Question: How does the Bible describe drunkenness?
As we discussed in our last article, one of the primary arguments against Christian Recreational Cannabis Use (CRCU) is the belief that marijuana intoxication is similar to drunkenness and should be prohibited based on the Bible's prohibition of drunkenness. But is this the correct view? Are the Biblical descriptions of drunkenness in fact similar to the effects of cannabis intoxication? In order to find out, we will need to examine the Biblical evidence.
To do so, I have searched the English Standard Version (ESV) of the Bible for all instances of the word "wine," all verses that include the words "merry" and "heart," and all variations on the word "drunk," including "drink," "drinking," "drank," and "drunkard." Many of the verses that included the words "wine" or "drink" were regarding drink offerings and did not offer insight into the question at hand. Many other verses were regarding the prohibition of alcohol use for special groups of people at special times (Levites, Nazarites). And while these verses may lend weight to other arguments against Christian Recreational Cannabis Use (CRCU), and we will be sure to look at them more closely in future articles, they do not provide evidence of what the Bible says that drunkenness is, and therefore are of no help in determining whether drunkenness is similar to marijuana intoxication. But from the results, I have narrowed down the list to all of the passages that include specific descriptions of alcohol use and drunkenness, which we will look at in order of appearance.
