Fundamentalist/Evangelical Christians: Why do you oppose personal responsibility?

Question

Actually, I want to know why you continue to agree with the Government on the Drug War. The bible makes no explicit reference to abstinence from drugs (of course, I don't know it by rote, so I might be wrong.), and even though the bible says to obey the laws of the land, why do so many of your stripes insist on governmental enforcement of your PERSONAL beliefs. (Again, I do not know for sure if drug use is censured in the Bible, but I don't think it is.) Yet, many of you are supposedly conservative, which would imply that you believe in personal responsibility and lack of government intrusion into private lives.

If the government said that, say, Baptism is bad for no good reason (like it did with drugs) and the people must be "protected from themselves" or "give them back their self-respect" (I have great self respect, and I love to take opioid painkillers, which obviously do not make me stupid in any way.) there would be another revolution, or at least a guerilla war.

Why?

I am personally a Buddhist, so please don't try to convert me. I know thats what you do, but spare me today, please?

Also, don't spout any Government Propaganda (ie "this is your brain on drugs") or D.A.R.E. lies. I want a Christian view on this, not an idiots view. And yes, if you want to subjugate MY RIGHTS to YOUR MORALITY without fully informing yourself on the situation, I do consider you an idiot.

Regardless of whether opiates DO alter my thinking, it is not in a negative sense. Why does everyone assume that anything less than a naturally lucid mind is inherently inferior. An easy parallel is that anything less than a White Male is inherently inferior. If you believe one, you might as well believe the other.

Opiates enhance me. Despite what ONDCP, DEA, D.A.R.E. and foolish sheep claim, the effects don't turn me into a stuporous lump. Rather, they are stimulating to both mind and body, and inhibit irrational emotions. I effectively become an emotionless human. And it is WONDERFUL.

Matt, my question isn't stupid, you are. If you actually read what I wrote, you'd see that I said "What if the government SAID Baptism was bad."

There is no objective study of drugs that has been done since the early 20th century. In order to research drugs, you must only research them regarding neurotoxicity. Rather biased, dontcha think?

Answer 1

That's an excellent point, being a christian and a drug-user should not be mutually exclusive. It should also be noted that not every drug user is an addict; just like not everyone who drinks alcohol in any form (in church, on New Year's, etc) is an alcoholic (that last is not specifically directed at your question, but at some of the answers).

Drugs will always be outlawed in the US, simply because there is too much money to be made off of them as illegal substances. The addiction and mortality rate of drugs here in the states is a number of times higher than other countries' who have legalized many or most of the drugs we deem 'harmful' and 'addictive'. By the same token, however, alcohol is legalized here, and we still more than double most other countries' addiction/mortality rates on that. So, I think that those results point more to a mentality than a legalization. In a country where open-mindedness is prevalent, and people are not persecuted simply for having different beliefs (in other words, a country not ruled by control-freaks), people do not believe that doing drugs in any way detracts from faith. It would be similar to saying: if you choose to sleep late and relax on weekends, as opposed to getting up at 5am and cleaning, you must not be a good ______ (insert faith). They are completely unrelated, and have no bearing or influence on each other.

In many cases, politicians who are 'conservative' or 'christian conservative' receive a good portion of their campaign funds from groups that are either anti-drug or targeting drugs. If they were to take a stand, they would lose countless campaign dollars and probably lose their following term. People in general are just not educated about drug use, and ignorance breeds fear. It is only recently that scientists in the UK have begun testing on the qualities of hallucinogenic mushrooms, and their positive effects on clinically depressed people. So we are still in a 'dark age' when it comes to illegal drugs (although I find it interesting that the US once again blows every other country out of the water when it comes to people using prescription drugs). I think that once people in the US are able to overcome their fear of the unknown, you will see a drastic change in the condition of the culture. Although, that may just be my idealism.

I understand what you are saying about government intrusion, but could you please further clarify the importance of 'personal responsibility'? Do you intend emphasis on personal, wherein people should simply mind their own business and not try to control everyone around them?

