A New(?) Argument Against Drinking Alcohol--Any Good Challenges?

[SkyWriting]

I think the issue here is that the Bible doesn't explicitly prohibit slavery because it had practical value at the time. If 30,000 men invade your country, and 10,000 killed, maybe 8,000 captured... what do you do with the captured? Release them? Kill them? Put together a massive pow camp and do prisoner exchanges? No. Slavery was the best and most humane option.

This is also true with debt collection and criminals. Bad credit? Debtor prison? Bankruptcy laws? Petty theft being put in jail?

No. Slavery made sense in many ways. For God to forbid it altogether would have been ridiculous. Alcohol also had practical reasons. It also inhabited good situations.

In this day and age though, things have changed. Both slavery and alcohol need to go away.

The new covenant has done away with all prohibitions in the old covenant and given us Jewish experience and history to illustrate that prohibitions are ungainly and that they don't work.

What Does the Bible Say About The New Covenant in Jesus? - OpenBible.info

God has set up local governments to create and enforce laws to the public as He sees fit.
Local laws are now God's will for us.

Romans 13:1-7
1 Peter 2:13-17

 

[Loyce KG]

I believe drinking alcohol is not a sin (that is important to remember), but Christians should not drink, should actively encourage the church community to refrain from drinking, and would do well to restrict the use of alcohol as much as possible in their surrounding communities. This is the base-line belief, and I will offer a Biblically-based argument in favor of it and a few challenges to anyone who would disagree with it. Challenges welcomed!

There is a thread in Scripture and Christian history of repudiating, for Scripturally-based reasons, certain social practices that exist in the Bible. The three foremost examples are polygamy, slavery, and drinking alcohol. First challenge: is there any clear Biblical prohibition, for all believers, against polygamy or slavery, in God's Word? Or is there any declaration of either as a sin? Is there any passage or verse in the Bible that explicitly tells Christians to advocate for the abolition of either in their societies?

Not only is there no verse that clearly prohibits polygamy or slavery for the general population of believers, there are clear verses where both practices are condoned by God, at least in certain instances (Polygamy: 1 Samuel 12:8--God speaking. Slavery: Exodus 21, Leviticus 25:44-46).

Why have Christians then come to oppose both polygamy and slavery? Although both had practical reasons for their existence at a certain point in time, both looked different in Biblical times than the purely negative forms they have taken in modernity, and both were explicitly condoned by God in the Bible; there were issues that Christians ended up having with them, over time. Both have negative examples in Scriptural stories, the ideal situation given as examples of higher spiritual things are neither (marriage as between one man and one woman is a picture of Christ and the Church; Christ frees us from the bondage of sin), and both are seen to be negative for those in spiritual authority in the church age...and even in places in the Old Testament (elders to have one wife; the treatment of Onesiumus in Philemon; various pieces of wisdom and commands given to kings and priests). Both social practices were fraught with abuse towards people and became damaging to society.

Christians moved away from polygamy (Roman society was already more based in monogamy, but distant parts of the empire were not) early on. Christians actively advocated against slavery, eventually (because the form it had taken was clearly unscriptural, and higher ideals of freedom and all men being equal began to be in conflict with it). Christians then moved to remove alcohol from their subculture and general society because of various problems associated with it in Scripture, negative stories in the Bible about it, because of rules and laws restricting its use with spiritual leaders in the Bible (kings, priests and elders in churches), and lastly because of the way its use had changed in our society and the disappearance of it as a practical need.

My challenge to drinking Christians: if alcohol is not to be actively preached against (not drunkenness alone, but drinking alcohol in general) because the Bible does not explicity state it as a sin, should Christians also refuse to preach against polygamy if it arises (which it will) or speak against it in Christian circles; or, should they have sought the abolition of slavery or spoken against such a practice for Christians?

I think polygamy should not be practiced by Christians and society. I think slavery should not be practiced by Christians and society. I think drinking alcohol should not be practiced by Christians and society. But I think none of these are sin, inherently. Nonetheless, I do think none of these are things Christians should do--for Scriptural reasons.

