What Does Marijuana Use Say About The Individuals Values
Christians have the responsibility to regulate their behavior in every area of their life according to Scripture. When deciding whether using marijuana recreationally is a sin, theres one more important consideration: the impact it may have on others.
Romans 14:20 states, Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. The issue in the verse had to do with whether or not to eat something previously deemed unclean. However, the principle may apply to marijuana use.
The individual may be able to justify using weed if it doesnt cause lapses in judgment or lead to addiction. However, their use may reflect poorly on their values and cause someone else to justify their own substance abuse. If their recreational substance use is instrumental in anothers addiction or relapse, then it would be better for them to abstain.
Before considering whether or not using marijuana is permissible, an individual should consider how it could affect their reputation and lifes focus. Talking to a respected friend or leader can bring clarity to an otherwise confusing topic. Ultimately, its important for the Christian to remember to care for the body God has given them and live free from vices.
How Do Pastors Feel About Pot
Whats holding pastors back is more than just the misguided notion that no Christian would smoke marijuana, Miles said. They sometimes worry about questioning a drug that enjoys such widespread support.
Overall, 60% of U.S. adults say both medical and recreational marijuana use should be legal, according to Pew Research Center. An additional 31% are OK with legalizing just medical use.
From 2009 to 2019, the share of Americans saying marijuana should be legal more than doubled, Pew reported.
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Among U.S. Protestant pastors, however, marijuana legalization remains unpopular. A new LifeWay Research survey shows that just 18% of these leaders believe pot use should be legalized throughout the country for any purpose.
Additionally, nearly 4 in 5 Protestant pastors believe its morally wrong to get high smoking pot, the study found.
It is clear from their views on legalization that pastors see moral problems with getting high beyond simply disobeying government authorities, said Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research, in a press release.
But few Christian leaders openly discuss their concerns, Miles said. Instead, they often rely on doctors and other authority figures to lead discussions on marijuana access and use.
When youve basically leaned upon federal and state governments to define what is moral and whats not, then you havent been training your congregation on how to think about it, he said.
How Does God View Weed Smoking
Many people wonder, how does God feel about marijuana? What does the Bible say? The Bible warns against intoxication and altering your mind. You might say, thats for alcohol, but intoxication is not only for alcohol. You can drink a glass of wine and you will be fine, but the purpose of smoking is to alter your mind. You smoke for the purpose of getting high.
Proverbs 23:31-35 Do not look on the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly. Afterward it bites like a snake, and stings like a viper. Your eyes will see strange things, and your mind will speak perverse things. And you will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea, and like one who lies down on the top of the rigging. You will say, They have struck me, but I am not harmed! They beat me, but I did not know it! When will I awake? I will look for another drink.
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Where Is Kaneh Bosm In The Bible
Kaneh bosm in mentioned in the Bible five times:
1. In this verse, God is advising Moses on how to create holy anointing oil. He tells Moses to: Take the finest spices: of liquid myrrh 500 shekels, and of sweet-smelling cinnamon half as much, that is, 250, and 250 of fragrant reed.. -Exodus 30:22-23
2. Here Solomon is celebrating his wifes beauty, comparing her to a garden and, an orchard of pomegranates with all choicest fruits, henna with nard, nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon.. -Song of Solomon 4:14
3. In this verse, Isaiah is predicting imminent judgement for the people of Judah and Jerusalem, and he tells them, You have not bought me sweet cane with money, or satisfied me with the fat of your sacrifices -Isaiah 43:23-24
4. Ezekiel is speaking to the Jews and says, and casks of wine from Uzal they exchanged for your wares wrought iron, cassia and calamus were bartered for your merchandise.. -Ezekiel 27:19
5. Jeremiah berates the people of Pathros for being sinful, and kaneh bosm is vaguely mentioned when the people of Pathros are talking about their offerings to God. -Jeremiah 44:15-23
Cannabis Role In The Bible Remains Mysterious
As cannabis use continues to gain acceptance throughout the world, perhaps future Bible scholars will be inspired to dig even deeper and uncover its true significance in Biblical times. But for now, like most of the events described in the Bible, the early role of cannabis in the Hebrew and Christian faiths mostly remains a mystery.
