I don't use drugs or drink alcohol, but I understand that some people do.
I wonder what the Christian position is on such things?
I know the temperance movement was quite big for a while but seems less so these days.
I've heard that a more liberal approach to drugs can help people to get better help and not be a police record, and so help them to come out of that lifestyle. Also, it reduces the opportunity for organised crime... That was an issue when they tried to ban alcohol, organised crime was gifted a business opportunity!
What do Christians think about that?
Is there a biblical position?
The Bible, broadly recognizes that alcohol can be a good thing and a bad thing, depending on its use. Alcohol is associated with celebration and celebrating life; in how it is treated in the Torah as well as, for example, the wine at the wedding in Cana (and Jesus turning water into wine). It is also most closely, in the form of wine, associated with the most sacred act in Christian worship, the Lord's Supper which Jesus instituted at His Last Supper.
At the same time, the Bible warns against the abuse and misuse of alcohol, that dependence on alcohol is destructive.
As it pertains to any other form of intoxicant or drug, the Bible is rather silent. However the condemnation of
pharmakeia in the New Testament (which is often translated as "witchcraft" in English Bibles) does indicate a condemnation of ritual drug use (there is also good drug use, i.e. the use of medicine, which is not what is condemned here); ritual drug use meaning various intoxicants in the use of pagan ritual.
This means that, at the end of the day, questions about this comes down more to use of wisdom, conscience, and making smart choices rather than explicit commands from God.
There's no command against moderate drinking, and responsible use of alcohol is even praised; but over-indulgence and abuse is seen as destructive and harmful. That is, if we were to use this as a basic principle to work with, a smart way to go about lots of things. And not everything is exactly the same. There's a huge difference between cannabis and crack cocaine for example. There's really no situation where crack cocaine isn't harmful and destructive--and that's less about sin so much as the harm this does to a person and that such things are unwise, harmful, and should be avoided for those reasons.
I view drug abuse more like jumping in shark infested waters when there's blood in the water than I do a straight-out violation of a commandment. It's harmful, it's unwise, don't do it because it will hurt you--and such poor choices can lead to worse things down the line; drug abuse through impairment of judgment can certainly lead to sin and to harming one's faith. And that's where "All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable for me" in Scripture comes to mind.
Just because something may not technically be sinful doesn't mean I should do it. Don't jump into shark infested waters with blood in the water, don't get into a boxing match with a grizzly bear, don't jump out of an airplane without a parachute. Don't abuse drugs and/or alcohol and self-destruct.
-CryptoLutheran
