...If it is not ilegal in their country i.e Holland?

If so, is it ok for a Christian visiting that country, even though its ilegal in their own country, to smoke it in the legal country?

If so, should Christians lobby for cannabis to be legalised in their own country?

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"A dog barks when his master is attacked. I would be a coward if I saw that God's truth is attacked and yet would remain silent." John Calvin

John from Scotland
Denomination: Attending Baptist church
Confessional Subscription:London Baptist Confession
Blog: [url]www.three-streams.co.uk[/url]

I'm very curious about this (not for me personally!), because there are those who feel that marijuana is less harmful than alcohol.

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Janis
Christ Church ARP, NC
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved." Eph. 1:3-6 ESV

There was a very long thread about this not too long ago. I'd read that post rather than start the whole thing over again. There were very strong opinions on both sides of the issue.

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Eric
Woodgreen Presbyterian (PCA)
Calgary, Alberta CANADA

If it's legal YES just DONT abuse it!!!!

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~ Charles Stephen Barribeau ~
Christ Presbyterian Church , OPC (They sing alot of Psalms!)
Original Westminster Standards (I need to study more...)
The Puritans were best! Also... I NEED TO READ MORE!!!
Philipians1:29(KJV) For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;

Janesville, Wisconsin (In the fellowship of Bob Vigneault and Matt+Megan Meisberger)

Here's one of them.

http://www.puritanboard.com/f38/legi...rijuana-35803/

BTW the "advanced search" function works pretty well--better than the default google search function. Type in "marijuana" and you will find a lot of threads.

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Raymond Victor Bottomly
Providence Reformed Baptist Church, Tacoma, WA

Click to get: Board Rules -- Signature Requirements -- Suggestions?

I would say that it would be within our liberty to use, like alcohol, as long as it were not abused. One can smoke a little weed in the same way that one can have a little bit to drink.

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Davidius
Husband of Emily
Member of All Saints Anglican Church - Chapel Hill (AMiA / Anglican Church of North America)
Student: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, German and Classics

When visiting other countries, you have to obey those laws. So in Amsterdam, do as the Amsterdamians.

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Shalom,
jessi
PCA
Steelers fan exiled to Virginia


“Whatever your heart clings to and confides in, that is really your God.”
Martin Luther

You aren't sober-minded when you are high. Thus, recreational use is sinful. Whether or not it should be illegal is a completely different issue. Also, perhaps there are medical uses that are permitted, but that's likewise a different issue.

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Andrew Thornquist My Photo Album
Calvinistic Baptist
Ukiah, California
To follow Christ was the best decision God made for me!

I would say that it might be legal, it might be permissible, but it's not always beneficial.

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JC - PCA - PA...homesick for SC
A we n' de Ya, ho; I mak sikker; Deus juvat

Indicabo tibi o homo quid sit bonum, et quid Dominus requirat a te: Utique facere iudicium, et diligere, misericordiam, et sollicitum ambulare cum Deo tuo. Michaeas 6:8

"Who says you can't go back, been all around the world and as a matter of fact. There's only one place left I want to go, who says you can't go home" Bon Jovi

I think it should be restricted to medicinal purposes. I used to smoke it BC, and I WAS MASTERED BY IT. Scripture tells us not to be mastered by anything. One deep inhale and you are strongly under the influence.

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Rich Koster
1689'er
Browns Mills NJ USA
Often Goofy Reformed Eccentric
Romans 7:14-25

Have you heard what they do legally in that country???

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Dennis E. McFadden, Ex Mainline Baptist (in Remission)
Atherton Baptist Homes, CEO
First Baptist Church of Alhambra, Member, Transformation Ministries (CA)

Click to get: Board Rules -- Signature Requirements -- Suggestions?

