Weed: Does God approve of us using it regularly?
Weed makes me feel happy when I smoke it, joyful even.
God likes joy and wants his children to be joyful, right?
Weed is a plant, which grows wildly in nature.
So, would weed be not from God?
Weed creates deception, however.
Weed makes me feel a way I don't feel without weed.
If weed is a deceiver, and God is truth, then weed can't be from God.
God wouldn't be for something that causes deception, right?
Which one is correct?
A. God made weed. Weed is good.
B. Weed is an evil deceiver created by the enemy.
Note: The title has changed from "Weed. From God or not?" to what it presently is, due to clarification gained through discussion in the comments.
This post is basically meaningless without the comments and conversation taking place below. Feel free to continue any thread below, and I and others will try and respond to your thoughts.
PEACE
Weed is from God. It's a plant. He made all things. It can be abused just like anything else. To me it has many medicinal qualities that make this Plant extremely powerful for health. Now that said I come back to abuse. There are different species of cannabis that have higher THC content than others. Anything that alters your mind in a way that could impair good judgement requires careful use.
I have friends that use cannabis for severe pain conditions and cannot fault them. Yes, there are psychoactive effects that may not be profitable but, as with most medications, there are side effects. I would defer to its use as a principle of conscience that Romans 14 speaks about. That's just my humble opinion but would love to hear further thoughts.
Romans 14:17 KJVS
For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
Thank you for the Scripture verse. My use was primarily for the psychoactive effects. I enjoyed feeling "fuzzy" and weed helped me get more into artistic endeavors such as painting and playing music. Again, more things God apparently doesn't care much about.
There's always this verse used to argue the use of marijuana:
“Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food." (Gen. 1:29)
But I would say more to your point, it seems like you're speaking about the intoxicating effects if the herb - and there are plenty of verse, New and Old Testament, that speak to intoxication.
I think the best way to approach issues of 'recreational' drug/alcohol use should always boil down to this (and is derived from the Romans verse above): Does consuming this bring me closer to the Lord, or pull me farther away? The Savior is not found in food or drink, but humans have a bad habit of trying to replace Him with things from creation.
Great connection @fcbrandon. Thank you for sharing, yet I still feel this verse falls short of justifying the intoxicating uses of marijuana and other plants, as it seems you might as well.
Nonetheless, yes, I do believe the marijuana use was bringing me closer to the power of God but maybe not in a truly permanent and fruitful sense. What I mean is because God sees something in me, He may have been working in me all along regardless of my very regular marijuana smoking. If anything, he might have been developing my faith to the point where I could subsist on His Word rather than on my own physical attempts at gaining a fleeting salvation.
I wonder also, does Lucifer have the power to influence or deceive in the way where I can be using a drug like pot or even wine (to excess) and be tricked by Lucifer into believing God is in my heart when it is actually Lucifer "congratulating me" or encouraging me to continue seeking my own gratification, rather than aiding those in real need around me?
I dont think you can get a black or white answer on this. I think , well i am convinced that god focus more on your "heart" and "motivation" not the rules you obey or not obey. You have to be really honest with yourself to find out what your motivation in this is. You like the effects cannabis has for example, others like money or sex. Just remember god has to be in the Center, not weed, money or sex, since he is life and its good for you to walk on that path.
Great insight. My motivation is to live my happiest and most fulfilled self while also honoring God's plan for me on Earth. That motivation statement is likely not according to God's Will. Should not my motivation be reversed? Should I not seek to fulfill God's plan for me first and foremost, then seek peace and comfort where the Holy Spirit leads me to find it?
Weed is from God.
God even created Lucifer who became Satan because of jealousy.
No creature would understand the works of the CREATOR fully and truly.
In an instant God can change the world into heaven with a blink of an eye if God wills it. Why God don't do it?
Why Satan is still in this world? Why death is still happening in many ways, diseases, famine, war, etc. God can eliminate all these stuffs, can put back Satan into hell if God wants it. Then why this don't happen? The answer is: I don't know. Do you know? Let me guess. I guess God loves to play games, God don't want to end the game right away.
Comment your guess.
My guess is these things you mention are because God wants his children to have free will and any sweeping intervention would likely have drastic effects on how life actually is, thereby decreasing our freedom.
So, a better question would be, "Does God wish for his children to partake of weed and other narcotic substances, and to what extent?"
I'd like to understand the Biblical foundations of God creating lucifer as you say and lucifer becoming satan. Is there a passage from Scripture detailing this?
How you are fallen from heaven,
O Day Star, son of Dawn!
How you are cut down to the ground,
you who laid the nations low! (Is. 14:12).
In the Latin Vulgate, that’s:
Quomodo cecidisti de caelo,
lucifer, fili aurorae?
Deiectus es in terram,
qui deiciebas gentes.
Thank you, I read that passage and in the chapters proceeding it, God is speaking about the King of Babylon. My interpretation didn't lead me to conclude God is speaking about lucifer here, but I absolutely could be wrong.
Actually if you really want to know more about Lucifer, the fallen angels and other stuffs, you have to read the books which were removed from the original Hebrew Bible. Our Bible today has already been changed. As far as I know there are 75 or more books that were removed. We have so much questions about our Bible today that is hard to understand and interpret. When you read those missing books which were removed, it would be of great help to understand more. I suggest you read first "CAVE OF TREASURES BOOK 1 'BEFORE GENESIS''' then go for the rest of the other books. Maybe "The Book of Enoch" which is much popular I guess.
@writewords, thank you for this article. It gave me some insight about a few people I know who smoke weed. I started a serious Bible Doctrine Bible study blog a few days ago. Part of this study to come later on is Angelology which deals with angels and fallen angels like lucifer. I also read about your mission, this study may also help you in your mission.
