The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-01-15
PROHIBITION
 AND THE BIBLE
By Rev. William A. Wasson,
 Riverhead. l.. l., N. Y.

What does the Bible teach us con-
 .erning the use of alcoholic beverages?
 This is not only an interesting but
 a very vital question to many of us.
 dn fact, it ought to be a vital ques-
 tfon to every one that considers the
 Bible an authoritative guide in the
 sphere Of religion and morals 1T the
 Bible were silent or neutral on this
 question of the use of alcoholic drlnk,
 then, of course, we should have to rely
 altogether on our own experience and
 reason. But it happens that the Bible
 is neither silent nor neutral. It's
 teachings in regard to this matter are
 clear and explicit and there is no req
 son why any intelligent person should
 be mistaken or in doubt as to the
 meaning of these teachings.
 Now, in dealing with and discussing
 the liquor question in its moral aspect,
 those that can show, or make people
 believe they can show, that the Bible
 is on their side, have a tremendous
 advantage over their opponents. For
 no sincere adherent of either Chris
 tianity or Judaism would wish to place
 himself In opposition to the teachings
 of the Book that he believes to be
 the very word of God. The leaders
 of the prohibition crusade have not
 been slow to see the advantage of uti-
 liking this religious sentiment. They
 know that if they can get people to
 believe that prohibition is not merely
 a question of political policy, but
 great moral and religious principle,
 they can win a very large number of
 converts to their cause who could not
 be reached by any other kind of ap-
 peal. Another reason why the pro-
 llibtionists have made their chief ap-
 peal to the religious sentiment and
 emotion is that their political platform
 cannot stand on it's own merits. It
 has been found wanting when tested
 1.r- a~ra
 craftsmanship. And so it presents it.
 self to the public under the guise of
 Il religious dogma. Strip prohibition
 of the sanctimonious robes with which
 it has clothed itself, ana, l venture to say that it would lose three-fourths
 of it's present. influence and power over the minds of the people. The
 prohibition agitators have worked and
 are working this religious plea for all stt is worth. It has been their trump card all the way through. They pro-
 claim with an air, of bold confidence That their crusade against rum" is
 based on the teachings of the Bible.
 This claim of biblical authority for their doctrine of total abstinence is
 clearly set forth in the very title of one of their most powerful societies, the Women's Christian Temperance
 Union. The title declares, if it de-
 clares anything, that what this so- ciety teaches in regard to the use of alcoholic beverages is in agreement with the teachings of the Christian
 religion. The fact is that the prohi- bition crusade from its inception down to the present moment has been a semi-religious movement. Churches have been used as the centres of the propaganda Ministers have preached prohibition from the pulpit as if that doctrine were part and parcel of the Christian faith. In a campaign l.. in Virginia were these words of sol- emn warning. "A vote for no-license is a vote for God; vote for license is vote for the devil" And recent " in another town in the South, the superintendent of Sunday school was summarily rem~v ved from his position because he believed in and publicly i advocated the policy of license and ! regulation. It will be interesting here 10 observe how curiously religion and | politics have gotten mixed up in this | crusade against liquor. As the prohi- | bition movement has become a semi | religious movement, so the churches l that have been. carried away by the | prohibition wave have returned the compliment by becoming semi-poli- | tical institutions. The politicians have turned preachers and the preachers have turned politicians. It is hard 1 for the uninitiated to see how this l mix-up bodes any good for either re- ligion. or politics in this country. For | my partI think it is very bad ! thing for both church, and State when l either of these institutions encroaches | on the rightful domain of the other.
 Now then if this claim that Chris | tianity is on the side of total abstin- | ence and prohibition is based on fact, | we nti-prohibitionists have, of course, . no just cause of complaint. If the , Bible is on the prohibition side of the | controversy, we canLot blame the pro- hibitionists very much if they use this | powerful weapon of religion to ad- vance their cause. But is this claim ! really based on fact? If not, then l the prohibitionists are sailing under { false colors and their movement is a> of deception and fraud. The question whether prohibition, as a political policy, is right or wrong, good or bad does not concern us here. The question that does concern us as honest men is whether these people have any moral right to claim the authority of the Scriptures to back them up. Now I charge the prohibi- i tionists with either ignorantiy or will fully misrepresenting the teachings of the Bible on this question of the use of alocoholic beverages. There is not one word in the Bible from beginning to end that prohibits or condemns the triffic in or use of alcoholic liquors. There is not word that even advises the people against the use of such li- quorS. When you ask a prohibitioniSt to point out passage in the Bible that supports his theory, he quotes some verse that condemns and warns men against the excessive or intemper- ate use of strong drink, as if that proved his case. Of course, the Bible condemns intemperance Whoever claimed that it didn't? And I would remind the prihibitionists that the Bi- ble condemns intemperance in speech as well as in eating and drinking It Is true that in biblical times certain orders and classes were forbidden to use wine, just as one tribe@Fas for oidden also to build or live in houses or 10 plant vineyards; not because these .hings were considered wrong, but for special reasons of church discipline or 10 preserve tribal customs and tradi- ions But the very fact that these few classes were commanded to ab- stain from wine is the strongest DOS sible evidence that the use of wine by he people generally was considered permissible and proper. Not only |. was wine Ca beverage containing from L2 to 20 per cent. of alcohoD not con- sidered a curse, in the Old Testament , times. but was considered one of the i choicest of all blessings. It was used n the most solemn rites of the Jew ; sh church. It was the symbol of di- Tine fervor of life, health, prosperity. It nourished the body and cheered the mind This is the Old Testament :