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Originally posted by Memnoch
They're weak if you are a person who is living without a strong faith in the judeo/christian god and his commandments, yes. I don't want this to become a thread about whether drugs are right or wrong, I hope to help jews and christians understand where the rhetoric of their faith lies, and see their reactions. In my opinion, someone who is true to their faith takes every commandment completely seriously. Were God to tell a faithful man, "You must hop up and down on one foot for ten seconds when you wake up every morning," that man should do so. Trite, I know.
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I was talking about this from a Judeo/Christian standard.
Ok, here's why they're weak from a judeo/christian standard:
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2) Drugs often create a great craving to eat food, even when one isn't hungry. This may lead one to gluttony, which the Torah warns against in the case of the rebellious child. (Deut. 21:18)
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Not all drugs do this, and if it does make you hungry, then are you eating when you aren't hungry? No, you're hungry, so you're eating.
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3) Drugs create other cravings and to relax one's moral guard, which breaks the commandment of "Don't go after your hearts and eyes," which means that we are to keep our physical drives in check.
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Basically this means drugs make you sexual and suspends your ability to hold off from doing what you wouldn't do if you weren't on drugs. That may be true if you're abusive with drugs, or if your drug of choice is alcohol of ecstacy... but other drugs and low amounts of those drugs are not going to overwhelm you so much that you have no control over yourself.
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4) One who does drugs (depending on the situation) breaks the commandment to honor your mother and father. (Exodus 20:12 and Deut. 5:16)
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If we're talking about children or adolescents, then this is applicable. Of if you want to do drugs later in life around your parents, then maybe. But when you're an adult in your own house?
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5 Doing drugs is also in violation of the commandment "to be holy," according to the interpretation of Nachmanides. (Leviticus 19:1)
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Actually, I'm sure this is referring to Leviticus 19:2.
Nachmanides says:
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"You should keep distant from sin and licentiousness, for wherever you find decrees against sexual misconduct you find holiness."
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(if there's another quote from Nachmanides, let me know... I think this is the famous one that everyone refers to)
So, one shouldn't do drugs because isn't holy. The great yardstick of God. If one doesn't have an inclination in their lives anywhere that drug use is wrong, and this is what they turn to in order to be convinced not to do drugs, it isn't going to sink in. How is drug use not holy? What people do and blame on drug use isn't holy, I'm sure. Again, it is a matter of the actions that accompany drug use and how much one uses. This is very open to interpretation.