Hmm I was surprised there wasnt a religous topic. Im not religous, I beieve in evolution n such, I dont disregard religion I just find it hard to believe. Anywho though I was reading an article on the connection between cannabis and religion. And in Revelation 22:2 it states "the tree of life, and the leaf from that tree, is for the healing of the nations." Many believe this to be cannabis, in which the leaf is the bud, obbiously. Haha. Also in Genesis 1:29-30, God declares that he gave every herb bearing seed to humanity. Psalm 104:14 states that "God grew the herb for the service of man."

That being said, why is the majority of religous people so against cannabis, other than pure ignorance. It says in your hand book you gave it to us, and it just so happens we have receptors in our brain that connects with thc, cbd n such. Sorry if I came off offensive, I dont mean any harm, just an educated discussion.

Kinda hard to get both sides here. So if this thread here doesn't work out for you then I suggest that you ask those church people that don't believe.

Yea I dont need the other side, anybody can put their input on the topic.

The following quotes were recently given to me as a response to my assertion that cannabis is not toxic to the human body. The response comes from Drug Use Prevention affiliates (used without permission):
1."The principle of Toxicology is that everything is toxic, there is no harmless substances only harmless way of using substances. What make it a passion is rout of entry, dosage to weight ratio, duration of exposure, metabolic ability of the target organism. My course was a 4 hour course with a lab and there is no way to teach this to you in a brief."
-and the other-
2. "After nearly 40 years in the criminal justice systems, I have never heard of a death resulting from a THC overdose. My research and observations have revealed a wide variety of crimes to include murder to support the use. I have observed that most inmates who have parents and siblings who are inmates have possession and or cultivation as part of their record. I also have followed the myth of crowding the prisons with people who only had a joint. My last 18 years in this business has been in the ..., our records show: One inmate convicted for possession, had 17 pounds and got a plea bargain, the other was considered a flight risk because he was from Hong Kong, and a few doing weekends for probation violations."

-These opinions and impressions are quite common among the drug use prevention community. I decided to try and come up with a response to contrast Evangelical truth with the so-called Toxicology truth utilized to promote cannabis abstinence and prohibition. I present it to you here, which I hope you will consider, and find useful, and share with others. Footnotes are in brackets.



There is a certain contrasting quality between judgments within the world view of the proponents of the war on cannabis and Christian theology.
The "everything is toxic" philosophy embraced by the ONDCP toxicologists and controlling offices such as the FDA and DEA is the exact opposite of sound Christian theology [1,2], and the corollary truths built upon it are not Biblically founded, and can be proven to be Biblically incorrect. -And if it's not Theologically true, if it's not true in the Bible, than it isn't true at all [3].
No Bible believing Christian can accept any "toxicology" studies or reports from the ONDCP in good conscience, when they consider the axioms that were used to build their studies. Do Christians adhere to "scientific" theories about big bang and evolution? No, and we can also reject the observations of the ONDCP about cannabis on similar grounds when all things are considered in a clear systematic theology. One must "Test The Evidences" that come from outside Scripture.
Scripture, tradition, and reason imply that all things are good, and that substance (such as foods and drinks) only becomes toxic in it's misuse, that is, in the uses that are not in order with the purposes God created them [4]. The Scripture's warnings against these philosophies are traditionally viewed as warnings about the Gnostics of the second century. It was a blending of Jewish, Greek, or Eastern philosophy with Christianity. These Gnostic errors are widespread, they appear century after century, and shows itself in many forms of religion, not merely in distorted forms of Christianity. In life application today, we can see that same Gnostic germ resurface in our society in the influence of modernism and postmodernism.
The war against cannabis is a frightening illustration, in that it is successful in stifling Evangelism within the local Church, and not many Leaders recognize what's going on, despite the fact that it devastates the lives of millions in perdition. This ascetic teaching is unnatural, contrary to the constitution of the world as that has been arranged by a holy and wise Creator, and it is also subversive of Christian liberty. Nothing can be esteemed common or unclean without throwing a reproach upon the Creator. [5] To further discover the long term consequences of these unnatural teachings, we can observe the characterizations and acts employed in the war on pot have a resemblance to the warnings in Scripture regarding the signs of false teachers (which are directly linked to signs of the coming Rapture of Christ's church). The war on cannabis shares at least 2 key qualities as the Gnostics. In the presence of the negative implications of statements such as "there is no way to teach this to you in a brief, " and, "everything is toxic, there is no harmless substances. ", the Christian should be reminded that encouraging formalism and asceticism as the result of false teaching is traditionally known as the activities of demons [6]; and the acknowledgment of liberty of conscience in a free moral agent is the formation of evangelical theology- for this very reason the Reformers left the Roman Catholic Church! [7]. The binge drinking phenomena we see in the just say no generation, as well as the licentious rebellion in the 60's, is evidences of the "fleshly indulgence", or antinomian development that results from these ascetic teachings. [8,9,10]

