Posted on 12/10/2013 11:03:54 AM PST by Laissez-faire capitalist
If a person starts out at point x (the level at which their present imbibing of alcoholic beverages will get them drunk) and ups it to point y over a period of time (be it a short or long period of time), will God judge them by the point x sin of drunkenness or the new point at which they get drunk (point y)?
If a person gets drunk at point x, and social drinking over a period of time unintentionally causes them to develop more and more tolerance to alcohol, then must they stay at point x?
If not, is God judging some by one standard and others at a different standard? What if someone can never develop tolerance or more and more tolreance, be it intentionally or not? Can some do certain things while others can't
Can this apply to many other areas of life, where some can get away with things and others can't?
What is the z limit that none must pass or even dare build up to, either intentionally or unitentionally?
.08 is .08 whether you “feel” it or not.
When you start making deals with God to excuse your sins because they aren’t as bad as “that other guy”, you’ve already lost.
If you drink to get drunk and it takes you half as much alcohol as someone else, your INTENTION was still to get drunk. The volume consumed is just a detail.
It’s not something I’m willing to think about unless I have a few more drinks.
If a cop asks you during a traffic stop if you had anything to drink that day and you answer in the affirmative, you're going to jail and getting hung with a DWI and all that involves.
We could at least drink and smoke during the last great depression.
One problem.....at what point do you cross that thin line into alcoholism?
The real expert on the subject died a few years ago.
Drunkeness is a sin? Uh-oh...
I tend to follow St. Thomas Aquinas: drink until you feel dizzy, anything past that is drunkenness and a sin :-)
Certainly, Drink 4 Quarts of Scotch per day plus 1 Gallon of Red Bull.
The answer is “No”. Reference Keith Whitley, dead from one drink. There is a limit to the liver processing ability, and the toxicity comes instantly over that capacity.
It’s all about the heart and the reasons. The amounts don’t matter.
Shoot I drank my behind off in Vegas last week, and had a great time. Didn’t hurt anyone, didn’t do anything dumb, just swigged a bunch of water and was up and at ‘em the next day.
If I was drinking to get drunk and had other things in mind, well....
The classic answer is .... dependency.
Understand that all alcoholism is a dependency on alcohol for something. Some depend on alcohol to feel comfortable in a social setting. Others depend on alcohol to settle their nerves, others to get through the day or to deal with stress.
It does not matter the reason as to why someone is dependent, and if they are dependent, they have become a slave to something. While we are talking about alcohol here, it really does not matter what the “drug” is. It can be cocaine or heroin or tobacco or sex or any other addiction.
God does not want us to be slaves.
You have a lot of time on your hands, huh?
What’s the difference? The scripture simply says “drunkenness”. I might experience “drunkenness” with just one drink. Another may not experience “drunkenness” after 4 of the same drinks. I think scripture is rather clear on what “drunkenness” is. Proverbs 23 would be a good start. If alcohol begins to cause one to function at a level that is inconsistent with Godliness it becomes “drunkenness”. That seems that it would be subjective to each individual.
It is called “masking”
This is not a better tolerance, but an ability to mask symptoms. Drunk is drunk.
“When you start making deals with God to excuse your sins because they aren’t as bad as “that other guy”, you’ve already lost.”
I tell the kids in the High School Sunday School class that all sin starts with two words: “I want.” But no sin is consummated into an act without a rationalization. Then I have the kids list them:
“It’s not that bad”
“Nobody will know”
“Nobody will get hurt”
“I can handle it”
“I know what I’m doing”
“Everyone else is doing it”
“I’ll only do it once”
“I deserve it”
“They deserve it” (that one is really bad)
When the voice in your head says any of these things, run away from what you are thinking of doing; nothing good will come of it.
Sounds like what the author of this article is doing.
Seriously though, the only time that I really remember the bible mentioning getting drunk in reference to it being a sin, were the Priests getting drunk before they performed their temple duties. I think New Testement wise, it's probably covered under "Don't do something that might offend your brothers..."
My dad always said to drink standing up. . .because when you fall down you know you’ve had enough. ;-)
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