Answer 2

Since 1968 we have had 12 years of Democrat leadership. Do the math and quit blaming the liberals for all the problems. Start with Nixon's secret plan to end the Viet Nam war. More troops died in Viet Nam under his control. That war ended on May 7, 1975. Quite the plan he had. Don't tell me it ended earlier because I was in the military at the time Saigon fell and was pretty worried until Ford and the Democratic house refused to finance the war any further. I am a liberal and served in the military and have held a job with the same company for 33 years so don't tell me about personal responsibility and hard work. Right wingers and neo cons scare the hell out of me.

Answer 3

OK. christians point of view...I will try not to be stupid or convert you ;-)

God made us with a certain state of mind and he told us that our body is a temple (I'm sure you've heard that one before). It also says in the Bible that drunkenness is a sin. I think that being altered by a drug goes under the drunk category. Alcohol and drugs alter your mind state. Some (all?) drugs ruin your body and your mind forever. That's the Christian side of it.

The secular side is that people who become addicted to drugs change. They begin to care less about their families, their jobs, their friends, etc. Everything that was once important, including the lives of other people, is forgetten in pursuit of that good feeling that drugs give them. I don't think that drugs is a Christian moral being imposed on the rest of society. I think it is just experience or even common sense on the lawmakers' parts.

Now, homosexual marriage? That is probably a Christian moral being imposed on society.


PS - Being emotionless isn't exactly good. From a Christian perspective: We were created to have emotions. It is part of the "in God's image" thing.

From a non-Christian perspective: I've known people who take anti-depressants that make them emotionless and they are in capable of properly loving their families, incapable of caring whether certain things which need to be done are done (such as paying bills and keeping their bank accounts out of the hole). I'm just not seeing much good out of this.

Answer 4

...On the other hand, why do you encourage irresponsibility? If you really do all the drugs you say (I do tend to doubt it) how is this beneficial to you and others? You not only would destroy yourself, but it sounds you seek to take others down to destruction with you. "Love does no wrong to a neighbor; love is the fulfillment of the Law", we are told in Romans 13. This is not loving on your part.
...The Bible does say that the body of the Christian is the temple of the Holy Spirit - not only is this an incredible honor, but we are to take good care of ourselves, and we belong to God.
...The other principle I think of is this: we are to do all things to the glory of God - you tell me how I can fry my brains with illegal drugs to the glory of God. I can't - to do so is quite inconsistent with sound doctrine.
...And as you have said, we are to obey the laws of the land. I am for law enforcement. Government, although imperfect, is to look out for the welfare of the citizenry, not hasten its demise. It is ordained by God to punish evildoers, by execution if necessary. (Romans 13)
...If you really insist on living this way, you will hasten your own demise, or at least wind up in jail - its your choice, and if you make the wrong choice and get caught, you have no one to blame but yourself.
...You don't need to turn over a new leaf - you need new life in Christ - only then can you have peace, joy, a reason for living, power for living, and a guaranteed spot in Heaven when you die. I urge you to "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and be saved."

Answer 5

No- you are right- the Bible makes no mention of drugs, per se... however the Bible makes it very clear we are not to abuse anything- and we are not to take things ( alcohol ) that will interfere or alter our thinking. Opiate drugs do alter your thinking.

Answer 6

I don't think opposition to drugs is a religious thing, it's a moral thing. Most everyone knows someone who's either addicted to something, has died from drug use or is getting there, or is raising kids while totally blasted. That's why people are against drugs.

I have no desire to "convert" you, we have enough crackpots already.

Answer 7

It's simple, religion will defy anything that may possibly take away from their congregation. It's not the fact that getting addicted to drugs can be harmful, what they are worried about is that doing drugs may distract you away from the church.

Answer 8

baptism doesent ruin lives. whens the last time you heard of a baby being found lying on the floor of a dirty house with crappie diaper half starved to death because the mother was baptized?
drugs cause sickness, which requires healthcare, wich costs money, which addicts dont have. who pays for it? taxpayers.
i could go on and on with this one, what a stupid question!

Answer 9

the closest thing to drug use in the bible that ive read is, treating your body like a temple. *shrug* religion is about power, who can control what. it was created to control the masses, and its still trying to be that way.

Answer 10

If you love your opiod painkillers and Buddhism, why do you care what Christians think? Are you looking to provoke people?