Current Events & Trends: Here's the marijuana you ordered
Two American states have legalized marijuana, and it looks like more will follow.
A recent Economist article reported on a start-up marijuana delivery service in Washington state and further noted: "Dope-delivery services are also popular in states with stricter laws. In New York, dealing is banned but possession has been decriminalised. More than a dozen illegal delivery services now serve tokers [marijuana users] in Manhattan and Brooklyn" ("Why Pot Is the New Pizza: Dope to Your Door," June 21, 2014).
What is legal isn't always what is moral. Abortion has been legal in the United States since the 1970s, but clearly it isn't acceptable to God. Socially we hear the phrase "recreational drug use," which minimizes the seriousness of the matter. Using mind-altering drugs for "fun" is not safe.
What does God think about the use of such drugs? Our Creator has given us the ability to choose His way of life. He has never forced us. Our God-given minds, our ability to think and reason, distinguish us from animals. The problem with such drugs is that we don't make sound decisions under their influence.
"The Bible doesn't condemn alcohol," one might argue. And God does allow the consumption of alcohol—but to a point. Scripture clearly prohibits drunkenness, which impairs reasoning. In a 2011 Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center study, "researchers observed that marijuana users performed poorly on the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), which is a complex decision-making task in which participants make choices under ambiguous conditions and win or lose money based on their choices" ("Decision-Making Processes Blunted in Chronic Marijuana Smokers," press release, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, June 21, 2011).
God wants us to make sound judgments in our life with a clear mind. Just because drug abuse is declared legal under man's laws doesn't mean that God approves of it.
Our Father has always given us the choice between life and death, blessings and curses—with the directive that we choose life (Deuteronomy 30:19). Our minds need to be clear to make sound judgments. (Sources: The Economist, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.)
An Article from:
Good News Magazine: September - October 2014
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Peter Eddington
Peter serves at the home office as Interim Manager of Media and Communications Services.
He studied production engineering at the Swinburne Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Australia, and is a journeyman machinist. He moved to the United States to attend Ambassador College in 1980. He graduated from the Pasadena campus in 1983 with a Bachelor of Arts degree and married his college sweetheart, Terri. Peter was ordained an elder in 1992. He served as assistant pastor in the Los Angeles and San Luis Obispo, California, congregations from 1995 through 1998 and the Cincinnati, Ohio, congregations from 2010 through 2011.
Rudolph Rangel III
Rudy Rangel attends the Cincinnati East, Ohio congregation along with his wife Judy and two children.
Darris McNeely
Darris McNeely works at the United Church of God home office in Cincinnati, Ohio. He and his wife, Debbie, have served in the ministry for more than 43 years. They have two sons, who are both married, and four grandchildren. Darris is the Associate Media Producer for the Church. He also is a resident faculty member at the Ambassador Bible Center teaching Acts, Fundamentals of Belief and World News and Prophecy. He enjoys hunting, travel and reading and spending time with his grandchildren.