In your question: "Does God wish for his children to partake of weed and other narcotic substances, and to what extent?"
Every person has his/her own capacity, the knowledge and experience, the ability to reason and think. Its our choice to choose. We're given free will by God as what you'd mentioned. I don't know if God wishes us to use weed or other substances. I cannot understand God's mind, If we trust God, we can do what we want to do based on our own capacity, the knowledge and experience, the ability to reason and think..And offer our works to God.
Well said, @ronel -- I'm truly looking for ways around God's word as he has already commanded me in these regards.
If it's not from God, then who is it from?
True, I should have asked, "Does God approve of us using it routinely?" -- Because by my same logic, one could replace weed with heroin or cocaine and have essentially the same challenge only more difficult to answer.
I think you are able to edit the title, it would make the article more clear. And to fight anyone who would complain on that, just add a small note at the bottom of the article explaining the edit. ;)
Great idea, I'm going to do this now.
hahhaha. I like this. Yo @ericdyce answer the question sir
I don't have a strong take either way, but I would question the logic.
Weed makes me feel different = evil deceiver?
Thanks for your post. Interesting topic.
I would offer the idea of weed doing far more than making one "feel different."
At least for me, being high on weed creates a serenity that I would not otherwise have. I pursued and smoked weed so I might feel joy and serenity, yet without the weed, I question whether there are sufficient conditions in my life to create the joy and serenity weed was providing. Hence the deception.
I feel overjoyed through God, nature and often my own works... but this overly-joyous feeling is generally only accessible through weed for me. Without weed, I can be happy, content and occasionally even joyful.
The difference between me on and off weed is about choosing. With weed, I take the power of directing my own joy. This taking of power seems an affront to God in some way. If God is truly interested in our joy then maybe it wouldn't matter how we attained joy. Instead, my reading of Scripture has led me to understand God as an entity more concerned with devotion and faith than he is with his children being joyful all the time. This leads me to either conclude weed as something displeasing to God or something God wishes me not to consume, but may not care if certain others do.
That is an interesting take. I definitely see that angle in some ways.
In a relevant strain I listened to a debate on psychedelics. One side held you can attain the same effect through years of constant practice. The other side said, "But you can work for years and not be guaranteed a transcendent experience, why not take the short-cut."
I can see this in your idea. Weed is a short-cut to communion... but do you want a short-cut? Or is a short-cut even the point?
Suffering or taking a harder route has shown in many aspects of life to be beneficial. I believe it's a necessity for true happiness.
On, that note, great point. Thanks for an opportunity to see it from a different angle.
Cheers! Have a great day.
Sharing is my pleasure. I agree about the shortcut perspective -- I'd say psychedelics are quite beneficial and useful for certain people at certain times. I've had my fill of taking shortcuts and now my real spiritual challenge is set in finding God through clean living and practicing faith regularly.
Here's wishing you a great day as well!
Wonderful words for the Word.
I would also question the logic. GOD does want joy, but happiness can be received from a lot of things...but that does not mean that everything is from GOD.
Well, maybe we can start by naming a few things NOT from God. I'm already stumped.
I think that the u.s. has thrown the baby out with the bathwater. There re some very beneficial uses for weed...unfortunately some people use weed just for fun. But there is a strain of weed that has been developed and I am ok with it growing in the ditches everywhere https://www.leafly.com/sativa/charlottes-web
For me charlottes-web maintains the health benifiets of weed and people can not abuse it (didyou know that I am told that a material that is stronger than steel but lighter than plastic can be made from hemp, plus a large amount of biomass could be produced. Because the stuff grows like a weed)
Well, I am absolutely with you about the U.S. having strayed from God's Will.
In fact, I'm about to make a post dealing with this using Scripture as support.
As for Charlotte' web and Rick Simpson oil -- I'm told -- is another: Yes, if one is genuinely in need of medical assistance and is truly using marijuana as medicine, then the use may be right by God.
My only medical uses for marijuana were for fighting against depression and helping with my ADD (to the extent that is really a thing). These concerns I believe God can solve for me through living in his Word. Also, through fellowship, as I'm enjoying in these conversations taking place in the comments and on other #christian-trail posts, I believe God is healing the same ills I once attempted to solve using weed.
I would like to recommend a book, the book is called "A More Excelent Way by Hennry W. Wright" https://www.christianbook.com/more-excellent-way-health-book-and/henry-wright/9781603741019/pd/741011
From what I understand the book comes at much cronic illness from the standpoint that many people need spiritual/emotional healing. And much sikness is just a symptom of the way that we look at things. With that said I might say that pot might be a bandaid that you are using to cover up a deep wond.
At some point I think that it would be helpful if I studied the entire book! (also can you tell me about Rick Simpson oil-Thanks)
Yes, pot was a band aid for me as well as it being a crutch.
Rick Simpson oil is a very powerful and concentrated form of cannabis, intended for medicinal use. I've heard of it being consumed in capsules, swallowed and also used topically.
More info: https://www.leafly.com/news/cannabis-101/what-is-rick-simpson-oil
Thank you for the book recommendation. I'll make a note and look into book some.
Also I want to say that each of us deals with different problems. satan would like to cause us to think that all tempetation should disappear when a person becomes a Christian, but that is not true. I know a guy that when he gave his heart to CHRIST he was delivered from years of smoking tobacco. The man did not even crave a cigarette, but then one day he smoked a cigarette to help keep him awake and he was hooked on cigarettes...but this time when he tried to quit his journey as marked with withdraws.