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JackVk
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My cousin, whom I have seen maybe once in my life, is an LDS, and he is a bartender. I know the LDS church is against consuming alcohol, but can they serve it, so long as they don’t drink it?
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Holly3278
Guest
Somehow I highly doubt that this is looked kindly upon unless the bar is a non-alcoholic bar which practically don’t even exist in my area. In fact, I know of no non-alcohol serving bars in my area. The fact that Mormons are against alcohol and I believe dancing would seem to me that your cousin’s career is probably not looked upon too kindly. He may even be excommunicated.
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CatholicGuyNY
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lol Mormons are against dancing? Then why do they have singles dances all the time?
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Pahoran
Guest
Now please don’t take my word for it; I’m only a lifelong Latter-day Saint. So whether I’m actually allowed to have an opinion about Mormon things in this forum is something I’m still trying to figure out.
Perhaps it’s okay for me to have an opinion just so long as it doesn’t conflict with the views of any of the “real” experts, so here goes:
We don’t abstain from alcohol because we believe it is sinful as such (malum in se.) Rather, we abstain from alcohol because we believe that God has warned us, as a people to be careful about what we take into our bodies. IOW, it is a matter of discipline (malum prohibitum) rather than a moral commandment.
At least, that’s what I think. I really hope I haven’t offended anyone by saying this.
We’re also not opposed to dancing.
If your cousin was a drug dealer, however, that might be a different issue.
Regards,
Pahoran
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JackVk
Guest
No, he’s not
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Todd520
Guest
Of course he can be a bartender if he chooses. He can even drink and still be accepted at service on Sunday.
And naturally, serving alcohol is not ideal since it increases the likelyhood of drinking, and thus breaking his promise to God. Where you aware Las Vegas has a large LDS community. I hear they make great empoyees on the strip since they tend to be honest, hard working, and without addictions to drugs, alcohol or gambling.
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Annie_B
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You are right about the large LDS community in LV. If you actually look into the “creation” of LV you might take note on the LDS involvolvment including the financial backers. As far as the alcohol goes, when one works in a grocery store they may sell it to their customers and I would imagine the same goes for a bartender. However, I would hope that a devout LDS might look to the impression he/she might be giving others should they have such a job. We are to live our faith and I, personally, would not want to give the impression that I condoned the drinking of alcohol even though it is a personal decision that everyone must make.
Annie
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Ann1231
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I understand what you’re saying. I was a protestant for over 47 years and yet I keep getting told on here by lifelong catholics what protestants believe and practice… sigh…
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zaffiroborant
Guest
Why should you, not condone, the drinking of alcohol (assuming it’s done responsibly) by people who have made no covenant not to, do you believe drinking alcohol is inherently sinful, is it a sin to drink coffee?
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paulp1002
Guest
I wonder what ward you attend? The ward I attended, wouldn’t have “accepted” me if I had decided to take a drink. They would have told me I was possessed by Satan (which they did tell me when I questioned the WoW.) Yeah he could have a drink, but he is going against the WoW. I’m sure if his bishop would find out, he would ask him to repent and refuse him the sacrament, ground him from Church callings etc…
I can understand the discipline from not drinking to get drunk, but one of Jesus’ first miracles was turning water into wine. I also find it interesting that it is rumored that Joseph Smith had wine, before he was murdered.
To answer the OP, I believe that his bishop wouldn’t tell him to quit, but would warn him of temptation.
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Jim_Dandy
Guest
It’s very difficult to generalize about what Protestants believe and practice because there are thousands of conflicting and competing denominations, all based on the same 66-book incomplete Bible cut by Martin Luther, but no two of them agree about what the Bible means. One can only say that they’re for Sola Scriptura and Sola Fide and against the Catholic Church. Well, against Catholicism for sure.
I understand what you’re saying. I was a protestant for over 47 years and yet I keep getting told on here by lifelong catholics what protestants believe and practice… sigh…
But this is an LDS thread. Bye now.
npatrol:JimD - former Protestant
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RebeccaJ
Guest
Q: How do you stop a Mormon friend from drinking all the beer at a party?
A: Invite two.
A: Invite two.
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T_Hope
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SirThomasMore
Guest
I have a problem with anyone who says, “This is bad. God said its bad. So I will not indulge, but I will sell it to you.”
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PaulDupre
Guest
So, would it be okay for a LDS to take just one drink on a special occasion - say a toast on New Year’s Eve - while maintaining the discipline to “be careful about what we take into our bodies”? One drink a year is certainly careful and disciplined.
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dianaiad
Guest
Pahoran explained this quite well…I’m just going to add a point…perhaps two. First, as he mentioned, we don’t believe that drinking alchohol is in itself a sin; it’s a sin for us simply because we promised not to.
So, while an LDS bartender wouldn’t necessarily be a sinning bartender, I"m not certain how he could be a GOOD one…or perhaps he would be a very good one. (rambling, here, now…) I remember back in my real estate days…everybody lived on coffee, of course, but me. Everybody took turns making the coffee, and everybody else HATED it. One day everybody was out, and the only person left who could make the coffee for a meeting was, well, me.
So…I very carefully followed the directions and made what the folks there thought was the best coffee they ever had. From that day until the day I left, I was the official coffee maker. Why?
Because unlike everybody else, I just followed the directions on the can, and didn’t try to ‘tweak’ the recipe.
I can see where doing that might be an asset in a bartender. He can concentrate on the showmanship and the recipes and not worry about fiddling with the drinks.Or something.
We don’t think, after all, that drinking alcohol is a character flaw. Breaking ones’ promise, however, is.
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dianaiad
Guest
Paul, you know better than that. It’s not about the booze. It’s about the promise…and Pahoran certainly spoke well about that.
…as have you and I. You are now being disengenuous.
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Todd520
Guest
Is it OK to only have sex on New Year’s Eve, if you are single? Either you are chaste or you are not.
Same goes for the promise of not drinking, either you keep it or you don’t
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RebeccaJ
Guest
So I’m thinking you’ve made a comparison that would be equal to passing out and waking up in the morning wondering “how did I get here?”
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LongJourney
Guest
Interesting debate, since excessive use of alcohol can LEAD TO violations of chastity. Seems to me that Mormons over-learned that lesson, while ignoring others. :tsktsk:
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