“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!”  Isaiah 5:20 (ESV)

I have two distinct childhood memories that, for me, define the moral insanity that has gripped the American people today.  The first is the complete lack of anything that was “gay” or hinted at homosexuality being a normal and accepted lifestyle.

The second was the general consensus that drugs—the illegal kind— were bad for you, and that smoking marijuana was roundly condemned and criticized by the “older establishment” (our parents) and the government.

Though marijuana was smoked and homosexuality practiced,  both were deep in the closet and done in secret.   On an interesting point, a “pothead” was far more accepted than a “queer.”  What is equally interesting is that this term “queer,” far from being the term of endearment that it is today, was used in a derogatory manner to describe any male who acted effeminate.

Today, the tables have turned on the use of marijuana and the practice of homosexuality/lesbianism.  As noted in the paragraph above, a “pot head” in the earlier caste system of the United States was many levels ahead of homosexuality; now, it is more acceptable to be gay than it is to smoke weed, an interesting paradigm shift.

There is a movie titled “Reefer Madness” that was made in 1938 that tells of the dangers of marijuana.  It has become somewhat of a cult favorite, and for an old movie, it has a surprising number of over 420,000 views on Youtube.

In one section, beginning at approx. 29:32, two men, one a doctor and the other a government employee of the “Bureau of Investigation,” discuss several cases where criminal acts were committed by people high on the drug.  This particular case was of a “young boy, under the influence of the drug,  [who] killed his entire family with an axe.”

What makes this case pertinent is because of the recent tragic case of the South Carolina man, Timothy Ray Jones, Jr.,  who confessed to murdering his five children, ages one through eight.  One article  stated that the “controlled substance” Jones was on was “synthetic marijuana.”

(Photo above:  Timothy Ray Jones, Jr., who confessed to murdering his five children.)

This movie is dated and melodramatic, but the questions and concerns it raises are as valid today as then.  The United States government roundly and routinely condemned all use of marijuana, and to my knowledge, there was never any public talk of the medicinal benefits of the drug, unlike what is being pushed on the public today for its widespread use and acceptance.

(Photo above:  One of the main characters in the 1938 anti-marijuana movie, “Reefer Madness.”)

Today, there is little, if any, public discussion on the dangerous aspects  of marijuana.  Let’s be clear about something:  in my teenage years I smoked marijuana.  Not a lot, but I dabbled in it.  One of the reasons I never became an enthusiastic user is because of its negative effects:  fear and paranoia, which eclipsed any so-called benefits.  My experience is certainly not unique and isolated to myself; countless others exhibit the same and even more serious side affects.  Since this is true, why the sudden rush for legalization?

When you read the comments in “Reefer Madness,” you will see many that make light of the seriousness of the message this movie was seeking to convey.

Why this dramatic shift, from a drug once universally condemned to  now being acclaimed as one of the greatest pain benefits?  Why the mad rush for legalization?  And finally, why are the myriad stories of the harmful and dangerous aspects of weed being suppressed?

There is an interesting Greek word in the Bible used to describe witchcraft:  pharmakia, where we get the word “pharmacy” from.  One passage where it is used is in Galatians 5:19-21:

“Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.…” (NIV)

The word sorcery is pharmakia.  The “Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words” defines it as:

“…primarily signified ‘the use of medicine, drugs, spells;’ then, ‘poisoning;’ then, ‘sorcery…,’ In ‘sorcery,’ the use of drugs, whether simple or potent, was generally accompanied by incantations and appeals to occult powers, with the provision of various charms, amulets, etc., professedly designed to keep the applicant or patient from the attention and power of demons, but actually to impress the applicant with the mysterious resources and powers of the sorcerer.”

Such language is absent from the discussion of marijuana use in our society today, but the reality is, and I speak from personal experience, drug use opens up the door, for many people, into the bizarre and dangerous world of the occult.

The spiritual ramifications for marijuana use cannot be overemphasized.  If you believe that a Christian can smoke weed with no ill effects to their walk with Christ, this should be a clear indication that you have already been deceived by satanic forces. Again, I speak from personal experience here; drug use is toying with dark, spiritual forces that few today have adequate understanding of.

I urge anyone who smokes pot to carefully weigh what I have written.  If you claim to be a follower of Jesus and smoking weed does not offend your conscience, you have serious spiritual issues  with deception in your “faith.”  You must repent of this wickedness and see drug use for what it is:  an open door into the spiritual dark side.