If you didn't click through, this website discusses why one Christian does not consume alcohol. No objections. However, he does not speak for everyone and some of what he says is also contradicted by the Bible.
1. I can't be sober-minded if I'm not sober.
Well, yeah. Circular logic, but sound.
2. Alcohol has an assignment: destruction.
Really? Got proof of that? Where? You interviewed alcohol? Alcohol is a preservative, a disinfectant (ok, so that is destruction), a fuel , an additive, medicine.
3. Alcohol is a depressant. Anything that depresses should be avoided at all costs.
So don’t watch the news. Don’t read the
4. I don't want to make my brother or sister stumble in the name of exercising my "Christian liberties." My choice to drink could lead to someone's demise.
http://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/8-13.htm And you don’t eat meat because vegetarians? What about pets? What about those who are Jainists who only eat fruit and leaves and leave the plant intact? Ending any life at all is wrong in their sight.
http://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/8-13.htm And you don’t eat meat because vegetarians? What about pets? What about those who are Jainists who only eat fruit and leaves and leave the plant intact? Ending any life at all is wrong in their sight.
5. Alcohol skews my judgment.
It can. Is this always a bad thing? If you say skewed judgment is a bad thing, then what about forgiveness?
6. Alcohol leaves me worse, not better.
Science says red wine is good for the cardio system. http://biblehub.com/1_timothy/5-23.htm
7. What I do in moderation, my children will do in excess.
Watch TV much? Drive much? Kids gonna
8. Even the unsaved know I shouldn't drink. Bible in one hand, beer in the other—any lost person could point this out as a confusing contradiction.
He didn’t turn the water into Tang. "Take a little wine for thy stomach's sake." The Puritans, on their way over to the New World, brought beer.
9. Alcohol doesn't bring others closer to the Lord when they see me drinking, but further away.
So you have interviewed every person on the planet and found this to be the case with each person? I know many Catholics who’d be surprised to hear this.
10. Alcohol doesn't bring me closer to the Lord when I drink, but further away.
“These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” It’s what you mean when you do something that matters.
11. I want to be fully awake and ready for the return of Christ, not drowsy, sluggish and fuzzy.
And if you happen to be asleep? Maybe running on 20 hours awake time and 5 minutes sleep? Coffee in the morning?
12. Show me a family for whom alcohol has made a positive difference in their lives. You won't be able to.
Catholics who own liquor stores, who tithe, raise children and support their community.
13. I have never heard anyone say, "Wow, that gin and tonic made me feel so Christlike!"
Neither have I. I've also never heard anyone say they took Communion and said it made them feel more Christlike. I have heard people say they took a drink to calm down.
14. I want to avoid all appearances of evil.
Well, good. Actions are evil. Objects are not.
15. Alcohol makes it much harder for me to practice the fruit of self-control.
Could be.
16. Alcohol causes me to lose my filter.
Could be.
17. Alcohol is a legal mind-altering drug.
So is morphine, caffeine , Oxycontin and a whole host of other drugs available by prescription.
18. Alcohol is addictive.
So are caffeine, nicotine and prescription narcotics and a whole lot of other things.
19. Alcohol is a numbing agent for pain and sorrow only Jesus can heal.
Proverbs 31:6-7 “Let beer be for those who are perishing,
Let them drink and forget their poverty
20. Many regrets are associated with alcohol. (I can give you a whole bunch!)
To live is to have regrets. A man with no regrets was not a man because he never existed. If you never make a decision, you will never have a regret.
21. No one has ever said, "If only I had taken a drink, things wouldn't have gotten out of control."
I have heard people say they needed a drink to calm down. You said alcohol is a depressant. It slows people down. "I need a drink to steady my nerves" is something I've heard from several people.
22. Alcohol causes me to act in ways I normally wouldn't.
“Alcohol removes my filters.” Then how you act with alcohol is normal for you. How you act with a filter in place is not normal.
23. Alcohol kills brain cells.
So does living. But to address the point, current medical science says otherwise.
24. Alcohol is a counterfeit and provides a false peace.
Counterfeit what? You lost me there. There is no peace in life. There is only struggle and resisting and overcoming.
25. The Bible says that no drunkards will enter the kingdom of God. Being drunk starts with one drink. I don't want to see how far outside the lines I can color when eternity is at stake.
The Bible says that those who believe in Jesus will enter heaven. The thief on the cross made it in.
26. Alcohol is a waster—money, gifts and talents, destinies and so on.
Might wanna
27. Alcohol leads to really bad behavior. It is a factor in 50 percent of violent crimes.
Proof? The sources I find say it is lower.
28. Alcohol distracts and derails you from living the victorious life for which Christ died.
Anything to excess is not good.
29. Wisdom is the principle
If you are chasing after wisdom “at all cost” then you are lost. Alcohol won’t matter in this case. As for its effect on intellect, “I have taken more out of alcohol than alcohol has taken out of me,” Winston Churchill.
30. Alcohol has ruined many, many marriages.
Not a one. People ruin marriages.
31. The only influence I should be "under" is God's.
No more prescriptions from the doctor for you!
32. The Bible tells me to be alert; alcohol delays my reaction time.
So does lack of sleep, many medications and age.
33. If I don't start drinking, I'll never have to stop.
34. Alcohol severely tarnishes my testimony.
Jesus served what at the last supper?
35. Don't want your teenagers to drink? Yep, same reasons
Teenagers don’t have the same experiences as I. Teenagers don’t have the same level of discernment as I do either. With years of life behind me, I am less likely to make a decision I will regret in 20 years compared to making decisions when I was 15.
36. God is holy; alcohol is not.
1, granted. 2, yes, but what is the definition of holy. See also, Acts 10:15. Where was alcohol declared unclean and unfit for human consumption? Also, who created alcohol?
37. Alcohol and prayer don't mix.
Catholics don’t seem to have a problem with this. Neither did Jesus.
38. Alcohol and Bible study don't mix.
See Catholics.
39. Alcohol lowers my resolve to resist temptation.
Then you have a problem with will power
40. Alcohol = Brokenness (broken lives, health, dreams and so on)
Alcohol = a byproduct of certain yeast consuming sugars.
41. When the world sees us drinking, it sends the message that Jesus isn't enough.
I guess that whole wedding supper and water into wine proves that point pretty well.
42. Moderate drinking? How about moderate pornography or moderate heroin use or moderate lying
See Song of Songs. See morphine, hydrocodone, Oxycontin. David lied
43. Christians are called to live a life of total surrender and separation from the world.
44. Alcohol makes me forget. It can make me forget that I am married, that I am saved and so on.
Age will make you forget as well. Senility and Alzheimers do the same. Visit a nursing home and find some preachers in the grip of these disorders and diseases. Alcohol does not make you do anything. You choose.
45. "I don't get drunk. I only have one or two drinks." If they didn't affect you, you would drink soda.
Caffeine. Further, if water didn’t affect you, you’d not drink it.
46. I should never look to the glass or bottle for joy, which can only be found in the Lord Jesus Christ.
So much for encouraging people to have a joyful marriage.
47. Alcohol fills my mind with impure thoughts.
No. The thoughts were already there. Alcohol, as you said, removes filters.
48. If it could hinder my faith walk or love walk
49. Alcohol doesn't help me run the race that Jesus has marked
1 Timothy 5:23 “Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.”
50. For any argument that tries to justify Christian drinking, there are at least 50 other reasons not to. The writing is on the wall. It's not God's best for Christians to drink.
You can prove anything if you start with the right assumption.
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