Posted on 09/05/2006 8:16:10 AM PDT by tang0r
Generally, there are two types of marijuana users. First is the most commonly stereotyped stoner, depicted in the media of movies (e.g. Spicoli from Fast Times at Ridgemont High) and television (e.g. Shaggy from Scooby Doo). These are the dead-end job, ambitionless abusers who ingest marijuana to escape their already dismal lives. They represent the image which is most often associated with marijuana use. Certainly, the average American high school is teeming with similar directionless pot-smoking losers, further cementing this public perception.
(Excerpt) Read more at prometheusinstitute.net ...
That very well may be the meaning of "oklah" but oklah isn't the word used in the verse you quoted:
Rom 14:2 For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs.
"Eat" is:
phagō
Thayer Definition:
1) to eat
2) to eat (consume) a thing
2a) to take food, eat a meal
2b) metaphorically to devour, consume
And "herbs" is:
lachanon; from λαχαίνω lachainō (to dig); a garden herb, a vegetable: - garden herb (1), garden plants (2), vegetables (1).
You're assertation is also lacking context. Romans 14 is conerned with eating practices, not smoking dope practices.
Also, if "herbs" is marijuana in the passage, then the statement is:
Rom 14:2 For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth only marijuana.
So one person (the strong one) eats "everything", while the weak one eats marijuana. That's complete nonsense. The proper intrepretation is that the strong one eats meats and vegetables, while the weak in faith (because they feared that the clean meats were once sacrificed to idols) eats only vegetables.
There is no 'only' in Rom 14:2
Oklah is in Gen. 1:29
If it is eaten rather than consumed by fire then you are OK with it?
The crux of Rom 14 is found in Romans 14:14
Romans 14:14
I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean.
As I have said all along that there is no substance to evil but that evil resides
in intention. Your intention is to deny the will of God and eradicate his gift
while persecuting those children of God which seek only peace from hostile heretics.
Romans 14: 2-3
For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs. Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.
The one who believes he may eat all things will soon find himself a dead fool.
Another, weak and in ill health, with knowledge will find aid in an herb
desired for its medicinal properties. You call this knowledgeable person a
witch and seek their persecution despite the word's admonition to "not judge
him that eateth." Your eyes see only sin, they are offensive and you would
be better off if you plucked them out, for you are already blind to the Holy Spirit. Go join the Taliban! They are your kind of people.
It's certainly meant in the context of the verse and the chapter.
Oklah is in Gen. 1:29
The old testament is translated from Hebrew. Most of the new testament is translated (mostly) from greek. When you post a particular verse, the only words that count are the words, either greek actually used in the verse. Therefore it's meaningless to define "oklah" when it's not the word used.
If it is eaten rather than consumed by fire then you are OK with it?
If you think that anyone can live on eating marijuana alone, go for it.
The crux of Rom 14 is found in Romans 14:14 Romans 14:14 I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean.
You are taking these verses completely out of historical and biblical context and adding your own context and history to them. Paul is talking about the ritualistic concept of "cleanliness" as it applied to meats sacrficed to pagan Gods. Meat was sold in marketplaces often called "shambles". The practice was to sacrifice animals, such as bulls, to pagan gods. The meat from these sacrifices was then later sold in the market. Some early Christians would refuse to eat any meat sold in the market because they were unsure if the meat had previously been offered to pagan gods and so considered it "unclean". Paul was telling them that the "weak" in faith would only eat vegetables instead of this meat. Paul then culminates the thought that this meat wasn't really "unclean" because of this, but he understood how some people could consider it that way and so he wrote that this type of meat should not be served to them.
It decidedly DOES NOT mean that there is no "substance in evil" or whatever novel interpretation you want to assign to it. And it absolutely has nothing to do with marijuana except that marijuana smokers have co-opted the word "herb" and think that everytime it appears anywhere that it MUST be talking about pot.
Whatever your interpretation is it does not give you power to persecute!
We have freedom of religion in this country!
Romans 14:14
I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean.
There is nothing unclean about a seed which contains the most complete and
absorbable combination of amino acids on the face of the earth, it is food.
"If you think that anyone can live on eating marijuana alone, go for it."
A single seed of this plant per day was all that the Buddha ate during his
fast for enlightenment. It is the perfect food, proving your ignorance, again.
You do not seek to understand any other, only to force your ignorant biases
upon them. Do you not have any sense of the liberty sought in the formation
of this great nation?
"Paul is talking about the ritualistic concept of "cleanliness" as it applied to meats sacrficed to pagan Gods. "
Now you are just making things up! There is nothing about sacrifice nor pagans in Romans 14. It is not about food, but about the nature of good
and evil as regards intention toward each other over things(substance).
Romans 14:17
For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
Do you seek the kingdom or is it evil acts of DEAmen, war and the despair of discord that you seek?
I've had Romans 14 cross referenced with 1 Corinthians 8 about forty years.....and it is discussing vegetarianism for the very reason Douglas has indicated. Some folks were unsure about eating meat for the simple reason it "May" have been sacrificed to an idol. (We are talking about the Romans here!) Paul is saying....."No big deal. Eat it if you want or don't eat it if you don't want......but quit complaining about the other guy's position."
Verse one gives it away.....it is a disputable matter!
Their will has been expressed by their representatives.
