Ethics of Using Alcoholic Beverages - Annotated Bibliography Example

Annotated Bibliography Bliss, Donna. Empirical Research on Spirituality and Alcoholism: A Review of the Literature. Journal of Social Work Practice in the Addictions. Vol. 7(4) 2007. (2007): Web. 18 Nov. 2014. According to Bliss, religiosity plays a very significant role in advocating consumption of alcohol. He argues that most religious practice preaches against the use of alcohol among youths and adolescents but does not discourage adults from consuming it. In his writing, Bliss also claims that the church perceives those who indulge in consumption of alcohol products as less spiritual (Bliss 9). He justifies his claim by saying that often spirituality is not compatible with abuse of alcohol. Bliss further claims that abuse of alcohol lowers an individual’s activeness in church and may even lead to one stopping going to church. From this assertion, one can deduce that the church considers alcoholism as one of the contributing factors for the drop of spirituality. In his work, Bliss also expounds on how the church plays a part in enhancing an individual’s recovery from abuse of alcohol. Additionally the author also provides detailed information on how the churches advocate abstinence from alcohol abuse (Bliss 16). Thus, through Bliss’ work one can learn that the church disregards abuse of alcohol very much. Christian, Robert. The Catholic Church’s Drinking Problem. Millennial Journal. (2014): Web. 18 Nov. 2014. According to Christian, the Catholic Church performs poorly on matters relating to abuse of drugs and alcohol. He claims that the church has failed to inform people on the impacts of consuming alcohol (Christian 1). The author further asserts that the Catholics often flip about drinking instead of confronting some factors that lead to its consumption. According to the author, most religious practices grant children of testing what they value after growing older instead of preaching against its use (Christian 1). It is as a result of emotional preparedness that a majority of the children end up consuming alcohol after growing older enough to make their decisions. According to the author, Catholic Church is one of the churches advocate moderate consumption of alcohol instead of preaching against its consumption in the society (Christian 1). Christian further asserts that some Christians consider drinking as a sin only after it starts to impair with one’s reasoning. Additionally, he claims that when one drinks alcohol in order to get high or to become drunk, he or she is committing a sin. From Christian’s argument, ; therefore, one can deduce that some churches do not consider the using of alcoholic beverages as a sin. Coetzee Elwin, Shipton W., and Takeuchi Ronald. Worldviews and Christian Education. Delhi: PartridgeIndia, 2013. Print. According to the Coetzee, Shipton and Takeuchi, all human beings were created in the image of God, and as a result of this, they are obliged to respect their bodies by avoiding intoxicating them with alcoholic beverages. The authors also assert that some selected communities such as Seventh-day Adventist associate the consumption of alcoholic drinks with unwholesome act in the society. In justify their point against the consumption of alcoholic beverages, the authors also provide a case of King Solomon, who advised people not to take wine or any strong drink (Coetzee, Shipton and Takeuchi 149). According to the authors, the Bible through King Solomon likened the consumption of alcohol with a bite of a venomous snake. The authors also assert that some Christians also accept the use of alcohol in the past. However, they argue that the consumed alcohol was made from fruits as well as grapes that used to be preserved in a way that is very unique to the current way of making alcohol (Coetzee, Shipton and Takeuchi 149). From the authors argument, one can deduce that majority of the Christians do not value the consumption of alcoholic beverages. Corbett, Andrew. What the Bible Says About Alcohol. Biblical Thinking Resources. (2011): Web. 18 Nov. 2014. According to Corbett, the Bible is clear on some things such as murder and lying. However, it does not clearly provide information on some practices such as consumption of alcohol. As a result of this, Corbett believes that some values are learned through becoming a Christian, as well as attending churches, (Corbett 1). In his article, Corbett expounds on the contradiction that exists concerning the consumption of alcohol. According to him, some godly and influential Christians used to drink alcohol during their times. In justifying this, the author gives an example of Martin Luther and Charles Spurgeon, who drank beer and hard liquor. In his article, the author also provides some information about some influential Christians who did not take alcohol in their life. According to Corbett, it is as a result of this confusion that many Christians find it hard to preach against the consumption of alcoholic beverages (Corbett 1). Despite giving some examples of some influential people who used to consume alcohol, the author of the article claims that the Bible provides people with the opportunity of deciding on what to do and not to do. However, the author also provides some biblical scenarios involving the consumption of alcohol and the outcomes. For instance, he gives the example of Noah, who had exposed himself to his daughter after consuming alcohol, and a warning the Lord gave to the Israelites about consumption of alcohol. The author through many other biblical examples proves that the Bible disregards the consumption of alcoholic beverages. Davis, Forrest. A View from the Pew: The Church Vs. Institution. New York: AuthorHouse, 2008. Print. The author of the book asserts that the Christian community is currently fragmented by biblical illiteracy as well as denominationalism resulting to contradiction to what the church is entailed to do. According to him, the variations in church teachings have led to the loss of believe in unified Body of Christ. The author also claims that the decision pertaining whether to involve in drinking alcohol beverages or not is one of the key contributors to the division of Body of Christ. In connection to this, the author also asserts that some Christian institutions preach against the drinking of any amount of alcohol beverage because they consider it a sin (Davis 307). In his writing, the author also contradicts his view about alcoholic beverage by asserting that there are some bible verses that justify the take of alcohol. For instance, he claims that the book of Deuteronomy as well as Ezra allows individuals to take alcohol because it is not a sin. Additionally, the author also claims that a very intoxicated drink was offered to God as an offering (Davis 313). Thus, from the author’s argument one can assert that the Bible does not perceive the drinking of alcoholic beverages as a drink. Sprinkle, Preston. What Does the Bible Really Say About Alcohol? (2014): Web. 18 Nov. 2014. According to Sprinkle, consumption of alcohol was not a taboo in the Christian history as it is today. He claims that John Calvin, as well as Martin Luther, consumed alcohol despite them being influential spiritual leaders. Sprinkle further claims that the Bible does not bar everybody from consuming alcohol as many churches do. According to him, the Bible condemns only the act of enslaving oneself to wine. Additionally, he argues that the Bible does not suggest abstinence from drinking as a way of preventing oneself from being drunk. Sprinkle believes that the dos and don’ts about consumption of alcohol are as a result of some individuals’ views about alcohol. The author further provides some Bible verses that justify the consumption of alcohol. According to him, people were allowed to consume alcoholic beverages in a controllable manner; the Bible only barred people from consuming too much alcohol. In his writing, Sprinkle also asserts that God used to be given two liters of alcohol six days a week. Under the old covenant, wine was considered a blessing and its absence a curse. In New Testament, Jesus also started a party by first making an over-abundance of wine. Thus, from these arguments one can assert that the Bible does not condone the consumption of alcoholic beverages. Works Cited Bliss, Donna. Empirical Research on Spirituality and Alcoholism: A Review of the Literature. Journal of Social Work Practice in the Addictions. Vol. 7(4) 2007. (2007): Web. 18 Nov. 2014. Christian, Robert. The Catholic Church’s Drinking Problem. Millennial Journal. (2014): Web. 18 Nov. 2014. Coetzee Elwin, Shipton W., and Takeuchi Ronald. Worldviews and Christian Education. Delhi: PartridgeIndia, 2013. Print. Corbett, Andrew. What the Bible Says About Alcohol. Biblical Thinking Resources. (2011): Web. 18 Nov. 2014. Davis, Forrest. A View from the Pew: The Church Vs. Institution. New York: AuthorHouse, 2008. Print. Sprinkle, Preston. What Does the Bible Really Say About Alcohol? (2014): Web. 18 Nov. 2014. Read More