Posted on 09/23/2017 7:56:37 AM PDT by Kaslin
Just when you think you’ve heard it all, a pastor calls your radio show asking how to respond to a congregant who claims that cannabis was sanctioned by God in the Torah. That’s right, sanctioned by the Lord Himself, not to be smoked but to be burned in large quantities by the priests of Israel. Far out!
To be sure, there was a time in my life when I would have readily believed something like this, since I spent 1969-1971 as a heavy drug-using, hippie rock drummer, consuming everything from pot to LSD and from speed to heroin. Not surprisingly, when my two best friends starting reading the Bible, telling me about the more esoteric passages in the Scriptures – all kinds of visions and dreams and revelations – I asked them in jest, “What were they smoking?”
That, in fact, is what I asked the pastor (again, in jest) who called the show: What is this congregant smoking?
It turns out that there is an alleged scholarly basis for this bogus belief, namely, that the Hebrew words qaneh-bosem in Exod 30:23 refer to marijuana, or, more specifically, hemp. And note the apparent similarity in the words: qaneh-bosem and cannabis. That proves it, right?
According to the Herb Museum website, it was in 1936 that a little-known Polish professor named Sara Benetowa (later Sula Benet) wrote, “The sacred character or Hemp in biblical times is evident from Exodus 30:22- 23, where Moses was instructed by God to anoint the meeting tent and all its furnishings with specially prepared oil, containing hemp.”
This was allegedly confirmed by other Hebrew scholars. And obviously, with the rising popularity of marijuana in today’s culture, arguments like this have great appeal for Christians who want to get high. Not only did their state pass a pro-pot law, but God’s into it too!
As one website proclaims in bold, red letters: “The fact is that the Holy Oil contained 6 Pounds of (Marijuana) with other spices boiled into one gallon of Olive oil! The Holy Oil of God is illegal to obtain today!!!”
Really!
During my drug-using years, I often went to rock concerts at the Fillmore East in New York, seeing groups like Led Zeppelin and the Who and the Grateful Dead and Jethro Tull, among many others.
It was the perfect concert atmosphere, seating only about 2,000 people and with a dynamic light show behind the performers. But it was also a hippie paradise, since the whole place smelled like pot. Is that what the ancient Temple smelled like in Jerusalem? Maybe the priests got high on mushrooms too!
Returning to reality, the alleged connection between qaneh-bosem and cannabis simply doesn’t exist.
Note first that qaneh-bosem is two words in Hebrew, not one. And the words are easily translated, qaneh meaning a stalk or reed, and bosem meaning “sweet smelling.”
Some scholars translate the words together to refer to “aromatic cane,” “scented cane,” or “sweet-smelling cane,” others “sweet calamus” or “fragrant calamus.”
But not a single scholarly, biblical Hebrew lexicon in the world connects these words with cannabis. I can say that emphatically because I own them all, in multiple languages. The alleged connection isn’t there.
It is also certain, for various phonetic and linguistic reasons, that the word cannabis, which comes from the Greek kannabis, is not related to these two Hebrew words. To put it bluntly, there’s no more connection between Hebrew qaneh-bosem and Greek kannabis than there is between “Moses” and “mice.”
As for those who can’t study the issue for themselves, note carefully this commandment to Aaron, the High Priest, and his successors: “Drink no wine or strong drink, you or your sons with you, when you go into the tent of meeting, lest you die. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations” (Lev. 10:9). Sobriety was a must for those coming into the presence of God.
This makes the claim all the more ridiculous that the Lord commanded large amounts of pot to be burning in this very same holy place. Yes, be sure not to drink any wine or strong drink, but go ahead and inhale deeply!
As for those Christians who feel that smoking pot “in moderation” is fine, since it’s now legal in their state, a word of caution.
First, pot remains a gateway drug, often leading to the use of other, harder drugs, along with becoming addictive in and of itself.
Second, pot today is far more potent than when I smoked it more than 46 years ago.
Third, new studies are pointing to health risks and driving risks associated with marijuana. (See here on pot use in Colorado.)
Fourth, you’ll have a hard time fulfilling the biblical mandate to “be sober and vigilant” (1 Peter 5:8) while smoking a joint.
In any case, people will have to sort out the question of smoking pot, just as they sort out the question of drinking. (The subject of medical marijuana is another question entirely.)
What I can tell you without hesitation is that God never prescribed pot – as incense or to be smoked – anywhere in the Bible. That’s a fact.
I probably have a touch of aspergers, literal minded to a fault sometimes.
“After you, my dear Alphonse.”
What whatever you say little alinsky. :)
“Apparently your depression and anxiety were replaced by aggressive anger.... I guess nicer for you, anyway.”