And the Scriptural reasons against alcohol are much, much more stringent and numerous than they are for either polygamy or slavery. Its an easier argument to make against drinking alcohol than the other two practices.

Thanks for reading this lengthy post, and feel free to offer a challenge, I'd be interested if there are any good ones, because I haven't heard any in general conversation.

If you choose not to drink alcohol like many of us do, as a kind of default way of life, it needs to be based on some principle other than what the Bible requires of us. The bible doesn't declare drinking wine a sin but drunkenness (excess). psalms 104;15 says wine gladdens the heart of man.
The warnings we continuously see in in scripture is that we shouldn't be enslaved by it e.g in 1 Tim 3;8.
I have chosen to be an abstainer because in my culture; Drinking wine could cause a brother to stumble which scripture warns us against (Romans 14;21), Now this is cultural yet i am fully aware that most Americans take a glass of wine with dinner, so it's appropriate. Alcohol in my culture is abused by the majority of people and therefore its intake is left to the non-Christians. If the world is doing it, i don't want to do the same even though scripture doesn't exactly prohibit me after all, everything must be done out of Love for the Glory of God.

The majority of the bible warns of the dangers of wine intake and it would be wise for me to abstain. Experience in my society has taught me that most of the people who start off with 1 glass, upgrade to a higher amount and i don't want to tempt myself for a little warmth or light-headedness that alcohol gives.

Christ alone is enough for me; so is food and shelter. This is my personal resolve and am in no way dictating it to anyone.

 

[Loyce KG]

If God necessarily wanted us to avoid drinking, He did a very bad job at telling us that (and since I'm not of the opinion that God has done a bad job at anything, I'm inclined to disagree that drinking is so bad). Drunkenness is a sin, but nowhere in Scripture or Tradition is there a general prohibition on drinking- all we see is that too much leads one to drunkenness (and sin), and that priests, kings and rulers should avoid it at certain times.

There's also the fact that Jesus turned hundreds of gallons of water into wine, knowing that it would be consumed (unless you believe that Jesus desired to lead the wedding guests into sin, you can't hold that alcohol consumption is sinful). Then, at the Last Supper, Jesus passed around a chalice of wine (and later His Blood), telling His apostles to drink both. And then, on the cross, He drank wine that was offered to Him (should we believe that He sinned in His final moments?).

Again, if abstaining from alcohol is what God wanted, He did a bad job of telling us (and we shouldn't believe that He has done a bad job in anything)

Then, at the Last Supper, Jesus passed around a chalice of wine (and later His Blood), telling His apostles to drink both.

By the way, nowhere in the New Testament is the communion drink called “wine.” Now, it probably was, I am not arguing it wasn’t. But nowhere is communion called “wine.” It is usually called the cup, or it is called the fruit of the vine. As we know it it could have been grape juice. We are not commanded to drink wine by being commanded to drink the Lord’s Supper.

Paul in 1 Cor 11 calls out the church at Corinth for abusing Holy communion because they were eating and drinking in excess at the Lord's table,
"When you come together, it is not the Lord's supper that you eat. 21 For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. 22 What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not."
So portions mattered and as well as the motive.

 

[twin.spin]

The new covenant has done away with all prohibitions in the old covenant and given us Jewish experience and history to illustrate that prohibitions are ungainly and that they don't work.

What Does the Bible Say About The New Covenant in Jesus? - OpenBible.info

God has set up local governments to create and enforce laws to the public as He sees fit.
Local laws are now God's will for us.

Romans 13:1-7
1 Peter 2:13-17

Ok, I give up.
Could you tell us how you are able to have Bible verses listed and not have the default ASV automatically appear.

 

[PaulCyp1]

Not only does the Bible not state that drinking alcohol is a sin, it does state that Jesus Christ drank wine (as did all people of that time and place), and not only drank it but used it in instituting the central sacrament of the one Church He founded.

 

[Celticroots]

Drinking alcohol in moderation is not sinful. I’ll continue to enjoy a glass of wine once in a while.

