I love God, and I stand strong for my religion, but I have recently gotten into pot.  Does this mean I am going to hell?

Sincerely,
Dabbling In Drugs

Dear Dabbling In Drugs,

God is the judge of the living and the dead (1 Pet 4:5)… we cannot make the judgment on whether you will go to heaven or hell, but we can say that you are doing things opposite of what the Bible teaches.  Consuming marijuana for “recreational” purposes is wrong.  God created every green herb on day three (Gen 1:11-13), but He didn’t create them to be used inappropriately.  God condemns drunkenness and insobriety (Rom 13:13, 1 Cor 6:10).  If any drug, including marijuana, is used to create a state of drunkenness – then, yes, it is a sin.

God created everything in this world for our good, and He created us for good works (Eph 2:10).  Abusing the plants and herbs that God has blessed this world with harms us and is a sin.  When we don’t treat our bodies with respect, we harm ourselves as well as displeasing God (1 Cor 6:19-20).  Glorify God in your body and stay free of the damaging effects of drugs.

My question is: as christians do we celebrate Christmas? And what is the significance of December 25^th to Jesus Christ?  Thank you!

Sincerely,
Holly And Jolly

Dear Holly And Jolly,

Many people believe Christmas to be a spiritual holiday, but the Bible never commands us to celebrate Jesus’ birth on December 25^th (the truth is, no one knows when Jesus was born, but it was most likely in the spring or summer because the shepherds were out – Lk 2:15).  Christians are commanded to remember Jesus’ death every first day of the week (Acts 20:7, 1 Cor 11:24-25)… we are never commanded to remember His birth on an annual basis.  Christmas is not a biblical holiday.  There is nothing wrong with celebrating it as a family holiday, but it is wrong to teach that there is a biblical foundation to it.

Christmas can be traced back to the Roman pagan holiday of Winter Solstice (also known as ‘Saturnalia’ because it was in worship of the god, Saturn).  As Catholicism tried to integrate itself into a pagan Roman world, Christmas was instituted by Pope Julius I on December 25^th as a way to assimilate the pagans into a Catholic worldview.  In short, Christmas has never been a truly biblical holiday; it is a manmade tradition with no bearings upon your salvation.

I got a pretty ring in a market a while ago, and the design is a backwards S.  I curiously looked up the meaning of a backwards S, and someone said it meant all things un-holy/saintly or devoid of spirit.  I am not sure if it is correct, but I don't think I should wear it if it is.  Please help!

Sincerely,
Jewelry Junkie

Dear Jewelry Junkie,

Many people wear jewelry that depicts ancient idolatrous behavior (almost all Native American artwork falls into this category).  As Paul said, “we know that an idol is nothing” (1 Cor 8:4).  Just because something once stood for something wrong, doesn’t mean it still does.  We couldn’t find anything that verifies the idea that a backward ‘S’ stands for unholiness, but even if it once did, that doesn’t mean it still does in our modern culture.  The jewelry has no intrinsic evil to it; it is only if it is perceived as an item of worship or if it is making a statement of faith (or anti-faith in this case) that it becomes sinful.  If people believed you were wearing the jewelry for religious purposes (or if it offended your conscience), you would have to stop (1 Cor 8:7-9).

I attend a non-denominational church, and there is a member that states that if you read anything other than the King James Version that you are bringing damnation upon yourself.  I have the New King James Version.  He says that the new version is adding to and taking away from God’s Word.  How should I respond to this?

Sincerely,
Too New?

Dear Too New,

The King James version (KJV) was originally published in 1611.  It was a translation authorized by King James of England to provide an accurate, modern translation to the masses.  For many years, it was the best, precise translation into English.  However, to say that the KJV is the only accurate translation, or that it is a sin to use another translation, is going way too far.

Using that logic, we should never read the Bible except from the original Greek and Hebrew!  If we are going to get technical, the original Greek and Hebrew are the most precise copies of the Bible out there.  Or what if we lived in Germany?  Or Russia?  Is the KJV the only version that can be used in those countries… even though they don’t speak English?

God divinely inspired every word of the Bible (1 Cor 2:13, 2 Pet 1:21), but each translation is a work of man.  The important thing is to make sure that you use a Bible translation that has been written by qualified, unbiased translators.  The New King James is an excellent example of high quality translation work.  We are also partial to the American Standard and the New American Standard.  The KJV is a good translation, but it doesn’t have divine authority above all other translations.

To Our AYP Readers,

We’d like to answer a question that we get repeatedly at this site… but never post.  From time to time, our website is solicited by advertisers.  Companies offer to pay us money in order to put advertisements on AskYourPreacher.  As you have probably noticed, there are zero ads on AYP.  The reason we politely decline every time is because of Bible principle.  AskYourPreacher is run by the Monroe Valley church of Christ in Monroe, WA.  As a part of our congregation’s work, we aren’t trying to make money or increase revenue, we are trying to give honest Bible answers to people… free of charge.  We have no ulterior motives or hidden agendas.  God has designed for a local congregation to get its financial support from its membership (1 Cor 16:1-2).  We don’t use fundraisers, advertisement revenues, telethons, pledge drives, sales, etc. to fund the work here in Monroe… we simply don’t believe that is right.
Our congregation seeks to offer the Good News of Jesus Christ free of charge to those who are searching for it.  We try and get people in touch with other local congregations in their area when possible (after all, it is the world-wide web!), so our readers can grow and be supported by faithful churches.  We aren’t interested in your money; we are interested in your souls.  We believe firmly in doing Bible things the Bible way – and that includes how we run our finances.  So, we promise that you will always find our website ad-free.