Alcohol at church functions - ok or not?

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zaffiroborant said:
It seems more like we’re deciding which sick people we should support.
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We can support alcoholics. We should support those with food addictions as much as we can. You’re right. They HAVE to eat. However, they don’t HAVE to go to functions where food will be served. Just like alcoholics who have poor self control can avoid functions where alcohol is served if they are told alcohol is being served.

I never said alcohol shouldn’t be served, just that it should be announced and made clear so that those with issues can avoid it.

Anecdotal but I don’t attend any church functions at my parish because they all involve food. 🤷 I’ve never stumbled upon food at any function because it’s always perfectly clear what is being served and what the focus of the event is. 🤷
 
karow said:
I’ll say a prayer that your dad stays dry, my friend.
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Thank you he struggles daily but is doing very well. also he now goes to mass with my family every sunday and spends the day with us. This is wonderfull after having no real contact with him for 3 or 4 years:)
 
nickybr38 said:
You know I wish this had been available. It might have made the RCIA I had to sit through more bearable. 😃
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My RCIA group always met for drinks after class usually the only night we all had child care. great memories:)
 
Cat said:
This is also good stewardship of their people, as diabetes is reaching epidemic numbers in the U.S. Why would churches want to contribute to killing off their members?

E.g., when the Knights of Columbus have their pancake breakfasts, why not make sure that fresh fruit is available, and a whole-grain version of the pancakes? Also Canadian bacon, which is wonderfully healthy and lo-cal and very yummy. Perhaps if this type of pancake breakfast were offered, even more people would attend!

And why not serve something low-fat for dessert, e.g., angel food cake with fresh fruit (or even frozen fruit, which is cheaper)? Or a scoop of sherbet or sorbet? Or some kind of low-fat, low-sugar pudding?
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Congratulations on your weight loss. Re: diabetes. Fresh fruit is sugar. Grains are sugar, whether they are refined or whole grain. You sound as if you lost your weight on a high carb low fat diet. It might be good for you, but not so much for any diabetic.

When my husband was first diagnosed with diabetes, the doctor took him off ALL carbohydrates.He was allowed low carb vegetables and meat. In 6 weeks his BG normalized and he was taken off diabetes pills. A diabetic can eat low carb vegetables, low carb fruit (berries, cantaloupe), should eat NO grains, other fruits (grapes, watermelon), but instead eat meat, fish, chicken, eggs, etc.
 
In our parish, if groups want to serve alcohol, they need to have additional insurance for the function. While I don’t see anything wrong per se about having alcohol for adults, I think in many cases it’s probably best not to. In particular, if the function is a camping scenario where people are playing with propane, campfires, white gas (can you guess I live in a wildfire-prone area?), knives, hatchets, axes, bows and arrows, etc. I would say don’t do it.
 
A woman’s physical shape is more likely to cause an onlooker to falter than a Catholic enjoying a glass (or two) of wine is.

But with both placed in their proper context, perhaps we can dispense with such excessive Islamic-type strictures as teetotalism and the hijab? 😃
 
Invictus_88 said:
A woman’s physical shape is more likely to cause an onlooker to falter than a Catholic enjoying a glass (or two) of wine is.

But with both placed in their proper context, perhaps we can dispense with such excessive Islamic-type strictures as teetotalism and the hijab? 😃
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The Catholics in the OP weren’t enjoying a glass or two of wine, they were partaking of case after case of beer. 🤷

I think you missed the point. 🙂
 
nickybr38 said:
However, I’m curious to know what you think. Is it okay for alcohol to be served at a church function? Why or why not?
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It’s not okay in my diocese because the Bishop says so. The previous Bishop put an end to drinking at parish functions because they were pretty much wild drunken parties, from what I’ve read in his biography.
 
amber_lux said:
The joke being that Muslims picked up the hijab from Christianity.

Amber
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Source? Or info on this? I’ve never heard such a thing.

…or am I mixing up hijab and burka again? They’re not the same thing, right? Isn’t one just like a headscarf?
 
If I’ve missed the point, I think I can be forgiven?

you [/quote] in the OP: said:
“Basically the question is; Is it appropriate for alcohol to be served at a church function?”

“She immediately retreated to her own tent and stayed away from everyone for the weekend because she was uncomfortable being around drunkenness and more importantly alcohol in general.”

“… they never imagined a church function would feature liquor.”

“…he was quite scandalized by the whole thing. His comment was: Aren’t these christians? Why are they drinking?”

“Personally I feel it’s inappropriate to be serving alcohol at a church function. It is a situation that could cause scandal.”

“Is it okay for alcohol to be served at a church function? Why or why not?”

Assuming I have in fact not missed the point, teetotalism is as appropriate for a good Christian as the hijab, and for the exact same reasons.

In closing:

Wherever the Catholic sun doth shine, There’s always laughter and good red wine. At least I’ve always found it so. Benedicamus Domino!

👍
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Invictus_88 said:
If I’ve missed the point, I think I can be forgiven?

Assuming I have in fact not missed the point, teetotalism is as appropriate for a good Christian as the hijab, and for the exact same reasons.

In closing:

Wherever the Catholic sun doth shine, There’s always laughter and good red wine. At least I’ve always found it so. Benedicamus Domino!

👍
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I’m not sure who’s more confused, me or you. Sorry, you’ll have to speak in simpler English because I’m just not understanding you. ):

I never once said drinking liquor is wrong. I DID say church functions should ALERT it’s parishioners that alcohol should be shared and I DID say that having bottles of alcohol out could cause scandal. Not sure where I supported teetolarisitm…aksdmflawef… or whatever that word is. 😉
 
amber_lux said:
The joke being that Muslims picked up the hijab from Christianity.