To summarize; The Christian world view and the ONDCP world view can be sharply contrasted. In the ONDCP world view, the Truth is "everything is toxic" and application is "just say no". In the Christian world view, the Truth is "God's creation is good" and application is "be ye sober". The Scripture provides us a sharper, more accurate understanding and response to the subjects of cannabis use in society than the secular drug use prevention community. And as Biblical passages are weighed and discovered as this more accurate Truth, it should bear witness that the Gospel message of Jesus Christ is Truth. We should lend thought to this greater spiritual Truth for which the Bible is compiled as evidence of; That Christ made atonement covering and salvation for our souls. "For God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world, but that he world through him might be saved. God publicly displayed him as the mercy seat accessible through faith, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, but by grace are you saved through faith, and it's not of yourselves, it is a gift from God. For whosoever believes in Him will not perish. If you confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."





Footnotes

[1] ISBE- Sin Heb: a missing; rebellion; transgression; perversion; evil in disposition; impiety
GK: missing the mark; transgression; unrighteousness; impiety; lawlessness; depravity; evil desire
Sin is to be defined primarily in relation to God. It is disobedience, unbelief, ignorance, the positive assertion of usurped autonomy, and the wicked deviation from, or violation of, God’s Righteous Will and Law. The breach of a right relationship with God carries with it the disruption of a right relationship with others and the disintegration of the self. But this is derivative, for it is because of sin against God that there is sin against others and oneself (Ps. 51:4) [MT 6]
A feature of the Biblical definition is that sin is not just a lack, a failure, or a deficiency. The ignorance that is sin involves not only the lack of True knowledge but also the substitution of falsehood. Sin is commission as well as omission. Yet this must not be pressed too far. Sin has no place in the positive will of God, nor does God allow the existence of another reality alongside and equal to His own creation. In the last analysis sin only has a negative or parasitic reality. It’s positive reality is paradoxical and secondary, as is clearly illustrated by the manner of it’s entry into human life.
Inwardness of the Moral Law- The Biblical narratives, too, show us the passage over from sin conceived of as the violation of external commands to sin conceived of as an unwillingness to keep the commandments in the depths of the inner life. The course of Biblical history is one long protest against conceiving of sin in an external fashion.


[2] Systematic Theology, Wayne Grudem
Dualism
The Biblical account rules out “dualism”. This is the idea that both God and the material universe have eternally existed side by side. Thus, there are two ultimate forces in the universe, God and matter.
The problem with dualism is that it indicates an eternal conflict between God and the evil aspects of the material universe. Will God ultimately triumph over evil in the universe? We cannot be sure, because both God and evil have apparently always existed side by side. This philosophy would deny both God's ultimate lordship over creation and also that creation came about because of God's will, that it is to be used solely for his purposes, and that it is to glorify him. This viewpoint would also deny that all of the universe was created inherently good (Gen.1:31) and would encourage people to view material reality as somewhat evil in itself, in contrast with a genuine biblical account of a creation that God made to be good an that he rules over for his purposes.
One recent example of dualism in modern culture is the series of "Star Wars" movies, which postulate the existence of a universal "force" that has both a good and an evil side. There is no concept of one holy and transcendent God who rules over all and will certainly triumph over all. When non-Christians today begin to be aware of a spiritual aspect to the universe, they often become dualists, merely acknowledging that there are good and evil aspects to the supernatural or spiritual world. Most "New Age" religion is dualistic. Of course, Satan is delighted to have people think that there is an evil force in the universe that is perhaps equal to God himself.


