So I'm totally against alcohol, am I being totally judgmental?
- Thread starter Socreta93
- Start date
-
Christian Chat is a moderated online Christian community allowing Christians around the world to fellowship with each other in real time chat via webcam, voice, and text, with the Christian Chat app. You can also start or participate in a Bible-based discussion here in the Christian Chat Forums, where members can also share with each other their own videos, pictures, or favorite Christian music.
If you are a Christian and need encouragement and fellowship, we're here for you! If you are not a Christian but interested in knowing more about Jesus our Lord, you're also welcome! Want to know what the Bible says, and how you can apply it to your life? Join us!
To make new Christian friends now around the world, click here to join Christian Chat.
Yes, you are. And I say that as one who is also not a fan of drinking. I tend to avoid situations where alcohol will be served in excess. Parties, bars, etc... but if a restaurant serves alcohol I'll still go there.
But neither do I put people down if they choose to have some from time to time, long as they're staying sober. My dad enjoys a drink sometimes. And it never bothered me because he's never been the type to overdo it.
So I would say it's perfectly fine to be against it, but not acceptable in terms of the extreme nature you take it.
But neither do I put people down if they choose to have some from time to time, long as they're staying sober. My dad enjoys a drink sometimes. And it never bothered me because he's never been the type to overdo it.
So I would say it's perfectly fine to be against it, but not acceptable in terms of the extreme nature you take it.
Hi Socreta,
I'm sorry that I haven't been able to read all of the posts here, so I know you've already been given some sound advice. However, I hope that I can add something that might be helpful.
I understand how you feel about alcohol -- many of us have watched it ruin people's lives. However, to write off absolutely everyone that drinks as a failure might be a bit extreme (though I do agree that we all might have personal convictions from God that may differ from person to person.)
I've never been officially tested but I think I am allergic to alcohol. I've never understood why people drink to excess. Does it somehow make them feel good? Because all it does is make me sick, so I have avoided it for the most part. However, I did grow up in a conservative Lutheran church that only uses wine for communion. They will not use grape juice because they say they want to be as Biblically accurate to what would have been used in the original Lord's supper as possible, and that it would not have been grape juice. (I'm not saying I agree with this, I'm only saying that even if I never would have had alcohol socially, I would have had it at communion -- that small amount doesn't make me sick.)
Though I don't like to drink alcohol, if you offered me a plate of pasta with a sauce made out of wine, I wouldn't hesitate to try it.
One important passage to consider is Matthew 7:2 -- "For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
I think it's pretty safe to say that just about every human being has some kind of vice in their life that could easily rage out of control. I would like to suggest taking a minute to think about what yours might be or to ask God what He feels your own greatest struggle is.
I'm going to use 3 examples I seem to hear a lot: 1. Pornography; 2. Food; and 3. Shopping (overspending.)
I'm using ArtsieSteph's post here because the feeling behind it is, "And the best way to not get drunk is to not drink alcohol. DUH!!!"
How would this sound when applied to these 3 other examples?
1. "I struggle with pornography. I just can't seem to stay away from it." "Well, the best way to not get addicted to porn is to not watch or participate in anything that sets you off. DUH!!!"
2. "I just can't lose weight. I'm out of control and really struggling with food." "Well, the best way to not be overweight is to eat only healthy foods, cut down your portions, and exercise. DUH!!!"
3. "I just can't save money! I'm always overspending and I've gotten myself into a lot of debt." "Well, the best way to not go into debt is to not spend money on things you don't need. DUH!!!"
When you think about your own challenges, whatever they might be, how helpful would this attitude be to you? Would it motivate you to work harder at overcoming whatever your personal challenge is?
And I know the arguments would be, "But Seoul -- I can't avoid sexy images. I'm surrounded by them." "But Seoul, everyone needs to eat!!" "But Seoul, there are temptations to buy things everywhere!"
However, the real heart of the matter isn't so much the things involved -- porn, food, money, and alcohol -- but rather, it's the degree of personal responsibility and self-control that we are able to exert when faced with them.
