Is it ok for a Christian to smoke cannabis?

[Sven]

All hemp has trace amounts of THC, just not enough to get high. But that is besides the point.

 

[Hamalas]

How would the recreational use of drugs, even in moderation, play into the many verses commanding us to be "sober minded?"

BTW: I'm really not familiar with how all this stuff works, (praise God for that!) I'm just wondering if it is possible to do drugs and not have your awareness impaired. If that is the case then that would seem to rule it out for the Christian.

 

[forgivenmuch]

All hemp has trace amounts of THC, just not enough to get high. But that is besides the point.

I am sorry, I thought you were arguing for the legalization of marijuana so that people could get hemp (or maybe you were). Anyway, that doesn't make any sense to me, because it is already available. I do agree with you though about thinking of other uses than smoking.

 

[larryjf]

Sometimes it helps to bring the question to a more extreme case.
Opiates are natural as well, but would we say it's ok to use heroin if it was legal to do so?

 

[forgivenmuch]

How would the recreational use of drugs, even in moderation, play into the many verses commanding us to be "sober minded?"

BTW: I'm really not familiar with how all this stuff works, (praise God for that!) I'm just wondering if it is possible to do drugs and not have your awareness impaired. If that is the case then that would seem to rule it out for the Christian.

In my experience, no it is not. And that is not just including marijuana, but all sorts of stuff. Thankfully, by God's grace he has covered my sins with Christ's blood.

 

[MLCOPE2]

I used to be an avid pot smoker as well and one of the many things that I used it for was as a sleeping aid. So is it any different to use pot as a sleeping aid as opposed to sleeping pills that can create an unsobering effect on those who take them as well?

Disclaimer: I do not use and am not advocating the use of marijuana and my question is asked as if it were used in a legal environment (such as Holland).

 

[21st Century Calvinist]

Strangely enough, I have a pretty firm line regarding this one! Why would you want to smoke weed? If it were legal, it may well be permissible, but I seriously doubt it will be beneficial when used recreationally, either physically or spiritually. Personally, there are already too many things in this world that I use to while away hours I could be spending serving my neighbors or studying the Word.
Medical use is a whole different ball game.
I fecetiously suggested a few weeks ago to some colleagues that if the government legalized weed it would be the stimulus the economy needs. The money from tax revenue would eliminate the need for a bailout and the economy would grow by McDonald's and 7-11 stores opening up all over the place. Just thinking outside the box!

 

[Webservant]

For the record, when I was much younger I drank a lot and I smoked pot quite a few times. I was *far* more impaired by alcohol.

I find it very interesting that many Christians have no problems with prescription drugs which alter mood and pain perception (sometimes in mysterious or non-beneficial ways) merely because our government says they are morally acceptable. Didn't God did say we could eat any plant in the garden (except that one tree)?

 

[AThornquist]

Didn't God did say we could eat any plant in the garden (except that one tree)?

You don't really mean for that to be in favor of getting high from pot, do you?

 

[Mushroom]

Actually Rich, that was probably the first bit of scritpure to which I was exposed. A friend had a little poster with that verse out of Genesis, with a notice underneath that read, "Attention, this has been overuled by a 'higher' authority."

I think maybe it was a little out of context.

 

[AThornquist]

I think maybe it was a little out of context.

Maybe. Just maybe.

 

[Mushroom]

BTW, Isn't alcohol produced by the fermentation of plant material? So isn't it just a different form of organic affect on the mind?

 

[Webservant]

Didn't God did say we could eat any plant in the garden (except that one tree)?

You don't really mean for that to be in favor of getting high from pot, do you?

No not at all. I do think it was put here for our use, though. I bet it's a whole lot safer than many prescription drugs, and more effective, too.

 

[forgivenmuch]

For the record, when I was much younger I drank a lot and I smoked pot quite a few times. I was *far* more impaired by alcohol.