Amber
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I had never heard this. By the time the Muslims showed up on the scene I wasn’t aware that Christian women were still covering their heads wherever they went. But my history is limited to a few hundred years after Christ.
 
Well, Jesus provided wine for the wedding celebration at Cana. 👍

But even so, I don’t think alcohol is appropriate for most church functions. One exception that I’ve heard of is “theology pub”, where a church small group meets at a tavern and talks theology over beers. How very… Lutheran! Just like Martin Luther did himself in fact.
 
nickybr38 said:
I’m not sure who’s more confused, me or you. Sorry, you’ll have to speak in simpler English because I’m just not understanding you. ):

I never once said drinking liquor is wrong. I DID say church functions should ALERT it’s parishioners that alcohol should be shared and I DID say that having bottles of alcohol out could cause scandal. Not sure where I supported teetolarisitm…aksdmflawef… or whatever that word is. 😉
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You made it pretty clear that in your view there shouldn’t be any alcohol at church events, not that people should merely be alerted in advance.
Look at the bits of your first post that I quoted. You’re very clear on the matter.

“…I feel it’s inappropriate to be serving alcohol at a church function.”

…and the rest.
 
OneAugustKnight said:
It’s not okay in my diocese because the Bishop says so. The previous Bishop put an end to drinking at parish functions because they were pretty much wild drunken parties, from what I’ve read in his biography.
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That’s interesting.

I’ve been a teetotaller since birth, and so is my entire family.

A lot of people say that it’s possible to drink without drunkenness.

Well, that’s true. Certainly most people would not get drunk on one or two drinks.

But that doesn’t mean that they are unaffected by alcohol.

I can see changes in the behavior, even when people are just drinking a glass of wine or one beer. The behavioral changes are very small and subtle, but they make me uncomfortable because the person is different than the person that I normally am acquainted with. The kinds of conversations that we would normally have can’t be held because I’m never sure if the person is really taking in what I am saying, and if the person really knows what they’re saying. I also feel uncomfortable with the direct gaze that many people who are drinking fix on me. And sometimes, people who are drinking draw closer physically, and that feels uncomfortable to me.

Again, very small changes, but to someone who is not drinking, these behaviors are obvious and uncomfortable.

I know it’s not drunkenness, but it’s not normalness either. I don’t like it. I don’t like to attend social functions with friends when there is drinking because I feel like I’m in a room full of strangers. Again, it isn’t outright drunkenness–just a little off from normalcy.

My father, a teetotaller, used to make use of this. He would go out with his work associates, and after they had had a drink or two, he would get them talking, and wait for them to say something that they shouldn’t say–reveal a secret, or make an inappropriate comment about someone. Then he would use that indiscretion to get what he wanted out of that person. The next day or week at work, my father would make it clear that the person had committed an indiscretion, and that he would keep it to himself as long as he got what he wanted out of that person. We’re not talking about money or sex here, we’re talking about power, and my dad enjoyed his “power” over these people. He would gloat about how people act stupid when they are drinking alcohol, and tell my brother and me that we should never drink.

I know that sounds cruel of him, like something J.R. Ewing or Donald Trump would do!

But interestingly, my work associates are going to Happy Hour this Friday, and invited me (along with the whole department). I am probably going to make an appearance and have a Coke (diet) because I think it’s good office politics.

But here’s the interesting part–when my husband heard about this, he said, “You should wait until they’ve been drinking, and then try to get them to say what they REALLY think, and then you’ll have something on them at work.”

Oh, man! Wow! I was shocked to hear my husband say this! And then I realized that it was actually in the back of my mind.

So I’m thinking that this “power thing” over people who drink is not just my father, but other teetotalling people! It’s kind of creepy, isn’t it? Bwoo ha ha!

I wouldn’t actively seek to do this “power thing.” I don’t tihnk my dad ever did, mainly because he didn’t enjoy going to bars and watching people drink and act silly. He enjoyed (and still enjoys) good conversation.

BUT…IF one of my work associates DOES happen to say something stupid or commit an indiscretion this Friday, you BET I’ll use it to keep my job or to gain a little power! I’m not stupid, and I don’t think it’s “cruel” to be wise in this day of downsizing and layoffs. I won’t look for it and I certainly won’t “work the crowd.” But if it happens…

Anyway, I would be interested in knowing if other teetotallers (the two or three of you who are members of CAF!) agree that people who are drinking act just a little differently than normal, and also whether you’ve ever seen or done this “power grab thing.”
 
Miriam1947 said:
Congratulations on your weight loss. Re: diabetes. Fresh fruit is sugar. Grains are sugar, whether they are refined or whole grain. You sound as if you lost your weight on a high carb low fat diet. It might be good for you, but not so much for any diabetic.

When my husband was first diagnosed with diabetes, the doctor took him off ALL carbohydrates.He was allowed low carb vegetables and meat. In 6 weeks his BG normalized and he was taken off diabetes pills. A diabetic can eat low carb vegetables, low carb fruit (berries, cantaloupe), should eat NO grains, other fruits (grapes, watermelon), but instead eat meat, fish, chicken, eggs, etc.
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I think it’s important to realize that diabetes is treated differently for different individuals. Diabetics should follow the diet that their doctor and dietician prescribe for them.

There are whole grain products that have a low glycemic index.

Also, women and men are not the same, and the low-carb high protein diet can have negative results for women.

Always listen to the doctor and the dietician.

I lost weight by eating less (1800 cals/day) and exercising. I did not cut out carbs–on the contrary, my dietician makes sure that I am eating complex carbs (whole grain breads and pasta, brown rice, fruit, etc.) And I did not eat low-fat; many low-fat foods have added sugar. I am trying to eat less sweets, but nothing is forbidden in my food plan. My diet plan is to simply eat less and not binge or gorge.
 
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