Catholics follow the teachings of men rather than the Holy Spirit. Or do they...?

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RNRobert:
What I also find ironic is that the fundamentalists who scream the loudest about Catholic ‘traditions of men’ then turn around and impose on their members rules that are found nowhere in the Bible! Examples: No drinking (I wonder what a Baptist would have done at Cana 😃 ), no smoking, no caffeine, various dietary laws (like the SDAs- I thought Jesus said it was what came out of a man, not what went in him, that made him unclean :hmmm: ), rules against movies, TV, cards or dancing, etc.
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Hi RNRobert,
I am not aware of other churches however I have gained some insight into the catholic teaching from this list. I am very thankful for the attitude of so many people here.
I believe what you say about the rules made by man. Christ did away with them in the pure sense. But I would like to draw your attention to an individuals responsibilities. Like John the Baptist was not allowed to have alcohol. The Holy Spirit has also told me to stop drinking alcohol. I was a person who liked a daily drink of beer and an occasional session. I was drunk one night and He moved in me for some time. I guess no one knows what guilt feels like until you have God’s Holy Spirit moving in you when you are drunk. I have not touched alcohol since, not that I have given it up but that I said to Him that I would only drink alcohol for religious reasons. In about 2 1/2 years no occasion worthy of drinking alcohol has arisen.I doubt it ever will here.
And so it is with many things in my life. If you would like me to witness to you about any of my experiences I would be happy to do so.
In summary, any thing you do that has control over you is sin. God is your only master, not smokes, or TV or vidoes, or chewing gum. or newspapers or computers or food, or gold or fishing or guns or anything. Only God is to be your master. No compulsions, just God. Note caffeine is addictive. Now , if you are not following the Holy Spirit how do you know what is required of you and who will help you to overcome. I am positive I could not overcome those things I did if it were not for the Holy Spirit.
Christ be with you
walk in love
edwinGhttp://forums.catholic-questions.org/images/icons/icon7.gif
 
Tell me Sarah Jane, how did Jesus learn? Was Jesus fully man? Are you fully man? Can you learn the same as Jesus? If not what scripture can you give to me to support your view?
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Don’t forget that Jesus is also fully God. .
The prior post said I did not understand and that the Spirit was given at confirmation. I reiterated my statement. Baptism.

Then you said And on confirmation. John14:15 " the Spirit of truth , whom the world cannot receive , because it neither sees Him nor knows Him , but you know Him,for He dwells with you and will be in you."

Sarah Jane, the Holy Spirit doesn’t pick occasions to visit, once He has come, He will never leave you. He is indwelling.
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How do you explain this verse if we only receive Holy Spirit at baptism?

“for as yet it was fallen upon none of them: only they had been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 8:16-17)
 
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AlanFromWichita:
Dear Edwin,

Do you think submitting to a wordly government creates sin for you? If not, then why can you not look at the Church as another step “toward” God’s government even if you don’t believe she rules Christ’s kingdom with His infallibility? Do you agree that she is at least 99% on the mark with faith and morals, and do you accept that early Catholics actually wrote the words in the Bible? Do you know of another denomination that you believe is more spirit-led, or do you believe in group religion at all?

By the way, even if you’re not ready to join the Church yet, you might check out some cool scriptures. Two of those books that are in the Catholic Bible but not others I really like are Sirach and Wisdom. Whether you agree with whatever human decision maker it was to include it in the Catholic Bible or to exclude it from others, don’t you find them pretty cool at first glance?

You see, now I’m recruiting. We need more Catholic who are serious about their faith and I think you’d make a good one. (Sorry if you consider that an insult. :rolleyes: )

Come one in; the water’s fine. There is intelligent life here.