It's only a suggestion, but when you look at others in disgust for drinking or whatever it may be that you are judging them for, maybe you could imagine someone watching your sins in action and having the exact same thoughts towards you about whatever it is you fail in the areas of self-control.
Would you find that a harsh attitude would help you or actively make you change?
If not, it might be helpful to ask God to help you move towards how He would want you to feel or react to others who are struggling in their own ways.
Blessings to you, and please keep us posted on how you're doing.
@seoulsearch I didn’t mean to have the attitude you said. I apologize for giving that impression. I guess my only thing was that drinking alcohol is something we do for fun, recreationally. It’s not something absolutely needed in our life. We all have to use money, we all have to eat, and sadly there is no way in our modern society to never not see a sexually themed or suggested photo/ad/tv show.
We all have struggles, and many I can’t say it wouldn’t be immensely difficult to deal with.
We all have struggles, and many I can’t say it wouldn’t be immensely difficult to deal with.
-
1
- Show all
@ArtsieSteph -- I apologize as well if I took your post out of context. That's honestly how it came across to me and I am sorry that I misunderstood. I enjoy your posts and think you are a very sweet person.
I understand that alcohol is optional and that other temptations are hard to avoid.
Just the other day, I went to pick up groceries and there was a young lady who was only wearing about 1/4 of a shirt. Not only was it an extreme crop top, but it looked like it was missing a large chunk of fabric. Let's just say that I don't know if she was worried about getting the coronavirus, but she sure wasn't worried about getting pneumonia! I can see why guys would have a rough time with things like this everywhere, even if they were able to avoid ads and entertainment (and I know women struggle with these things as well.) But God still tells us to keep working to control our thoughts.
The thing about money and food is that while we do have to eat and spend money (and some things, like costs for school, etc., can be a bit out of our control,) what bothers me is that I hear people judging others but seemingly being blind to their own bad choices.
I don't mind when people complain to me about their own struggles. We all fight with weight or money or whatever else to some degree.
But what makes me sad is when people look at anyone who, in this example, drinks alcohol and automatically assume they're an out-of-control drunk. (Please note that the following examples are NOT about anyone here on CC -- I'm thinking of people I have run into in the past.)
If I hear someone judging a person for something in their own life and then they turn around and say, "Well, I know I can't save money and I'm always broke, but I can't help it." And yet, if you go to their house, you will see shelves full of movies, music, and whatever elsethey may collect all over their room. Or the person who complains to me about not having any money while holding a Starbucks coffee (sometimes with nails they just got at a salon) and checking their $1000 phone (while a phone may be somewhat necessary these days, one that costs that much isn't.)
Or sometimes I'll hear someone at work complain about a fellow employee's life choices, and then they will tell me how much they wish they could lose weight, but yet on breaks, they're always eating fast food, cookies, and chips.
The part that bothers me isn't that they have these problems -- we all do. But what bothers me is that they want sympathy for their own bad, sometimes really, really bad choices, but then point to someone else and think, "SINNER!!!" Because as you pointed out, we don't need alcohol to live. But there are also a ton of junk foods and overpriced versions of products we don't need to eat or buy in order to live either, and I'm not sure why people somehow think it's ok when they eat or buy completely unnecessary or harmful things but yet if someone drinks alcohol, they're totally off the rails.
It would be like me looking at anyone with an ice cream cone and automatically assuming they MUST be an out-of-control slob, or anyone with a take-out coffee MUST be horribly wreckless with money, or that anyone with a someone sexy picture on their phone (whether a real person or an anime character) MUST be a hopeless porn addict.
I struggle with food as much as the next person (and probably a lot more), which is how God taught me to try to look at things from other's points of view. For health reasons, I am supposed to avoid sugar as much as possible and most carbs.