I would consider Amsterdam Hyper-Liberals

Smoking anything - marijuana, cigarettes, crack, etc - harms the body. Therefore I would say no, Christians should not smoke marijuana (though I'm not going to call it a sin) for the same reason I would say no to cigarette smoking. I understand the point about moderation, but smoking a single cigarette is harmful to the body, whereas drinking a single beer or eating a single cheeseburger is not harmful. I think it's pretty clear we are to honor the Lord with our bodies, and harming ourselves is not honoring to God - I think that's clear throughout the Bible. So if smoking marijuana is harmful, and I believe it is, then it should not be done.

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Mason
Member, Redeemer Presbyterian Church (PCA)
New York, NY

"Come now, and let us reason together," says the Lord, "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool." - Isaiah 1:18

Honest question: can one smoke small amounts of pot without being temporarily, but significantly, affected?

I've known a lot of pot smokers in my life, and I've never met any who would smoke marijuana like one would a cigar: it has always been with the intention of its altering affects.

So -- does anyone smoke pot simply to smoke something, without being affected?

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Paul Korte
OPC
Flint, MI

They who perceive in themselves discoveries of the divine goodness, so full and absolutely perfect, and who make them the subject of earnest meditation, will never embrace new doctrines, by which the very grace they feel so powerfully in themselves is thrown into the shade. --John Calvin

Click to get: Board Rules -- Signature Requirements -- Suggestions?

So hash brownies or pot-laced cookies are OK?

(Just wanted to use those guys again!)

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Brad
Member- Eagle Heights PCA
Winchester, VA

Pro 16:33 The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD.

Isa 8:20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

Moved to the Law of God forum.

Just as an FYI: The Pub's not the place for debate of rightness and wrongness of the following, but discussion of Whiskeys, Wines, Spirits, Beer, and Tobaccy.

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Josh Hicks, Chloë's Dad
Christ Covenant Reformed Presbyterian Church, RPCGA
Facebook - The Calvinist Vent
Board Rules - Signature Rules - Suggestion Box

It is God that multiplies our sorrows.... God, as a righteous Judge, does it, which ought to silence us under all our sorrows; as many as they are, we have deserved them all, and more: nay, God, as a tender Father, does it for our necessary correction, that we may be humbled for sin, and weaned from the world by all our sorrows; and the good we get by them, with the comfort we have under them, will abundantly balance our sorrows, how greatly soever they are multiplied. - Matthew Henry

Depends on the pot. Since there is no regulation, there is no standard strength when you buy it.

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Josh Taylor
Verde Valley Reformed Chapel, OPC
Cottonwood, AZ

So the stanky skunk-bud is taboo, but the headache-dust is OK?

(Wow! It's like, tracers, man!)

Or, to quote ol' Bill C., "Ah never (sup) exhaled!"

My understanding, as told to me by those that have used, is no.

JC, with that chinchilla on your head, I'm beginning to wonder....

Yeah, you know, Pedro and me....

Cannabis does have some medicinal properties and the plant itself has many uses in the fibers it produces. As far as if Cannabis has recreational uses that can be moderated (like alcohol) I don't think so. God created it and it is a good thing but I believe like many things whether use of this substance is sinfull or not boils down to two words "proper usage".

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Donald Jacobs
Roanoke VA.
Covenant Reformed Episcopal Church.

Cum vero infirmor tunc potens sum.

If so, then I certainly don't think a Christian should be rushing out to use it, even moderately. You can have a few beers and still be sober minded; if the very use of this stuff takes away sobriety, why should its use be advocated or condoned?