I find it very interesting that many Christians have no problems with prescription drugs which alter mood and pain perception (sometimes in mysterious or non-beneficial ways) merely because our government says they are morally acceptable. Didn't God did say we could eat any plant in the garden (except that one tree)?

Yes, if you abuse alcohol then it is true, it impairs your judgment/mind/etc. more than marijuana, but not if you drink alcohol in moderation. There is no such thing as marijuana in moderation.

 

[Webservant]

Actually Rich, that was probably the first bit of scritpure to which I was exposed. A friend had a little poster with that verse out of Genesis, with a notice underneath that read, "Attention, this has been overuled by a 'higher' authority."

I think maybe it was a little out of context.

Brad, I was not advocating recreational MJ use. I do think the plant was placed here for our medicinal use. As to the verse being out of context, I disagree, but my wife thinks I am wrong about that, too.

 

[AThornquist]

No not at all. I do think it was put here for our use, though. I bet it's a whole lot safer than many prescription drugs, and more effective, too.

Okay then. That makes more sense.

 

[Mushroom]

Actually Rich, that was probably the first bit of scritpure to which I was exposed. A friend had a little poster with that verse out of Genesis, with a notice underneath that read, "Attention, this has been overuled by a 'higher' authority."

I think maybe it was a little out of context.

Brad, I was not advocating recreational MJ use. I do think the plant was placed here for our medicinal use. As to the verse being out of context, I disagree, but my wife thinks I am wrong about that, too.

Rich, I probably agree with you about pot and its medicinal use. I would have given it to my Dad by the baleful as he lay dying of cancer and puking from the chemo if it were legal. But I personally confess that at one time I worshipped that plant, was deported from the Philippines at the age of 16 because of it, bought it, sold it, grew it, and generally wallowed in it for far too long in my life, so I have to avoid it completely.

As for the Genesis verse, we have to remember that it was prior to the curse. It says every herb bearing seed shall be as meat, and we know that is not so since the fall. We wouldn't go munching on hemlock, so things are a little different now.

 

[Scott Bushey]

Yes, if you abuse alcohol then it is true, it impairs your judgment/mind/etc. more than marijuana, but not if you drink alcohol in moderation. There is no such thing as marijuana in moderation.

This is not necessarily true; in those countries where it is regulated, the THC content is gauged, i.e. grade 'A', 'B', 'C' etc.

 

[Davidius]

You aren't sober-minded when you are high. Thus, recreational use is sinful. Whether or not it should be illegal is a completely different issue. Also, perhaps there are medical uses that are permitted, but that's likewise a different issue.

It is legalism to take your experience and generalize it as a moral imperative for every person.

Smoking anything - marijuana, cigarettes, crack, etc - harms the body. Therefore I would say no, Christians should not smoke marijuana (though I'm not going to call it a sin) for the same reason I would say no to cigarette smoking. I understand the point about moderation, but smoking a single cigarette is harmful to the body, whereas drinking a single beer or eating a single cheeseburger is not harmful. I think it's pretty clear we are to honor the Lord with our bodies, and harming ourselves is not honoring to God - I think that's clear throughout the Bible. So if smoking marijuana is harmful, and I believe it is, then it should not be done.

What is "harm," and how do fatty foods avoid the charge? What system are you using to measure the amount of harm done to the body? The same may not be true about alcohol (or especially wine), but there isn't a single good reason to eat a cheeseburger and digest all of its fat and calories other than the fact that it's delicious.

Honest question: can one smoke small amounts of pot without being temporarily, but significantly, affected?

I've known a lot of pot smokers in my life, and I've never met any who would smoke marijuana like one would a cigar: it has always been with the intention of its altering affects.

So -- does anyone smoke pot simply to smoke something, without being affected?

I drink alcohol to "be affected" by it. "Being affected" is not the measuring rod by which one determines whether something is sinful. God tells us that alcohol can, in fact, have a very positive effect on our state of consciousness. As above, your only way to get out of this is generalize a particular experience and make those conclusions binding on everyone, which is legalism.

