Posted on 12/10/2013 11:03:54 AM PST by Laissez-faire capitalist
If a person starts out at point x (the level at which their present imbibing of alcoholic beverages will get them drunk) and ups it to point y over a period of time (be it a short or long period of time), will God judge them by the point x sin of drunkenness or the new point at which they get drunk (point y)?
If a person gets drunk at point x, and social drinking over a period of time unintentionally causes them to develop more and more tolerance to alcohol, then must they stay at point x?
If not, is God judging some by one standard and others at a different standard? What if someone can never develop tolerance or more and more tolreance, be it intentionally or not? Can some do certain things while others can't
Can this apply to many other areas of life, where some can get away with things and others can't?
Let me add to the list:
“The Supreme Court said. . . “
Is the .08 standard in the Bible?
Well said.
I know people that drink a lot every day sometimes all day but never ever exhibit signs of “drunkedness”.
They are truely dependent and most definately alcoholics but maintain a semblence of composure that would not be observed as classic drunkedness.
The acid test is dependency. If you’re dependent than you a abusing the temple of the Holy Spirit that is your body and is thus a sin.
If it helps .. The Rule of St. Benedict limits the monastics to a hemina of wine a day. Which is anywhere from 10 oz to a pint of wine depending on who is doing the translating/measuring.
Cheers!
When you start making deals with God to excuse your sins because they aren’t as bad as “that other guy”, you’ve already lost.
BTTT
I remember as a young teen, before I stopped going to church, listening to a guest pastor extolling the virtues of temperance. But he was only talking about alcohol abstinence. From his corpulent appearance it was obvious he was not temperate at the dinner table.
I don ‘t think you’re going to be able to argue fine points of law and biochemistry with the Almighty.
No.
There was a period of about a decade, wherein I was hitting the bars every night, I could afford it, I had friends there, I was single and found it entertaining. I drank like a fish. You do build a tolerance. There was a point, before I stopped drinking beer due to coming down with gout, when it took four to six beers to even feel anything at all. It was interesting when I stopped, too. Sleep difficulties, night sweats almost like an immune reaction. That wasn’t all that hard, though. The hard thing was figuring out what to do with my evenings, I missed the people. The alcohol? No big deal. I still have a drink on occasion. Not prone to addiction, I guess.
But what if Aquinas could once drink just x amount and get dizzy and years down the road it took twice as much to get dizzy?
When then is the limit that must never be passed if tolerance can be increased?
What if a person drank half of that and got drunk? Did they sin?
Why could someone else get to drink twice as much and not get charged with sin by God?
Surely God would not have two standards.
Why are you trying to walk so close to the edge? Wouldn’t it be better to just do what God requires, and walk with Him? Why keeping pushing the boundaries?
You are into Ad Hominem attacks, huh?
I’m not trying to walk close to the boundaries.
I’m trying to shift the paradigm and get people to think about things differently and in a new way they may not have before. And look at the scriptures more than anything.
Myself? I don’t drink alcoholic beverages.
“Not prone to addiction...”
Possibly, but who knows for you where the line between high tolerance ends and alcoholism begins. An additional 1000 drinks 500, less?
Anyone can become an alcoholic and nobody is aware exactly when they cross that line.
Developing a high tolerance to alcohol is the first step toward addiction. Thank God you quit before you ever had to look back and ponder when your “crossover” actually took place.
The question, and its nature, indicate a desire to see what we can “get away with.” It does not indicate any desire to walk with God.
The genuine alcoholics I encountered on my decade-long barhopping odyssey would wake up and have a drink, they were in fact never completely sober, couldn’t take it when they started to sober up. The thought of a drink in the morning nauseated me. That kept my excess within bounds, imho. I was lucky, yes.
That’s stinkin’ thinkin’. Just asking for trouble both spiritually and physically.
The only way to increase your tolerance for alcohol is to get drunk, so no.
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.