This was my experience also,I was "mastered by it" as the scripture warns against and I wont rail against the substance in an attempt to blameshift my sin from myself to the pot,I was the addict for 15 yrs before God saved me and my addiction devastated my life,I HATE pot and I wish I never smoked it,but even with my past sin with it,God healed me from my addiction to it and,I would strongly Beg anyone to not try it if they havent already done so.as far as the laws of the land go if the laws of that country allow it it would be a conscience issue for the Christian and I would say you have a God given liberty and freedom to "Love God with all your heart and do as you please",so it becomes a personal liberty given by God and you are free to do as you will according to His Holy Word

Keep in mind Holland had major issues as was pointed out in earlier posts,and many who consider our country a "Christian nation" need to understand that Prostitution is legal in parts of our country and perhaps Holland as well so what does that say about world government,nothing good at all and encouraging sin,and for that reason and many others we need to evaluate the freedoms that worldly government give us as leading many into bondage to sin

Please dont smoke it could be the decision you make that takes you down a horrible road of pain and devastation

again
"Love the Lord with all your heart and do what you please" Augustine (I think)

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Brian
Grace Bible Church;E.Bridgewater
East Bridgewater MA
http://www.gracebiblehome.org

Are you posting about this because you're offering?

-----Added 3/12/2009 at 09:16:02 EST-----

Would it be better for Christians to eat brownies laced with pot instead of smoke it? By the way, marijuana is legal in Michigan, but only for medical purposes. So all you sick and diseased potheads, come on over. Maybe you'd stimulate the Michigan economy.

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Steven J. Carr (Sven)
http://beholdingthebeauty.blogspot.com/
Eagan, MN
PCA
"Weak is the effort of my heart / And cold my warmest thought / But when I see thee as thou art / I'll praise thee as I ought."--John Newton
Trophy Wife/Arm Candy: Crystal Ann Children: Steven Jr. and Hannah Grace

Wow LOL....Im kinda shocked by the pro weed homies in here hahahaha

I guess my opinion wouldn't count since I stay clear away from the stuff because not only was I member I was the president LOL......seriously I usto sell weed and coke on the corners and out my car so I strongly am against it because the question is what makes a person intoxicated or drunk? If dunkeness is a sin then so is smoking even one hit of of a blunt causes a person to get to that drunken state because it takes you to that intoxicated smoke dry drunkeness level so how can a Christian smoke weed even if its legal if it causes another form of drunkeness........just my thoughts

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Richard W. Roldan "Ricky"
Member and Teacher of Iglesia Presbiteriana Reformada Berea (PCA)
Winter Haven, FL./ Under Care of the Southwest Presb.(PCA)

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,...” Jesus

" I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel," Paul

If we are to always have our minds set on Christ for the glory of the Lord, where does getting high and becoming practically useless for a time fit in? Our liberty with alcohol is not the same as marijuana. Too much alcohol is unsobering, thus we are told to drink in moderation to not become drunk (not sober-minded). The point of recreational marijuana is getting high and becoming not sober-minded.

I would have to respectfully disagree with you David. Unfortunately, I have smoked many times in my life, and that is simply not the case with me, and maybe no one else I know. As I've heard my pastor say, "You can drink alcohol without being drunk. You cannot smoke pot and not be altered. You're either high or you're not. There is no in between." In my experience, I would have to agree.

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Aaron
Coram Deo Fellowship (CBA)
Portland, OR

We must pray that God would give us sorrow over dishonoring Him so.

"Bible study is never complete until it results in worship." -Lee Fields

Exactley!!!!!!!!

BTW, that's not fig leaves Adam and Eve are wearing; they were the first to wear hemp.
Just kidding, course.

Seriously, though. I am not a pot smoker--never have been, never will. I did vote for the legalization of marijuana in Michigan for two reasons: 1) If there are medical benefits to it then it should be legalized 2) hemp makes the best rope (I should know) makes some good clothes and hemp milk is very healthy, look it up. What does this have to do with the question? Probably not much. To answer the question, it all depends on why you want to smoke. Relaxation? Medicinal? To get high? The first reason is dubious. The second one is probably ok, but nobody has really weighed the benefits against the harmful effects to my knowledge. The third one is just plain stupidity. The hemp plant is useful for many things besides smoking, maybe we should be thinking about using the plant for those other reasons rather than smoking it.