I would say that it would be within our liberty to use, like alcohol, as long as it were not abused. One can smoke a little weed in the same way that one can have a little bit to drink.

I would have to respectfully disagree with you David. Unfortunately, I have smoked many times in my life, and that is simply not the case with me, and maybe no one else I know. As I've heard my pastor say, "You can drink alcohol without being drunk. You cannot smoke pot and not be altered. You're either high or you're not. There is no in between." In my experience, I would have to agree.

See above. I don't care what your pastor says. You may not bind my conscience with your experience or his. Furthermore, he's wrong. One can be in between. It's called a buzz, and the same terminology to describe a minor state of intoxication brought about by alcohol consumption. But now all we're going on is your/his experience vs. mine, so we'd better stop now because we're going to end up fencing the law.

 

[AThornquist]

It is legalism to take your experience and generalize it as a moral imperative for every person.

Upholding the command of God to remain sober-minded is not legalism. I stand by what I said.

 

[ReformedWretch]

no

 

[Davidius]

It is legalism to take your experience and generalize it as a moral imperative for every person.

Upholding the command of God to remain sober-minded is not legalism. I stand by what I said.

Okay, but you're not upholding the command of God. You're erecting a legalistic fence around the command of God by deriving a universal from a particular.

 

[AThornquist]

Okay, but you're not upholding the command of God. You're erecting a legalistic fence around the command of God by deriving a universal from a particular.

I wonder who is sober-minded when they are high Whatever. Just do me a favor and don't talk to my little sisters about "Christian liberty" and pot.

 

[Annalissa]

(in my opinion) Smoking marijuana is one of those issues that must be pinned down with regard to one's personal convictions before the Lord. If one is in Christ, the Lord is always faithful to lead His own to the paths of righteousness through the Spirit and His word, including the changing of opinions, methods of living and forms of recreation.

Cannabis comes from a naturally occuring plant (and some could argue that so do toxic mushrooms and other plant poisons), but it can be used medicinally with lower side effects and higher pain relief benefits than many medical drugs on the market (FDA approved) today. Recreational use is really something that I believe the Bible is pretty clear on...I don't think you can separate marijuana's altering effects while retaining any moderated forms of enjoyment (aside from being high, what other form of "enjoyment" can you find? Taste? Flavor?) I've heard that joints are also more harming than cigarettes, but I'm pretty sure it's mostly because joints are hand rolled, unfiltered, and most people hold in the smoke to allow the maximum amount of THC to pass into their systems.

I have Christian friends and acquaintances and even hospice patients who use marijuana for medicinal purposes ranging from chronic and debilitating migraines to relief from MS symptoms, pain and nausea from chemo treatments. I have friends from my "past" who still smoke recreationally, on a daily basis, wasting fistfuls of cash on what I believe to be a method of judgment impairing, sinful escapism. Obviously, there's a huge difference between these two types and a myriad scattering of variable opinions and approaches within the two extremes, but I think the more important question here to realize and ask is, "What pleases God?"

The principle can be applied in every realm...but on this issue, I have yet to find any solid, biblical support for smoking weed recreationally. Medicinally, sure...I think you can go there. Outside of that, I think you would have to be taking some verses/passages out of context to attempt proof, really. And in my earlier days of my walk with Christ, believe me...I LOOKED for it. Big time.

If you can smoke cannabis and remain 1)sober minded, 2)not damage the temple of your body, 3) glorify God in that activity and 4)maintain your witness for Christ among those who may stumble as a result of seeing/knowing you smoke... good for you. Smoke away. I simply don't know of a way that it can be done, or why you would want to do it, other than the impetus to get high, which defeats the whole purpose of wanting to please God in the first place.

Keep in mind, most of my stance is thrown forth from personal experience and searching the Scriptures. We're all sinful people here, and not everyone holds the same stringent or lax convictions. I think everyone can at least agree that a frequent, recreational diet of pot and the munchies is really just not even in the realm of that which a Christian should participate.

