Posted on 06/20/2014 9:08:47 AM PDT by xzins
Pope Francis condemned the legalization of recreational drugs as a flawed and failed experiment as he lent his voice Friday to a debate that is raging from the United States to Uruguay.
Francis told delegates attending a Rome drug enforcement conference that even limited steps to legalize recreational drugs "are not only highly questionable from a legislative standpoint, but they fail to produce the desired effects."
Likewise, Francis said, providing addicts with drugs offered only "a veiled means of surrendering to the phenomenon."
"Let me state this in the clearest terms possible," he said. "The problem of drug use is not solved with drugs!"
Francis has described drug addiction as evil and met addicts on several occasions. When he was archbishop of Buenos Aires, he devoted much of his pastoral care to addicts.
To reject illegal drugs, he said, "one has to say 'yes' to life, 'yes' to love, 'yes' to others, 'yes' to education, 'yes' to greater job opportunities.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
Look who is asking people to “loosen up.”
It’s like having a child follow me around.
Please try to not to carry your personal grudges against individual freepers, from thread to thread.
It would help if you would read my posts, I never gave a personal opinion stating that anything is or is not deadly.
But not everyone agrees with your reasons for stopping, or never starting, or temporarily discontinuing drug use, the law does influence countless people, and in many behaviors.
Obviously that playing rugby is a form of ungodliness and cannot be tolerated!
Much like acceptable instruments: flute, cymbals, lyre, harps, trumpets drums; all ok. Versus things like: guitars, piano[forte], french horns, saxophone, xylophone, and all those other abominations!
[/sarc]
But on a more serious note, there's no mention of [extraterrestrial] aliens in the Bible either; yet the Bible says all creatures [Mark 16:15; KJV] says:
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
So, if there are aliens then there is no excuse not to share the gospel with them; and, incidentally, this also preempts social de-humanizing (e.g. the NAZI denial of humanity to the Jews),
A war on drugs, cf, is a war on an enemy domestic.
My pledge at commissioning was “all enemies foreign and domestic”.
I would have wanted Maj Hassan at Ft Hood shot as a member of the terrorist factions we’re fighting. I assume from your post that you wouldn’t have shot back there on Ft Hood.
Yes, your presence is like having a child follow one around. “Just because” and special pleading ad infinitum. It doesn’t matter to you, of course, that I was attempting an intelligent discourse.
It would help if you could read a single post; I never said you gave such an opinion.
Actually there is the wine of joy, taken mainstream enough to justify Jesus’ first biblically published miracle.
Having been a student of it my entire life, a minister of it to our troops, and a pastor in a few of our churches, I can tell you that the Bible has the message of life.
As Paul said, "I pray that you, too, will be like I am."
I think that the following is relevant to the topic of religion:
(James 1:26-27)
If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
And that the following is relevant to the Catholic church's [or at least Pope's] pronouncement that Protestants aren't real Christians:
(James 3:13-18)
Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false to the truth. Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.
Our touchstone question when proposing some act ought to be: will it honor God. If the answer is yes, then it may be done in good conscience.
Partaking of something to the point of losing sanity (unless necessary for some long term health reason) would not qualify.
Aw, some humongous screen filling graphic trumps a mere bible quote any day. /s
And one of the things that supercilious folks like Narses (whom I saw not too long ago yucking up a superior attitude about the tragic situation of a gay man who had wormed his way into a church quite unsuspected — hey if there is a gaydar why can’t God do equally well at least?) quite miss is that I am one of the few Protestants who will protest quite vigorously for recognition of the presence of Christ among the people of the Roman church despite disagreeing vigorously with some of their practices.
It’s difficult to deal with such infantile taunting sometimes. It diminishes everyone involved.
At this point I'd be willing to venture that domestic enemies more aptly describes Congress, the Executive, and the Supreme Court…
I was really wrestling with things in 2008 where it was just tearing me up that my oath and the approval/embracing of Obama w/o respect to the Constitution's plain requirements was going on — fortunately my enlistment was pretty much up and I got out when as it became obvious that the Army had no intention of as-an-organization living up to the oath to the Constitution.
I specifically included 'extraterrestrial' to disambiguate the definition I was using.
(i.e. exclusion of the "foreigner" meaning.)
Having been a student of it my entire life, a minister of it to our troops, and a pastor in a few of our churches, I can tell you that the Bible has the message of life.
And what makes you think I haven't been a student of the Bible?
I fully agree.
I don't like drinking until I lose control (or get sick) but I certainly appreciate a good buzz (esp. WRT social situations as I can/do get a bit apprehensive in [some] social contexts).
True, there are several people on this thread that seem to fit that description.
Our touchstone question should be: Can we do [whatever] to the glory of God. If we can, then we may. Sometimes refraining is more propitious to that end, and that is the better choice. But not always.
It’s too easy to displace responsibility from souls to the material world. “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch.” But the right answer every single time is to get your attitude right. Then the spirit of God will steer you to the best choice, or allow you the leeway if it is a matter of indifference. We don’t fight flesh and blood. We don’t even fight liquids and powders. We fight authorities of hell.
I was hoping you were a believer in Jesus. Are you? You suggest it, but you don't specifically say so.
>> And what makes you think I haven’t been a student of the Bible?
>
> I was hoping you were a believer in Jesus. Are you? You suggest it, but you don’t specifically say so.
Yes, I am.
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