I know I know…Christianity and weed seem like some form of oxymoron. I mean really, who calls themself a Christian and actively promotes the healing benefits of the ganja? ME, that’s who.

I am a 50 some year old conservative Christian who is also a daily user of marijuana and I am not ashamed to say it nor am I of the belief that marijuana use is a “sin.” Unfortunately some of my Christian brothers and sisters do Not share my same beliefs. But that is simply because of the puritan beliefs that anything that makes someone feel good must be a sin.

For example, many Christian denominations preach total abstinence from alcohol. They use scripture that addresses the sin of drunkenness as their reasoning. Meanwhile we have scripture that would seem to contradict the notion of abstinence. For example…we know Jesus turned water into wine for a wedding feast. We know the Apostle Paul told the evangelist Timothy to take a little wine for his stomach sake.

Unfortunately what the doctrine of abstinence does is negate the teaching of moderation and temperance. We, as Christians, are supposed to be temperate in all things…i.e. under control. Yes, over use of alcohol can cause someone to lose control of their words and actions and those out of control words and actions can cause harm and even death. When someone equals abstinence to temperance, you have watered down the much more needed teaching of being under control. AND…what is also created is the allure of the forbidden fruit. Tell a human that they can’t do something and 9 times out of 10, that person will want to do that forbidden thing even more.

But when you teach someone the importance of keeping their bodies and minds under control, that allows the person to then evaluate all aspects of their life; things such as overeating or spending too much time watching that mind-warping device we call televisions and so on. It helps a person grow into someone that has the ability to control their speech as much as it does their outward actions. That same person won’t ever try to drive a car after maybe having one too many adult beverages. That same person will stop drinking before they get to the point that they are talking nonsense and maybe hurting others with their words.

Moderation and temperance…great concepts right? Those teachings are not the same as saying someone can’t drink and equating any consumption of alcohol as an outright sin. I hope some of you reading this sees that. Abstinence and temperance are not the same.

So now let’s apply those same teachings to the use of marijuana. I can almost guarantee that if you surveyed most Christian denominations, the majority would vote for the complete abstinence of weed. They would argue that a person cannot take “drugs” and call themselves a Christian. They would argue that a person can’t be temperate while feeling the effects of a good indica or sativa. But let’s break down those arguments and see how valid they might be.

First we need to drop a truth bomb on some of my more fundamental Christian friends. Once someone takes a dose of NyQuil, they have consumed alcohol. Once someone takes Tylenol, they have consumed a drug. And if those same persons also took the PM version of any of today’s OTC “medications,” they were not so temperate anymore by their own definition. There is a reason why warnings are plastered all over those medications. And if you look close, most all have one common warning, “do not operate machinery or drive.” Why is that warning on the bottle? It’s on there because those “drugs” make someone unable to completely control their actions.

I am not here to bash medicine, but I am here to point out the complete hypocrisy that so many Christians exude when it comes to things like drinking and marijuana use. You can tell someone that you take NyQuil PM every night to help with sleep and no one blinks an eye. Someone can take a prescription pharmaceutical for depression daily and again no one would think twice or view that person any differently. The users of those drugs will say, “it’s for medical purposes so it’s ok. But again…Jesus turned water into wine (non medicinal purposes) and Paul told Timothy to drink wine (for medicinal purposes). So we see both examples of wine use in Scripture.

My opinion about all of this is that Christians have held such hard stances about alcohol and weed due to Puritan ideologies that were handed down during various temperance movements here in the US and those ideologies became “doctrine” in so many denominations. And once they became doctrine, it was too hard to challenge the narrative without being looked down upon by the more pious in various Churches.

So let’s continue with some truth bombs to maybe help break down the truth vs perception when it comes to weed. Weed has been around for thousands of years. In fact, there are records indicating the Chinese used it as far back as 2727BC. By the 1500’s it was widely being used in Western cultures in a variety of ways. The sativa plants have been found growing wild in a lot of tropical and humid parts of the world. It is a plant, a plant that our Creator created. And for thousands of years, various cultures have been slowly discovering more and more benefits that cannabis offers.

