The Question:
“Hi Tim. Happy New Year, I hope you had a wonderful and blessed Christmas. I’m just wondering if you can explain to me why you are in favour of legalizing recreational cannabis. You are obviously very informed and intelligent. As a Christian I have always believed in keeping the mind protected so that it can’t fall prey to the influences of the enemy. So that would mean alcohol is ok unless you get drunk. But the sole purpose of using cannabis is for its mind altering properties. I can’t reconcile that with my beliefs. I am fully 100% supportive of medicinal cannabis. I’m always interested in different viewpoints but it’s a very sensitive topic that always ends in abusive exchanges. Thanks and have an awesome day.”
*********
Happy New Year ‘Eternal Vigilantes’!
The inquiry above was private message to me via Facebook from a friend, and it was important enough to inspire this first ‘Eternal Vigilance’ Blog Post for 2020.
It is a fair question, and also supplies a common explanation as to why many Christians perceive the idea of cannabis law reform as being a negative step into chaos… thus think they should oppose legalisation.
So what follows is a relatively short explanation as to why I believe such a perspective is disastrously misguided.
I hope to show why as a Christian myself I am an enthusiastic supporter of cannabis legalization… on the strongest grounds of Justice and Good Christian values and ideals.
First I suggest Christians seeking to investigate this legal matter, should ask themselves…
“Who commits the greater Evil… a peaceful person getting high… or the person who calls upon an oppressive State to throw people in jail and ruining their lives because they enjoy cannabis?”
“What basis can you justify *your personal beliefs* as being a good enough reason to call for the persecution of others who dont share your opinions?”
“Have they not an equal right to their own opinion… how would you like it if they forced their personal beliefs upon you?”
“Do you seriously believe you have the Divine right to legally persecute Pot smokers?”
“Where is Freedom and the virtue of following your own conscience in any of this oppressive politics?”
This year’s General Election will include 2 ‘peoples referendum’. One on Legalising Euthenasia, and the other on Ending Cannabis Prohibition.
So these questions are being talked about by the politically awake sections of New Zealand, the Media, Social networks, etc as people either seek to be better informed on what is at stake, or seek to sway others into similar opinions to their own.
For Me the subject of Ending the War on drugs, esp the legalisation of Cannabis is one that I have spent a large amount of time advocating.
I have been an activist seeking to End cannabis prohibition for over 2 decades, in fact this was the topic that first got me interested in Politics and freedom as I had been in the West Auckland ‘Pot Scene’ as a teenager from the mid 80s… even before I became a Christian at the age of 18.
The Drug war was in full swing back then… yet despite the oppression, Pot was everywhere in West Auckland… Prohibition certainly *did not prevent* young people from getting plenty of it… and even though The Jack booted police raids and the criminalisation of youth was very oppressive… it did not deter young people from smoking it…. it just made them more defiant… and hate the police… and the society that was treating them like scum…. Cannabis was Sociable… Cannabis was enjoyable… and that was that…. no amount of Heavy handed Draconian Police raids and jails was ever going to stamp it out…
Cannabis use in New Zealand is among the very highest of all Western Nations.
Most adults have at some stage tried cannabis and a very large portion regularly do so.
The Police have had a war on Cannabis…. and cannabis has won!
The admission that the Drug war has failed is now a matter of Global realisation… New approaches are being implemented….
Many Nations have now legalised cannabis and have regulated markets.
Cannabis is also now recognised for having many health and medicinal benefits.
Where law reform has occurred recreational use has not increased, and Crime stats have improved.
Me, Max (Then NormL co-ordinator for the Waikato and organiser of Hamilton J day), Joe Citizen(Guest speaker), And Nandor Tanczos at Hamilton J day 2008
There is a strong argument that a Legalised yet regulated market for cannabis will actually reduce the amount available to under-aged users that is currently a significant problem under prohibition… just as having Licensed alcohol sales *reduces access* to underage drinkers… it cannot 100% prevent access… yet does significantly reduce it for a number of reasons… esp that venders will lose their licences to sell if they are caught supplying underage youth.
I got arrested several times before the age of 20, and those experiences taught me that *it was the system that was Evil*… not me. I knew that smoking weed was not like Violence to others… or like Theft… ie that my Pot smoking was no different to having a few beers… and that as long as I did not harm others that it was wrong for the government to punish me for enjoying myself with my friends.
This mistreatment by the system via these oppressive laws only served to alienate the pot smoking community and make them more sympathetic towards the *real criminal community*… having been made criminals themselves by the State… and so in this way does the unjust prohibition of cannabis *cause large numbers of citizens to lose faith in the justice of that societies Law and order* and Muddies the water of clarity as to what really ought to constitute a crime… and what does not justly meet the criteria by which it should be criminalised.