Alan
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Hi Alan,
If I said that insulting would be the last word I would apply to what you wrote, it would be an exaggeration. The word would not enter my mind.
Re obeying a worldly goverment. To date no worldly government has, but if one ever wanted me to deny Christ, I hope it would not be my lot, I think of poor Peter’s anguish, to fold under the pressure applied by mankind.So it is not the submission but the total submission that bothers me.
I am very suspicious of traditional practises of the Roman Catholic church. Every now and again my eyes pop when I read something and I say to myself, there’s another one. LIke the brown cloth being Mary’s gown and if you wear it,you will be protected or something. Alan, I dont wear a piece of Mary’s dress and I can tell you here and now, knowing with all my heart that the Holy Spirit is aware of each and every word I am writing that NOTHING can happen to me except that which God allows, and He loves me and in His wisdom whatever happens via tribulation will turn out to be an asset of mine. God uses satans attacks to give us future joy. What is a victory without a battle. From the greatest battles come the greatest joy. Boy does Christ know how to “bond us” into a team. What value do we put on something easily and frequently obtained.God made us, He really really understands us.
LOL The catholic church has a magnetic intelluctual pull. Luckily I am not very bright. I said to Maria that I would try to find a book and read it with her but my location here makes it difficult for me.Maybe I could find them in Thai but I cant speak or read the language.
two things Alan.
I have read a couple of books. And I would recommend them to you. The Christian in Complete Armour by William Gurnall. These are Puritan Classics. I read the abridged versions volume 1 and 2. I have not read the 3 volume as the book shop did not have it and they wont take orders.
It was first published in 1655 and so the unabridged version I suppose would be quite difficult. The abridged version is so beautifully written, you wonder how anyone could write so well.ISBN 085151 456 1 published by the Banner of Truth Trust 3 Murrayfield Road Edinburgh EH12 6EL PO Box 621 Carlisle, Pennsylvania. 17013 USA. Please read it and talk to me about it.
2nd thing,
I want to have a serious forum with people interested in the truth about the Kingdom of Heaven and associated matters. Can you suggest anything? I have put out a thread but not seen it since posting. But that is only the start of the full thread.
Christ be with you
walk in lovehttp://forums.catholic-questions.org/images/icons/icon7.gif
edwinG
 
Sarah Jane:
Don’t forget that Jesus is also fully God. .

How do you explain this verse if we only receive Holy Spirit at baptism?

“for as yet it was fallen upon none of them: only they had been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 8:16-17)
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Hi Sarah Jane,
Please Sarah Jane, for this is very important. Jesus is fully man. HIs Father did not treat Him any differently than any other man. He had to learn to follow the Holy Spirit which meant He suffered. He felt the full pain of His experiences, He cried, He sweated blood. Dont think that God said, oh this is my only begotton Son ,so He can take it a bit easy or have some special treatment. What Jesus did , you can do if you want to. ( I mean in the sense of being an apostle)
Of course He is fully God.
And because of this Our yoke will be easy, although His wasn’t.
Acts 8; " … They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus"
Well they needed to be baptised in the name of the Father Son and the Holy Spirit.
Christ be with you
walk in love http://forums.catholic-questions.org/images/icons/icon7.gif
edwinG
 
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RNRobert:
But what about the New Testament? Some non-Catholics seem to think that the New Covenant, with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, meant that we could communicate with God directly without having to go through other men (they often quote 1 Timothy 2:5 to support their position).
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They never seem to notice that BEFORE the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the Apostles (who had received the special charism of the Holy Spirit by the breath of Christ himself on Easter, had already filled out the circle of 12 by electing Matthias and laying hands on him. In that room on Pentecost were the 12 – and Mary. The Holy Spirit comes in tongues of fire where the Church is already gathered.
 