That's my wordy .

 

[ReformedWretch]

if you can smoke cannabis and remain 1)sober minded, 2)not damage the temple of your body, 3) glorify god in that activity and 4)maintain your witness for Christ among those who may stumble as a result of seeing/knowing you smoke... Good for you. Smoke away. I simply don't know of a way that it can be done, or why you would want to do it, other than the impetus to get high, which defeats the whole purpose of wanting to please god in the first place.

qft!!

-----Added 3/13/2009 at 01:46:38 EST-----

Oh, if you have the liberty to smoke weed, just don't watch American Idol while you're doing it!

 

[ColdSilverMoon]

Smoking anything - marijuana, cigarettes, crack, etc - harms the body. Therefore I would say no, Christians should not smoke marijuana (though I'm not going to call it a sin) for the same reason I would say no to cigarette smoking. I understand the point about moderation, but smoking a single cigarette is harmful to the body, whereas drinking a single beer or eating a single cheeseburger is not harmful. I think it's pretty clear we are to honor the Lord with our bodies, and harming ourselves is not honoring to God - I think that's clear throughout the Bible. So if smoking marijuana is harmful, and I believe it is, then it should not be done.

What is "harm," and how do fatty foods avoid the charge? What system are you using to measure the amount of harm done to the body? The same may not be true about alcohol (or especially wine), but there isn't a single good reason to eat a cheeseburger and digest all of its fat and calories other than the fact that it's delicious.

Inhaling smoke of any type destroys/damages cells, stimulates an inflammatory response, etc. There is no exception. So smoking always harms the body, including 1 puff on a cigarette. Eating a cheeseburger causes no harm in itself. The fat and calories are metabolized the same way if you were eating an apple. Cheeseburgers are only harmful if eaten in excess over long periods of time, but ingesting fat or high-calorie items is not harmful - the natural design of the body is to put its components to good use. The same is true for alcohol.

So, eating a cheeseburger or having a beer causes no harm, while smoking a cigarette does. Again, I wouldn't say smoking (marijuana or tobacco) in moderation is sinful necessarily, but I tend to see it as being bad stewards of the body God has given us.

 

[jwithnell]

Recreation use: pretty questionable
Medical use: yes, if it is distributed as a pharmaceutical (no grow-your-own)
Hemp products: yes (I like a hemp oil hand cream a lot. My hands are, like, far out!)

 

[Annalissa]

Eating a cheeseburger causes no harm in itself. The fat and calories are metabolized the same way if you were eating an apple. Cheeseburgers are only harmful if eaten in excess over long periods of time, but ingesting fat or high-calorie items is not harmful - the natural design of the body is to put its components to good use. The same is true for alcohol.

So, eating a cheeseburger or having a beer causes no harm, while smoking a cigarette does. Again, I wouldn't say smoking (marijuana or tobacco) in moderation is sinful necessarily, but I tend to see it as being bad stewards of the body God has given us

Mr. Mason, I have to politely disagree with you here. One cheeseburger and/or one beer actually will harm cells, aside from a few other destructive things. Neither a cheeseburger or a beer is naturally occurring, both have undergone extensive processing and the enzymes your body produces to break them down in your stomach and digestive tract cannot fully break everything down, so your digestion slows down considerably, thus slowing down other functions until the food you've eaten can be used and/or stored. Your body takes the toxins in the processed matter (though in minute amounts) and stores them as waste. This can mean that you end up having buildup in your colon and intestines or you just gain a few ounces or pounds of fat, depending on your frequency of consumption.

Eating and digesting an apple is an entirely different process than eating and digesting a cheeseburger or beer.

You can cleanse your body of the damage you've done to your cells and encourage the removal of such toxins and stored waste from beer, wine and food, but it takes time and effort through raw diet and exercise.

