rsc2a said:
[quote author=biscuit1953]I believe it was you (maybe not) who disparaged those who see what alcohol has done to society by citing statistics and dismissing it out of hand. I agree that there is liberty in Christ even though I may not like certain things but to be opposed to something that is responsible for so much misery in the world is not unwise.
What was being disparaged was the fact that those statistics were being cited to make the case for total abstinence regarding alcohol. Others just mentioned that statistics could be given showing the dangers of irresponsible sexual activity and eating, but the idea of total abstinence in those cases is (rightly) considered absurd.
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No, r2d2, that isn't true in my case. Just because y'all took it that way, don't mean it was presented that way.
I used the statistics to show the problem we have in our country with alcoholism, and to make people see that they should not be smug in their freedom, and that some people had a good reason not to drink, nor like alcohol use. Show me one place where I called for total abstinence. I have bent over backwards to show both sides. One thing that we always avoid is the question I asked, Is being drunk, which we know is a sin, judged by .08 blood alcohol, which would cause you to get a dwi in a lot of states? If not, then what is drunk? I suspect some people get drunk and don't know it, and some can drink more than others and be fine. Does getting buzzed make you drunk? I would not go that far, yet that is the enticement of alcohol that pulls in so many into alcoholism. People like that feeling, and think it some is good, more is better.
I would like to add one more thing here. John R. Rice is the cause for a lot of people thinking that total abstinence is the only way. Most of you probably don't remember him, but he went as far to say that the Kennedys had a curse on their family for bringing liquour to America. He cited the following verse to prove his point:
Habakkuk 2:15 (HCSB)
15 Woe to him who gives his neighbors drink, pouring out your wrath and even making them drunk, in order to look at their nakedness!
IFBXers took up the mantle and took the verse out of context to preach the giving anyone alcohol was a sin, even if they didn't get drunk. It was preached after I first got saved in IFBxer circles. John R. Rice was looked upon, and still is in some circles, as the authority on whether to drink or not. They used other verses, like the one in Proverbs that said not to look upon wine when it moved in the cup, and tried to say that meant fermentation, and proved that you should only drink grape juice. All this was taken out of context, and used to make people totally abstain from alcohol.
That being said, we still have a responsibility to not give alcohol to those who have a problem, and it would be a sin to do so if they got drunk. That is why I cringe when I hear people say they have church sponsored bible studies that serve alcohol. And these people have to drive home. To me, that is leaving the door wide open to get sued should someone go home with too much to drink from one of these meetings and cause a wreck, then blow over the legal limit. Responsible drinking is all I ever called for with my statistics, not total abstinence. I challenge anyone to prove me otherwise.