Sarah Jane:
The baptism in the name of the Lord is not good?
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HI Sarah Jane.
I am only quoting scripture.And I believe it fully.
Here is another one. Matthew28:19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
These are the words spoken by Jesus.
Christ be with you
walk in love
edwinG http://forums.catholic-questions.org/images/icons/icon7.gif
 
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edwinG:
HI Sarah Jane.
I am only quoting scripture.And I believe it fully.
Here is another one. Matthew28:19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
These are the words spoken by Jesus.
Christ be with you
walk in love
edwinG http://forums.catholic-questions.org/images/icons/icon7.gif
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That is also Catholic teaching. Some Pentacostals baptize in the name of Jesus only, and their baptism is not recognized by Catholics or mainstream Protestants.
 
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edwinG:
HI Sarah Jane.
I am only quoting scripture.And I believe it fully.
Here is another one. Matthew28:19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
These are the words spoken by Jesus.
Christ be with you
walk in love
edwinG http://forums.catholic-questions.org/images/icons/icon7.gif
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I agree with you, but we read that St.Paul baptized in the name of the Lord (cf. Acts 19:5)

Question: Peter said to baptize in Jesus’ Name (Acts 2:38). Is this opposed to Jesus’ command in Matthew 28:19?

Answer: No. Peter’s exhortation is more a sort of shorthand for the command of Jesus, not a rebuttal of it. In the same way, when the Pope today says “Believe in Jesus” but doesn’t spell out the necessity of the sacraments or obedience every time he says that, he is not thereby implying that faith alone is necessary and that sacraments and obedience to Jesus are optional. Rather, the Pope assumes you know what he means when he speaks of believing in Jesus and that it normally involves participation in the sacraments and obedience to Jesus. In the same way, when Peter speaks of being baptized in the name of Jesus Christ he is implying Trinitarian baptism.

-Mark Shea
 
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edwinG:
Hi rwoehmke,
Did the synagogues guide Jesus. He was fullly man. The old testament was correct. Jesus testified to it. No, He did not go to the synagogues. walk in lovehttp://forums.catholic-questions.org/images/icons/icon7.gif
edwinG
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You mean for interpertaion, right? Because he definitely taught in the synagogues and healed people. The Pharisees were so legalistic that they criticized Jesus for healing (working) on the Sabbath. Do you believe there would be a problem with Jesus coming in and healing someone in the church today? I don’t, yet some Protestant denominations teach that “healing” was one of the gifts that passed away when all the apostles died the bible came.
NKJV II Tim 2 *Approved and Disapproved Workers
*14 Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers. 15Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 16But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness. 17And their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort, 18who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past; and they overthrow the faith of some. 19Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ3] depart from iniquity.”
20But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. 21Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work. 22Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 23But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. 24And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, 25in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth,26and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.
I realize Paul was correcting some heresy regarding the resurrection here, but this bickering (I’m right you’re wrong syndrome) is not accomplishing anything to further or increasing God’s kingdom. No one wins in these arguments except the evil one. Right now the only cause being furthered is his. Would our time be better spent in prayer and fasting rather than all this typing back and forth trying to prove one’s point? God forgive me for having done this myself. I repent. I came to the Catholic church because this is where Jesus led me.

continued …
 
I came to the Catholic church because this is where Jesus led me.

continued …

Not because I believe I can work my way to heaven. I believe in Jesus’ work on the cross. I asked Him to teach me to love as He loved. He led me here. I’m following Jesus.

**JOHN 10 **1 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. 2But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.

Ya’ll can argue all you want, I’m going to pray for the Lord of the harvest.

**Luke 10 2Then He said to them, "The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. 3Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves.

Peace be with you.

