Wednesday, November 1, 2000
Wednesday, November 1, 2000 |
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Consider the 'big picture' when voting on liquor issue By REV JOHN HATCHER When the Puritans set sail to Massachusetts, they had taken care to carry with them 42 tons of beer (in contrast with 14 tons of water) and 10,000 gallons of wine. When Prohibition became the law of the land in 1921, churches would requisition sacramental wine. In 1925, the Department of Research and Education of the Federal Council of the Churches of Christ reported that the withdrawal of wine on permit from bonded warehouses for sacramental purposes amounted in round figures to 2,139,000 gallons in the fiscal year 1922; 2,503,500 gallons in 1923; and 2,944,700 gallons in 1924. There was no way of knowing what the legitimate consumption of fermented sacramental wine was, but it is clear that the legitimate demand did not increase 800,000 gallons in two years. I share the historical information to confirm the point of many in regard to alcohol: although some Christians are against it; some Christians are not. Both groups can find their statistics and their spokesmen. Both groups can quote their Scriptures. A well-known Biblical expositor once told me that the strongest verse in the Bible against drinking was Paul's advice to his young disciple, Timothy: "No longer drink water exclusively, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments" (1 Timothy 5:23). The interpretation of the verse goes something like this: Timothy was so acutely aware of the dangers and detriment of fermented drink that Paul had to instruct him specifically to take a little wine for medicinal purposes. I also read that doctors made $40 million in writing prescriptions for whiskey in 1928 alone, one of the 13 years of Prohibition in the United States. So, let me draw some conclusions for myself as I deal with the special referendum scheduled for a vote for the city of Fayetteville residents come leap year election day, November 7. First, it has been highly circulated that once liquor by the drink passes in Fayetteville, we will attract better restaurants. Hogwash! Just look around Peachtree City and count the number of "better restaurants." Not there. If you want dinner for two at $100 a pop, take a nice drive to downtown, midtown, Buckhead, or out of town. Second, we've heard that "fine" restaurants don't want to come to half- dry Fayetteville because they can't make the big bucks. Hogwash! I heard from a bird that Applebeeswithout a pouring license is one of the chain's biggest money makers. And look who is moving in just down the streetRuby Tuesdays. Question: Did these chains build hoping we would pass liquor-by-the-drink or did they know they could make a lot of money with or without? Third, have you been reading about the teenagers getting killed on our highways? Question: After attending the funeral of a precious teenager, could anyone go into a secret ballot booth and vote for just one more ounce of alcohol to be more available to our young people? Fourth, do opponents have the right to impose their sense of right and wrong on everyone else? Yes! We did it in regard to Hooters. We also have the right to do it on liquor-by-the-drink. Regretfully, only residents of the city of Fayetteville qualify to vote in this election. Plus, residents will have to vote at the old city Depot. There is a quality of life in Fayetteville much in demand. In part, it's because of what we don't have and don't need. Let me urge Fayetteville residents to make the extra effort to vote in this referendum and consider the big picture. There's already enough beer and wine in Fayette County alone to float the Mayflower.
Rev. Dr. John Hatcher is pastor of River's Edge Community Church in Fayetteville. |
