I drink and smoke, and consider myself a Christian.

originally posted by: mymymy
We're ALL made in his image right? Then ask yourself why so many of them look down on other people, like they're better than them. If they really feel that way, then I have to ask why the charade?

Maybe because being made in his image to them means looking down on others and judging them with a holier than thou attitude. After all, that is what God likes to do too.

They're just living up to their image as they see it.

a reply to: Raggedyman

LoL, usually it's something crazy, I try to ignore it.

If you follow the golden rule then you are creating good fruits and are a blessing to have around.

I like smoking cigarettes, and other stuff, and like whiskey and beer.

Sometimes a long life (quantity) is not the same as quality and enjoyment. And the souls who are high with energetic body states to handle this level should probably be sympathetic to needing something to take the edge off when dealing with an logically insane environment on a plane in between.

a reply to: Signals

I personally don't think JC gives a rats arse if you smoke or drink. He did turn water into wine.

originally posted by: Signals
a reply to: Raggedyman

LoL, usually it's something crazy, I try to ignore it.

The bible is clear, accepting Jesus just isn't enough
It's the lie of the church

You need to show the fruit of the spirit, alcohol doesn't generally encourage that

Even God gets drunk (on power) and messes up sometimes. Nobody is perfect.

Remember that time he had bears maul some kids to death because the lads made fun of the baldness of someone in God's favor? Ahaha. Good times. Man those were the days. You don't want to mess with God man. He's one real OG.

Source: 2 Kings 2:23–24.

My parents are Christians, and raised me as such, but they sent me to a Roman catholic school...

It was a real brainbender for me when I was young..

Im just about to turn 41 in a few months, I van say I drink and smoke and do not go to organized mass. But I do try to treat others with respect, and I do pray for my friends and families health and good fortune.

I used to be more involved in my community before I moved,organized a chess club for youths at my old local library, ran clinics for goalkeepers involved in our park and rec youth soccer program, helped coach the jv team at the high school..etc...

But I don't feel any less a Christian because I drink a beer or smoke a cig.
I do wish I had the time to be more involved up here though..

TL;DR ,

Your fine, treat people with respect and don't sweat the small stuff

Respectfully,
~meathead

originally posted by: Signals
a reply to: ketsuko

I don't know, I mean, if Heaven doesn't allow it then I will gladly quit.

Seems like Heaven would allow these pleasures though.

If heaven has physically material objects like cigarettes & alcohol then I want to be in some different reality please. Why do religious people insist on thinking heaven is just a super version of materialistic earth? I cannot imagine drinking & smoking having any sort of effect whatsoever on whether you get into "heaven" or not. Im also pretty sure heaven doesn't have cell phones or Vans stores either.

a reply to: Signals

1) drunkenness is the sin not drinking

2) smoking would be bad of stewardship of your finances and body

3) other stuff would have to be judged by the word of God so seeing we don't know what the other stuff is I could not give a Biblical opinion on that. But you have that knowledge in your heart.

Acceptance of Jesus in your heart is not salvation. Faith in Christ's dying on the cross as a substitution for your sin's debt, that is where you receive salvation. If that were true then you r would be justified by his cross, and imputed his righteousness. So if you have Jesus Christ's righteousness ask your self if anything you do is something that Jesus would do? Hence the saying WWJD (What Would Jesus Do)?

a reply to: Signals

Why have I always been taught these things are wrong?

It depends quite a bit on which country you grew up in and when.

Concerted campaigns against drinking and smoking began in the early nineteenth century. Alcohol—particularly hard liquor—was the primary concern. Coalitions of pastors, civic leaders, and especially women argued that liquor destroyed lives, ravaged families, eroded morality, and contributed to crime. Drinkers were called upon to "temper" their habits, switching from spirits to beer, or to abstain from alcohol completely. Smoking got lumped in with the temperance campaign because it was reputed to disease both mind and body, and because it was said to dry the mouth, making the smoker pant for a drink.

Nineteenth-century temperance work appealed to a broad swath of society, including many members of what would later be deemed "liberal" churches. This changed somewhat in the early twentieth century, when prohibitions on drinking, smoking, dancing, cards, movies, revealing dress, and so forth became hallmarks of Fundamentalism and emerging Pentecostalism. Some of the older efforts continued, though.
Where did evangelical objections to smoking and drinking come from?

