Some people say Catholics can drink but in moderation. That makes it sound like the RC church has a soft prohibition against alcohol. The RC church has no prohibition against alcohol. But always moderation. St. Thomas Aquinas said even "immoderate laughter" can be a venial sin, I think he meant if you take it too far. But smoking? No. There's no safe amount of smoking, so I'd say it's never moral for Catholics to do. Gambling is okay though. They do it in every Catholic country. And dancing. Women's skirts are okay if they don't reveal anything above the knee I know. For drag queens, I don't know. The pope has only ruled on gay marriages. Nothing on transvestitism yet.
And as the Pope wends his way through that merry dance, I'm sure he'll need a few drinks. I reckon his preferred stance will be seated. I've been in several so-called Catholic countries and, really, the thing about short skirts is odd. Tourists and locals alike, wear skirts almost as short as a belt. Not complaining; just passing on my observation.
The idea of drinking in moderation seems strange to me. I mean who stops at 3 beers? And even if everyone was drinking in moderation there are always going to be those that have more of a disposition toward alcoholism. You can't tell an alcoholic to drink in moderation thats rediculous. And if you are a sober alcoholic and you are hanging out with a bunch of people that are drinking in moderation then that is just a terrible situation to be in and isn't fair to the alcoholics at all. I think it needs to be black and white. Either its ok to drink or it isn't. Drug/alcohol habits affect not only the user but those that they associate with as well. Imagine being ostracised by your church because you weren't drinking moderately enough and you overdid it. That hardly sounds fair.
Imagine being ostracized by your church because you were caught masturbating, watching porn, smoking pot, engaging in a friendly game of poker where the stakes were $5.00, etc. After all, all of those things, if done to excess, could cause problems and supposedly lead to worse things. I used to hang out with a bunch of guys who were ostracized by their church for being divorced. Apparently, that church, the Church of Christ, holds the man responsible in such cases, cuz he obviously wasn't exercising proper control over his woman. I personally wouldn't ostracize anyone for belonging to a church like that, but it doesn't fit my concept of what Christianity is about. Jesus wasn't much into ostracizing people. He hung out with tax collectors, prostitutes, and other kinds of sinners, and was accused of eating and drinking to excess. And He didn't deny it (Luke 7:34). "The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at this glutton and drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is vindicated by her actions.” (Mat.11:19) Was Jesus a Christian? Probably not. That was a label given to us long after His death by non-Christians. Many who use it today are essentially Latter Day Pharisees. Jesus told us :"Love one another" (John 13:34-5) and "Judge not, lest you be judged". (Mat. 7: 1-3). I personally don't drink alcohol at all, nor smoke anything, nor do drugs, nor engage in extramarital sex, and my idea of a good time is going to Bible study. (Notice I didn't tell you what I do that makes God unhappy and would result in disapproval if found out! ) Yes, I, too, am a sinner. Pray for me. But please don't ostracize me!