Via these unjust laws, the system is *actually manufacturing criminals out of peaceful people* from a bigoted and fanatical desire to force these people to comply to the Bigots demands.
When cannabis prohibition ends this will be a massive boon to our society on the law and order front as it will fix a situation that is a monstrosity of injustice and Bad Law. in fact I predict the legalisation of cannabis will easily prove to be the greatest law reform that will make our society safer, and more just so far this millennium!
I can think of no other law reform in the past 20 years that will have had as comparatively significant improvement in social justice and redeeming such a large section of the population from criminalisation… and with it a jump in respect for law and order in general.
I know this from first hand experience as to just how corrosive suffering the sting of cannabis prohibition by the state was to my own young perceptions about the justness of society and how alienating the legal persecution of pot smokers is.
It was from these experienced based insights that I began as a young man in my 20s to start my political activism to ‘Free the weed’.
25 plus years later… after many speeches at Jay days, and blog posts, etc and the effort of countless other Activists and heroes like Dakta Green, Chris Fowlie, Nandor Tanczos New Zealand is finally going to put the question of ending the War on cannabis to public referendum, and there is every reason to be positive that the People will call for an end to prohibition in favour of a decriminalized and regulated legal use similar to Alcohol regulations.
I have many more points that I could raise on this issue, yet the points above suffice as an introduction to how I became an activist to end prohibition and some of the most weighty reasons why calling for Law reform is justified… and urgent.
Hamilton Jay Day 2014 William Mckee, Gary Chiles, Dakta Green, and Tim Wikiriwhi.
Now I would specifically like to address why I say *Christians* ought to also support the referendum to end prohibition.
I am a Christian, and the first argument I would use to convince other Christians into supporting Law reform is because *Christians are supposed to stand up for the oppressed*… not cheer for their persecution!
When the Pharisee Saul was confronted on the Damascus Road by the risen Christ (later to become Paul The Apostle of Grace) he forsook moral legalism and never again took up stones to throw at Sinners, Heretics, or infidels.
God Gave him a New Gospel… the Gospel of Grace… That Christ had taken all the sins of the world upon himself on the cross and that Whosoever will Believe the Gospel will be saved… without works…. we are free from the Law that Condemns us.
By the cross are we sinners set free.
Having been freely forgiven for our own sins how then can a Christian justify being so legalistic and judgmental of others… by supporting oppressive laws like Cannabis prohibition?
You need to grasp this important fact…. that calling for an end to an unjust jack booted law is not the same thing as endorsing any such activities!
As a Christian I support the fact that Homosexuality is no longer a crime… or that a woman can no longer be burned at the stake for witchcraft… or that Prostitutes are no longer jailed… yet in none of these cases does that mean I endorse homosexuality, witchcraft, prostitution, etc!
It simply means I do not believe it is just to use the force of the Law and police to attack and control such activities… that (like smoking weed) are all non-violent… that are all in fact matters of adult Free choice… just like choosing to follow Christ is a personal freewill choice that cannot be compelled.
I dont want people to believe and practice witchcraft, yet it is not just… nor the true Christian way for me to impose my personal beliefs upon others by force of Law… who in reality have the same and equal liberty I have to peacefully follow their own conscience on religious matters.. and questions of religious ethics… just as I do.
And I have Free speech via which I can work to persuade unbelievers of the truth.
I have no use whatsoever for Laws to compel others against their will.
The reality is that *only the feeble minded* will demand the Legal system oppress sinners and infidels because they cannot summon a powerful enough reason based argument that is able to convince others to voluntarily abandon their vises and false beliefs.
Furthermore the *need to oppress* people who do not willingly follow the same values as you do *is definitive of the vile oppressive anti freedom… anti-equality of rights mentality and unenlightened ignorance that underpins the psyche of supporters of Tyranny and persecution.
Hardly Christ like attributes.
Legalised weed in no way imposes upon Christians any obligation to smoke weed or refrain from expressing their personal views about alcohol and drug use… it merely prevents them from using the Police as some sort of Religious tool to try and force sinners and infidels into submission.
Such oppressive means as the Drug war have not only proven to be a complete failure… but also are a distinctly *unChristian* means to try and get your way!
Christianity is never going to extend its true influence by such tyrannical means!
Christianity works via the preaching of the gospel!
By the power of persuasion… and by personal example!
Christians persecuting Pot smokers in the name of Christ are doing the devils work!
You are causing the Name of Christ to stink in the eyes of those you are persecuting!
You are making them think of Christ as a source of heartless oppression… not salvation!