How successful am I at actually doing this? Not very, especially with certain junk foods. If I have them in the house, I will eat nothing but chips, candy, and pizza for days or even weeks on end. The only way I can halfway prevent this is to not buy it in the first place and also try to avoid eating out most of the time.
I understand how you and Socreta feel about alcohol because I used to have similar feelings about it as well.
But one day, I was talking to a guy at church and I can't remember how the topic came up, but he mentioned that he was a recovering alcoholic, and that for him, he can't stop drinking once he gets started, so he was trying his best to just not start at all.
And then it hit me. God seemed to tap me on the shoulder and say, "You know how you feel about things like sugar, pasta, and rice? How would you feel if stuck to what you know is best for you and could NEVER have them again? This young man has a similar attraction to alcohol. So when you're tempted to judge someone like that, think of how much you have to fight every day to even just cut back, let alone cut out, foods like sugar and carbohydrates."
Just as alcohol isn't something necessary for our lives, neither are sugar or refined carbs. It's a choice.
All I'm saying is, everyone has an area where in which we consistently make the wrong choices, and I do this every single day.
Why should any of us be so quick to want leniency on our own struggles, but condemn the next person for theirs? (Especially when they might not even have a problem in the first place.)
I understand that alcohol is optional and that other temptations are hard to avoid.
Just the other day, I went to pick up groceries and there was a young lady who was only wearing about 1/4 of a shirt. Not only was it an extreme crop top, but it looked like it was missing a large chunk of fabric. Let's just say that I don't know if she was worried about getting the coronavirus, but she sure wasn't worried about getting pneumonia! I can see why guys would have a rough time with things like this everywhere, even if they were able to avoid ads and entertainment (and I know women struggle with these things as well.) But God still tells us to keep working to control our thoughts.
The thing about money and food is that while we do have to eat and spend money (and some things, like costs for school, etc., can be a bit out of our control,) what bothers me is that I hear people judging others but seemingly being blind to their own bad choices.
I don't mind when people complain to me about their own struggles. We all fight with weight or money or whatever else to some degree.
But what makes me sad is when people look at anyone who, in this example, drinks alcohol and automatically assume they're an out-of-control drunk. (Please note that the following examples are NOT about anyone here on CC -- I'm thinking of people I have run into in the past.)
If I hear someone judging a person for something in their own life and then they turn around and say, "Well, I know I can't save money and I'm always broke, but I can't help it." And yet, if you go to their house, you will see shelves full of movies, music, and whatever elsethey may collect all over their room. Or the person who complains to me about not having any money while holding a Starbucks coffee (sometimes with nails they just got at a salon) and checking their $1000 phone (while a phone may be somewhat necessary these days, one that costs that much isn't.)
Or sometimes I'll hear someone at work complain about a fellow employee's life choices, and then they will tell me how much they wish they could lose weight, but yet on breaks, they're always eating fast food, cookies, and chips.
The part that bothers me isn't that they have these problems -- we all do. But what bothers me is that they want sympathy for their own bad, sometimes really, really bad choices, but then point to someone else and think, "SINNER!!!" Because as you pointed out, we don't need alcohol to live. But there are also a ton of junk foods and overpriced versions of products we don't need to eat or buy in order to live either, and I'm not sure why people somehow think it's ok when they eat or buy completely unnecessary or harmful things but yet if someone drinks alcohol, they're totally off the rails.
It would be like me looking at anyone with an ice cream cone and automatically assuming they MUST be an out-of-control slob, or anyone with a take-out coffee MUST be horribly wreckless with money, or that anyone with a someone sexy picture on their phone (whether a real person or an anime character) MUST be a hopeless porn addict.
I struggle with food as much as the next person (and probably a lot more), which is how God taught me to try to look at things from other's points of view. For health reasons, I am supposed to avoid sugar as much as possible and most carbs.
How successful am I at actually doing this? Not very, especially with certain junk foods. If I have them in the house, I will eat nothing but chips, candy, and pizza for days or even weeks on end. The only way I can halfway prevent this is to not buy it in the first place and also try to avoid eating out most of the time.
