alcohol, drugs, and fast food

7/29/2019 Alcohol, Drugs, And Fast Food

1/13

Alcohol, Drugs, and Fast Food

There are many things as humans we choose to indulge ourselves with, and for many different

reasons, and all are a form of escapism. Even Fast food, those moments whilst you stuff your face

full of this seemingly delicious heart ache and the rest of the world vanishes can be truly

exhilarating, but what does religion have to say on the subject?

Overall

When looking at any of this there are some sections at the core of their belief systems

Christianity What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you,

which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? (1 Corinthians 6:19)

PaganAn harm none, do what thou wilt this essentially means as long as you are not hurtinganyone do what you will, it is a matter of perspective if the NONE includes yourself. There are so

many pagan religions that I havent included them past this due to wanting to minimise the

documents length, which is a pretty meaty 13 pages long.

Alcohol

Christianity

Jesus began his public life by miraculously turning water into wine at the Wedding at Cana (John 2:1-10) when the reception ran out.

This is a debated topic, apparently wine is a mistranslation and it was actually grape of the vine in

other words, grape juice not wine. This makes it all the less miraculous as he could have had some

concentrated grape powder...

Isaiah 65:8. Thus saith the Lord, As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it

not; for a blessing is in it: so will I dofor my servants' sakes, that I may not destroy them all.

When the juice of the grape is still in the cluster God calls it wine. Grape juice still in the cluster

is not fermented wine. It is unfermented wine. It is grape juice. There are two kinds of wine in

the Bible. Fermented and unfermented.

You would think an omniscient god could have been a bit clearer on the matter so his followers

wouldnt get confused wouldnt you? It almost seems like he wants people to stumble on the way to

heaven...

If we are to assume that it is wine, then it would imply that wine is okay. In fact The Bible

distinguishes between use and misuse. It says,

Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts.

(Proverbs 31:6-7) this essentially means those that are dying (or ready to) give strong alcohol, and

those that are depressed/love sick give them wine.


2/13

There are a couple of translations that amuse me

NIV: Give beer to those who are perishing, wine to those who are in anguish; beer is weaker than

wine, so I am not sure how this translation came about unless the fermenting process for ale in

those times meant it was stronger than the wine.

NLT: Alcohol is for the dying, and wine for those in bitter distress because we all know, wine isnt

really alcohol at all?

You see how these new translations have actually muddied the water further?

Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue

until night, till wine inflame them!Isaiah 5:11

This is essentially preaching against alcoholism

Prov 20:1: Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.

It was a luxury that was not to be abused

Yet the simple joys of drinking were also sung. He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb

for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth; And wine that maketh glad the

heart of man and oil to make his face to shineth.Psalm 104:14-15

Leviticus 10:9-10Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into

the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your

generations: And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and

clean

This seems like it is saying you shouldnt drink when you are going to be going to

congregation/service, and that service is holy, where drink is unholy and you should not mix the holy

with the unholy but then Catholics drink wine at mass?

There are some that believe the passage above is disallowing drinking completely. I understand this

as it is saying the alcohol is unholy, your body is the temple of the holy spirit, and you would be

filling your body with something unholy.

From these passages it would be safe to say that a good Christian would not drink at all, and if they

did it would be weak alcohol or wine, and very little.

Hindu

Hinduism is a spiritual tradition that is not based upon mere faith or belief but upon an

understanding of dharma, the natural laws behind the universe. So the question for Hindus is how

does the use of alcohol fit in with its sense of dharma and how does it affect us karmically? Alcohol is

also part of the use of intoxicants and depressants/stimulants in general, not a separate item.

Many monastic orders from India, both Hindu and non-Hindu, take various vows like celibacy.

Refraining from alcohol is another such vow that most of these monks swear to. Some Hindu Tantric

groups, on the other hand, use alcohol in a sacred way, either as an offering to the deity or as takenindividually during certain special rituals. Relative to non-monastic Hindus, Hindu merchants and


3/13

aristocrats have historically used alcohol, just as they have not practiced celibacy. Many continue to

use alcohol today, without necessarily falling into alcoholism.

There is saying in sanskrit ati sarvatra varjayet , which means anything extreme(ati=too much) is

always a bad thing . One can also say miti(too less) also as an extreme.

Buddist

One of the Five Precepts in Buddhism warns against taking intoxicants causing heedlessness. But

since these are precepts and not commandments, every Buddhist has to approach them in their own

way. Some Buddhists refrain from alcohol and drugs altogether, and some are casual/social drinkers.

