Am I alone on this? I don’t see pot smoking as ok. I also don’t want to cast stones, but…am I missing something?
Charlene
Thanks for asking, Charlene! When it comes to smoking pot, I have three points of view: practical, legal, and theoretical.
Practical:
Marijuana sometimes helps with specific medical problems, but most people probably shouldn’t smoke anything at all. I certainly don’t see smoking as an impediment to salvation. However: as Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 6:12, I don’t want to be mastered by anything …so I avoid things that might cause me to lose control of myself.
Legal:
If marijuana is legal where you live, then smoking is a matter of preference. If it’s illegal, then it’s not a matter of preference. Peter taught that Christians should submit to civil authorities , so law-abiding citizens (as all Christians should strive to be) won’t smoke pot where it’s illegal to do so.
Theoretical:
Some believe that pot should be legal everywhere. While I’m not fully convinced, I do see denial and hypocrisy in its illegality. Cigarettes and alcohol are legal in most places, but pot isn’t…and that doesn’t seem logical. Nonetheless: where pot is illegal, Christians should abstain. If the law changes, then Christians will be free to smoke pot if they wish. Those who break the law to smoke pot recreationally and pretend that it’s some kind of civil disobedience are, in my opinion, fooling themselves…and nobody else.
We should welcome pot smokers into our churches, but we shouldn’t pretend that illegal activity is acceptable – no matter who does it. Immature Christians sometimes look for reasons to continue pleasing themselves, while mature Christians look for ways to please God with their lives. We should all strive for maturity, encouraging one another to never stop growing.
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