Once again, I want to repeat that I agree WITH MY BRAIN that there is no sin in drinking alcoholic beverages.
But with MY HEART, I believe it is evil.
Again, I will try to describe how I grew up and was trained. I am NOT doing this to convince you that Iām right and youāre wrong. I agreeāYOUāRE right! Alcohol is fine.
But you will never convince me of that. You can throw verse after verse at me, and it wonāt make a difference in my heart. Itās something inside, something that has been part of my personality since babyhood.
Please read on and try to understand. And I suggest that many of your non-drinking āBaptistā friends have simliar life stories.
My parents didnāt drink; NO ONE in my family drank. I went to family reunions, picnics, dinners, etc. throughout my childhood and teenage years and NEVER EVER saw ANYONE drink anything other than milk, water, coffee, tea, Kool Aid, and pop.
Actually, there have been two family members who drank. BOTH of these people DIED of alcohol-related disease before they were 50.
My father is 73, and looks like he is in his 50s. He takes absolutely no meds. His cholesterol, blood pressure, heart, etc. are all a young manās. He is an abstinent man in all areas (I donāt know about sex, but I think he is celibate since my mother died).
Many of our relatives are or have been hardy and healthy just like him.
He would say that this is because of his moderate lifestyle and his abstinence from drinking and smoking.
Yes, I know that there are good genes, too, but considering that the few drinkers in our family croaked young, I would say that our familyās good genes probably have a conditionāabstinent living in all things. Why should I challenge the DNA that the Lord has given me, especially for something that smells like horse ****, makes you cough and sneeze, and tastes like medicine?
I can get a good buzz having sex with my husband, or watching my favorite actor, or reading a great book, or simply enjoying a lively conversation with loved ones. I donāt need alcohol.
One more time, I urge you to NOT get into this argument with your āBaptistā non-drinking friends. You will run into a brick wall. Yes, you may be able to convince their MINDS that the Bible teaches that drinking alcohol is OK. (They are sola Scriptura advocates, and if you can present an adequte apology and Scriptural exegesis, they will eventually agree with you.) But you will NOT convince their hearts. And if you do, there is a good possibility that you will be convincing a potential alcoholic, someone who is looking for an excuse to drink. Then you will bear the guilt for their downfall. PLEASE donāt do it. Just talk about other things, and accept your āBaptistā friends for who they are.
BTW, yes, there is a tendency for many Protestant churches, including Baptist, to allow drinking among their members. I have recently been involved with a discussion about this on a Protestant online board. As usual in Protestant circle, this has caused a tremendous anger on both sides, and is dividing their churches. My parents-in-law, both of whom are in poor health, have a frig full of wine and beer now. Itās shocking to me and my husband, because while we were growing up (we started dating young), they went along with their Pentecostal church teachings against alcohol.
But we see it all the timeāProtestants who drink. It is very controversial among Protestants and is causing further division.
Finally, someone asked if I have the same objection to gluttony. First, I am obese, and I do not gorge myself. Many obese people eat quite normally, but they donāt burn the calories the way the thin people do. And many do have poor eating habits, but they are definitely not gluttons. Many of us are working on improving our eating habits (Iāve been on South Beach since Labor Day), and many are getting healthier. But it doesnāt happen overnight. Please seek to have better understanding of obesity and gluttony before making inflammatory statements. Many gluttons are NOT obese. Think about that.
But the real answer to the question about whether Iām offended by gluttony is, āNot as much, because gluttons DONāT KILL PEOPLE WHEN THEY DRIVE FULL.ā
I had a beloved great uncle and aunt killed by a stinkinā drunk driver. He is alive and free, they are in their graves.
Many others have lost loved ones to the evil of alcohol, not just through drunk driving, but through other abusive behaviors.
Again, I agree with you in my brain that alcohol is OK, but I canāt separate drinking from sin. I just canāt do it. My heart wonāt allow me to make a distinction. As far as Iām concerned, the world would be a much lovelier place without alcoholic beverages.
I did not type my post in sarcasm, Iām sorry if it came off that way.
One time someone said your standing there with your arms crossed you are deflecting the Holy Spirit. so to make her happy I put them behind my back. People worry about such odd things.
In the Baptist church I went to it was Blood and Body nothing less. Im saying that IF it was juice, at a Catholic, Id still see Blood.