You lose.
"the weak in faith (because they feared that the clean meats were once sacrificed to idols) eats only vegetables."
Think Again!
CONTEXT
'Weak' above is translated from:
Astheneo (as-then-eh'-o);
Word Origin: Greek, Verb, Strong #: 770
to be weak, feeble, to be without strength, powerless
to be weak in means, needy, poor
to be feeble, sick
KJV Word Usage and Count
be weak 12
be sick 10
sick 7
weak 3
impotent man 1
be diseased 1
be made weak 1
The passage contrasts two modes of thought; belief and knowledge.
The first is an obvious absurdity to anyone but a fool for only a fool would believe that he 'CAN' eat ALL
THINGS(Pas) and neither 'MAY' we by the law.
Pas:
Word Origin: Greek, Adjective, Strong #: 3956
individually
each, every, any, all, the whole, everyone, all things, everything
collectively
some of all types
This false belief which would bring death is contrasted
with an ill persons knowledge of herbs to restore health.
I am sure that you have never read the Essene gospel.
Basically, the rest of Romans 14 is about not seeking
conflict as regards the dietary choices of others. Why?
Because this journey is each our own, it is not for you to
whip into line any other not following what you see as the
path. Whipping will only lead you to the pit.
"Their will has been expressed by their representatives. "
Bear in mind this sacred principle, that
though the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail,
that will to be rightful must be reasonable;
that the minority possess their equal rights,
which equal law must protect,
and to violate would be oppression."--Thomas Jefferson
Ah...yet more hempaganda. And just how exactly do you know this?
It is the perfect food, proving your ignorance, again.
More hempaganda. There's no such thing as a "perfect" food, at least according to nutritionists. But I always thought the egg was the perfect food.
You do not seek to understand any other, only to force your ignorant biases upon them.
Understanding someone is much different from accepting what they say as truth. I understand you, but there's no way I'll ever agree with your view on marijuana because I've seen both sides and can't be tricked.
Do you not have any sense of the liberty sought in the formation of this great nation?
I doubt that the the freedom to smoke pot was one of the things that drove the formation of the country.
Psst...Dave...I got the stash!
As Diego pointed out, you would be much further along if you read 1 Corinthians chapter 8. Romans 14 will make much more sense to you then.
An idol can not be anything. An idol is what you replace God with. It is what you worship. And, no, nobody worships cannabis. If they are, they are fools. God will deal with them, not you or your fellow travelers.
The BIG problem with marijuana is that it puts you in an abnormal state of consciousness.
Who are you to say what "an abnormal state of consciousness" is? A 3 inch piece of string is as normal as a 5 inch piece of string. Did God send an angle to you to let you know what states of consciousness He considers "abnormal"?
"Normal" states of consciousness, the everyday working kind, fluctuates constantly. Try to withdraw form being so involved with yourself and observe what goes on inside your awareness.
It's NOT normal to be doing those things you listed in that state of consciousness.
Why? You think God condemns enhancing enjoyment of enjoyments themselves?
Consciousness is a gift from God.
It is a gift to every human being born. It is your's to use as you see fit, except that you use it to break the commandments of God. Not enhancing enjoyment of an enjoyment is not a commandment of God.
Nor of Jesus Christ.
In your own words, pot "enhances" enjoyment. That really is a fairly accurate, but not perfect, description. What it really does is to SIMULATE enhancement. It SUBSTITUTES unnatural chemical reactions in your brain for the REAL ones that are supposed to be generated. Your brain doesn't have to work at it anymore.
You have to work at it to enjoy an enjoyment? Like music or the forest, or a trip to the beach? If you do, maybe your enjoyments lie elsewhere.
How can cannabis stimulate an unnatural chemical in the brain when there are natural receptors therein specifically reactive to cannabis? FR article on it a while ago.
That's why pot smokers become "burn outs". Everything is gray to them when not smoking pot because the chemical reactions that are supposed to impinge on our consciousness are not being manufactured anymore. No joy. No happiness. No elation. Just burn out sameness. You know this is true.
I've never seen a "burn out" that smokes cannabis, and I've known a lot of cannabis smokers. Are you sure you have seen this, from cannabis, or has someone you see as authority told you of them, or that cannabis burned them out.
Everything is grey to them when they aren't taking cannabis. Are you serious? The hell I do know it's true. You are deluded, son, or you are hanging out in some strange places.
My experience is so different from yours, I suspect you aren't being entirely honest with me.
Some of these things you are saying are very weird and don't reflect in reality at all. Like the following:
What essentially happens is that you STOP growing, mentally, emotionally and ultimately spiritually, when you smoke pot.
You must be letting you bias blind you.
I'll bet that there are people you know right now that you consider growing "mentally, emotionally and ultimately spiritually" that smoke cannabis. You think you can tell if someone is experiencing cannabis. You are wrong. And you had better remember before you object, with your attitude, these people will extraordinarily not share the fact with you.
I find your doctrine confusing, lacking in charity, self serving, with no Biblical support, except that which is labored and clumsy, and the fruits thereof harm to families and antithetical to the sovereignty God blesses us with to stray and be reconciled, if, indeed God considers taking cannabis is "straying" in need of reconciliation.
Equal rights. The drug laws apply to both you and me.
Swing and a miss.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.