[3] "The Danger of Sola Scriptura" by Michael Patton
http://bible.org/article/danger-isola-scripturai


[4] "The Doctrine of Divine Healing", Foundations of Pentecostal Theology, Duffield/ Van Cleave, LIFE Bible College. This section was too long to attach here. I have made excerpts cited here available on the website ChristiansForCannabis.com in the Forums, under Church-Bible Study- The Doctrine of Divine Healing.


[5] See ISBE- Gnosticism. I have made this section available at http://www.lucashempco.com/cms/node/22


[6] "The Doctrine of Angels", Foundations of Pentecostal Theology, Duffield/ Van Cleave, LIFE Bible College. This section was too long to attach here. I will make excerpts cited here available on the website ChristiansForCannabis.com in the Forums, under Church-Bible Study- The Doctrine of Angels.


[7] Martin Luther, Protestant Reformer,
"Unless I am refuted and convicted by testimonies of the Scriptures or by clear arguments (since I believe neither the Pope nor the Councils alone; it being evident that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am conquered by the Holy Scriptures quoted by me, and my conscience is bound in the word of God: I can not and will not recant any thing, since it is unsafe and dangerous to do any thing against the conscience."
(Phillip Schaff, History of the Christian Church). For a more thorough history, read Luther's Testimony at the Diet of Worms. I have made a section available at http://www.lucashempco.com/cms/node/36


[8] Colossians 2:16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you with
respect to food or drink, or in the matter of a feast, new moon, or Sabbath days – these are only the shadow of the things to come, but the reality is Christ! Let no one who delights in humility and the worship of angels pass judgment on you. That person goes on at great lengths about what he has supposedly seen, but he is puffed up with empty notions by his fleshly mind. He has not held fast to the head from whom the whole body, supported and knit together through its ligaments and sinews, grows with a growth that is from God.
If you have died with Christ to the elemental spirits of the world, why do you submit to them as though you lived in the world? “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!” These are all destined to perish with use, founded as they are on human commands and teachings. Even though they have the appearance of wisdom with their self-imposed worship and false humility achieved by an unsparing treatment of the body – a wisdom with no true value – they in reality result in fleshly indulgence"
[the characterizations employed in the war on pot are striking resemblance to the warnings in Col.2. "goes on about what he has seen... puffed up by a fleshly mind". The binge drinking phenomena we see in the just say no generation, as well as the licentious rebellion in the 60's, is evidences of the "fleshly indulgence", or antinomian development that springs from these ascetic teachings.]


[9] Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology
The Sufficiency of the Scripture
#5. With regard to the Christian life, the sufficiency of the Scripture reminds us that nothing is sin that is not forbidden by scripture either explicitly or by implication. To walk in the law of the Lord is to be “blameless” (Ps. 119:1). Therefore we are not to add prohibitions to those already stated in scripture. From time to time there may be situations in which it would be wrong, for example, for an individual Christian to drink Coca-Cola, or to attend movie theaters, or to eat meat offered to idols (see 1 Cor. 8-10), but unless some specific teaching or some general principle of Scripture can be shown to prohibit these (or any other activities) for all believers for all time, we must insist that these activities are not in themselves sinful and they are not in all situations prohibited by God for his people.
This also is an important principle because there is always the tendency among believers to begin to neglect the regular daily searching of Scripture for guidance and to begin to live by a set of written or unwritten rules (or denominational traditions) concerning what one does or does not do in the Christian life.
Furthermore, whenever we add to the list of sins that are prohibited by Scripture itself, there will be harm to the church and to the lives of individual believers. The Holy Spirit will not empower obedience to rules that do not have God’s approval from Scripture, nor will believers generally find delight in obedience to commands that do not accord to the laws of God written in their hearts. In some cases, Christians may earnestly plead with God for “victory” over supposed sins that are in fact no sins at all, yet no “victory” will be given, for the attitude or action in question is in fact not a sin and is not displeasing to God. Great discouragement in prayer and frustration in the Christian life generally may be the outcome.
In other cases, continued or even increasing disobedience to these new “sins” will result, together with a false sense of guilt and a resulting alienation from God. Often there arises an increasingly uncompromising and legalistic insistence on these new rules on the part of those who do follow them, and genuine fellowship among believers in the church will fade away. Evangelism will often be stifled. For the silent proclamation of the gospel that comes from the lives of the believers will at least seem (to outsiders) to include the additional requirement that one must fit this uniform pattern of life in order to become a member of the Body of Christ.