Sherry

**
 
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edwinG:
I am very suspicious of traditional practises of the Roman Catholic church. Every now and again my eyes pop when I read something and I say to myself, there’s another one. LIke the brown cloth being Mary’s gown and if you wear it,you will be protected or something. Alan, I dont wear a piece of Mary’s dress and I can tell you here and now, knowing with all my heart that the Holy Spirit is aware of each and every word I am writing that NOTHING can happen to me except that which God allows, and He loves me and in His wisdom whatever happens via tribulation will turn out to be an asset of mine.
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I hear you, bro. A few years ago I finally started wearing the brown scapular for no other reason than to honor my father who wore one for at least his last couple years and maybe longer. A few weeks ago on this forum, someone asked about the scapular and my wife showed me a package insert that comes with them so that I could explain the rules. When I found out how much was involved I quit wearing it. I always thought it was a little fishy that we have all these rules about mortal sin but if I wore this little thing it would save me from hell. When I found out that it comes with instructions for a fairly rigorous regimen of prayer and fasting I decided it was more about the prayer life than the little piece of cloth.
LOL The catholic church has a magnetic intelluctual pull. Luckily I am not very bright.
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Funny, I used to think the Catholic Church was for lemmings and that I was too intellectual to abide by it. I used to refuse to go to Church or even acknowledge the possibility that God exists. People used to tell me, “you have to quit trying to think about it and just believe it.” Right. Like I can tell my mind to shut itself off and believe something that makes no sense. I’m much more satisfied now having dug into the truths and beliefs than just mindlessly believing whatever some old dudes wearing long dresses tell me.
I want to have a serious forum with people interested in the truth about the Kingdom of Heaven and associated matters. Can you suggest anything?
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You should have been around when I was locked up in the psycho ward three years ago. I saw visions that helped me understand how even now Jesus is stitching together the Kingdom of Heaven, and why He told us it was at hand, and how it was that we could see it before we pass away. When I told this to a priest who came and visited me, he got very concerned and said, “Alan you must not talk about that.” Strange; I told him a lot of weird things but that was the one thing he didn’t think I should talk about.

Given his reaction, I’m not sure how much I can get away with on the forum, and frankly I forgot much of it because it didn’t come in words and I didn’t try to commit it to words then. If I can think of anything tangible I’ll start a thread or find yours or send you a PM or something. Maybe I’ll look for your thread and that will trigger a memory.

Alan
 
edwinG [/QUOTE said:
So, if the Jesus was in one corner and the Holy Spirit in another, which would I choose?

What, it’s not an either/or question?

Pax vobiscum.
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mercygate:
That is also Catholic teaching. Some Pentacostals baptize in the name of Jesus only, and their baptism is not recognized by Catholics or mainstream Protestants.
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Hi mercygate,
Thank you for the information. As I am rather new to this I do not have a wide knowledge of the activities of other denominations.
Christ be with you
walk in love
edwinGhttp://forums.catholic-questions.org/images/icons/icon7.gif
 
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SherryLynn9:
I came to the Catholic church because this is where Jesus led me.

continued …
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Not because I believe I can work my way to heaven. I believe in Jesus’ work on the cross. I asked Him to teach me to love as He loved. He led me here. I’m following Jesus.

**JOHN 10 **1 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. 2But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.

Ya’ll can argue all you want, I’m going to pray for the Lord of the harvest.

**Luke 10 2Then He said to them, "The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. 3Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves.

Peace be with you.

Sherry

**Hi Sherry,
Great post. Now the question of whether to be here or to be fasting and praying. Well ,you can be fasting and praying and be here but apart from that, look to your own heart. Any denominational church can not tell you if you should be here or not, but YOU know because the Holy Spirit will convict you if you should not be here. Ask Why are you here? You may be here to learn, or to teach, or to argue. or to self promote, or because you are bored. There are many reasons why a person should be or is here. Look to your heart to discover if you should be here. The Holy Spirit will tell you, If you can’t obey , ask Him and ask Him and ask Him and in His time ( which is wisdom) you will leave.Be patient.
Christ be with you
walk in lovehttp://forums.catholic-questions.org/images/icons/icon7.gif
edwinG
 
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RBushlow:
edwinG [/QUOTE said:
So, if the Jesus was in one corner and the Holy Spirit in another, which would I choose?
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What, it’s not an either/or question?

