THE BIBLE AND PROHIBITION.

Otago Witness, Issue 3714, 19 May 1925, Page 57

THE BIBLE AND PROHIBITION.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —In all these discussions and debates one looks in vain for anything from the Bible to substantiate or otherwise the claims of Prohibition. Does the Bible advocate Prohibition? You would naturally think so, the way the various ministers of religion proclaim it os the remedy for most, if not ail, social eVils. Unfortunatoly, the average Church member very seldom reads the Bible, naturally thinkinir his paid minister is ta-kinrr care of the Bible for him, giving him Bible truths, not knowing the HibU says. *‘A hireling caretir lot for the sheep”; and they prove it so,

by readily ueserting the sheep when Uiey accept a call to a liiguer paid parish. Therefore, tney are so bu»y preparing iheir sermons containing their own wisdom, with Uie view rather to please than to instruct, that they overlook the Book they ore supposed to expound, and so the beauthul gema of truth lie buried until some stranger digs them up. 'lheretore, let me ask tne question again. Does the Bible teach Prohibition? I Ivish to say most emphatically it does not. Now, we have the wisest man on record, King Solomon, who, on request, was endowed with wisdom from on high, but not the wisdom of this world, which is as foolishness to God, and this is his statement contained in Ecclesiastes: “Wine is as good as life to a man it it be drunk moderately. What is life, then, to a man that is without wine? For it wus made to make men glad.” “Wine measurably drunk and in season bringeth gladness of the heart and cheerfulness of the mind.” Yet on the other hand, “But wine drunken with excess? It seems to me the Prohibition Party brawling and quurreiling.” Now, should we be deprived of that which bringeth gladness of the heart and cheerfulness of the mind, because some fools drink to excess? It seems to me the Prohibtion Party is doing its level best to bring about this •Scriptural saying: “There is a crying for wine in the streets, all joy is darkened, the mirth of the land is gone.” Fortunately, we read: “Ihe Lord hath sworn by the right arm of his strength; surely I will no more give the com to be meat for thine enemies, and the sons of the stranger shall not drink thy wine, for which thou hast laboured.” And, again. “Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart, tor God accepteth thy works.” And still again: ‘ Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts. Let him drink and remember his misery no more.” Now, let the Prohibition Party fulfil this Scripture: “Rebuke not thy neighbour at tile wine, ana despise him not in nis mirth; give him no despiteful words.” 'lheretore, let us do as the Scriptures instruct us—- “ eat, drink, and be merry, lor to-morrow we may die.” Now, you wouldn't call a man who made wine a Prohibitionist, would you? let this is what the Great Master did, and made good wine, that tne Governor of tne least was concerned that such good wine was kept to the last. Yet we have a strange class oi peopie. who, wnen beaten in argument and have to admit the niuie speaks in favour ot wine, tney claim as a last resource. “ But wnere it speaks oi wine in tne Bible it has reference to unfermented wine.” Such nonsense! Wine is one thing, unfermented win© another thing. Do you think the Governor's paiate would have been tickled by unternienled wine? And, to prove my point, the hrst man we have record of getting drunk was Noah. Weli, did he get drunk on unfermented wine? Furthermore, God’s V\ord says: “Wine was made to make the heart of man glad,” which leaves no room lor further argument on this subject, lor the merest novice knows that you can drink unfermented wine by the gallon and still it won't make the heart oi man glad; whereas a wineglass or two of the real stull (drunk according to your capacity) will certainly put a glow through you and make your heart (if you have one) feel glad. Je«us knew the ditference in these three things—prohibition, temperance, c.id drunkenness —for he took the middle course, temperance, in all things, not being an -extremist, like a Prohibitionist, nor yet like a drunkard, and by the former kind or extremist, which vve have right in our midst, He was called a wine bibber; so you see they proclaim where they stand, on the side oi the Pharisees or the sellrighteous. . , Now, I would like to see a law passed deporting all Prohibitionists and drunkards on an island to themselves, as these extreme elements are n nuisance in a community of normal, rational beings, buch a law’ ought to, at least, please the Prohibition Party, which is always so much concerned about being their brotber 3 keeper. It would, at least keep them busy working off some of them misguided zeal, without knowlege, in a deluded cause. I want to show their way is not the ■Scriptural way, for God does not prohibit, but, on the contrary, declares, I place good and evil before you, with .this admonition: “But choose the good. Therefore God is testing His creation, otherwise how could it be proven who are overcomers, for the prize is as follows: lo him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me on my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.” Now, the Prohibition Party as good as say, '‘Not so, Lord; ♦he belter plan is to abolish the evil, so that everybody will be forced to appear to be good in spite of themselves”—a forced creation, you see, which would bo liable to break down any time, as we would have no knowledge of the consequences of breaking God’s perfect laws, which thing actually took place. Read the account in .Revelation of the spiritual war which took place in Heaven between Michael (Jesus) and Lucifer (Satan) before we had bodies. Lucifer, not having perfect understanding in regard to the consequences of breaking God's laws, thought he could oppose the God of the Universe and get nway with it, and by his sulillety and brightness-as he was called a bright and morning star—he deceived one-third of the spirits. As it says he drew one-third, with his tail -that is by the tale he told them—and to they took sides with him and wore cast to earth, this earth, in the fall, and therefore Hell: fire and hr mstone on the battle fields \ hich have raged ever since, starling from the first fallen spirit, Adam, to take a body, and ever since, and will till the time of the end ; and Hint is what is wrong with and world to-dav and will remain wrong until one-third of the rebellious spirits have completed Inking bodies. This explains that mystery, "All born in sin and ahnpen in iniquity”—born in sin because they pinned ho'ore they had a body, so God’s Word justly says, "All have sinned end come short of the glory of God.” and ♦he worst class of spirits kept back till this time to bring nlxnit the overthrow of Satan’s kingdom on earth, they being, as it sayp, "reserved in chains ofdnrkness until the Judgment. ’ Therefore, ive are getting now and will get greater internal and ox termil troubles among the nations, and the upheaval of Ihe elements keening pace with the wickedness of man, rs it is to wax worse and worse toward the end. The notions destroying themselves, as the Seriptures say they will, by their own wisdom, yet blaming God for what they are doing themselves. And the time has come for “the two-thirds who Blood loyal with Michael to receive their reward, and this