But let’s jump ahead again to a more recent period of time. As I mentioned in one of my earlier posts, our government decided to create a huge stigma around the use of marijuana. Around 1936, the government put out a propaganda movie called “Reefer Madness.” Their intent was to show how awful marijuana use was, especially when the youth of that day tried it. And if you go back and look at the timing of that propaganda piece, you will see that Big Pharma is also working its way into our society. Legal marijuana use is NOT what big Pharma wants. Who would ever put a synthetic pill into their system if they knew that natural cannabis can give the same benefits and possibly even heal the person?

So let’s compare Big Pharma solutions to that of our good ole natural weed. Pharma companies like to mention that they found some healing quality from a plant down in the Amazon. They want you to think that they are creating wonderful healthy drugs from these plants. But one look at a Pharma drug’s ingredients and you see that there is nothing natural about it.

So again, the Christian that says they have a huge problem with someone using natural cannabis will turn around and have a pill box full of synthetic drugs manufactured in some factory with horrific side effects.

And let’s not forget about those Pharma side effects. Steroid treatments create hunger. Pain pills make someone sleepy or groggy. Anti-depressants make someone numb. Those are examples of effects that we know will for sure happen. Then there are the side effects that can still happen…such as nausea, liver damage, stroke, bleeding and on and on. All of these are “Ok” because the pills come from a legal and FDA approved company. So a Christian will argue, “weed is not the same as a prescription drug because weed is illegal and habit forming.” Meanwhile thousands of people become addicted to pain meds, anti-depressants, cough syrups and we all act like that is just an acceptable outcome.

Meanwhile…the real effects (not side effects) of marijuana can be euphoria, happiness, improved appetite, relaxation, calming, pain relief, focused more etc. Those are the intended and real effects of using marijuana. Can a person feel sleepy the next day if they maybe overdo it a little the night before? Yes. But the intended effects are far better than any man-made synthetic drug and no artificial additives are introduced to pure cannabis.

But here is a truth bomb for ya…those habit forming prescription pills are also able to kill you. People die every day from prescription drug overdose and yet NO ONE has ever died from a cannabis overdose.

So if you are a Christian who would question any other Christian because of their use of cannabis, let’s sum up where we are so far; A person can’t argue for abstinence because of the “stay sober at all times” argument if that same person indulges in prescription meds that cause a person to no longer be 100% clear in the head. Again, if you are a Christian who claims cannabis is off the table because it’s an “illegal” drug…well that can’t be said anymore. A Christian who says a child of God can’t take drugs and still be a child of God, again…look at the pill boxes that fill most Christian homes. A Christian can’t use the “our bodies are our temple” argument if that same Christian eats fast food or drinks colas or eats sugar filled treats. And I repeat, a Christian can’t use temperance as an argument anymore if their version of temperance is the same as abstinence.

Being on weed is a lot different than other drugs including alcohol and prescription meds. You do NOT lose control unless you go WAY overboard on your dosages. I can still speak clearly…I can walk a straight line…I do not lose control of my actions or words. While I would never condone someone driving while on weed, a person can still walk outside and be in control of their function if they apply the concept of moderation. Things slow down for sure. Things can even become more clear which is why so many artists like to use weed when writing songs or books. And for sure someone can become very sleepy if they are enjoying marijuana for the benefit of a good night’s sleep.

It’s time to end this argumentative nonsense when it comes to what is actually sin vs what man has claimed to be sin. God never once demanded abstinence when it comes to wine or other things such as marijuana…things that actually have healing properties.

I use cannabis and I am a Christian and I am truly thankful for this creation of God and all of it’s healing benefits, both physically and mentally. It has given me a new healthy lease on life and for that…I thank my Heavenly Father. I will advocate for the use of marijuana and teach as many as I can of it’s healthy benefits.