I understand how you and Socreta feel about alcohol because I used to have similar feelings about it as well.
But one day, I was talking to a guy at church and I can't remember how the topic came up, but he mentioned that he was a recovering alcoholic, and that for him, he can't stop drinking once he gets started, so he was trying his best to just not start at all.
And then it hit me. God seemed to tap me on the shoulder and say, "You know how you feel about things like sugar, pasta, and rice? How would you feel if stuck to what you know is best for you and could NEVER have them again? This young man has a similar attraction to alcohol. So when you're tempted to judge someone like that, think of how much you have to fight every day to even just cut back, let alone cut out, foods like sugar and carbohydrates."
Just as alcohol isn't something necessary for our lives, neither are sugar or refined carbs. It's a choice.
All I'm saying is, everyone has an area where in which we consistently make the wrong choices, and I do this every single day.
Why should any of us be so quick to want leniency on our own struggles, but condemn the next person for theirs? (Especially when they might not even have a problem in the first place.)
-
1
-
1
- Show all
the person who wants to stop drinking (or smoking, or sugar, or loooking at porn or whatever) has to hate the sin and realise what its doing not only to them but to others around them. if they ignore it or dont realise it, they wont ever be free.
They must also reconginse that Jesus paid the price for our sin. He had to die.
They must also reconginse that Jesus paid the price for our sin. He had to die.
I have a lot to say about alcohol, but this doesn't seem to as much about alcohol as your lack of acceptance of people that consume.
What did Jesus say to Peter when he asked about John "Lord what about this man?"
^This is the same mentality that I have to bring about myself consistently. I have drunk overmuch and wondered why it's okay for some people and not others. How some can make a lifestyle out of it and I just feel convicted over even quite small amounts.
Then you have the requirements for an elder in the church (I think it's an elder)...and how in reality it actually is inappropriate for certain things/people. While it may be alright for some, it isn't for others.
I don't get it, and I don't get people that make a lifestyle out of it, and you know what I felt in my heart/spirit praying about it?
...you won't. You follow me, leave others to their own walk and unless you feel something is seriously amiss don't focus on it.
One can encourage balance and speak caution and wisdom regarding alcohol but condemnation is a position I am unable to take.
There's a lot I'd like to say, it changes daily how I feel about it. It's a nice place to rest at present that it is a peculiarity and a quirk that I don't get and leave it there at present.
What did Jesus say to Peter when he asked about John "Lord what about this man?"
^This is the same mentality that I have to bring about myself consistently. I have drunk overmuch and wondered why it's okay for some people and not others. How some can make a lifestyle out of it and I just feel convicted over even quite small amounts.
Then you have the requirements for an elder in the church (I think it's an elder)...and how in reality it actually is inappropriate for certain things/people. While it may be alright for some, it isn't for others.
I don't get it, and I don't get people that make a lifestyle out of it, and you know what I felt in my heart/spirit praying about it?
...you won't. You follow me, leave others to their own walk and unless you feel something is seriously amiss don't focus on it.
One can encourage balance and speak caution and wisdom regarding alcohol but condemnation is a position I am unable to take.
There's a lot I'd like to say, it changes daily how I feel about it. It's a nice place to rest at present that it is a peculiarity and a quirk that I don't get and leave it there at present.
That's good. I think you're entitled not to imbibe, of course. There is no scripture that forbids consuming alcohol. What is forbidden is becoming drunk on alcohol.
If alcohol was a sin in and of itself Jesus would have sinned having turned casks of water into wine. Which is a tradition at Jewish weddings, wine, that is.
Preaching against alcohol when in mixed company among those who may drink is bad form. I'm glad you have said you don't do that.
If alcohol was a sin in and of itself Jesus would have sinned having turned casks of water into wine. Which is a tradition at Jewish weddings, wine, that is.
Preaching against alcohol when in mixed company among those who may drink is bad form. I'm glad you have said you don't do that.