The reason this precept exists is to encourage practitioners to keep their minds clear and lucid at all

times. You can't meditate if you're intoxicated, after all. ;-)

Buddhism really doesn't get into the whole "thou shalt not" thing. The Buddha left it up to us tomake wise, enlightened decisions, based on the teachings he left behind, but he also realized that

we all had to find the paths that worked best for each of us individually. If you find something that

works for you on your path, you should pursue it. If you find something that hinders your path, you

should abandon it ... even if it's something he taught.

They teach "Clarity". Alcohol causes a befuddled state

There is no sin in Buddhism only lack of progress.

Islam

Islams holistic approach to health and well-being means that anything that is harmful or mostly

harmful, is forbidden. Therefore, Islam takes an uncompromising stand towards alcohol and forbids

its consumption in either small or large quantities

God tells us in the Quran that intoxicants and gambling are abominations from Satan and orders us

to avoid them.

O you who believe! Intoxicants, gambling, idolatry, and diving arrows are an abomination of

Satans handiwork. So avoid that so that you may be successful. (Quran 5: 90)

Satan wants only to excite enmity and hatred between you with intoxicants and gambling, and

hinder you from the remembrance of God and from the prayer. So, will you not then abstain?

(Quran 5:91)

Drugs

Islam, Budhism would be the same as above

Christianity - god did say that the body is the temple of the holy spirit, so pretty much everything

that causes you damage is indeed wrong. This would definitely include the manmade chemicals

which came from gods plants using the brains & free will god gave us, but as he is omniscient he

would know man would one day do this so one can only assume god would be okay with it? If not he


4/13

would have laid down some laws on this right? Could one allow oneself a brief experimentation with

all drugs, if sensibly taken with no lasting effects? If you think about it, if you do no permanent

damage to the temple of the Holy Spirit, are you breaking that sin?

What is the Word of God on the Cannabis plant?

The hemp plant (scientific name: cannabis, slang: marijuana) is one of the many useful herbs

"yielding seed after its kind" created and blessed by God on the third day of creation, "and God saw

that it was good." (Genesis 1:12) He gave hemp for people to use with our free will.

God said, "Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed which is upon the face of all the earth....

To you it will be for meat." And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very

good. (Genesis 1:29-31) The Bible predicts some herb's prohibition. "Now the Spirit speaketh

expressly, that in the latter times, some shall speak lies in hypocrisy commanding to abstain

from meats which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and

know the truth. (Paul: 1 Timothy 4:1-3)

The Bible speaks of a special plant. "I will raise up for them a plant of renown, and they shall be no

more consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the shame of the heathen anymore." (Ezekiel

34:29) A healing plant. On either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare 12 manner

of fruits, and yielding her fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the

nations. (Revelations 22:1-2) A gift from God.

How was cannabis used in Biblical times and lands?

Cannabis was used 12 ways: clothing, paper, cord, sails, fishnet, oil, sealant, incense, food, and in

ceremony, relaxation and medicine. For so the Lord said unto me, "I will take my rest and I will

consider in my dwelling place like a clear heat upon herbs. For afore harvest, when the bud is perfectand the sour grape is ripening in the flower, he shall cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks and take

away and cut down the branches." (Isaiah 18:4-5)

What about cannabis today?

Hemp today has thousands of uses. Modern technology has devised many new uses for the hemp

plant-like biomass energy, building materials, fuel, plastic and so on. Hemp is ecological and its seed

is among the best food crops on Earth. Selected varieties produce flowers that provide an herbal

relaxant and a spiritual tool. Its herb is used globally as medicine.

Conclusion?

Alcohol is the only drug openly discussed in the Bible, so it must serve as our reference, as we can

see from the Christian statements above its okay at times but you probably shouldnt do it or much

of it... perhaps you should ingest it instead of inhale?

Jesus said not to criticize other people for their habits. "Not that which goeth into the mouth

defileth a man; that which cometh out of the mouth defileth a man." (Mat. 15:11) The apostle Paul

wrote, I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to

him that esteemeth anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. For the kingdom of God is not

meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. (Paul: Romans 14:14,17)


5/13

The Bible says that God created hemp for people to use "as meat," (ie, to consume), that its seed oil

is to be used as an ointment, and that cannabis is "to be received with thanks-giving of them which

believe and know the truth." Paul also warned that some people would "speak lies in hypocrisy" and

prohibit us from using it.

It also says that we "shall not bear false witness" about people who use cannabis, nor judge thembecause that judgement is reserved to the Lord. The Lord hates those who speak lies and sow

discord among brethern. For those people harrassed and imprisoned for using cannabis rightfuly,

Jesus offers these words of comfort, "Blessed are those persecuted for righteousness's sake: For

theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven."