[10] Chief points of gnosticism from the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
Chief Points in Gnosticism:
The following may be regarded as the chief points in the characteristics of the Gnostic systems:
(1). A claim on the part of the initiated to a special knowledge of the truth, a tendency to regard knowledge as superior to faith, and as the special possession of the more enlightened, for ordinary Christians did not possess this secret and higher doctrine.
(2) The essential separation of matter and spirit, the former of these being essentially evil, and the source from which all evil has arisen.
(3) An attempt at the solution of the problems of creation and of the origin of evil by the conception of a Demiurge, i.e. a Creator or Artificer of the world as distinct from the Supreme Deity, and also by means of emanations extending between God and the visible universe. It should be observed that this conception merely concealed the difficulties of the problem, and did not solve them.
(4) A denial of the true humanity of Christ, a docetic Christology, (which looked upon the earthly life of Christ and especially on His sufferings on the cross as unreal.
(5) The denial of the personality of the Supreme God, and the denial also of the free will of man.
(6) The teaching, on the one hand, of asceticism as the means of attaining to spiritual communion with God, and, on the other hand, of an indifference which led directly to licentiousness.
(7) A syncretistic tendency which combined certain more or less misunderstood Christian doctrines, various elements from oriental and Jewish and other sources.
(8) The Scriptures of the Old Testament were ascribed to the Demiurge or inferior Creator of the world, who was the God of the Jews, but not the true God.
Some of these characteristic ideas are more obvious in one, and some of them in others of the Gnostic systems.
[The war on cannabis shares at least two of the the same qualities as a Gnosticism. (1 and 2). Statements such as "there is no way to teach this to you in a brief, " and, "everything is toxic, there is no harmless substances." etc.
Other points are applicable, especially #6. But from those two statements alone, the Christian will point out that encouraging formalism and asceticism as the result of false teaching is traditionally known as the activities of demons; and the acknowledgment of liberty of conscience in a free moral agent is the formation of evangelical theology- for this very reason the Reformers left the Roman Catholic Church! (see Luther). ]

Here's an outline by a just say no preacher. It's fairly general with all the same arguments set forward that you will hear from every just say no preacher trying to make the Bible support the drug war. My responses are in italics




Drugs & the Christian
By Rev. Dale A. Robbins, D.Min.
Today in America, the widespread abuse of drugs and narcotics is a cancer that has devastated our nation. Drugs are linked to virtually every evil and criminal activity within our society.
While it should be obvious that the use of mind-bending drugs is inappropriate for serious followers of Christ, yet there are Christians who occasionally attempt to justify their continued use of drugs.
Let us be reminded that if any person has genuinely become a “new creature in Christ” the Bible says that old things are supposed to pass away... that all things should become new (2 Cor. 5:17).
Therefore, every believer should seek to put on the new creation of Christ, and to put off the old life,
including the continued use of mind altering drugs and narcotics. Christians should not do drugs for the following seven reasons:

