DRINKING IS IT A SIN ?
"
Show me someone who drinks too much who has to try out fancy drinks,
and I will show you someone miserable and sorry for himself, always
causing trouble and always complaining..... I don't remember it. Why
can't I wake up? I need another drink" Proverbs23. 29-35
Yesterday I concelebrated with Bishop Kunnassery in California
. During the Communion service people shared the cup. Then I thought
about the mails I read, most of them stating that "drinking is bad.
Alcohol has to be completely avoided". At least that is the idea I am
gathering from many of the mails. Then I asked myself "is alcohol
sinful". Should people recieve communion under both species? My
reflection did lead me to the following insights.
Here I am not saying that everybody has to drink
, but my thinking about drinking is that of moderation and if one
person cannot have the grace to stay within the limits of his body,
if one person cannot control drinking, rather drinking a little
alcohol drives a person to get drunk then such people should stay
away from alcohol. I would say, many people are in that category and
to such people drinking is endangering themselves. It is clearly
stated that drinking alcohol can cause health hazzards.
My studies revealed to me that drinking alcohol has
something to do with genes as well. This hypothesis has been
professionally investigated. More researches are done on this topic.
I am now studying to see if our acquired behaviors could be
genetically transmitted to the next generation or if we are only
stuck with the misbehaviors that are already registered in our genes
from of old.
I think any
extreme is wrong. Much the same with alcohol. Drinking alcoholic
beverages in extremes is wrong and that is the mind of the church, if
we are talking about the mind of the Church. It is also possible that
we are sharing our thoughts and our mind about drinking. Ofcourse we
have the right and we are encouraged to share our thoughts and views
about drinking. Then it is helpful to say this is how I feel about
drinking. I think the above statement expresses my feelings and
thoughts and the following are some of the insights I have about
drinking.
Drinking is it sinful?
I have heard many people mention that drinking per se is sinful. Many
people have stated that drinking alcohol in itself is sinful, (this
is the impression I have gathered from reading the mails. I could be
wrong but this is what I have gathered). Based on my information from
the net, I like to share the following thoughts.
My contention is that drinking in itself is not a sinful act
. Drinking for the sake of getting intoxicated is wrong. Once we
drink we may loose control. People who are otherwise very well
balanced start doing evil things under the influence of alcohol. I
think that is sin. I have heard of an incident when I was in India.
Two friends got drunk and they were going home and one of them got
into fits and stabbed and killed the friend. It is the alcohol that
derailed the right mind. in anger one freind killed the other. If my
memory is correct, their children were in one of the Middle Eastern
Countries. I don"t remember the details of that event. I would say,
the after effect of drinking caused the disaster. Alcohol was
accessory to the attitude change a! nd the eventualities. The action
that followed is wrong. The alcohol that lead this person to such
henious crime could have been avoided. This happened when excessive
amount of alcohol was in the human system. If they drank in
moderation, it would have been a different story. Alcohol became an
accessory to this sinful action when used beyond the limits of ones
capacity.
There are many other wrong doings committed under the inflence of
alcohol. A girl came to me and mentioned sometime back how a drunk
molested her sexually.( I don't say it is only the dunkards who do
such sinful actions)
It so happened that this man was drunk. This sinful action and many
other crimes happens when someone is intoxicated. People shout at
home and get angry being under the infuence of alcohol. Last time
when I went home to India, I attended a wedding party and at one
point I had to leave that home as voilence errupted as people kept
drinking.
People get into wild situations
. There are many kinds of intoxicating drinks in India,. The other
day we were talking about the influence of alcohol with Bishop
Kunnasseril and Bishop said that there is a new drink known as
"
Mother Theresa" and we laughed.Even the alcohol company is very
innovative in naming the drinks like the old monks etc. It is also
true that in Europe many monasteries brewed allcohol and that became
their livelihood. I am not justifying or accusing them. These are
realities.
I think drinking is not a sin in itself
Drinking can and does lead people to addictions and habbits that are
sinful. Anytime an alcoholic beverage leads you or anyone into sin,
that person is responsible for the action he or she commits being
under the influence. I have never heard a judge sentencing alcohol
but I have heard about drunkards getting sentenced. Also I have heard
about banning alcohol and intoxicating substances.