Oh goodie. I love it when prohibitionists use the fallacy of false knowledge. Fallacy onward, little alinksy :)
I don’t know which or how many commercials will be streamed outside of the AM/FM broadcast area.
I listened for a few minutes today. All the commercials sounded local. Nothing about cannabis though so far.
Apparently neither of you are reading thru all I said, for I cleary stated that i allowed for medicinal use ("except for medicinal purposes, as with wine;" "while i would allow the medicinal use of weed, recreational use is excluded." "In both cases the intent of the law is interpretive of what is allowed, which would allow the use of herbs or such a creature as a jellyfish if its negative effects could be neutralized and made beneficial, or its positive effects outweighed the negative as per medicinal use."
State you must resort to charging me with fallacy simply further negates your argument, while right now I am busy debating on another forum with come who thinks they are really literally consuming the Lord Jesus by eating what his church says is really non-existent bread and wine. Which might be excused if they were on drugs.
“State you must resort to charging me with fallacy simply further negates your argument,”
Cool story, bro. Since you think ED drugs are sorcery I have to ask do you think blood pressure meds are sorcery too? Thyroid medicines. I mean ED, BP meds & thyroid meds all alter our blood chemistry. You know, like “sorcery”! /s
“while right now I am busy debating on another forum with come who thinks they are really literally consuming the Lord Jesus by eating what his church says is really non-existent bread and wine. “
So you’re anti-Catholic too? Figures. You probably think the Sacrifice of the Mass is sorcery lololololololol
FYI: I’m a very thankful, so very thankful Catholic convert. I’m thankful Our Lord Jesus Christ instituted the Eucharist & the Grace He gives to us.
It really is not important what ‘people’ say about what you know about the WORD... God keeps the only perfect record.
What is this with, what ‘you’ allow? Christ set the standard, and it is His standard that all will be judged by. You will NOT change a pot user’s mind about whether or not God created the hemp plant, somebody labeled a herb, as NOT being holy food. Recognize that some simply cannot deal with the reality of life without getting STONED... and they will even claim God created it just for them.
You can show what the weed does literally to their brain and it has no affect upon them... God created the ‘weed’ just for them...
Remember what God promised He was going to do...
Amos 8:11
“Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:”
What?! I again just affirmed medicinal use of substances that are not food and once again you come back charging me with denying this? Which blindness or cognitive dissonance could lead to the charge that weed has effected your brain.
So you’re anti-Catholic too? Figures. You probably think the Sacrifice of the Mass is sorcery
It is not me who thinks the medicinal use of drugs is sorcery, but that believing in a incarnated christ who by all tests of physicality is only bread and wine, but which actually does not exist despite making persons with celiac disease ill, and growing mold, is drug-like deception. But likely only a minority Caths actually believe that.
FYI: I’m a very thankful, so very thankful Catholic convert. I’m thankful Our Lord Jesus Christ instituted the Eucharist & the Grace He gives to us.
Then may God give you the grace to see it more in the light of the whole of Scripture .
It seems I cannot even convince some I see Scripture as allowing for the use of thyroid medicine!
“Which blindness or cognitive dissonance could lead to the charge that weed has effected your brain.”
Just your own words. In response to my question asking if you had a compiled list of all medications that are “sorcery” you answered in post #98:
“3.2 billion/year on ED pills by 2022.”
You answer as to whether Ativan or Xanex were “sorcery” you said in post #96:
“Most of the things Doctors are “prescribing” are also sorcery.”
Your words, not mine.
“It is not me who thinks the medicinal use of drugs is sorcery,”
Again, see your own words in post #96. You say one thing & then deny it when confronted with your own words. Too funny.
Looks like I need to apologize to you, Daniel. I errantly confused your posts with DungeonMaster’s. My mistake. Please accept my sincerest apology.
Ahh, I see. I was responding to you from my Ping page and not from the actual thread and so I did not see the responses of others, but apology accepted.
Ad simply described their inventory, but did not target non-users or the curious, or encourage business investment in the cannabis industry.
Sounds like an appropriate advertisement. Thanks for the info.
I will continue to monitor.
“Herbal Choices” was one of the first dispensaries to put out radio ads. There is a lot of competition now.
101.1 FM KWRO Coos Bay
7:30am “Bahama Buds” ad
8:08am “Herbal Choices” ad
Were the ads calling out to non-users?
Cool on Coos Bay radio! I say that because at one time my wife & I were thinking of retiring to Coos Bay.
We changed our minds once we discovered the cost of housing was way more than we could hope to afford. Beautiful area.
Thanks for the update.
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