Pax vobiscum.
Hi RBushlow,
Can you tell me the number of the post to save me time.Then I can tell you what I meant to write. In the above, it would be impossible to make a mistake. Oh that life was so easy.
Thanks for showing me the error.
Christ be with you
walk in lovehttp://forums.catholic-questions.org/images/icons/icon7.gif
edwinG
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AlanFromWichita:
I hear you, bro. A few years ago I finally started wearing the brown scapular for no other reason than to honor my father who wore one for at least his last couple years and maybe longer. A few weeks ago on this forum, someone asked about the scapular and my wife showed me a package insert that comes with them so that I could explain the rules. When I found out how much was involved I quit wearing it. I always thought it was a little fishy that we have all these rules about mortal sin but if I wore this little thing it would save me from hell. When I found out that it comes with instructions for a fairly rigorous regimen of prayer and fasting I decided it was more about the prayer life than the little piece of cloth.
Funny, I used to think the Catholic Church was for lemmings and that I was too intellectual to abide by it. I used to refuse to go to Church or even acknowledge the possibility that God exists. People used to tell me, “you have to quit trying to think about it and just believe it.” Right. Like I can tell my mind to shut itself off and believe something that makes no sense. I’m much more satisfied now having dug into the truths and beliefs than just mindlessly believing whatever some old dudes wearing long dresses tell me.
You should have been around when I was locked up in the psycho ward three years ago. I saw visions that helped me understand how even now Jesus is stitching together the Kingdom of Heaven, and why He told us it was at hand, and how it was that we could see it before we pass away. When I told this to a priest who came and visited me, he got very concerned and said, “Alan you must not talk about that.” Strange; I told him a lot of weird things but that was the one thing he didn’t think I should talk about.

Given his reaction, I’m not sure how much I can get away with on the forum, and frankly I forgot much of it because it didn’t come in words and I didn’t try to commit it to words then. If I can think of anything tangible I’ll start a thread or find yours or send you a PM or something. Maybe I’ll look for your thread and that will trigger a memory.

Alan
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HI Alan,
I hear you loud and clear. Some times Christ whispers one thing and it stays like a highlighted word for the rest of our lives. On other occasions, I strive to remember and the moment my attention is somewhere else , I forget. Sometimes I just forget the pieces that knit it together to make sense to a listener , so when I review what I have, and think about talking about it , I think , why bother, this piece is missing and that piece is missing. LOL
I will come back to you on this,but I dont have much time because I start work again shortly and my hours at home are limited. Wake up about 6am home after 9pm . In varying degrees, I am busy 7 days a week.
Christ be with you
walk in love
edwinGhttp://forums.catholic-questions.org/images/icons/icon7.gif
 
Hi Edwin!

You said in a previous post that you didn’t want to become Catholic because you didn’t want to submit to men. Funny thing is, the Bible is full of instructions telling us to submit to others:

Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and his disciples, saying, "The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe all things they tell you**, but do not follow their example. **(Matthew 23:1-3, NAB). Jesus was telling the Jews to obey the Pharisees, regardless of how unedifying their personal lives were.

**Let every person be subordinate to the higher authorities, for their is no authority except from God, **and those that exist have been established by God. Therefore; whoever resists authority opposes what God has appointed, and those who oppose it will bring judgement upon themselves. (Romans 13: 1,2; NAB)

Wives should be subordinate to their husband as to the Lord… Children, obey your parents in Lord, for this is right… Slaves, be obedient to your human masters with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ. Ephesians 5:22, 6:1,5; NAB).

**Exhort and correct with all authority… Remind them to be under the control of the magistrates and authorities. to be obedient and to be open to every good enterprise. **(Titus 2:15-3:1, NAB)

You also stated that if Paul was in one corner and Honorious was in another, who would I obey? Again, this is a both/and situation. When the last of the Apostles died, where did their teaching authority go to? Keep in mind that the Apostles worked miracles primarily to establish the credentials of Jesus’ Church, and as the Church became established the need for miracles decreased.

