Even putting aside the divine or supernatural aspect of the first definition of the word "worship," I still don't think it's a good fit, at least not categorically. The second definition is "to regard with great or extravagant respect, honor, or devotion." I would submit that most people whose vices and addictions have control over their lives have tried to quit or cut back and have been unsuccessful. I think people who are addicted to lots of bad food, for example, are rarely proud of their lack of control or the effect that over-eating has on their bodies. Drinking might be a little different since it's more socially acceptable to be a heavy drinker than to be obese, but I don't think most people who are truly addicted to alcohol really believe deep down that it's a good thing. Many even lie about how much they drink or sneak alcoholic drinks at times and places where drinking isn't the social norm. I also imagine that most very heavy drinkers who celebrate how much they drink (at least past a certain age) are either subconsciously pleading for help or trying to justify their lifestyle to themselves or others - not unlike someone who is morbidly obese may flaunt their body to make it seem like they're actually happy with the way they look.
I'm addicted to cigarettes but I think it is more a mental addiction than a physical addiction. I get in my truck I light up, I sit at my computer desk I light up, I eat a meal I light up, I get out of bed, I light up. Certain things trigger my addiction, it is in my brain. As for other common addictions I haven't had a drink of alcohol in over 30 years or smoked pot in 50 years. Never did any hard drugs not even once. As for pot, yeah I smoked a little from time to time right after high school but never bought any or never carried any. I'd smoke at a party or when out with friends simply because everybody was doing it. Pretty much the same with alcohol I always hated the taste of alcohol and only drank because everybody else was doing it. When I did drink I tended to over do it and get drunk and make an ass out of myself but when I woke up in the morning that was it, I had no urge to drink again until I was out with friends and everybody was drinking. One morning 30+ years ago I realized I didn't like the taste, didn't like having a hangover and didn't like the fact I made a complete ass out of myself the night before. I had a long talk with myself about why I even drink, I haven't had a drink since.
I mean having a beer at the game doesnt hurt us or consume us. Abusing beer while losing your mind about the game makes it an idol that we worship at. All good things are from above. That includes a good beer imho. But abusing it makes it cease to be a good thing and that comes from a different place
Had a glass of Chardonnay with sushi for lunch. Probably done for the day. Oh this isn’t that kind of meeting?
Don't take this wrong, just curious though--are you kinda youngish? Your friends "treat alcohol like a god", "certerpiece of the convo..." "excuse to drink..." This all sounds like ppl to whom alcohol is still somewhat novel. With the ppl I run with, alcohol is an afterthought. If discussed, it's a mere what'll you have? Would you like some more? ...and almost taboo, outside of drinking conditions (e.g. I take rum or whiskey in my coffee--I do not advertise this or tell ppl I'm jacking up my coffee, bc they might jump to unwarranted conclusions). But to answer your question--I drink alcholol for a variety of reasons: it's good, helps me concentrate, focus, think more clearly, settle me down, pick me up, it's healthy, it's clean... Really it's only bad, when you get wasted--dehydration (hang over), kill off brain cells--and chronically, over tax your liver, jack your caloric intake beyond your cal expenditure, spike your sugar levels, and such... But here and there in moderate amounts, it's not only benign, it's good for yuo. jmho/fwiw.
Alcohol was great great while it lasted. I was unfortunately one who would not last if I continued. I don’t miss it but i look back fondly on time where alcohol was a big part of what was going on. For the much of the 25 years alcohol was a positive thing in my life.
I guess I drink beer for the same reason I drink coffee. I don’t really need it but I enjoy it. They both have a mental and physical influence and do play a part in social situations.
Well, not quite. Past sins don't just go away. Hypothetically, lets say a person commits murder. 20 years go by, and they are never summoned before the judge. If that person lived a good life for 20 years the judge is not just going to excuse what happened decades ago. Why? They must pay the penalty for what they did when they are summoned before the judge. And the penalty according to the Bible is: "The wages of sin is death" which is more expansive than just physical death. It is also spiritual death as well. The non-physical part of us is included in that as well. Time does not atone for past sins, and all of those sins you've ever committed thinking you would get away with them unpunished will have their time of reckoning. So, it is more than just doing the right things. You have to get your past sins blotted out to be considered good in God's eyes. When you go before the judge, you must agree with Him about the heinous nature of all sin, and then you need a sacrificial lamb who lived a perfect life to take your punishment on His behalf. You need to trust that perfect savior to atone for your sins so that you can be forgiven. And then you live in response to being forgiven by living a new life for Christ.
