Drinking and smoking are sins.

First of all I would agree with you this is a very good debate and I respect and appreciate all the time and thought you put into this topic. However I must say I disagree with you on some of the conclusions you made. Other points you made I find actually helpful to my cause for instance, I compiled a list of a few points you borough out in your opening argument in regards to drinking. Here are a few... "neither enslaved to a lot of wine, teachers... moderate in habits, sound... not a drunken brawler, not a... not giving themselves to a lot of wine,... I believe the key theme in all of these is EXCESSIVE or too much. You would seem to agree with me, however some Christians would not. My hope was to debate one of the people who would disagree with me on both topics (drinking and smoking). You don't seem to though after all you have rightfully put it "It clearly states that drinking alcohol isn't a sin, but drinking too much is." and again "Ephesians 5:18, This shows that being a drunk person can be sin..." This much is true after all there is a fine line between drinking and getting drunk. We are going to call this line, moderation. Lets also take into account the fact that many Doctors have said that drinking a glass of wine everyday is healthy for your heart. So drinking in MODERATION can be beneficial to you! I stand by my word. Drinking is not a sin. For those who would believe it is consider the fact that arguably the most influential Christian author of our day who wrote the Narnia series drinks. That's right if you want to talk to C.S. Lewis about the Lord you will probably have to do it over a pint of Beer in an English pub near Lewis home. Can you picture Lewis sitting in a bar across from one of his friends like, J.R.R. Tolkien (who helped lead Lewis to Christ by the way) discussing the things of God over a drink? Cause it is not a rare occasion for them to do that. Also let us not forget that Jesus drink wine not only did he drink it but he MAD IT AS WELL! The truth of the matter is the Bible never says "don't drink." What it does say is, "do not be a drunkard." Or, "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18 KJV) There for it is up to you to moderate yourself. Now onto smoking. First off I want to make it clear that I am not a smoker. I felt as though a good bit of your article was spent trying to convince me to quit something I am not doing. I have never been a smoker and I have no desire to smoke now. Personally I think the smell of it is disgusting and I have no longing for lung Cancer either so I choose not to smoke. However my personal thoughts on the matter do not matter for they are strictly opinionated and my opinion certainly doesn't decipher what is or isn't a sin. But I have some interesting news for you. Have you ever heard of Charles Spurgeon? If not Charles was a Baptist preacher who God used extensively in England. His teachings are even often quoted today in Baptist churches in the U.S. on a weekly basis. The fact the he was a very devout follower of Jesus Christ is undeniable. It is equally indisputable that Charles Spurgeon SMOKED CIGARS! Many times WHILE PREACHING! When confronted on the matter he said he smoked in moderation. When the questioners asked him to explain what he meant by "moderation" he said, "Well I don't smoke two at a time," Many Christians today get their panties all up in a knot about smoking without taking time to realize that the Bible says nothing about it. So we are stuck using logic to decipher ware this gray area fits. However many of these fanatic Christians do not bring up gluttony which we have more problems with in the U.S. than smoking when it comes to health problems. All BS aside I know pastors who don't drink or smoke but they have serious weight problems! So if you or they are going to use the "Your body is a temple" catch phrase to prove your case you better take a look into the mirror the next time you walk by one because there are many "temples" that have some additional rooms that were not there in the original structural design! Now don't try accusing me of being judgmental or say that I am trying to justify something. I am not I am merely trying to make a point that we as a culture have decided NOT to take gluttony as seriously as other "sins" of overabundance. A lack of moderation is what we are dealing with here. How about dessert? There is nothing healthy about a hot fudge sundae! NOTHING! I would say the nutritious value is about equivalent to that of smoking crack! Its only purpose is for enjoyment and pleasure. It is high in fat and overloaded with sugar. It is not debatable that, a sundae does nothing of good for the temple. In fact people often joke around about how it is sinfully good! The point I am trying to make here is that sin isn't always what we think it is. There are many things that need to be taken into account such as the motive which I will try to go into a little more in my next and last debate. As a lead in I noticed you said, "Meanwhile, smoking does not make a person more appealing to others." I disagree, smoking may not be appealing to some or even MOST people but to another smoker, a smoker could be exactly what they are looking for in someone to talk to and or relate to. Again I will go into more depth about that in my next debate. I am just lacking the time and free space to go into details about this so stay tuned. In conclusion I believe that when it all comes down to it the problem is that our Christian culture(in the U.S.) has decided to label such things as drinking and smoking as sin based on their thoughts on the matter. Based on the fact that they dont like it. All I am trying to say here is turning something into a "sin" simply because YOU don't like it doesn't suddenly make it BIBLICALLY accurate.