The same thing cannot be said for smoking anything with frequency. You can smoke organic, fragrant, tea leaves and it will damage your cells. You can attempt repair and restore using homeopathic methods...but you can't keep smoking anything without extensive, irrepairable damage being done to lungs and tissues.

(in my opinion)The key with our Christian liberties is moderation, but the first step to moderation, is knowing what liberties we have.

I still don't think smoking marijuana is within those liberties, aside from medicinal use, despite laws of country or state.

On a side note, I've never heard of anyone just eating one cheeseburger or drinking one beer within their lifetime. I have heard of this occuring within one meal, but you always come back when the cravings hit.

I'm so hungry right now for a Double Whopper with cheese.


::end tangent::

 

[ColdSilverMoon]

Eating a cheeseburger causes no harm in itself. The fat and calories are metabolized the same way if you were eating an apple. Cheeseburgers are only harmful if eaten in excess over long periods of time, but ingesting fat or high-calorie items is not harmful - the natural design of the body is to put its components to good use. The same is true for alcohol.

So, eating a cheeseburger or having a beer causes no harm, while smoking a cigarette does. Again, I wouldn't say smoking (marijuana or tobacco) in moderation is sinful necessarily, but I tend to see it as being bad stewards of the body God has given us

Mr. Mason, I have to politely disagree with you here. One cheeseburger and/or one beer actually will harm cells, aside from a few other destructive things. Neither a cheeseburger or a beer is naturally occurring, both have undergone extensive processing and the enzymes your body produces to break them down in your stomach and digestive tract cannot fully break everything down, so your digestion slows down considerably, thus slowing down other functions until the food you've eaten can be used and/or stored. Your body takes the toxins in the processed matter (though in minute amounts) and stores them as waste. This can mean that you end up having buildup in your colon and intestines or you just gain a few ounces or pounds of fat, depending on your frequency of consumption.

Eating and digesting an apple is an entirely different process than eating and digesting a cheeseburger or beer.

You can cleanse your body of the damage you've done to your cells and encourage the removal of such toxins and stored waste from beer, wine and food, but it takes time and effort through raw diet and exercise.

Annalissa,

I like your name! Very nice. However, I am going to have to disagree completely with your analysis of digestion of cheeseburgers and alcohol. I don't know any other way to say it, so I'll just be direct: what you say simply isn't correct.

I could produce a stack of biochemistry and medical text books to directly refute what you're saying on a molecular level, but I'll just point out a few flaws in your thinking. First of all, even if "processed" foods have indigestible components, these do not cause harm in the body. ANYTHING you eat, including an apple (but especially vegetables high in cellulose and fiber such as celery), has indigestible components. These do not cause harm, but are eliminated as waste in feces - Jesus uses this concept in His teachings (I can't remember the exact verse off the top of my head). Such indigestible components are not toxic and do not cause harm to any part of the body. They are just not digested, not absorbed, and therefore eliminated as waste. They do not "slow" digestion per se - they are simply not digested and passed through the GI tract as waste. And they are not digested "differently" than any other food - this is just wrong information. I don't want to get too far off topic with this - feel free to start a new thread or shoot me a PM if you want to discuss this further.

Eating a single cheeseburger, or even an occasional cheeseburger, does absolutely no harm to the body whatsoever. Eating cheeseburgers (or similar high fat, high calorie foods) consistently leads to many problems including obesity, propensity to develop diabetes, atherosclerosis, etc. But eating a single cheeseburger or drinking a single beer does not automatically cause harm. And that's my whole point - some things can be done in moderation and not cause harm, but smoking isn't one of those things.

 

[Annalissa]

Mason,

Hmm, sounds like we have differing views on nutrition. You're right, I was there. Apologies. My point was directed more at drawing the line somewhere regarding our Christian liberties, recreational cannabis intake being an outsider in that realm. However, I maintain all points that I've made. I've done my research on the matter and welcome any discussion regarding the biochemistry of the human body. I'll PM you.

Blessings!