Thus the arguenment might be about banning
such intoxicating substances. I might say that it is not good to give
any alcohol , if the group or the person is unruly. I feel that the
individuals be counted responsible for their actions. Every person is
given the responsibility for his or her actions. I think that is what
God has respected and I don't like to go against God's design. God
respected our free will to choose between good and evil. God gave
eternal salvation and eternal punishment depending on people's choice
and I do respect the attitude of God. ( I understand the many
quotations from the Bible against drinking )
God respected the free will
of the first parents in their choice to sin against God's own
commandment. God respected the free will of the the first brothers,
Cain and Abel. Cain murdered his brother Abel and God held Cain
responsible for his action which he committed out of his free will.
Moses out of his free will chose not to trust God and he was
punished. God respected the free will of Abraham to obey God or not
to. God gave freedome to Mary to choose to be or not to be the mother
of God , God gave the same freedom to His Only Son Jesus to choose
the cup of suffering or to reject the same. At last Jesus said "
Father..let your will..."
God gave us the free will,
and so we might not go against the commandments. A commandment is
powerful when it is chosen with free will. I think this is the way I
will approach the law. If the law is enforced without the right to
choose then it is not the indivudual who does the things, rather it
is some fanatic ( Sorry to use harsh words) who thinks for the
others. I don't know how many of you like others to think and act for
you. Do you want someone else to decide for you what you have to do
with certain faculty in your body? I don't think that many of you
like other people to control your life. How many of you like your
boss to controll your basic freedom ? I don't know how many of you
will be happy with slavery. ? Slavery is a situation where one
doesn't have ! the right to exercise the true freedome he or she is
born into and born with. No one is happy in a slavish situation.
I would say much is the same with the act of drinking
. If the whole world is going to impose the law " Do not drink" (
ofcourse for the common good) then freedom is curtailed. It is not
like the statement " Do not drink and drive". When one is intoxicated
one may lose control behind the wheels. Yet one may be allowed to
drink within the legal limits of alcohol in the blood system. In
Califronia it is .01 % as I understand. Differnt countries may have
different limits. But every limit is within the safty of the body.
For some people .01 % might be enough to be drunk and if that is the
case, such people should not even allow to have .01 % of alcohol in
the blood system when driving a car.
I thnk we have said much. My stand is
A.
Drinking in itself is not a sin
B.
Dinking alcohol can and does lead peole to sinful situations.
C.
An action that follows drinking, leaves the responsibility on the
individual who drinks and abuses the alcohol.
C.
No one has the right to drink and disturb oneself or the others
D.
We could punish only the person not the alcohol.
E.
I don't say it is OK to drink. I state that it is the responsibiity
of the individual to meet the consequesnces of an action done under
intoxication.
F.
If drinking causes a person to do sinful actions, then drinking has
to be avoided. Alcohol or intoxicating substances has to be avoided.
G.
One has the reight to stay clean of sinful stimulants.
H.
It is always better if one doesn't touch alcohol and I recommend
everyone not to touch alcohol because this way one could stay away
from a habbit that might destroy you.
I.
Be conscious that it is very hard to stop drinking. There is no cure
for alcoholism. Healing that habbit of drinking is virtually
impossible. One might get sobber but tasting alcohol even after a
long time can drag the already sobber person into deep drinking and
depression. If one stops drinking at one point, and if he reopens
that habbit after a few years, he doesn't start where he left
drinking, rather he starts where he would have been if he didn't stop
drinking." Show me someone who drinks too much who has to try out
fancy drinks, and I will show you someone miserable and sorry for
himself, always causing trouble and always complaining..... I don't
remember it. Why can't I wake up? I need another drink" Proverbs23.
29-35
I feel that in many cases, the excessive drinking causes trouble and
an abusive
relationship with alcohol is unhealthy. An abusive relationship with
alcohol will cause a crumbling relationship with God, oneself and the
others. Many people'a jobs and families are irrepearably broken
becasue of alcohol and or substance use or abuse. Now the shift in
focus throws more light on the genetic influence of alcohoil in human
lives.
In healing the drunkards, a lot of prayer, kindness, non judgemental
attitude would help. I would say a miracle has to happen in healing
the alcoholic.
In this article I am not trying to put down the people who differ
with me. I do appreciate them and their earnestness. I try my best to
throw different light on this topic so it might be helpful. If some
how I have offended anyone, my apologies.
Thanks
God Bless
Fr.Thomas Mathew
California
July 30/2001
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