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The Healing Power Of Cannabis
Cannabis, when absorbed into olive oil, quickly absorbs into the skin. This method is still used today in balms, salves, and massage oils to treat a variety of illnesses.
Some postulate that people healed through the miracle of Christ may have been healed through the gift of marijuana. The most common ailments treated in the Bible, including epilepsy, eye issues, skin diseases, and menstrual problems, are some of the same illnesses treated with cannabis today.
Bible Verses About Weed
Then set it empty on its coalsSo that it may be hotAnd its bronze may glowAnd its filthiness may be melted in it,Its rust consumed.
Then one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine and gathered from it his lap full of wild gourds, and came and sliced them into the pot of stew, for they did not know what they were.
Water encompassed me to the point of death.The great deep engulfed me,Weeds were wrapped around my head.
Let briars grow instead of wheat,And stinkweed instead of barley.The words of Job are ended.
Shall the potter be considered as equal with the clay,That what is made would say to its maker, He did not make me Or what is formed say to him who formed it, He has no understanding?
Therefore, thus says the Lord God,Woe to the bloody city,To the pot in which there is rustAnd whose rust has not gone out of it!Take out of it piece after piece,Without making a choice.
O my God, make them like the whirling dust,Like chaff before the wind.
Out of his nostrils smoke goes forthAs from a boiling pot and burning rushes.
Before your pots can feel the fire of thornsHe will sweep them away with a whirlwind, the green and the burning alike.
They surrounded me like bees They were extinguished as a fire of thorns In the name of the Lord I will surely cut them off.
For as the crackling of thorn bushes under a pot,So is the laughter of the fool And this too is futility.
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Is Recreational Marijuana Use A Sin
Last November, citizens of Colorado voted on Amendment 64, an amendment to their states constitution that would allow the personal use and regulation of marijuana for adults 21 and over, as well as commercial cultivation, manufacture, and sale, effectively regulating cannabis in a manner similar to alcohol. The first stores selling marijuana for recreational use officially opened on January 1, 2014.
While the new legislation applies only to Colorado , Americans across the nation are beginning to examine questions related to the use of marijuana. For Christians, one of the most pertinent questions is whether the recreational use of marijuana is sinful.
Although many Christians consider the answer to the question to be rather straightforward, it can be helpful to examine the reasoning process that allows us to determine how biblical principles can be applied to this issue.
The Parables Of The Mustard Seed And The Yeast
31 He told them another parable: The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field.32 Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.
33 He told them still another parable: The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.
34 Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables he did not say anything to them without using a parable.35 So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet:
I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.
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Weed For Medicinal Purposes
Give strong drink to the one who is perishing, and wine to those in bitter distress.
According to this statement, medicinal marijuana seems to be permissible as long as bitter distress can refer to anxiety or painful arthritis.
On either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
The tree is not specified, but it does indeed seem to suggest that the leaves of certain trees can be therapeutic and healing.
For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God.
The cultivation of cannabis certainly proves useful for those who consume it.
What Does The Bible Say About Using Marijuana
In November 2012, Colorado passed the Colorado Marijuana Legalization Amendment, or Amendment 64, legalizing marijuana in the state for everyone aged 21 and over. Since then, most states have moved towards legalizing marijuana by decriminalizing it or allowing recreational or medicinal use.
In recent years, Americans have begun to examine questions regarding marijuana use and what role, if any, it should have in their lives. When weed was strictly illegal, most Christians believed that using the substance was clearly wrong because the Bible advises readers to obey the government. Now that using marijuana even recreationally is no longer illegal in several states, the morality of it seems a little murky to some.
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Is Using Marijuana A Sin
If you consider yourself a Christian, you may be interested in knowing if it is a sin to participate in the use of cannabis. And even if you are not religious, you may just be a little curious to know what the sacred texts have to say about it.
Unfortunately, it is not very clear whether using marijuana is a sin or not. But certain verses in the Bible can be interpreted as for or against the grass.
Here are some biblical quotes that apparently allude to the debate. Based on the information available, you can decide whether smoking a joint is truly a sin or a virtue.
The Danger Is In The Dose
Obviously, there isnt a direct connection between alcohol and marijuana. An individual can drink a small amount of alcohol without becoming drunk. In a two-hour period, the average woman can have four alcoholic drinks and the average man can have five before their blood alcohol level reaches 0.08. In most states, an individual is legally intoxicated at this blood alcohol level.