You Ain't Much Fun Since I Quit Drinking - Toby Keith Now I'm paintin' the house and I'm mendin' the fence I guess I gone out and lost all my good sense Too much work is hard for your health I could've died drinkin', now I'm killing myself Now I'm feedin' the dog, sackin' the trash It's honey do this, honey do that I sobered up, and I got to thinkin' Girl you ain't much fun since I quit drinkin' ============================= and the one, the only, the incomparable George Jones If Drinking Don't Kill Me The bars are all closed it's four in the morning Must have shut 'em all down by the shape that I'm in I lay my head on the wheel and the horn begins honking The whole neighborhood knows that I'm home drunk again. And if drinking don't kill me her memory will I can't hold out much longer the way that I feel With the blood from my body I could start my own still And if drinking don't kill me her memory will.
Maybe this has been said, I'm not sure cause I'm kinda drunk RN, but not everyone drinks to dull pain or ease anxiety. Some drink icause it simply makes them feel good with little negative impact. That is all.
FWIW…just so you have an accurate understanding of Christianity, it is not beliefs that send a person to hell. The issue is sin. “The wages of sin is death.” And sin proceeds from the heart. We live in a culture where a lot of people have a very high degree of certainty that they know themselves, but the book of James says that the law is a mirror. It allows you to peer into your own soul and see who you really are. And when a person looks in that mirror, the book of James says that some leave the mirror and forget what they ever looked like. The idea is a mirror shows you your own flaws. If your hair is messed up, then you can look in the mirror and see that you need to comb it. If something is in your teeth, then you can see that and remove the food that is stuck between your own teeth. The difference is a real mirror shows you your physical appearance, and the mirror of the law shows you your heart, which is fully visible to God at all times. And anyone who has studied the Bible extensively…they’ve looked in the mirror of the law, and they've peered into their own heart and seen who they really are. They know they have major pressing things that need to be fixed. All manner of sinful damnable things are exposed in the heart by the law. Some people brush it off, and they don't do anything about it. Others, see the pressing need to fix the problems they discover by looking into the mirror. For someone who thinks they have it all together. They think they are a good person. They think, "Hey, I've got it all figured out. I'm living a good enough life where I don't need God, and I don't need Christ." I worry about people like that because they are like the person who leaves the house in the morning, and they didn't take the time or the effort to look in the mirror and fix their appearance. Except the stakes are way higher than that because one day God is going to weigh the heart, and our eternity will be decided based on what God finds there. There are many who are greatly deceived about the condition of their own hearts, and this is the work of the devil.
I certainly don't have it all figured out. And I recognized I have plenty of flaws that I've been working to improve upon for decades. I also know my strengths and limitations. If there is a God, and he judges me for who I am, and sends me to hell for all eternity, then so be it. Again, I'm far from perfect, but I'm content with my life, who I am, and the people who play a major role in my life. I've never felt a need for any God, and that goes all the way back to my childhood. Again, if this means I end up in hell, then at least I can say I remained true to my own self.
why do you always use Christianity as a cudgel? you constantly judge and tell others they are going to hell.
I try to stay away from pointing out particular sins because I don't know people on here. I'm not going to accuse people of doing X, Y, or Z, unless if they openly confess it themselves, but the Bible does say that everyone is a sinner. It says, "No one is good, no, not one." And it also says you are a liar if you say you have no sin. The truth is you cannot speak of the good news of God's grace towards sinners unless you speak of sin and the judgment of God upon sin. The law breaks the pride of man and shows how guilty, desperate, and needy he truly is, and God's grace through Jesus Christ is how God graciously meets undeserving men when they hit rock bottom and understand how truly wretched they are. I posted what I did because I thought there was a misunderstanding. And FWIW, he interacted with me first. And then I was willing to enter into that dialogue. I did not think he was accurately representing what I believed, and so I was clarifying what it is I believe.
