{"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,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"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":20971,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-do-i-deal-with-my-parents-drinking\/","url_meta":{"origin":62595,"position":3},"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":4},"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":[]},{"id":2618,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/do-the-words-carousing-or-reveling-condemn-social-drinking\/","url_meta":{"origin":62595,"position":5},"title":"Do the words &#8220;carousing&#8221; or &#8220;reveling&#8221; condemn social drinking?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 5, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: My preacher said that the words \"carousing\" and \"reveling\" are often misused today. Some have associated these words with social drinking. However, carousing and reveling refer to parties where drunkenness is either the goal or by-product of the party. I tried to discuss\u00a0I Peter 4:3\u00a0with him, suggesting that \"tippling\"\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":[]}],"_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}]}}