{"id":62595,"date":"2023-09-09T21:55:14","date_gmt":"2023-09-10T02:55:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=62595"},"modified":"2023-09-10T13:29:31","modified_gmt":"2023-09-10T18:29:31","slug":"is-the-use-of-a-psychedelic-drug-a-gray-area","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-the-use-of-a-psychedelic-drug-a-gray-area\/","title":{"rendered":"Is the use of a psychedelic drug a gray area?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t<h2>Question:<\/h2>\n<p>I ask this unconvinced.<\/p>\n<p>My father and mother, about a year ago, began using psilocybin (magic mushrooms), having not dabbled in it since they were teenagers.<\/p>\n<p>Both of them claim they underwent a spiritual renewal after tripping. Now they believe they are truly &#8220;saved&#8221; for the first time and that God used the shrooms to completely transform their hearts.<\/p>\n<p>Bear in mind, I am an adult with a family of my own. They&#8217;re a little too old to be experimenting like this.<\/p>\n<p>After crediting it for their newfangled faith, they declared they&#8217;d abstain from it, along with alcohol and any other mind-altering substances. But recently they started drinking and partying again and, from all accounts, haven&#8217;t stopped drinking.<\/p>\n<p>I think this whole situation is dubious. I&#8217;d caution them to test the spirits at work here (I John 4:1) but due to their recently adopted beliefs, they no longer believe that there is demonic influence in our world, despite telling me they saw freaky, devilish-looking creatures while tripping on psilocybin. My father supposedly told one of these devil things to leave him alone, it did and began looming over my little brother&#8217;s head.<\/p>\n<p>I heard this story from another family member. My dad hid it from me because he knew I would&#8217;ve started a theological debate with him.<\/p>\n<p>My parents aren&#8217;t a unique case. More and more, I&#8217;m seeing an acceptance of psychedelics in professing Christian sects, online and elsewhere. It worries me because I feel like it&#8217;s yet another deception of the devil. The usual rebuttal is something like: &#8220;Drugs aren&#8217;t mentioned in the Bible; therefore, it&#8217;s fine.&#8221; And the command of be ye sober only applies to alcohol.<\/p>\n<p>How can I combat this line of thinking with Scripture? Or am I wrong and psychedelic use is a sort of permissable gray area?<\/p>\n\t<h2>Answer:<\/h2>\n<p>In I Thessalonians 4:6-8. Notice the contrasts:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>light &#8211; darkness,<\/li>\n<li>awake &#8211; sleeping, and<\/li>\n<li>sober &#8211; drunk.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>It is apparent that Paul desires the Thessalonians to be alert, mentally watchful, and sober &#8212; physically abstinent. We find that alertness is often connected with abstinence from intoxicating beverages (Luke 12:45). We understand that it is physical abstinence that is being considered since it is being contrasted with being drunk.<\/p>\n<p>What applies to alcohol also applies to other mind-altering drugs. The same reason the use of alcohol is avoided by Christians because of its interference with being alert also can be applied to a large number of drugs.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;<em>Instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age<\/em>&#8221; (Titus 2:12). &#8220;To live soberly&#8221; (<i>sophronos<\/i>) means having a sound mind, being prudent, and being sensible. A Christian keeps his mind clear and reasonable. This is not possible under the influence of a mind-altering drug.<\/p>\n<p>Thus, it is not a &#8220;grey area.&#8221; Intoxication by alcohol or other drugs is forbidden to Christians except in rare medicinal situations.<\/p>\n<p>A person is not saved by taking a drug. If that were so, mankind would be able to save itself &#8212; which the Bible repeatedly states is not possible. See <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-saves-a-person\/\">What Saves a Person?<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Your parents don&#8217;t have faith, at least not in God. &#8220;<em>So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ<\/em>&#8221; (Romans 10:17). They are worshiping their emotional highs. Their trust is in themselves.<\/p>\n<p>In regards to demons, see <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/demonology\/\">Demonology<\/a>.<\/p>\n\t<h2>Response:<\/h2>\n<p>Thank you. I agree with everything you&#8217;ve said, and I appreciate you taking the time to give me resources to combat this nonsense.<\/p>\n<p>Self-professing Christians are being very dishonest with themselves when they claim it&#8217;s a gray area. Drunkenness is drunkenness; my parents are chasing &#8220;highs&#8221; rather than the truth. That&#8217;s a problem with modern-day Christianity in general.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Question: I ask this unconvinced. My father and mother, about a year ago, began using psilocybin (magic mushrooms), having not dabbled in it since they were teenagers. Both of them claim they underwent a spiritual renewal after tripping. Now they believe they are truly &#8220;saved&#8221; for the first time and that God used the shrooms&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[20],"tags":[372,565],"class_list":["post-62595","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-drugs","tag-sober"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":27921,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-do-i-handle-an-invitation-to-a-party-where-drinks-are-being-served\/","url_meta":{"origin":62595,"position":0},"title":"How do I handle an invitation to a party where drinks are being served?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 4, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hi, I have received a recent invitation\u00a0to attend a pre-nuptial party.\u00a0I don't have any objections to the occasion, nor any ill-feeling to the hosts or anything like that. What I am against is that some alcoholic\u00a0beverages will be served during the party. I'm not sure what to do -\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Answer&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":68364,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/when-the-guests-are-drunk\/","url_meta":{"origin":62595,"position":1},"title":"When the Guests are Drunk?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 15, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Terry Wane Benton Does John 2:10 say and mean \"when the guests are drunk\" as the NET so renders, or does the verse have a different connotation? My Interlinear renders this \"have well drunk,\" which is a far different meaning than \"are drunk.\" The interlinear rendering means only that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Article&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":42248,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-cost-of-drinking-alcohol\/","url_meta":{"origin":62595,"position":2},"title":"The Cost of Drinking Alcohol","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 20, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"by Dennis Abernathy I recently read that alcoholism is costing our society around twenty-five billion dollars annually, including millions yearly just to arrest, try, and jail drinkers. Furthermore, alcohol is to blame for nearly half of all traffic fatalities and homicides, and a fourth of all suicides in the state\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Article&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/alcohol-200x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":95709,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/put-to-death-what-is-earthly-in-you\/","url_meta":{"origin":62595,"position":3},"title":"Put to Death What is Earthly In You","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 20, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"by Edwin Crozier Having explained his own work in ministering the gospel (Colossians 1:24-2:5) and then expounded the need to maintain a stable and steadfast faith (Colossians 2:6-3:4), Paul moves to the third leg of this letter laid out back in Colossians 1:21-23. He describes the need to move from\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Article&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":20971,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-do-i-deal-with-my-parents-drinking\/","url_meta":{"origin":62595,"position":4},"title":"How do I deal with my parents&#8217; drinking?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 18, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I moved to another city in order to finish the last phase of my graduate studies. My parents are still supporting me financially. My older colleagues said that I will receive a scholarship, but nowhere near enough to make a living, especially in this city. Thus, I will depend\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Answer&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":62293,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/drinking\/","url_meta":{"origin":62595,"position":5},"title":"Drinking","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 22, 2004","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Drunkenness is an old problem among men \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The earliest record is Genesis 9:21 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Noah was acquainted with the effects of wine - Matt 24:38 II.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The effects of alcohol \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Prov 20:1 - It deceives the mind. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Isa. 28:1-3,7-8 - It causes errors in judgement \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0C.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Hab 2:15 -\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sermon&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Sermon","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/sermon\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62595","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62595"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62595\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62595"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62595"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62595"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}