You can buy hemp, though, that has no THC in it, and therefore, it is emptied of its "highing" chemical. So, hemp for clothes, rope, and things of that nature is available. Marijuana does not have to be legal to buy industrial hemp, although the U.S. government does not distinguish between the two in regards to growing it can still be bought, and America is the larger importer of legal hemp in the world.

All hemp has trace amounts of THC, just not enough to get high. But that is besides the point.

How would the recreational use of drugs, even in moderation, play into the many verses commanding us to be "sober minded?"

BTW: I'm really not familiar with how all this stuff works, (praise God for that!) I'm just wondering if it is possible to do drugs and not have your awareness impaired. If that is the case then that would seem to rule it out for the Christian.

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Ben Franks

I attend: Ketoctin Covenant Presbyterian Church (OPC)
in Purcellville, Virginia
I'm a member of: Heartland Community Church (PCA)
in Wichita, Kansas
I blog here (along with my Dad): http://rrfranks.blogspot.com/
And I'm a student here: www.phc.edu

"Remember the speeches we have spoken so often over our mead, when we raised boast on the bench, heroes in the hall, about hard fighting. Now may the man who is bold prove that he is."-Aelfwine at the Battle of Maldon

I am sorry, I thought you were arguing for the legalization of marijuana so that people could get hemp (or maybe you were). Anyway, that doesn't make any sense to me, because it is already available. I do agree with you though about thinking of other uses than smoking.

Sometimes it helps to bring the question to a more extreme case.
Opiates are natural as well, but would we say it's ok to use heroin if it was legal to do so?

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Larry Bray
Elder - Reformed Presbyterian Church of Boothwyn, PCA
Boothwyn, PA - http://www.rpcb.org/
Free Online Reformed Seminary - http://www.tnars.net
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Christian ritual costs nothing and is worth nothing. True Christian religion costs all that we have and is worth everything.

In my experience, no it is not. And that is not just including marijuana, but all sorts of stuff. Thankfully, by God's grace he has covered my sins with Christ's blood.

I used to be an avid pot smoker as well and one of the many things that I used it for was as a sleeping aid. So is it any different to use pot as a sleeping aid as opposed to sleeping pills that can create an unsobering effect on those who take them as well?

Disclaimer: I do not use and am not advocating the use of marijuana and my question is asked as if it were used in a legal environment (such as Holland).

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Michael Cope
Shepherd without a flock
West Lafayette, IN (Home of the Boilermakers, the 2009 Old Oaken Bucket Champions!!!)

“I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. And just because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do the something that I can do. What I can do, I should do. And what I should do, by the grace of God, I will do.”

Strangely enough, I have a pretty firm line regarding this one! Why would you want to smoke weed? If it were legal, it may well be permissible, but I seriously doubt it will be beneficial when used recreationally, either physically or spiritually. Personally, there are already too many things in this world that I use to while away hours I could be spending serving my neighbors or studying the Word.
Medical use is a whole different ball game.
I fecetiously suggested a few weeks ago to some colleagues that if the government legalized weed it would be the stimulus the economy needs. The money from tax revenue would eliminate the need for a bailout and the economy would grow by McDonald's and 7-11 stores opening up all over the place. Just thinking outside the box!

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Donnie MacLeod
Crossroads Presbyterian Fellowship (PCA), Maplewood, MO
MDiv Student Covenant Theological Seminary

You filled my heart with greater joy
than others may have found
As they rejoiced at harvest time,
when grain and wine abound.Ps 4:7, Sing Psalms 2003

For the record, when I was much younger I drank a lot and I smoked pot quite a few times. I was *far* more impaired by alcohol.

I find it very interesting that many Christians have no problems with prescription drugs which alter mood and pain perception (sometimes in mysterious or non-beneficial ways) merely because our government says they are morally acceptable. Didn't God did say we could eat any plant in the garden (except that one tree)?

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Rich Brown
Deacon/Webmaster
Aisquith PCA
Parkville, MD

You don't really mean for that to be in favor of getting high from pot, do you?