Thats Relgion go to the next page to find the SCIENCE


6/13

SCIENCE

Now the science of all drugs, including alcohol, is interesting indeed! In the UK we had a man do a

study on the drugs, their effects, harms, and why people have a worse opinion over certain drugs.

You can read the whole study here:http://www.crimeandjustice.org.uk/opus1714/Estimating_drug_harms.pdf

And he has done others since and before which further back up his claims. The guy was employed by

the government to give factual evidence about drugs, and because he said controversial things

things like statistically you have more chance of being killed by a horse than by ecstasy he was fired.

First lets look at which drugs do the most harm
http://www.crimeandjustice.org.uk/opus1714/Estimating_drug_harms.pdfhttp://www.crimeandjustice.org.uk/opus1714/Estimating_drug_harms.pdfhttp://www.crimeandjustice.org.uk/opus1714/Estimating_drug_harms.pdf


7/13

Now lets take a look at the media bias, essentially looking at how many of the drug related deaths

get reported

So what we can see is that nearly every ecstasy related death is reported where was people who

abused prescribed drugs such as diazepam, temazepam and methadone have a higher death rate

but nowhere near as many of these stories reach the paper, making it look like ecstasy is more

dangerous than it is..

The other thing youll notice is that there is a drug missing, and thats cannabis. Also missing is

alcohol, which will have killed a similar number, 2,000 to 3,000 people, in Scotland over that time,

maybe more. Of course, cannabis wouldnt have killed anyone because it doesnt kill.

More info on Nutt:http://www.benzo.org.uk/amisc/nutt.pdf

For a more detailed look into things there is also his book which I intend to read called Drugs

without the hot air -http://www.uit.co.uk/B-DWTHA/HomePage

What the documents show is that the LEGAL drugs, tobacco and alcohol, are up there with the most

dangerous, and other drugs that are perceived as really bad, whilst do have negative health effects,

in the grand scheme of things are probably better for you than a supersize big mac meal.

I would of course encourage you to google for more information and not stop at the first site you

find, check, double check, and make sure you read things based in FACT through STUDY,

EXPERIMENTATION, and have EVIDENCE to support their claims.

http://www.erowid.org/- Errowid is a good site if you want to learn more about the drugs, how to

take them safely, the effects they have, how they work etc. as I said, dont stop there, keep

looking and learning!!
http://www.benzo.org.uk/amisc/nutt.pdfhttp://www.benzo.org.uk/amisc/nutt.pdfhttp://www.benzo.org.uk/amisc/nutt.pdfhttp://www.uit.co.uk/B-DWTHA/HomePagehttp://www.uit.co.uk/B-DWTHA/HomePagehttp://www.uit.co.uk/B-DWTHA/HomePagehttp://www.erowid.org/http://www.erowid.org/http://www.erowid.org/http://www.uit.co.uk/B-DWTHA/HomePagehttp://www.benzo.org.uk/amisc/nutt.pdf


8/13

In conclusion SCIENCE tells us that we shouldnt really be doing these drink and drugs too, most

definitely not the legal ones so if you are religious you have double the reason not to partake, of

course most people who claim to be religious only listen to a small percentage of their religion

saying parts of it have been negated, eg a lot of Christians say Jesus negated the old testament when

he clearly states that he has not negated the laws of old and supports previous prophets just see

Matthew 5:17-19, Luke 16:17, 2 Peter 20-21 etc.

What do I think? as long as you are not hurting anyone, and that includes yourself through abuse

(which in turn will hurt those you love), and are not pressuring anyone into doing anything they

dont want to do, do what you want, experiment if you so wish, or dont. It is your life to live but be

informed and know the risks.

Fast Food

As fast food was no round in these times it is hard to do a direct link however we can use the existing

beliefs and apply it to todays standards.

Hinduism - Having well considered the origin of flesh-foods, and the cruelty of fettering and slaying

corporeal beings, let man entirely abstain from eating flesh. The Manu-smrti (5.49)

This applies to all meat, and you can bet that animals used for the meat in fast food chains are not

looked after well.

Christianity past the body is the temple written above there isnt much we can say about this. Fast

food wasnt around when this was written, however there are guidelines of what you cant eat

Leviticus 11:1-12 - King James Version (KJV)

11 And the LORD spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them,

2Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the

beasts that are on the earth.

3Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that

shall ye eat.

4Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the hoof: as

the camel, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.

5And the coney, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.

6And the hare, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.

7And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is

unclean to you.

8Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcase shall ye not touch; they are unclean to you.

9 These shall ye eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters, in theseas, and in the rivers, them shall ye eat.


