I don’t drink alcohol. Never have and probably never will. Nor do I allow it in my house. Years ago I would have been offended in social situations to have my friends and aquaintances drink in my presence. Yet I’m now becoming more and more accommidating and flexible. I realize that drinking is part of life for some people.
I’ve always been told by my religious leaders that social drinking is definitely a sin and that we should always stay away from it. Yet we find that Jesus’ first miracle is turning water into wine in a wedding feast. We are told that the wine they used wasn’t as potent as it is now. Not being a Biblical historian I’m inclined to believe them. Yet the water to wine scenerio is there, pointing to the fact that alcohol was part of their diet in Bibical times.
Consequentally one’s social preference on drinking has alot to do with the social mores taught by their religious leaders. For example I’ve heard stories of Catholic priests having a drink at certain social gatherings. Yet for us church-of-Christ raised people you would never see alcohol at an event attended by fellow church members.
Other more liberal Christian denominations must teach that drinking in moderation is acceptable. That must be the case, or else we’d be still living in prohibition.