 

[DavidAnderson1985]

The new covenant has done away with all prohibitions in the old covenant and given us Jewish experience and history to illustrate that prohibitions are ungainly and that they don't work.

What Does the Bible Say About The New Covenant in Jesus? - OpenBible.info

God has set up local governments to create and enforce laws to the public as He sees fit.
Local laws are now God's will for us.

Romans 13:1-7
1 Peter 2:13-17

Hmm. I don't understand your point. I know we have a New Covenant. In some ways we have a higher standard: "he that looketh upon a woman"

I think the passing of alcohol is inevitable in this New Covenant. We are not just priests in a Temple. We are priests and the temple.

 

[DavidAnderson1985]

Drinking alcohol in moderation is not sinful. I’ll continue to enjoy a glass of wine once in a while.

My warning would be that a good course of action is the Rechabites in Jeremiah 35. Their father commanded them not to drink wine, and they obeyed for generations--even refusing the wine that God commanded Jeremiah to give them. God honored them for their obedience to their ancestor's godly counsel.

He also counseled them to not live in houses and to not plant vineyards. The buildings, the agriculture, the wine, they were all tied to this world, and their father Jonadab had said they were sojourners in the land.

Allowing alcohol, on the other hand, will only teach your descendants and those Christians around you to do the same. This will inevitably lead to sin, sorrow and destruction down the road that would not be there without the wine.

Why not turn away? Why not have a different drink...there are so many. Turn away from the drink! There is nothing in it that is worth the cost!

 

[DavidAnderson1985]

Not only does the Bible not state that drinking alcohol is a sin, it does state that Jesus Christ drank wine (as did all people of that time and place), and not only drank it but used it in instituting the central sacrament of the one Church He founded.

My whole argument is about how alcohol is not a sin, but like other topics in the Bible, may be repudiated by Christians with good reason. Drinking alcohol not being a sin is not relevant, any more than slavery or polygamy not being a sin is relevant to Christians' repudiation of the practices.

 

[Anand Prabhu Antony]

I believe drinking alcohol is not a sin (that is important to remember), but Christians should not drink, should actively encourage the church community to refrain from drinking, and would do well to restrict the use of alcohol as much as possible in their surrounding communities. This is the base-line belief, and I will offer a Biblically-based argument in favor of it and a few challenges to anyone who would disagree with it. Challenges welcomed!

There is a thread in Scripture and Christian history of repudiating, for Scripturally-based reasons, certain social practices that exist in the Bible. The three foremost examples are polygamy, slavery, and drinking alcohol. First challenge: is there any clear Biblical prohibition, for all believers, against polygamy or slavery, in God's Word? Or is there any declaration of either as a sin? Is there any passage or verse in the Bible that explicitly tells Christians to advocate for the abolition of either in their societies?

Not only is there no verse that clearly prohibits polygamy or slavery for the general population of believers, there are clear verses where both practices are condoned by God, at least in certain instances (Polygamy: 1 Samuel 12:8--God speaking. Slavery: Exodus 21, Leviticus 25:44-46).

Why have Christians then come to oppose both polygamy and slavery? Although both had practical reasons for their existence at a certain point in time, both looked different in Biblical times than the purely negative forms they have taken in modernity, and both were explicitly condoned by God in the Bible; there were issues that Christians ended up having with them, over time. Both have negative examples in Scriptural stories, the ideal situation given as examples of higher spiritual things are neither (marriage as between one man and one woman is a picture of Christ and the Church; Christ frees us from the bondage of sin), and both are seen to be negative for those in spiritual authority in the church age...and even in places in the Old Testament (elders to have one wife; the treatment of Onesiumus in Philemon; various pieces of wisdom and commands given to kings and priests). Both social practices were fraught with abuse towards people and became damaging to society.

Christians moved away from polygamy (Roman society was already more based in monogamy, but distant parts of the empire were not) early on. Christians actively advocated against slavery, eventually (because the form it had taken was clearly unscriptural, and higher ideals of freedom and all men being equal began to be in conflict with it). Christians then moved to remove alcohol from their subculture and general society because of various problems associated with it in Scripture, negative stories in the Bible about it, because of rules and laws restricting its use with spiritual leaders in the Bible (kings, priests and elders in churches), and lastly because of the way its use had changed in our society and the disappearance of it as a practical need.

