Our professor's request to sit in designated areas of the room slightly intimidated me. I anxiously made my way up to the front of the room. I am a Christian and I strive to live a Christ-like life to demonstrate God’s love for the world. That being said, I believe living a sin free life is the ultimate goal. Is it achievable? Not at all, there is a reason Jesus came to the world to die, so that we could be forgiven from our sin, yet still strive to be holy. I have my morals and I get them from the Bible, but others may have different morals which could be based off of science, society, or maybe just feeling. In this blog I’m going to tackle to issue of alcohol through a Christian scope.
Once young adults exit high school and enter college it seems like life is just beginning. Living by yourself without parents and finally… finally you can drink whenever you want! Even if you’re under 21! Going into my freshmen year of college I had never been drunk. I was on a sports team at my college and the other girls quickly took advantage of the fact that I was an alcohol virgin. Long story short, I drank to get drunk a few times last year and I learned a very interesting lesson. NOTHING ever good came from it. My definition of good probably differs from other non-religious views of good. But I was not acting in such a way that was reflecting my faith. I was raised that being drunk was wrong but I had to dabble my feet in it to see just what it was like. I was convicted that what I was doing was wrong and that it had lead me astray from my walk with God.(Proverbs 20:1) Several students sitting in that auditorium will probably find absolutely nothing wrong with drinking to be drunk. College students in general want to have a good laugh and be a little wild, it’s just how they have fun. I won't lie, I had some fun. I enjoyed it, but It wasn't helping me be a better Christian. I quickly learned my actions when drunk were un-Christ like and I should be reflecting Christ with my life. The two contradicted themselves and I made the decision to not drink to get drunk. I will wait until I’m 21 to enjoy an alcoholic beverage. Even still I will not drink to get smashed.(Ephesians 5:18) I understand most people in our class do not have the same biblical perspective that I do and will find absolute no reason for this. I know I sound crazy to a lot of you. Drunkenness, in turn, causes sinful actions and that are not God honoring and I cannot put myself in that position. Do not get me wrong I will enjoy an alcoholic drink, but not to the point of being drunk. I am NOT against drinking. I’m just looking at the purpose of it and how people use alcohol.
My religious aspect encourages me to not be drunk because it is not God honoring. Society is telling me it is normal and entertaining. These are aspects that will always be in conflict in the world.
I think it's very interesting that you explicitly explained "drinking to get drunk" because I agree that it provides an entirely different experience than drinking casually. However, I do have a question- do you believe that drinking before the "legal" age is wrong because it's again your religion or because it's again the law ?(two very different authorities) As a 23 year old Christian, I can say that my 21st birthday marked no turn in maturity that made me any more ready to consume alcohol than I had been before. For this reason, I believe that drinking before the age of 21 violates THE LAW but not my code of morality.
ReplyDeleteThis was a very provocative post! Thanks :D
The beginning of your post really sparked something for me. The assignment Robin made us do (sitting in a spectrum of our beliefs) was hard for me too. Because we had to decide how we would label ourselves and how we would be perceived to all our classmates in one light. It was like making a profile of who you are, but only regarding one issue and showing it to the class saying, "Judge me on this."
ReplyDeleteI liked it that you shared a personal experience and how you learned from it. My parents have taught me and my brothers, in our teenage years, that it's ok to drink as Christians. The disciples drank, Jesus' first miracle was turning water into wine at a wedding. But, as my parents also told us, that in choosing to drink you need to be conscience of the amount and how it can effect you. There are many verses in the Bible against getting drunk and like you said, it shows an un-Christ-like attitude.
ReplyDeleteI like this topic very much. It is almost impossible to go through college without experiencing both ends of the spectrum regarding alcohol. You will meet those who seem to live for the drunken weekends while there are also those who do not drink but still are pressured into doing so. It is a cultural phenomenon almost exclusive to the modern West (U.S). It is a social construction (being drunk) that has become socially accepted. In other parts of the world alcohol IS just a beverage that is consumed mainly in moderation, not the outrageous binge drinking that goes on here in the U.S.
ReplyDeleteI really like that you brought this issue up because I think Christianity and alcohol has been a messy controversy. I think that there is a misconception that good Christians do not drink but they do. Like you, I have the view point that you can drink as long as you don't get completely smashed and if you do well then there is forgiveness. I also think it is important not to look down upon people who drink because even good Christians and good people have too much to drink sometimes. Look at Noah for example. In the Bible he gets completely drunk but he is still considered when of God's best followers.
ReplyDelete