is where another mystery comes m predestination. God foreknew the stand they took, so the promise is, “Those whom i foreknew I did predestinate to be conformed to the imago of my only Son,” and they will take perfect, immortal bodies during the 1000 years’ reign ot Ghrist, when there will be no more death, sorrow, or sickness, us all the former things will have passed away. Now, by an understanding of the evil or the consequences ot breaking Gods laws, man will be raised to a higher plane, us it says, “Ye shall be as gods knowing good and evil, showing the gods have all gone through their schooling, so why not man? So what benefit is it to have a man so good he’s good for nothing, but let us rather have the useful man, experienced in good and evil, and therefore able to judge between the two. In conclusion, friends, I would ask all Bible believers who are Christians, not “professing Christians,” to vote in a solid block against Prohibition and so uphold the Truth —the Word of God—otherwise you will line yourselves up with sly-grog sellers, bootleggers, etc., who, as you must know, will vote to a man for Prohibition, as it is the dfe of their illicit trade. Therefore, let the believers fulfil Scriptures in all righteousness, and do as it says, “Keep thyself pure; drink no longer water, but use a little wine (not over-much, you see), but a little wine, for thv stomach’s sake and thine other infirmities.” As so much is said about America, a few words will not be out of place. Now, I have just recently returned after pine years’ extensive travelling through ~ tne vs<ous States. I fully endorse what the Philadelphia Public Ledger says on the question, as reported in your issue of April 14. I often lemarked to friends in the States, “Why Prohibition is making thieves, rogues, and liars of people who never thought of such things before,” and since I have come back here I have remarked to friends when asked about conditions: “In comparison, America is very wet aud New Zealand very dry,” and what a relief to get back once more to law and order.”—l am, etc., Bible Reader.