Continued…
 
Conclusion…
Again, what happened to the authority of the apostles when the last one of them died? Did their authority simply disappear? Did it simply pass to their written words, the Holy Scripture? Keep in mind that the Holy Scriptures, divinely inspired as it is, cannot interpret itself. Many sincere Christians claiming the leadership of the Holy Spirit use the same Scriptures to come up with contradicting ideas.

Let me ask you Edwin, what do you think about Jesus? Is he fully God and man, or is he just God, or just a man, or is he an angel? The Holy Spirit: is He part of the Trinity, or is he just the impersonal force of God? Baptism: is it necessary for salvation, and if so, how should we baptise (which words should we use, should we immerse or sprinkle, etc.) . Which day of the week should we worship on? Most worship on Sunday, but certain groups think that Sunday worship is the Mark of the Beast and worship on the Jewish Sabbath instead. Can you lose your salvation? Some groups say yes, and some say no. Some groups say salvation is a matter of free will, and other groups say that God chooses in advance who will be saved and damns the rest.

I could go on and on, but the fact is Edwin, for whatever position you take, there will be someone out there who will tell you YOU ARE WRONG, and give you a stack of Scripture quotes to “prove” their position, and claim they are being led by the Holy Spirit.

God is not the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33). This is why he established a Church with a teaching authority to acts as shepherds for his followers and keep us from going astray.

Yes, we need ask the Holy Spirit to work in our lives. I agree with you 100% on that! Without Him, all the church going in the world won’t save us. And we need to read the Scriptures daily. However, we still need the shepherds that God appointed over us. Remember, the folks at Jonestown and Waco read their Bibles
and believed they were being led by the Holy Spirit, but they were led into destruction.

To conclude: I became a Catholic because I believe out of all the thousands of churches out there it is the one **that Christ founded. **
 
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edwinG:
Hi RNRobert,
I am not aware of other churches however I have gained some insight into the catholic teaching from this list. I am very thankful for the attitude of so many people here.
I believe what you say about the rules made by man. Christ did away with them in the pure sense. But I would like to draw your attention to an individuals responsibilities. Like John the Baptist was not allowed to have alcohol. The Holy Spirit has also told me to stop drinking alcohol. I was a person who liked a daily drink of beer and an occasional session. I was drunk one night and He moved in me for some time. I guess no one knows what guilt feels like until you have God’s Holy Spirit moving in you when you are drunk. I have not touched alcohol since, not that I have given it up but that I said to Him that I would only drink alcohol for religious reasons. In about 2 1/2 years no occasion worthy of drinking alcohol has arisen.I doubt it ever will here.
And so it is with many things in my life. If you would like me to witness to you about any of my experiences I would be happy to do so.
In summary, any thing you do that has control over you is sin. God is your only master, not smokes, or TV or vidoes, or chewing gum. or newspapers or computers or food, or gold or fishing or guns or anything. Only God is to be your master. No compulsions, just God. Note caffeine is addictive. Now , if you are not following the Holy Spirit how do you know what is required of you and who will help you to overcome. I am positive I could not overcome those things I did if it were not for the Holy Spirit.
Christ be with you
walk in love
edwinGhttp://forums.catholic-questions.org/images/icons/icon7.gif
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John the Baptist was a Nazarite, I believe (like Samson), which involved taking vows to abstain from certain things, like alcohol. Jesus turned water into wine at Cana, so having a drink in moderation (I like to have a beer now and then with dinner) cannot be wrong in and of itself. Of course, if I was dining with some who was a recovering alcoholic, I would abstain to avoid becoming a stumbling block (Romans 14:13). Of course, if one wants to give up alcohol because one cannot control one’s drinking, or to give the money spent on alcohol to the poor, that is a good thing.
However, the important thing is that we use things (whether it be food, alcohol, caffeine, TV, computers, etc). properly, and not misuse them or let them dominate our life.
 
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