The allegation that drug use and addiction are at the root of all the devastations in society is not founded in fact, and is accepted more as a rhetoric or a propaganda. The collateral damages associated with the war on drugs are an obvious contributor to these evils; All of the obstacles and stumblingblocks cast to prevent people from smoking pot also prevent smokers from living a normal, productive life. From workplace discrimination, to legal harassment, to the tearing at the very fabric of individual relationships, and community relationships; The fruit of the Drug War is surely a poverty, suffering, destruction and perdition upon the life of anyone who might think otherwise.
In America, every 38 seconds someone's life is negatively affected by pot prohibition; this includes, but is not limited to, jail time, fines, loss of personal property, loss of ability to travel, loss of loved ones and relationships, loss of business, loss of contracts, loss of jobs, literally, one can potentially have their lives stripped and taken simply for smoking pot.
There are still a number of Christian Theologians who have not researched the topics of drug law reform within the last 20 years, and as a result, much "reefer maddness" is still circulated through the Churches. Most Christians today presuppose that pot is inherently "evil", and upon that assumption, they tend to argue for abstinence among their members. The Bible says that commanding abstinence from various foods or drinks is a philosophy that is demonic in it's nature, and specifically warns against it (1 Tim. 4).
As Brother Robbins states in his introductory, we are a new creation in Christ, and the old things are passed away. What he has not made clear is that prohibition is the "old thing" that needs to pass away; as a Christian we are to submit our will to God's will, and God's Word states that He does not want us to set forward dietary standards as a rule for our lives. As the Lord Jesus Himself said "it's not that which goes in the mouth that defiles him, it's what comes out of the mouth that defiles him"



1. Drugs have a Proven Connection with Sorcery and Witchcraft
Revelation 21:8 “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

According to W.E. Vine’s expository dictionary of New Testament Words (page 1074), the word SORCERY comes from a Greek word, PHARMAKIA - used as a noun, it “signifies a sorcerer,” one who uses drugs, potions, spells, enchantments, as in Rev. 21:8.
The english word for drugs, pharmacy, comes from this same root.
Drugs and potions have traditionally been used in witchcraft and satanic rituals to induce deeper subconscious states which enable persons to have fellowship and communication with demons.
Realizing the satanic relationship with drug use helps us to understand why abusers of drugs experience such bondage and depravation.
No where in the Bible or in history have drugs been used to bring people closer to God - they have always been used in relation to bringing people closer to evil powers and demonic influences.

Holding this definition consistent; no doctor would be able to prescribe medication without the Wrath of God coming upon him, pharmacists and pharmaceutical researchers would be identified as "sorcers", and no Christian would be able to take medication without sinning.
This definition will in no way withstand the principles set forward in the Word of God and in the early church. I think Origen said it well, "no one would act rationally in avoiding medicine because of it's heresies". One would also wonder how the Apostle Luke, a physician, could have been chosen by Christ, if this definition is accurate.
Simply put, this is not the best definition for it's Biblical usage; it seeks to imply into the meaning of the word Paul used, so that the drug war philosophies can be embraced by Christianity; it is a point of compromise and complacency with culture and government policies and politics. Along with Vine's definition of pharmakeia comes the definition of sorcery- "in "sorcery", the use of drugs, whether simple or potent, was generally accompanied by incantations and appeals to occult powers, with the provision of various charms, amulets, etc..."
Paul NEVER used the word pharmakeia to describe a drug, he always used it in the context of a sorcerer or a witch. The word is used in a key passage, in a description of the lusts of the flesh (Gal.5). The principle meaning, the meaning that the Bible presents to be understood and applied, is an appeal to a false god, the deceptions and seductions of idolatry.
No doubt that many "diviners" and "wise men" and "astrologers" used psychoactive substances in an appeal to false gods, in an effort to invoke communication; and this is what the Apostle was speaking about. We are the servants of the One True God. It is sin to appeal to another, as we are to have no other gods before Him. But this does not mean that consuming an herb is sorcery, but the appeal to or acknowledgment of another is the heart of it, that is the sorcery and witchcraft.
In no way shape or form is the Apostle suggesting that we are to abstain from medicine. His charge is against sorcery, not medicine. This does not mean that medicine is the best method of healing, (nowhere in the Bible does God ever tell Israel to take medicine), it means that we are free to use medicine in the purposes that God designed them to be used, and are to acknowledge him concerning them.
Foods or drink should have no effect on your spiritual life. Our diets are not the standard set by God for us to discern by, sobriety is. The only food or drink that should have any significance to your spirit and soul is the Bread and Wine of the Eucharist, the Holy Communion; and the only reason that is the case, is because Christ sanctioned it.