My challenge to drinking Christians: if alcohol is not to be actively preached against (not drunkenness alone, but drinking alcohol in general) because the Bible does not explicity state it as a sin, should Christians also refuse to preach against polygamy if it arises (which it will) or speak against it in Christian circles; or, should they have sought the abolition of slavery or spoken against such a practice for Christians?

I think polygamy should not be practiced by Christians and society. I think slavery should not be practiced by Christians and society. I think drinking alcohol should not be practiced by Christians and society. But I think none of these are sin, inherently. Nonetheless, I do think none of these are things Christians should do--for Scriptural reasons.

And the Scriptural reasons against alcohol are much, much more stringent and numerous than they are for either polygamy or slavery. Its an easier argument to make against drinking alcohol than the other two practices.

Thanks for reading this lengthy post, and feel free to offer a challenge, I'd be interested if there are any good ones, because I haven't heard any in general conversation. I believe drinking alcohol is not a sin (that is important to remember), but Christians should not drink, should actively encourage the church community to refrain from drinking, and would do well to restrict the use of alcohol as much as possible in their surrounding communities. This is the base-line belief, and I will offer a Biblically-based argument in favor of it and a few challenges to anyone who would disagree with it. Challenges welcomed!

There is a thread in Scripture and Christian history of repudiating, for Scripturally-based reasons, certain social practices that exist in the Bible. The three foremost examples are polygamy, slavery, and drinking alcohol. First challenge: is there any clear Biblical prohibition, for all believers, against polygamy or slavery, in God's Word? Or is there any declaration of either as a sin? Is there any passage or verse in the Bible that explicitly tells Christians to advocate for the abolition of either in their societies?

Not only is there no verse that clearly prohibits polygamy or slavery for the general population of believers, there are clear verses where both practices are condoned by God, at least in certain instances (Polygamy: 1 Samuel 12:8--God speaking. Slavery: Exodus 21, Leviticus 25:44-46).

Why have Christians then come to oppose both polygamy and slavery? Although both had practical reasons for their existence at a certain point in time, both looked different in Biblical times than the purely negative forms they have taken in modernity, and both were explicitly condoned by God in the Bible; there were issues that Christians ended up having with them, over time. Both have negative examples in Scriptural stories, the ideal situation given as examples of higher spiritual things are neither (marriage as between one man and one woman is a picture of Christ and the Church; Christ frees us from the bondage of sin), and both are seen to be negative for those in spiritual authority in the church age...and even in places in the Old Testament (elders to have one wife; the treatment of Onesiumus in Philemon; various pieces of wisdom and commands given to kings and priests). Both social practices were fraught with abuse towards people and became damaging to society.

Christians moved away from polygamy (Roman society was already more based in monogamy, but distant parts of the empire were not) early on. Christians actively advocated against slavery, eventually (because the form it had taken was clearly unscriptural, and higher ideals of freedom and all men being equal began to be in conflict with it). Christians then moved to remove alcohol from their subculture and general society because of various problems associated with it in Scripture, negative stories in the Bible about it, because of rules and laws restricting its use with spiritual leaders in the Bible (kings, priests and elders in churches), and lastly because of the way its use had changed in our society and the disappearance of it as a practical need.

My challenge to drinking Christians: if alcohol is not to be actively preached against (not drunkenness alone, but drinking alcohol in general) because the Bible does not explicity state it as a sin, should Christians also refuse to preach against polygamy if it arises (which it will) or speak against it in Christian circles; or, should they have sought the abolition of slavery or spoken against such a practice for Christians?

I think polygamy should not be practiced by Christians and society. I think slavery should not be practiced by Christians and society. I think drinking alcohol should not be practiced by Christians and society. But I think none of these are sin, inherently. Nonetheless, I do think none of these are things Christians should do--for Scriptural reasons.

