Well, Philip, I don't have a dog in that hunt, since I'm a complete non-drinker. This always surprises people when I defend the moderate use of alcohol (which, as the Scriptures point out, was created by God "to make glad the countenance of man."). Critics think that I'm being self-serving (no pun intended) in my defense of it, only to find out that I avoid the stuff like the plague. Which, as a dorm president in college in the 1970s, made me the only person the large male population could trust with its kegs.
Critics who realize they're cut off from an ad hominem attack on me (since I'm not defending my personal practice when I defend consumption of alcohol), then make the crazy claim that wine in Biblical days was far weaker (lower alcoholic content) than modern wines. I then point out that Isaiah 1:22 condemns the weakening of wine as a sign of ungodliness in the culture of Israel, on the same level as mixing dross in with silver (i.e., debauching the currency with base metals).
Needless to say, the Scriptures roundly condemn the abuse of alcohol ("strong drink is a mocker"), and even more surprisingly, the Bible particularly condemns getting other people drunk. As in Habakkuk 2:15 -- "Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness!" When we work to inebriate our fellow man, we are taking away from him the one thing that separates him from a brute animal. King David's life was fundamentally upright except in the so-called "matter of Uriah the Hittite" (I Kgs 15:5), which involved three sins. Most people know about the adultery with Bathsheba, and with David's attempt to have Uriah killed in the front lines of battle. But the third sin in between these well-known two outrages was David's successful attempt to get Uriah drunk (2 Sam. 11:13: "David made him drunk....").
Ergo, one need not ever have imbibed to (1) Biblically defend the use of alcohol in moderation, (2) condemn its abuse according to Scripture, and (3) critique faulty notions of how "weak" wine allegedly was in Biblical times. But then, I've never tried coffee either, and don't think I'm missing anything there any more than I am in regard to alcohol. At age 50, I don't plan to take up either beverage (nor tea, for that matter). I suspect I took my schooling seriously that pointed out that alcohol kills brain cells. That was good enough for me: brain cells sounded like things I should work to keep, not kill. Analogous warnings about tobacco kept me far from cigarettes (although I'm of the basic opinion that mankind has still not discovered the actual intended purpose for tobacco).
My late wife enjoyed wine, and so I befriend the wine steward at the local store to learn what the best wines were that I could acquire for her. Since there was a hefty discount buying six at a time, I once loaded up my cart with 12 bottles. As I pushed the cart out of the department, another customer walked up to the wine steward and remarked, "My, that guy sure likes wine!" To which the wine steward answered deadpan, "Him? No, he actually doesn't touch the stuff."
So, count me among those with two sober feet -- but by personal preference, not Biblical mandate.
Martin On Jul 5, 2007, at 4:04 PM, philip madsen wrote:
Martin there was once a time when I'd agree with you. But these days and having His warning, "And he that is on the housetop, let him not come down to take any thing out of his house:"I tend these days to try to keep one foot always sober.I guess I will not be wanting to place too much value on any books as well.Philip ----- Original Message ----- From: Martin G. Selbrede To: geocentrism@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Sent: Friday, July 06, 2007 1:04 AM Subject: [geocentrism] Re: Aspden effect and Aether. On Jul 3, 2007, at 11:41 PM, Robert Bennett wrote:Why not ... pass up the brews for a day or two and have enough cash for a book or two? JJMan, I knew this forum was rife with heresies, but this one takes the cake. I'd think most Aussies would hunt down and kill the witch who concocted this evil proposal. Beware, Robert Bennett -- you've scratched something down under, and it's likely to scratch back.No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition.Version: 7.5.476 / Virus Database: 269.10.0/886 - Release Date: 4/07/2007 1:40 PM
Martin G. Selbrede Chief Scientist Uni-Pixel Displays, Inc. 8708 Technology Forest Place, Suite 100 The Woodlands, TX 77381281-825-4500 main line (281) 825-4507 direct line (281) 825-4599 fax (512) 422-4919 cell
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