2. Drugs have an Obvious Affiliation with the Desires of Satan
In the daily newspaper reports, the ravages of drugs are continually linked with the headlines of Death, Robbery and Destruction. If this sounds familiar, it should. According to the Bible, these happen to be the identical characteristics of Satan.

John 10:10 “The thief [Satan] does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

Satan is the evil inspiration behind the destructive nature of drugs. They are his own tools which, when persons are under their influence, accomplish his goals and fulfill his wicked desires.
Understanding the satanic relationship with drugs, Christians should find it easy to understand why drug use doesn’t mix with a Christian life-style.
1 Corinthians 10:21 “You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons.”

The activities of demons are as follows 1) Opposing the Saints, 2) Inducing departure from the Faith, 3) Encouraging formalism and ascetism as the result of false teaching, 4) Backing all idol worship, 5) Causing various physical afflictions, 6) Accomplishing God's purpose sometimes.(Unger)
We can see, with an honest look, that these evidences are all associated with the war on drugs. To deny a person a job, or put them in jail, or take their property over a food, is to cause affliction. To command abstinence from medicine is to encourage ascetism through a false teaching. To seek Justification by works is to depart from faith and fall from grace.
The drug war, like sin, misses the mark. Abstinence is not the standard God has set. "Just say no" is not the command of God. "Be ye sober" is the command of God. The so called "benefits" of the war on drugs are secondary and paradoxical to reality, they are counterfits, just like sin- they claim they save lives, but the destructions and perditions of the war on drugs, the prisons full of destroyed lives, are the reality that we reap. Claiming to save lives, they pay no mind to the lives they destroy, literally one soul every 38 seconds in America alone.
So again we can question the Truth and validity of the claim that drug use is the cause of these evils, as they seem to be more of a result of the policies of prohibition than they do as a result of something inherent in the plant. We don't see many deaths, destructions, or robbery over corn or wheat, but to take the corn and wine away is rightly viewed as a punishment from the Lord Himself.
To state that drugs are a "tool of the devil", is to bring a reproach upon the God of all Creation. God did not create this plant green with seeds and say "behold I have given it to you", so that we can acknowledge the devil for it. To glorify the devil for a plant that can power our cars, build our houses, feed the poor, and heal the sick, well, that's exactly what the devil wanted to start. It opens the door to idolatry and spiritual fornication, and the very sorcery that the Apostle Paul warns against.
Again, food and drink are not the standard set by God. If we consume a food or drink in excess, that's sin. If we consume to drunkenness, that's sin. But to consume food and drink, we are free in our diets, it's not about what is going in, it's about what is coming out.
Often, people reject the Church, the Gospel message, and Christ Himself because of the obvious error and contradiction that the drug war brings when it is preached from the pulpit; there is no love in that sermon, only a desire to spit wrath upon the consumer, only a desire to condemn. You cannot drink of the cup of Christ and the cup of demons, you cannot serve God and mammon. When a Preacher compromises the Word for these prohibition philosophies, they lose the light of Truth that draws the lost soul, they lose credibility, they lose attention, trust, confidence, they lose the authority to lead in the Lord.
We can see this play out historically: In the late 1930's, America engaged in pot prohibition. 30 years later came an antinomian development of rebellion that influenced an entire generation. "tune in, turn on, and drop out" was the cry of the generation. "Question authority" would be an obvious if the Authorities are in obvious error and contradiction. This is exactly what the Apostle Paul said would happen. In Colossians chapter 2, Paul writes that, although "touch not, taste not, handle not" all have an appearance of wisdom, they in the end result in fleshly indulgence.








3. Drug use will Cause Others to Stumble
According to the Bible, believers are accountable to avoid anything which would lead our brethren astray or cause them to stumble in their relationship with God.
Romans 14:21 “It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak.”