And the Scriptural reasons against alcohol are much, much more stringent and numerous than they are for either polygamy or slavery. Its an easier argument to make against drinking alcohol than the other two practices.

Thanks for reading this lengthy post, and feel free to offer a challenge, I'd be interested if there are any good ones, because I haven't heard any in general conversation.

Proverbs 23:31-32
"Do not look at wine when it is red,
when it sparkles on the cup,
going down smoothly.
In the end, it will bite like a serpent,
and it will sting like an adder".

1 Peter 2:16
"Live as free persons, and not using your freedom as a covering for evil, but as slaves of God".

Romans 14:21
It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine or to do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is weakened.

 

[Jude1:3Contendforthefaith]

I believe drinking alcohol is not a sin (that is important to remember), but Christians should not drink, should actively encourage the church community to refrain from drinking, and would do well to restrict the use of alcohol as much as possible in their surrounding communities. This is the base-line belief, and I will offer a Biblically-based argument in favor of it and a few challenges to anyone who would disagree with it. Challenges welcomed!

There is a thread in Scripture and Christian history of repudiating, for Scripturally-based reasons, certain social practices that exist in the Bible. The three foremost examples are polygamy, slavery, and drinking alcohol. First challenge: is there any clear Biblical prohibition, for all believers, against polygamy or slavery, in God's Word? Or is there any declaration of either as a sin? Is there any passage or verse in the Bible that explicitly tells Christians to advocate for the abolition of either in their societies?

Not only is there no verse that clearly prohibits polygamy or slavery for the general population of believers, there are clear verses where both practices are condoned by God, at least in certain instances (Polygamy: 1 Samuel 12:8--God speaking. Slavery: Exodus 21, Leviticus 25:44-46).

Why have Christians then come to oppose both polygamy and slavery? Although both had practical reasons for their existence at a certain point in time, both looked different in Biblical times than the purely negative forms they have taken in modernity, and both were explicitly condoned by God in the Bible; there were issues that Christians ended up having with them, over time. Both have negative examples in Scriptural stories, the ideal situation given as examples of higher spiritual things are neither (marriage as between one man and one woman is a picture of Christ and the Church; Christ frees us from the bondage of sin), and both are seen to be negative for those in spiritual authority in the church age...and even in places in the Old Testament (elders to have one wife; the treatment of Onesiumus in Philemon; various pieces of wisdom and commands given to kings and priests). Both social practices were fraught with abuse towards people and became damaging to society.

Christians moved away from polygamy (Roman society was already more based in monogamy, but distant parts of the empire were not) early on. Christians actively advocated against slavery, eventually (because the form it had taken was clearly unscriptural, and higher ideals of freedom and all men being equal began to be in conflict with it). Christians then moved to remove alcohol from their subculture and general society because of various problems associated with it in Scripture, negative stories in the Bible about it, because of rules and laws restricting its use with spiritual leaders in the Bible (kings, priests and elders in churches), and lastly because of the way its use had changed in our society and the disappearance of it as a practical need.

My challenge to drinking Christians: if alcohol is not to be actively preached against (not drunkenness alone, but drinking alcohol in general) because the Bible does not explicity state it as a sin, should Christians also refuse to preach against polygamy if it arises (which it will) or speak against it in Christian circles; or, should they have sought the abolition of slavery or spoken against such a practice for Christians?

I think polygamy should not be practiced by Christians and society. I think slavery should not be practiced by Christians and society. I think drinking alcohol should not be practiced by Christians and society. But I think none of these are sin, inherently. Nonetheless, I do think none of these are things Christians should do--for Scriptural reasons.

And the Scriptural reasons against alcohol are much, much more stringent and numerous than they are for either polygamy or slavery. Its an easier argument to make against drinking alcohol than the other two practices.

Thanks for reading this lengthy post, and feel free to offer a challenge, I'd be interested if there are any good ones, because I haven't heard any in general conversation.

