cannabisnews.com: Faith is a Key





Faith is a Key
Posted by CN Staff on July 13, 2003 at 07:34:16 PT
Editorial
Source: Washington Times 
It was a foregone conclusion that Americans United for Separation of Church and State would concoct a reason to object to the White House's latest faith-based drug-prevention project. As part of a modest and commonsensical approach to fighting abuse, the White House is providing religious organizations with pamphlets, guidebooks and Web sites that provide guidance on addressing drug-related issues. 
But Americans United Executive Director Barry Lynn said the endeavor "raises serious constitutional problems." He also said, "The Bush administration seems to think there's a 'faith-based' solution to every social and medical problem in America." We believe faith is a key.   In his zeal to deride the administration's program, Mr. Lynn conveniently forgot that, according to recent studies, young Americans also seek faith-based solutions to problems such as drug abuse. In March, the American Psychological Association found that adolescents who consider religion important in their lives were half as likely to use drugs such as marijuana than those who don't. And a study by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse concluded that teen-agers who don't view faith as important are up to four times as likely to smoke marijuana.   Mr. Lynn's contention that distributing anti-drug guidance to a wide range of religious organizations somehow merges church and state is bewildering. He never quite explains how this alleged merger occurs. What remains clear, though, is that countering drug use among teen-agers is a priority for most Americans. Distributing information to spiritual leaders on how to guide youth toward a drug-free life is a small but important step toward that goal.   John Walters, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, was flanked by Christian, Jewish and Islamic community leaders as he announced the program on Thursday. Said Sayyid Syeed, secretary-general of the Islamic Society of North America, "we're proud to be part of this jihad on drugs and alcohol in America."   President Bush has long recognized that faith and charity are sibling sentiments. Giving religious organizations an opportunity to address some of this country's most glaring social ills comes nowhere near establishing a state-sanctioned religion. Americans in need of help — due to drug abuse, poverty, mental anguish or physical abuse, especially young people — need more than economic aid and physical comforting. Many simply can't even find a way out of addiction and those other problems without spiritual guidance and sustenance.   The White House's latest approach to countering drug abuse is well-conceived. Although we advocate a more voucherized approach, the central tenet of the White House program is valid: faith-based choice.   Source: Washington Times (DC)Published: July 13, 2003 Copyright: 2003 News World Communications, Inc. Website: http://www.washtimes.com/Contact: letters washingtontimes.comRelated Articles:U.S. Asks Church Groups' Help Vs. Drugs http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16820.shtmlNation's Drug Czar Touts Faith-Based Programs http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15974.shtmlBush's Focus on Antidrug Ministry Irks Some http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15537.shtml
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Comment #14 posted by FoM on July 13, 2003 at 15:39:09 PT
Rastafarians To Meet in Kingston
From correspondents in Kingston, JamaicaJuly 14, 2003RASTAFARIANS from around the globe will gather next week to discuss issues central to their faith, including the use of marijuana and repatriation to Africa. Hundreds of followers from the United States, the Caribbean, England and Africa will attend the July 16-24 conference at the University of the West Indies in the capital of Kingston, organiser Mitzie Williams said.
Rastafarianism emerged in Jamaica and spread throughout the Caribbean in the 1930s. The movement was largely fuelled by descendants of slaves and the anger they felt over the colonial oppression of blacks.The movement's message of social justice and African unity was popularised in the 1970s by reggae artists Bob Marley and Peter Tosh."The movement has proven to be quite dynamic, but it has not continued to grow internationally,'' Williams said. "We need to create an action plan for our progress and development.'' Complete Article: http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,6748940%255E401,00.html
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Comment #13 posted by FoM on July 13, 2003 at 14:59:13 PT
RevHappy 
I know in one country Nuns helped out at shooting galleries. Now that's progressive for a main stream church. I think it was in Scotland.
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Comment #12 posted by RevHappy on July 13, 2003 at 14:53:33 PT:
Thats why they have done so much damage
ok, lets say 80% of the weekly churchgoer not only votes anti-weed, but votes 80% of the time. And lets say 30% of the non churchgoer votes anti-weed, but only 30% of them vote.Even if there are alot more non churchgoers, which there are, they still dont vote in the numbers needed to overwhelm the minority.But you see, apathy is a disease. So those non-churchgoers volunteer less, donate less, and have worse jobs.And then I think about it. Not only are atheists lacking the religious-political machine to tell them how to vote and who to donate too, BUTAtheists are less likely to get good jobs. Especially here.Thats why the "moral majority", really a minority, are still jailing pot users. They control the jobs, the vote, and the churches. They are them.But We are the people. I understand the Celts dont have churches, they have feilds. Whatever you like, its your religion, and it should qualify for drug abuse programs that are in good standing with your own beleifs.I can see it now. Church sponsered shooting galleries, drug purity testing, aids testing, and financial help with abortions for destitute addicted mothers. Add Harm Reduction to the church programs, sounds great. Include 420Cleanser and bong cleaner even.
