News-Record.com

It doesn't amaze me that this is a religious issues. There are religions that plenty of people belong to (Islam comes to mind) that prohibit drink. The religious issue there is whether you or your fellow congregants should drink.

But the referendum was an affair of state. What people are marveling at, I would assume, is that some people were spurred by their faith to intervene in what really amounts to a ministerial (as in government, not pulpits) decision.

Of course, compared the vagaries, complexities and contradictions of the state's alcohol laws, Leviticus is relatively straightforward.

Alcohol consumption is NOT prohibited in the Bible, except for those who take the Nasserite vow, and prohibitions aimed at drunkenness.

The fact that many Christians in an area desire to protect THEIR community from something they consider detrimental is perfectly American. The more local the government, the better. The fact is that much, if not most, of the drinking done today is by those who have little interest in restraint and self-regulation, thus generating considerable distress and crime in a locality. But for a large segment of the population who do drink responsibly, it is a great inconvenience not to have alcohol available – restaurants, clubs, etc.

All things considered, however, I think I would opt for no public drinking, but ABC outlets for those who desire to have it. I say this only because alcoholism and drunkenness are not going to produce general public good; but rather car wrecks, death, broken homes, crime, and attendant health problems. A wet county will inevitably have MORE of these evils than a dry one. On the other hand, not serving alcohol in public venues will not of necessity produce a righteous society. Total prohibition only hides, or ignores, the real issues of godlessness, sin and depravity in a community.

The answer to these evils is the Gospel and a thorough knowledge of God’s Word. A righteous people are able to enjoy the social graces of alcoholic beverages because they do not have a sin-driven compulsion to abuse them. Nevertheless, it still requires vigilance, restraint and self-control. This was the case in the OT and the NT. I guess many Christians, et al., decide that it is not worth the risk of falling into the snares that alcohol CAN lay (David and Bathsheba). If they can garner the votes, then prohibition is the way a locality should remain. If the opposition can drum up more support then they can, then the reverse will become the law.

As I actually live in the vicinity affected, although I was not eligible to vote, I am glad it passed. I asked a police officer what the statistics were, and he assured me that Asheboro's numbers for DWI are just as high, per capita, as Greensboro, if not higher.

People who want to drink will pay the gas money to go and get it, then drink it wherever they can get by, including in the vehicle itself.

The director of the state zoo says it will mean many more visitors after the plans to build a new hotel come to fruition, and they expand the zoo itself, adding an Asian Continent exhibit area. The wholesale depression down these parts from massive job loss begs for new investment and sources of income. No matter the religion, one hopes people wish others can find work near their homes and not go starving.