• It does oppose Slavery and Polygamy:


Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, FOR ENSLAVERS, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;
• 1 Timothy 1:9-10


Let the deacons be the husbands Of ONE WIFE, ruling their children and their own houses well.
• 1 Timothy 3:12





• But it shows that wine was used in Communion / The Lord's Supper:

Now then, when you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat. For as you eat, many of you proceed with your own meal to the exclusion of others. While one remains hungry, And Another GETS DRUNK. Don’t you have your own homes in which to eat and drink? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What can I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? Of course not!
• 1 Corinthians 11:20-22

 

[SkyWriting]

Hmm. I don't understand your point. I know we have a New Covenant. In some ways we have a higher standard: "he that looketh upon a woman"

I think the passing of alcohol is inevitable in this New Covenant. We are not just priests in a Temple. We are priests and the temple.

So then read though it again.

What Does the Bible Say About The New Covenant in Jesus? - OpenBible.info

 

[Ignatius the Kiwi]

The main problem I have with your argument is that Jesus turned water into wine specifically for the purpose celebrating a wedding. So since we have an example of Jesus positively using wine with no implication that it was wrong to do so, we can't even argue from an inference that alcohol ought to be avoided in general. That and we must recognize wine has constituted the instrument by which we celebrate the Eucharist weekly for the last two thousand years.

The standard wisdom applies that drunks ought to avoid alcohol but people who are not affected by it, like myself (I drink on rare occasions), have no reason to have their consciences burdened as if they had sinned when they haven't. I feel more guilty about the calories in alcohol than any potential offense to God.

 

[MonstersvsMartyrs]

1 Timothy 5:23
Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.

 

[☦Marius☦]

I generally take Saint John Chrysostom's view on this topic (4th century)

From Homilies on the Statues 1,7:

"Paul is not ashamed, and does not blush, after the many and great signs which he had displayed even by a simple word; yet, in writing to Timothy, to bid him take refuge in the healing virtue of wine drinking. Not that to drink wine is shameful. God forbid! For such precepts belong to heretics; [...] For [Paul] does not simply say, “use a little wine;” but having said before, “drink no longer water,” he then brings forward his counsel as to the drinking of wine. And this expression “no longer” was a manifest proof, that till then he had drunk water, and on that account was become infirm.

But since our discourse has now turned to the subject of blasphemy, I desire to ask one favor of you all, in return for this my address, and speaking with you; which is, that you will correct on my behalf the blasphemers of this city [i.e., blaspheming against God by saying that wine is evil.]. And should you hear any one in the public thoroughfare, or in the midst of the forum, blaspheming God; go up to him and rebuke him; and should it be necessary to inflict blows, spare not to do so. Smite him on the face; strike his mouth; sanctify your hand with the blow, and if any should accuse you, and drag you to the place of justice, follow them thither; and when the judge on the bench calls you to account, say boldly that the man blasphemed the King of angels! For if it be necessary to punish those who blaspheme an earthly king, much more so those who insult God. [...]"

 

[SkyWriting]

1 Timothy 5:23
Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.

Water can spoil pretty quickly. I've had water on my night stand that went bad.

 

[SkyWriting]

Drinking alcohol in moderation is not sinful. I’ll continue to enjoy a glass of wine once in a while.

Aldi White in a box is great for half a glass a day.

 

[SkyWriting]

Could you tell us how you are able to have Bible verses listed and not have the default ASV automatically appear.

I copy from a different tab and edit it down to the minimum.
These are my two research tools and each has it's advantages:
What Does the Bible Say About Drinking Wine?
Bible Search: wine

 

[parousia70]

By the way, nowhere in the New Testament is the communion drink called “wine.” Now, it probably was, I am not arguing it wasn’t. But nowhere is communion called “wine.” It is usually called the cup, or it is called the fruit of the vine. As we know it it could have been grape juice.

It could not have been grape juice.
Prior to the advent of Refrigeration, Fermentation was the only method of preserving the "fruit of the vine" in liquid form for consumption.