Also, some very sectarian denominations founded in the 19th Century pointed at smoking and drinking done by "False Christians" as reasons people should leave the "false church" and join their "one true church".

I grew up in one of those sectarian denominations. Baptism was reserved for those who swore an oath to never use tobacco or alcohol in any way, shape, form, or method.

It was very sad at a church potluck when someone remarked, "I just love that cake you made! Can I have the recipe?"
And the smiling woman replied, "Why sure, I have a copy of it right here. Take it."

When the woman scanned the recipe and saw "1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract", first her face turned white, then she collapsed onto her knees and started wailing.

Half the church had to get re-baptized. The poor cake woman, though not forced to leave the church, was so shamed that she left of her own volition. The last that people heard was that she ended up going to the United Presbyterian Church, you know, the people who use vanilla extract.
-----------------------------------------
It is possible that I made up the whole pot luck scene, but hey, it could have happened.

a reply to: Signals

Maybe I'm naive, but I thought Atheists could just do whatever, guilt free.

Yes. Yes we can.

The dark side does have its perks, no doubt about it.









... and we have cookies too.

a reply to: Signals

Pray about it, ask the Lord if it's His will for you to smoke and drink or not. You're responsible to Him and none of us here.

a reply to: CranialSponge

The dark side does have its perks, no doubt about it.

I've heard about that dark side. I bet there's music...with lyrics.

Yep. I was right!

Tobacco and alcohol are naturally occurring products that humans "domesticated" hundreds of thousands of years ago, and the crops and fruits that go along with human imbibing actually evolved WITH US.

It's just that control-freak aspect that "Christians" try to insist is part of "Godliness". Which is ridiculous.

"Wine [beer or whatever] is proof that God Loves us and wants us to be happy." Ben Franklin


Shame is the bludgeoning tool wielded by Christianity. That's why it's so destructive. Humans have an innate yearning to 'alter' their consciousness, and always have.

originally posted by: Raggedyman

originally posted by: Signals
a reply to: Raggedyman

LoL, usually it's something crazy, I try to ignore it.

The bible is clear, accepting Jesus just isn't enough
It's the lie of the church

Faith without good works is dead, i.e. not true Faith. It's easy to get converts by telling them that all they need to do is believe. Although when you read the Bible it's pretty clear that this is not the case.

You need to show the fruit of the spirit, alcohol doesn't generally encourage that

Although Jesus was the hero of the party when he made more wine out of water, so I think it is not alcohol that encourages sin but the character of the one imbibing the alcohol.

If anything it's when you wake up dehydrated and naked that you start cursing the generations of your grandson because of what his father did, that was a result of your own drunkenness (Noah).

a reply to: Signals

Another point. Children under 15 should not drink alcohol.

Alcohol: A Dangerous Poison for Children
Low blood sugar is a dangerous effect in children who drink alcohol. (This doesn't usually happen to healthy adults who drink alcohol.) Low blood sugar can cause seizures and coma, because the brain doesn't get enough glucose. If blood sugar drops too low, it can be fatal.

Alcohol affects the central nervous system. Children who drink alcohol can act drunk, just like adults do. They might stagger when they walk, speak without making sense, or seem sleepy. They might vomit because alcohol can irritate the stomach. Breathing and heart rate might slow down to a dangerous level. Blood pressure drops. These children can pass out and even die.

Mum, can I have a sip of your wine: How dangerous is alcohol for children?
Recent medical research also stacks up against the idea of introducing children to alcohol in their early teens, which is why in 2009 the Chief Medical Officer recommended an alcohol-free childhood until age 15.

Studies suggest that teenage heavy drinkers can experience problems with bone density, growth, hormone development and liver function, and the devastating effect of alcohol on the young brain is only now being understood. We have recently discovered that teenage drinkers find it harder to retrieve information than those who don’t drink at all.

So whether a child goes through formal religious training or not, parents should at least try to teach children that alcohol is dangerous or harmful until they get older. That's why they're called adult beverages.

a reply to: LucianusXVII

Yep
No arguments from me on that
I drink in moderation...nowdays