Quote:
Originally Posted by uke_master
As a point of process, I don't mind if you don't expect us or anyone to agree. What I care about is being able to see that someone else has a cogent justification for their views. I may not end up agreeing with it - I might, for instance, reject various premises in an argument - but at least I can say they have a valid argument. It is through understanding different arguments that we progress on this forum. I am pointing this out because I have seen you use phrases like this a bit like a shield, sort of immunizing you against needing to fully explain and justify your thoughts. I am interested in seeing the justification, even if we don't anticipate ever agreeing on the conclusion!
As to the comments themselves, firstly note that you haven't provided any hint of justification for why being "drunk" or "high" is morally bad. That remains an assertion.
What you have done is said that you can consume small amounts of alcohol to get only a small effect from the drug, but somehow for pot you can't. Just as a point of fact, I don't think this is true. People do consume small amounts of pot to experience only a small effect from the drug and do so for a variety of different reasons, so this sharp asymmetry between the two you provided is just wrong. But even supposing it was true, you haven't spelled out how this makes the one moral and the other immoral. You have claimed a difference between the two drugs that I rather question but okay, let us accept that there is this difference. How do you get to it being immoral?
I'll say it like this, I believe that being intoxicated is a sin. If you can find a way to smoke pot and not get high, maybe you found a loophole, but I think that's a silly idea.
As to why I think it is immoral, both from experience, and biblically. There are many verses that say to "not give into drunkenness" and to "remain sober", to "not indulge in too much wine" and so on. Drunkenness is clearly spelled out as improper behaviour. Also, unlike what MB has said, I do believe marijuana is addictive. Maybe it does not create a physical dependance, but I could not go a day without getting high or I would be in mental despair. I believe it creates a mental dependance, and that dependence and abuse is also improper behaviour, and likely the real issue, not the actual getting high, even though sobriety is praised.
Quote:
Originally Posted by batair
Do you think catching a buzz form one beer or glass of wine is immoral? Cause i cant drink one, unless my tolerance is high form high usage, without catching a buzz.
I think it depends on your intentions. If you decide to have a glass of wine at dinner and become a bit tipsy without you meaning to, then perhaps not. If you are aware that it will make you tipsy, and you drink it for that alone, then yeah. Obviously if you keep having wine with dinner with full knowledge that you can't handle it, then it's probably biblically incorrect.
It's not all black and white, but the general idea of being drunk is improper, and these things also create in you a dependence and/or abuse which is also improper, they become idols in your life.
My main point is that you can have alcohol in moderation, a glass of beer here and there, and if you are not doing it out of need, to get drunk, or to make yourself feel better, then it's not a problem. Don't get me wrong, I think alcohol has an extremely destructive potential, one I'm familiar with, but the potential for abuse does not make it bad in itself.