Woe unto you when you stand before the Lord and give account of your deeds!
Read: NORML J DAY PROTEST HAMILTON 2014
The moment you abandon tyrannical moral legalism and start to practice Christian love and grace towards sinners will your whole Christian ministry cease to be like the Whited sepulchers of the Pharisees… and you will become like Christ and st Paul… who took God’s messages of Love, grace, and forgiveness to the sinners…. and instead of persecuting them… you show charity and grace towards them… showing them that they are important to God, and that they have value… instead of calling for them to be dragged off to jail!
Ie you will cease to act like their hateful enemy and start to appear more as a minster of the gospel… of Peace… of Love… of mercy.
For we Christians are not under the law!
Who among us is Holy and without sin?
who among us is worthy to cast the first stone?
Why then… if you admit your own moral failings would you think yourself Pious enough to gazed down from a higher plain assuming divine sanction to impose your own hypocritical self righteous opinions on your unwilling friends and neighbours?
The bottom line is unless other peoples actions actually do you violence… and *violate your rights* rather than mere appear immoral to your personal sensibilities … there can be no justification for passing a law against them… and so if you seek to remove certain practices from society you can only do so righteously in the eyes of the Lord *via persuasion*.
He has given you no sanction to persecute sinners and infidels.
‘If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.’ Romans 12vs8.
Thus if you can convert a sinner into believing the Bible, then that is the start for them having ‘a new life’ guided by the scriptures…. by which they will voluntarily begin to reshape their behavior in line with Christian values and ideals.
*That is How Christianity is the salt of the earth… that is how Christianity leads to a better more civil society… via evangelism and standing up for the oppressed.
*IE Christianity Flourishes in freedom*… it is Freedom that is conducive to Christian evangelism and ministry…
This being so watch how the vile Socialists are trying to outlaw Christians promoting their values!
Ref: Israel Folau
The Truth is the Christian Fellowship is not fundamentally a Political faction… but a Private Voluntary society…
Pray for Liberty!…
“Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
St Paul (1Tim2vs1-4)
Read more here THE CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP IS A VOLUNTARY PRIVATE SOCIETY, NOT A THEOCRATIC POLITICAL MOVEMENT.
What we see from the activities of the WOKE Politically correct Social justice warrior Antifa type movements is that they are *Anti-Freedom* Pro-legalistic tyranny… and seek to use Political force to impose their lunatic and ungodly perversions upon Christians, Conservatives, and Libertarians alike.
The answer to their tyranny is not an equal yet opposite form of tyranny and persecution of the Liberal left… but the advocacy of Freedom and tolerance, and a large sphere of personal choice and responsibility.
This is why As a Christian who understands the difference between Old testament Jewish Nationalism and Moral legalism, from Gods New Dispensation of grace towards us gentiles *as individuals* via the Cross and a personal relationship and walk with God whereby we ought to choose freely to embrace Gods morally… not from Political coercion… but from our love of God and our desire to live lives pleasing to him.
We are not called to act like Pharisees…. but are supposed to be messengers of God’s mercy and grace via the good news of the cross!
Now tell me how you can reconcile this true modus opperandi of the christian faith with ongoing support for oppressive laws against peaceful people?
Persecution is not the Christian way to ‘save society’… it is definitively oppressive… the way of Satan’s Tyrants.
The People of New Zealand have the opportunity this year to abolish a grave injustice that has been perpetrated against their own Youth, friends, and neighbours and improve our societies Legal system significantly with virtually no down side.
I implore my countrymen not to let this opportunity pass without boldly voting for Law reform and an end to the Nasty and failed War on Cannabis.
Tim Wikiriwhi.
Christian Libertarian.
More from Tim….
My weighing up on the very controversial subject of legalising Euthenasa …. CHRISTIAN GRACE AND COMPASSION FOR THE SUFFERING. AGAINST SUICIDE, YET TOLERANT OF EUTHANASIA.
As usual I lean towards Liberty and Grace… away from Dictatorial prohibitions.
PROTESTANT CHRISTIANITY HAD A BABY… LIBERTARIANISM.
Christianity is Pro Freedom and rights, whereas Atheist Materialism is anti-rights….
MATERIALISM RENDERS MAN NOUGHT. MEANING-LESS, VALUE-LESS, RIGHT-LESS
You need to understand the Bible better!
True Christianity is *Libertarian* in its modus opperandi….
Read THE IRONY. WHY I FOLLOW ST PAUL… NOT JESUS.
On Homosexuality and their hatred of Christianity because of historic persecution…..
Read DAVID BOWIE… STEPPING THROUGH THE DOOR… FAGS, FANATICS,FREEDOM AND FATE.