9/13

10And all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters,

and of any living thing which is in the waters, they shall be an abomination unto you:

11They shall be even an abomination unto you; ye shall not eat of their flesh, but ye shall have their

carcases in abomination.

12Whatsoever hath no fins nor scales in the waters, that shall be an abomination unto you.

So pork, lobster, crab, rabbit and many other animals should not be eaten, but this is not observed

by most Christians.

Islam

The food that is allowed for Muslim to eat and what is forbidden for him to eat is based, mainly, on

the following two Quran sayings (Meaning English translation):

1. Quran, Chapter 5, verse 3: " Forbidden (for food) to you (Muslims) are: Al-Maitah (deadanimals-cattle-beast not slaughtered), blood, the flesh of swine (Pork), and that on which

Allah's name has not been mentioned while slaughtering, (that which has been slaughtered

as a sacrifice for others than Allah or has slaughtered for idols) and that which has been

killed by strangling, or by a violent blow, or by a headlong fall, or by the goring of horns- and

that which has been (partly) eaten by a wild animal-unless being able to slaughter it (before

its death)-.... But as for him who is forced by severe hunger, with no inclination to sin by

eating what is forbidden above, then surely Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful"

2. Quran, Chapter 5, verse 5: " Made lawful to you this day At-Tayyibat (all kinds of lawfulfoods, which Allah has made lawful (meat of slaughtered eatable animals, milk products,fats, vegetables and fruits). The food (slaughtered cattle, eatable animals) of the people of

the Scripture (Jews and Christians) is lawful to you and yours is lawful to them..."

From the above, it is clear that what is forbidden to eat, except in cases of severe hunger, are mainly

dead animals, pork, blood, and what is not slaughtered under name of God.

So should Muslims eat fast food? In a word No. Unless there is a Halaal fast food joint chances are

the meat is not killed in the acceptable way nor the special prayer said at the killing. Missing

breakfast is not severe hunger.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 5 Surah Maidah verse 5:

All the good and pure things have today been made halaal for you; the food of the people of the

Book (Jews and Christians) is halaal for you , and your food for them.

It is evident from the above aayah of the Holy Quran that the food of the People of the Book (Jews

and the Christians) is halaal for the believers. Some people say that the People of the Book today

commit shirk and since the food of the mushriks is haraam, therefore the food slaughtered by the

People of the Book is also haraam. This deduction is incorrect, as the Quran itself condemns the

Jews and Christians for invoking their Prophets as the son of Allah and thus committing shirk. But


10/13

Allah has made the food of the People of the Book halaal as seen in the above aayah of Surah

Maidah in the Holy Quran.

If the below five conditions are met, the food served by the People of the Book will be termed halaal

for the believers.

1. The animal itself should be halaal in Shariah. (Even if a muslim (Allah forbid) were to slaughter

swine, it will not make it halaal!!).

2. The one who slaughters the animal must either be a Muslim, or a Jew or a Christian. If any other

person slaughters the animal, it will not be considered halaal.

3. The animal has to be slaughtered and the blood should be oozed out naturally. It does not

matter if the animal is slaughtered by hand or by a machine, from the front of the neck or from

the back. What is important is that the veins must be cut to allow the blood to be oozed out of

the body.

4. The animal should have been alive at the time of slaughter. It is a routine in most slaughterhouses

in the West that they electrocute or sting the animal with an electric shock, and then slaughter

the animal. That is fine, as long as one is satisfied that the electric shock did not kill the animal

before its slaughter!

5. The condition that Allahs name has to be pronounced is not a condition for the People of the

Book, as long as nobody elses name is pronounced. If anybody elses name other than Allah is

pronounced at the time of slaughter, it does not matter who slaughters the animal, the meat is

haraam.

Can any Muslim guarantee this has happened when eating their fast food? I think not. Any Muslim

out there should have a think and consider if he/she is a real Muslim or not an re-evaluate ones

choices to risk eating food that could be haraam.

Buddhism

Meat and fish are not eaten by many people in the Theravada and Mahayana schools of Buddhism.

Some believers in both Theravada and Mahayana are vegans, and some particularly from China and

Vietnam do not eat onion, garlic or leek either - referring to these as the five pungent spices.

Buddha advised the monks to avoid eating ten kinds of meat for their self-respect and protection:

humans, elephants, horses, dogs, snakes, lions, tigers, boars and hyenas.

There are no set dietary laws in Buddhism. Buddhist dietary restrictions are structured very

differently than those of the Abrahamic religions such as Judaism and Islam. As you can see from

above those religions dietary restrictions make a clear distinction between permitted foods and

forbidden foods. By contrast, there is no such clear distinction between permitted and forbidden

foods in Buddhism. Therefore, there is a great deal of diversity in Buddhist practise.

