loop holes in God's Law. I think that misses the mark entirely. The mindset should be as lovers of Christ Jesus to uphold/establish the law. Romans 3: 21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; 26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. 27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. 28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. 29 Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also: 30 Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith. 31 Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law. redleghunter  posted on  2015-06-23   11:19:56 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply   Replies to Comment # 9. #10. To: redleghunter (#9) On another note, since Gatlin put this thread in the perspective of being a Christian, which is a follower of Christ, a disciple of Christ I will answer with the following... Excellent post. Thank you. Gatlin  posted on  2015-06-23 11:37:27 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply   End Trace Mode for Comment # 9. Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest

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