For the sake of our brethren in Christ, and for our own protection from temptation, the Bible tells us to refrain from anything that may even “appear” sinful. “Abstain from every form of evil” (1 Thes. 5:22).
Those who are mature in the Lord are supposed to use their life-styles as an example for others to follow. They deny selfish desires and personal preferences in order to minister to those who are less mature.
Romans 15:1-3 “We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
{2} Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification.
{3} For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.”

If we say we have the Spirit, then we should also walk according to the Spirit. Everything should be done in love. If a person is offended, you are no longer walking in love. We should bear one another's burdens in meekness.
The word "stumble" means "a harmed conscience". A reading of the entire chapter of Romans 14 will bring these passages into context- the Kingdom of Heaven is not meat and drink; but Righteousness, and Peace, and Joy in the Holy Ghost.
I must warn others from setting themselves up as a "role model". Christ is our "Role Model", and everyone else has fallen from that glory. It is one thing to desire to lead a holy life, but it is another entirely to say "follow me". The True role model is Christ, and we all should live by His example, and no other.
These other passages are not conclusive, they can read both ways; the war on drugs appears like sin, it's destructive to families and individuals; it is selfish for a person to seek control over another's diet, it is pure evil to deny a person medicine for healing.
But to the point of stumbling, the following is a quote from the Church historian Eusebius, to bring this word "stumble" back into it's true Biblical context and meaning:

The Church History of Eusebius
Book V. Chapter III.
The Persecution at Lyons and Vienne, Gaul (Southeastern France, the Rhome river runs through them)

'The same letter of the above mentioned witnesses contains another account worthy of remembrance. No one will object to the bringing it to the knowledge of our readers. It runs as follows:
"For a certain Alcibades, who was one of them, led a very austere life, partaking of nothing whatever but bread and water. When he endeavored to continue this same sort of life in prison, it was revealed to Attalus after his first conflict in the ampitheater that Alcibades was not doing well in refusing the creatures of God and placing a stumblingblock before others. And Alcibades obeyed, and partook of all things without restraint, giving thanks to God. For they were not deprived of the grace of God, but the Holy Ghost was their counselor"
Let this suffice for these matters.'

As we can see, to command abstinence, or to engage in ascetic practices and to impose these upon others will cause others to stumble, as it brings their conscience into doubtful disputations, it attacks their faith. Consider the millions of people who have stumbled in their lives because of pot prohibition. How many behind bars, or lost jobs, or destroyed business, or severed relationships? Consider the perdition pot smokers face every day of their lives.
Even more fearful, how many have stumbled in their walk with God because some Preacher added the requirement of abstinence to the sole requirement of Faith in Christ?
Generations. Generations have stumbled at the Gospel message because prohibition is preached from the pulpit.



4. Christians are no Longer Their Own
The Bible says that we belong to the Lord and we are to glorify Him with our body and with the way we live.
1 Corinthians 6:20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
1 Corinthians 10:31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.


Agreed, as the Scripture says "for every creature of God is good and nothing is to be refused if it be received with thanksgiving. For it is sanctified by the Word of God and prayer (1 Tim. 4).


5. We’re not to be Infected by Mind Bending Stimulants
The Bible warns believers to not be intoxicated by alcohol, and (by implication) others stimulants such as drugs1 which distorts our thinking or alters our ability to control our behavior. Instead, the scriptures teach that we should be under the influence of God’s power -- that is, we should be filled with His Spirit which gives us the “buzz” of His power, His peace and strength.
Ephesians 5:17-18 “Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
{18} And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit...”



The Biblical principles applied to wine are quite similar to pot; there is no prohibition on the consumption of wine itself, but there is commands against excess and drunkenness. It is well said that no Christian should become drunk with wine or any thing. But by setting forward foods or drink themselves as a standard of discernment to measure drunkenness or excess, and commanding abstinence from such, is a false philosophy that all New Testament authors speak against. The expressions of God's will in the New Testament is one of warning against commanding abstinence from foods God created



6. We are Warned not to Defile God’s Temple
1 Corinthians 3:16-17 “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
{17} If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.”