In the time of the Buddha, the monks were expected to eat everything that was put in their beggingbowl without discrimination, including meat or rotten food.


11/13

The first Precept is often interpreted as do not harm, and many Buddhists choose to be vegetarian

as a result of this precept. One basic tenet of Buddhism is that of reincarnation and the belief that

animals can be reincarnated as humans and vice versa. As a result, Buddhists do not kill animals, and

many do not eat meat or fish because this is considered to be bad for their karma. Buddhism and

Jainism are the main religions who give utmost importance to Ahimsa (non- violence) and so there is

a relationship with vegetarian belief in Buddhism.

CONCLUSION

With the exception of Buddhism which takes a pretty liberal stance on food, it would seem that most

of these religions have an issue with Pork and in fact there have been tests to show the bad sides of

pork, for example eating processed pork such as one sausage or two pieces of bacon a day can

increase your risk of pancreatic cancer up to 40% and in the cases of people that have a large meaty

diet (as in lots of red-meat, pork, and not much in the way of veg, fruit etc) it can increase your risk

of cancer by 70%

Also Pork is known to cause CLOTTING however an experiment was carried out and blood cells

examined after eating pork.

Below, youre looking at the red blood cells of a 52-year old man before (left) and 5 hours after

(right) eating an unmarinated pork chop. Notice how the red blood cells (RBCs) are highly

aggregated. This blood condition disrupts microcirculation and is proof of an inflammatory response.

Next, this is the blood of the same man before (left) and 5 hours after (right) eating a traditionally-

prepared, marinated pork chop. Notice how the RBCs are mostly free to move, although there are

some groups clumped together. This blood is well within a healthy, normal range.
http://www.foodrenegade.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/unmarinated-pork-rbc.jpg


12/13

And finally, this last image is of the red blood cells of a 37 year old female before (left) and 5 hours

after (right) eating uncured bacon. Notice how its completely free of clotting factors or any signs of

an inflammatory response!

Similar results were found for all individuals. Turns out, just eating plain, unmarinated pork caused a

bad reaction in the blood, but eating any traditionally-prepared pork caused either no reaction or a

reaction within the scope of normal. And, as a control for the study, they looked at the blood of

these same subjects after eating unmarinated lamb chops and found that there was also no negative

reaction in the blood. In other words, this isnt the bodys normal reaction to unmarinated meat, but

specifically to unmarinated pork!

The entire article can be found here:http://www.westonaprice.org/food-features/how-does-pork-

prepared-in-various-ways-affect-the-blood

So should those who are not religious steer away from pork? Like most things in your diet, it is best

for it to be balanced, not to have too much or too little of anything, make sure it is prepared

properly, and savour every last minute of it.
http://www.westonaprice.org/food-features/how-does-pork-prepared-in-various-ways-affect-the-bloodhttp://www.westonaprice.org/food-features/how-does-pork-prepared-in-various-ways-affect-the-bloodhttp://www.westonaprice.org/food-features/how-does-pork-prepared-in-various-ways-affect-the-bloodhttp://www.westonaprice.org/food-features/how-does-pork-prepared-in-various-ways-affect-the-bloodhttp://www.foodrenegade.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/uncured-bacon-rbc.jpghttp://www.foodrenegade.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/marinated-pork-rbc.jpghttp://www.foodrenegade.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/uncured-bacon-rbc.jpghttp://www.foodrenegade.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/marinated-pork-rbc.jpghttp://www.westonaprice.org/food-features/how-does-pork-prepared-in-various-ways-affect-the-bloodhttp://www.westonaprice.org/food-features/how-does-pork-prepared-in-various-ways-affect-the-blood


13/13

SUMMARY

Ive found this quite enjoyable, looking into different cultures and beliefs, throwing in a bit of science

for good measure, and learning how clueless some people seem to be to their religion. It is not just

Christians who seem to buck against their own values and find excuses but those of other faiths too.

What I dont understand is why these people subscribe to a religion, hold a few ofits values dear,

and ignore the rest. Doesnt that seem a bit wrong for people to be second guessing their God?

Or perhaps they dont really know their religion, havent read their holy books, or just say they are of

a certain religion because they think it is expected off of them.

How do these people ever expect to convert anyone when they have trouble holding up their own

ideals? These are basic ones around consumables, and realistically are easy to uphold, so if they

cant stick to them, how can we expect them to stick to any of the others

alcohol, drugs, and fast food

Documents