Mad as Hell

I was just wonder why conservative Protestant Christians frown on drinking alchohol when it's pretty clear that Jesus and his disciples all drank wine(I don't think they dispute that). At least they could consider that beer and mixed drinks are bad but wine is okay. Does this have a religious component or just a practical one?

Megatron

I don't know what the true implications are, but I do know that the repression involved does often lead to alcoholism.

I am a former drug addict, and I've been to the AA/NA/etc... meetings (they didn't do anything for me, really...) and noticed a rather odd majority of people whose religious organizations strongly dictate against any use of alcohol or drugs.

Perhaps it's somehow linked to the amazing number of Catholic priests (barred from any kind of sexual activity... therefore causing repression) that have been involved in child molestation.

Again, I'm not sure, but it does seem relevant in a way...

IvanK

There are those who argue that the "wine" in the Bible really isn't wine but rather unfermented grape juice. In an era before refrigeration. Right. But then they believe in walking on water and being raised from the dead.

Undercurrent

I think that it's probably practical more than anything else. They see that alcohol can lead to bad things and blame the alcohol rather than the bad things.

m.

StrongMan

WHAT?!?! Where I live it is infested with conservative Protestants and they all drink. In fact, in high school, most of the people who where heavy into drinking, drugs, sex, etc..., were conservative Protestants. Then, Sunday morning, after cleaning the vomit off their shirts and crusted blood from their noses, would go to church and later have the audacity to tell me that I'm disgusting and immoral.

Marduk

I really doubt that anyone in the first century did not drink wine or beer, it was much safer than the water in those days. Unfermented grapejuice my ass. People in those days were often paid in beer. I think they are just afraid that they will get drunk and actually do all the things they think about doing.

nixon

My theory about alcohol making people do things is this:
If the person really does not want to do something, they will not do it while drunk. If they do it while drunk, they would have done it sober if they had a good excuse. Drunk has become that excuse. Drink may loosen up a person, but it does not control them or alter their desires.

nixon

By the way, Conservative Protestants aren't the only drinkers. I was recently in Louisiana and they are mainly conservative Catholics. At the grocery stores, they have the alcohol out front.

(I also had the chance to party with some Catholics. Lets just say the drink flows nicely )

sullster

The answer may be that many conservative protestants were out of control raging drunks before they found the antidote of religion. I have known many who became fundy-types after many years of being drinkers or druggers. Look at Alcoholics Anonymous, they replace the need for booze with a religious feeling.
The fundies are so obnoxiuous about drinking. I went to a non-drinking fundy wedding reception once. What a dull thing that was. Later, at a parent's home we could sin again and some fundies looked at us with their typical condescension. I can enjoy a drink or two, it doesn't influence my life at all, I don't need these butt-holes looking down their noses, especially when most of them were binge drinking and puking morons years before they were "bornagin".

Sassyone

I'm sitting here laughing! Not at you, but the fact that I sat in my adult sunday school class listening to parents discuss all the kids drinking
and what should done to stop them. Truth was, THEIR kids were at those drinking parties and the parents had no idea. I had an open relationship with my daughter and son and they knew I didn't want them to drink. We had an agreement that should they drink they wouldn't drive. My daughter would tell me about the parties she attended and all those there. I had to leave my sunday school class several times to keep from blurting out " DUMMIES, YOUR KIDS WERE THERE"!