Once again, we are reminded that Christians are God’s possession, and in fact, they are the dwelling place of His Spirit. For this reason, we must consider our bodies something sacred -- not something to be trashed or abused. The word defile means to “pollute, foul or corrupt.”

What the Lord has cleansed, don't call that common (Acts 10) One of the characteristics of the gnostics that commanded abstinence from various foods in the first and second century was their neglecting of their bodies. We can see this philosophy today when you consider all the people who suffer various ailments and refuse their medicine because it does not sit well with their conscience to use it. We can also see this same spirit operate in a seemingly opposite manner, leading one down a path of rebellion and licentiousness, without care for the body.
When we come to faith in Christ, when we come to understand and believe that He is Lord and that God has raised Him from the dead, faith becomes the vehicle of the imputation of Christ's Righteous covering over our lives. Christ paid my debt, He is the reason for my Hope. There is nothing I can do to earn that most precious salvation, from the day I was born I never had a chance at being good enough to come into the presence of God. Christ is good enough, and He paid my debt. Christ is my Hope. Christ is my only Hope.
This adoption into God's Family is sealed and attested by the Holy Spirit residing in our lives. In the Tabernacle and the Temple, the Lord was present in the Most Holy Place. Now that Christ paid my Debt, the Lord is present in my life


7. Addictions Are Not Pleasing To God
An addiction is anything we cannot free ourselves from, which overrules our freedom to choose, whether physically or psychological. As Christians, we are given power over habits and behavior - they should not have power over us.
1 Corinthians 6:12 “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.”

"habit" is a far better term to use to describe a stronghold. The word addiction does not acknowledge a spiritual condition, it does not understand the spiritual implications. It seeks to confine this spiritual condition to a physical disability, it observes the physical evidences of a habit, but it does not observe the spiritual condition that causes a habit.

Self- control is the fruit of the Holy Spirit








Jesus Can Set You Free!
If you are addicted to drugs, ask Christ to give you power to overcome them, and He will. Don’t seek to justify your addiction, but keep reaching toward full and complete freedom. “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name:” (John 1:12). Seek the anointed prayers of church leaders and other Christians -- God promises to honor their prayer of faith to help you (James 5:15).
Be encouraged. God will never condemn the person who keeps reaching out to Him -- who keeps trying to grow and make progress in Him. If you sin, ask Him to forgive you (1 John 1:9), then get up and keep moving on and growing closer to Him. And be assured, the closer you draw to Him, the further He will withdraw you from the old life of sin and bondage to drugs!






Jesus Loves Potheads Too!

Religion divides.

Faith unites.

Way too long winded for me. Heard it all before. Crap!

I think I need another hit off that burnin bush again.

Vaper

Why do so many of you have a short attention span! Damn!

Now what was the question again?

Ummm yea, I think question was



They are against cannabis because it is used to get "high", escape reality, and run away from truth. It goes against the morality of being sober and sober-minded. For Bible scripture on the subject check out http://www.openbible.info/topics/being_sober

For a more in-depth look at the God of sobriety check out http://sober-minded.com/

It is an uphill battle. It's two steps fporward and one step back. If one can get a Christian to engage th discussion, one can easily challenge their prohibition thinking. But there is such a wall of fear, hostility, and judgment that most Christians will get too hostile to be able to have any rational, edifying discussion.

In Example, let us review our discussion about Chris Diaz on the Bible.org website

http://forum.bible.org/viewtopic.php?f=66&t=17706

I don't see how any of my input in the discussion was out of line or inappropriate. They spend all day there talking about gay marriage, and it's not a problem at all. Why do they get so hostile when they talk about legal pot? I suspect it is because they cannot defend their position.

after you read the thread, you will see (as I do) that those in control of the discussion censor the discussion when they are challenged. They cannot effectively communicate their position, nor will they lend an ear to what is advanced by me.


but if we can get through this wall, to where we are able to have the discussion, we make great progress in bringing Christians to support liberty in this matter.