The Bible doesnt forbid drinking only drunkenness. Many Christians abstain from alcohol to avoid the appearance of evil . However, some drink with self-control and moderation. Those who only have a couple of drinks may be able to do so with a clear conscience if drinking doesnt lead to drunkenness.
For marijuana, a much lower dosage creates a state of intoxication. In fact, it takes just 7 milligrams of THC to make the individual high. Depending on their weight and other personal factors, this is between four and eight puffs of a marijuana cigarette.
In theory, an individual could ingest a small dose of THC that wouldnt result in intoxication. However, in most cases, the purpose of using recreational marijuana is to get high. Based on that, many Christians conclude that smoking even a small amount of weed is a sin.
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Jesus ‘healed Using Cannabis’
Jesus w as almost certainly a cannabis user and an early proponent of the medicinal properties of the drug, according to a study of scriptural texts published this month. The study suggests that Jesus and his disciples used the drug to carry out miraculous healings.
The anointing oil used by Jesus and his disciples contained an ingredient called kaneh-bosem which has since been identified as cannabis extract, according to an article by Chris Bennett in the drugs magazine, High Times, entitled Was Jesus a Stoner? The incense used by Jesus in ceremonies also contained a cannabis extract, suggests Mr Bennett, who quotes scholars to back his claims.
“There can be little doubt about a role for cannabis in Judaic religion,” Carl Ruck, professor of classical mythology at Boston University said.
Referring to the existence of cannabis in anointing oils used in ceremonies, he added: “Obviously the easy availability and long-established tradition of cannabis in early Judaism _ would inevitably have included it in the mixtures.”
Mr Bennett suggests those anointed with the oils used by Jesus were “literally drenched in this potent mixture _ Although most modern people choose to smoke or eat pot, when its active ingredients are transferred into an oil-based carrier, it can also be absorbed through the skin”.
Was Cannabis Purposely Removed From The Bible
The possibility exists that the ceremony of anointment with Holy oil played a central role in early Christianity. A collection of lost Biblical texts was discovered in Egypt in 1945. These books had been sealed in a jar and buried around AD 367 when the church disallowed any tellings of Jesus story that were not included in the official New Testament. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, were actually among many existing accounts of Jesus life. These books, in particular, were handpicked by the church for inclusion in the Bible, as they presented uniform accounts of the narrative Christianitys leaders wished to present.
The non-canonical texts tell of sects that became known as Gnostics. This name comes from the Greek word for knowledge. The Gnostics believed that they achieved a higher degree of enlightenment and understanding of their religion through first-hand use of Holy oil, versus relying on the words of the Scriptures and priests. These texts indicate that this sacramental rite of anointment would have indeed been a psychoactive experience.
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What Constitutes Intoxication
The analogical argument against recreational marijuana use appears rather incontrovertible. However, the Bible prohibits drunkenness, it does not prohibit all uses of alcoholeven those for recreational purposes. A person can consume small quantities of alcohol without any intention of becoming intoxicated. Can a person consume small quantities of marijuana without any intention of becoming intoxicated?
To answer the question we must determine the average quantity of the drugalcohol or marijuananeeded to produce the impaired state.
For alcohol, the unit of measure is the standard drink, that is any drink that contains about 14 grams of pure alcohol . A standard drink is conventionally defined as the alcohol content of 12 ounces of 5 percent-alcohol beer or 5 ounces of 12 percent-alcohol wine or an ounce and half of 40 percent-alcohol spirits . In most U.S. states, the legally defined level of intoxication typically occurs, depending on pacing, after four drinks for an average-sized woman or five for an average-sized man.
For marijuana, however, a much lower dosage is needed to induce a state of intoxication. Studies show that intoxication occurs at the ingestion of less than 7 mg of THC . That is approximately the equivalent to four puffs of a marijuana cigarette.
Is God Against Weed
From what I see in Scripture and what I understand of marijuana, I strongly believe that God opposes recreational marijuana. Drug use is forbidden. Sorcery translated pharmakeia which means drug use.
Galatians 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar. I tell you about these things in advance as I told you before that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
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The Parable Of The Weeds Explained
36 Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.
37 He answered, The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man.38 The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one,39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
40 As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age.41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil.42 They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.