Busloads for Bonghits to Canada
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Comment #11 posted by FoM on July 13, 2003 at 12:40:49 PT
Duzt 
I agree. I haven't been to a church in about 15 years. I loved working with the kids but I couldn't handle legalism being preached. It got to a point when going to church caused me anxiety once too often and I felt I needed to stop going. 
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Comment #10 posted by Duzt on July 13, 2003 at 12:32:38 PT
Religion
I personally can't stand organized religion, but churches do help some people. Churches aren't museums for Saints, they are hospitals for sinners.
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Comment #9 posted by FoM on July 13, 2003 at 11:38:09 PT
John Tyler 
You're right, churches did serve a purpose then something went wrong. I believe the churches went wrong back when Reagan was President and people like Falwell and Robertson got into politics. We now have laws based on the beliefs of a few religious organizations. When I saw the churches getting political I knew it was wrong. Didn't the churches remember that they were suppose to render to Caesar the things that are Caesars and to God the things that are Gods? How much clearer does that need to be for them to see and to get it I wonder?
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Comment #8 posted by RevHappy on July 13, 2003 at 11:18:59 PT:
Fighting Drug Abuse with Teaching Drug Use
I want some of that faith based drug abuse money. In my church, cannabis is the best incense, part of communion, and an ancient and holy herbal remedy for everything from MS to menstral cramps.What happens when the Rastas get some of that government money to help their programms?
Marijuana Cheerleaders
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Comment #7 posted by John Tyler on July 13, 2003 at 11:09:40 PT
Churches
With regard to my earlier comments I do think churches are good and serve a great many useful functions in society. If I may again use a metaphor, "caring for the orchard". They are just not real good at giving instructions on how to achieve spritual conscienceness, (tasting the fruit). In the olden days I think they could. Somewhere in hisrory they just lost their way in this regard. 
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Comment #6 posted by FoM on July 13, 2003 at 10:30:36 PT
Faith versus Religion
I spent many years of my life going to church. Churches have a purpose. Churches are a place where people meet people of a like mind and find comfort there. Churches do good things like having a food bank. Helping people with a little money when they are in a desperate situation. There are ministries that visit nursing homes and prison ministries. I was a youth leader and we sold candy and when we made enough money I would take them to an amusement park like King's Island and they always had a great time. Church is good for helping but when it steps over the line and starts forcing people to do something a certain way that's when it gets bad.That's not right.
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Comment #5 posted by TroutMask on July 13, 2003 at 10:15:50 PT
With all due respect to the truly religious...
Man has battled "popular religion" for every bit of scientific and social progress over at least the last few thousand years. If we did things the "Bush" way, we'd all be living like the Taliban. How many more thousands of years does this have to go on?-TM
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Comment #4 posted by prop203 on July 13, 2003 at 09:52:50 PT
Lies
Let us continue teaching lies of the past, so humanity can stay traped in the dewindeling pit of future self distruction.The only thing religion dose in the long run is lead to alination and war.The answer is encoded in us (let us decoded it and not look to some Ghostly fairytale figure skyward).Be honest with your self.
Prop203
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on July 13, 2003 at 08:32:28 PT
News Article from The Washington Post
Subculture Store Finds Home in NW Basement 
By Manny Fernandez, Washington Post Staff WriterSunday, July 13, 2003; Page C05 The Brian MacKenzie Infoshop is a different kind of bookstore.It is run by volunteers, and it stocks the shelves with books and magazines for sale, for free and for in-store reading. Many staffers are Washington activists who have moved their defiance from the street to the world of retail. They operate the place as a kind of protest, filling the basement of a complex of renovated rowhouses in Shaw with some of the most incendiary and thought-provoking titles in the District.Complete Article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A45981-2003Jul11.html
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Comment #2 posted by John Tyler on July 13, 2003 at 08:01:15 PT
Taste the friut if you dare.
I did an informal survey and found that most people don't find God in "church". They found God first by doing drugs, namely LSD, mescaline, peyote, and phylosibin (sp). This revealed the spirit within each of us, which is just an extension of the greater spirit people refer to as God. (Read some Herman Hesse, Tim Leary, Edgar Cayse (sp), Autobiography of a Yogi.) I couldn't find anyone in chirch who could tell me anything about God. Yes,they knew the Bible and the dogma, but that was it. I asked them what good is it to know everything about the orchard, but to have never tasted the fruit? The fruit gives the orchard meaning. Sorry to go on like this. I hope no one is offended. 
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Comment #1 posted by Kegan on July 13, 2003 at 07:45:43 PT
Sent this to Wash times
What does Bush's faith tell him about making suffering sick people go to jail?
Or the people who help them?
Or doctors who give patients medical marijuana?
Or industrial Hemp?George W. Bush, that smirking monkey, is a sick and EVIL person.
He has more faith in oil, money, and power, than he has ever had in God. 
For what he has done to the environment and the whole world, he will burn in hell for ever and ever and ever. And I, for one, feel pretty good about that.Russell Barth
Ottawa, Ontario, CANADA
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