 

[devin553344]

I believe drinking alcohol is not a sin (that is important to remember), but Christians should not drink, should actively encourage the church community to refrain from drinking, and would do well to restrict the use of alcohol as much as possible in their surrounding communities. This is the base-line belief, and I will offer a Biblically-based argument in favor of it and a few challenges to anyone who would disagree with it. Challenges welcomed!

There is a thread in Scripture and Christian history of repudiating, for Scripturally-based reasons, certain social practices that exist in the Bible. The three foremost examples are polygamy, slavery, and drinking alcohol. First challenge: is there any clear Biblical prohibition, for all believers, against polygamy or slavery, in God's Word? Or is there any declaration of either as a sin? Is there any passage or verse in the Bible that explicitly tells Christians to advocate for the abolition of either in their societies?

Not only is there no verse that clearly prohibits polygamy or slavery for the general population of believers, there are clear verses where both practices are condoned by God, at least in certain instances (Polygamy: 1 Samuel 12:8--God speaking. Slavery: Exodus 21, Leviticus 25:44-46).

Why have Christians then come to oppose both polygamy and slavery? Although both had practical reasons for their existence at a certain point in time, both looked different in Biblical times than the purely negative forms they have taken in modernity, and both were explicitly condoned by God in the Bible; there were issues that Christians ended up having with them, over time. Both have negative examples in Scriptural stories, the ideal situation given as examples of higher spiritual things are neither (marriage as between one man and one woman is a picture of Christ and the Church; Christ frees us from the bondage of sin), and both are seen to be negative for those in spiritual authority in the church age...and even in places in the Old Testament (elders to have one wife; the treatment of Onesiumus in Philemon; various pieces of wisdom and commands given to kings and priests). Both social practices were fraught with abuse towards people and became damaging to society.

Christians moved away from polygamy (Roman society was already more based in monogamy, but distant parts of the empire were not) early on. Christians actively advocated against slavery, eventually (because the form it had taken was clearly unscriptural, and higher ideals of freedom and all men being equal began to be in conflict with it). Christians then moved to remove alcohol from their subculture and general society because of various problems associated with it in Scripture, negative stories in the Bible about it, because of rules and laws restricting its use with spiritual leaders in the Bible (kings, priests and elders in churches), and lastly because of the way its use had changed in our society and the disappearance of it as a practical need.

My challenge to drinking Christians: if alcohol is not to be actively preached against (not drunkenness alone, but drinking alcohol in general) because the Bible does not explicity state it as a sin, should Christians also refuse to preach against polygamy if it arises (which it will) or speak against it in Christian circles; or, should they have sought the abolition of slavery or spoken against such a practice for Christians?

I think polygamy should not be practiced by Christians and society. I think slavery should not be practiced by Christians and society. I think drinking alcohol should not be practiced by Christians and society. But I think none of these are sin, inherently. Nonetheless, I do think none of these are things Christians should do--for Scriptural reasons.

And the Scriptural reasons against alcohol are much, much more stringent and numerous than they are for either polygamy or slavery. Its an easier argument to make against drinking alcohol than the other two practices.

Thanks for reading this lengthy post, and feel free to offer a challenge, I'd be interested if there are any good ones, because I haven't heard any in general conversation.

Drinking alcohol is not a sin because it may be used as a pain medication. For anyone who has not experienced long suffering pain I will attempt to explain. The doctors would prescribe you narcotics. The narcotic relieves pain also, but at a cost. As the withdrawals are severe a person is stuck taking a pill 3 to 4 times a day to avoid the excruciating withdrawals. Therefore a person must continue on the narcotics once started. But alcohol is different. I person can drink 3 beers and relax and get some pain relief and then stop drinking for a week. No withdrawals.

That reason is why we have medical marijuana issues all over the world. Society finds that there are many who suffer pain that is too much to ignore but not enough to necessitate narcotic use. This is why it is in the scriptures:

1 Timothy 5:23

If you've never had a pain issue then it's quite easy to say alcohol is evil. And it would make sense to you. But if you have walked in the shoes of one that suffers, than the evil are those that would act in prohibition and demand that those people suffer. Remember also:

Matthew 5:7

Hope that helps