Republican versus Democrat. OSU versus OU. Tulsa versus Oklahoma City. High Wayne Coyne groupies versus drunk Blake Shelton fan girls. Through associating with one group or another, it seems like everyone in Oklahoma has a rival. But no feud has ever been as volatile as this one. Prepare yourselves for our state’s newest rivalry: the Baptists versus the stoners.
Via NewsOK…
EDMOND — Oklahoma's Southern Baptists, "alarmed" about the trafficking and abuse of illegal drugs, want Oklahomans to resist efforts to legalize recreational use of marijuana in the state.
Delegates gathered Tuesday for the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma's annual meeting approved a resolution expressing concern about the "rapid advance of acceptance of recreational marijuana and the trafficking and abuse" of other addictive and illegal drugs.
Hold up one second. If Oklahomans want to be able to buy regulated, legally grown and distributed marijuana instead of a Ziploc baggie full of ditch weed sold by some guy in an Adventure Time hoodie, shouldn’t that cut down on the need for, and thus presence of, illegal drug trafficking and abuse? If that’s the case, you would think that the Baptist General Convention would totally support the recreational marijuana initiative. But it seems like the Notorious BGC is really wanting Okies to get high on something else… the power of Jesus.
"We believe that every state and authority should protect its people from the trafficking of illicit drugs, and we know that the abuse of drugs leaves neighborhoods and schools vulnerable for exploitation," Baptists said in the resolution approved Tuesday at First Baptist Church of Edmond, 1300 E 33rd Street.
"We pray that the citizens of Oklahoma will oppose the legalization of recreational marijuana and that the church will be proactive through Christ-centered ministries to reach people who are addicted to substances."
They seem to be making the argument that smokin a doobie and thinking Jesus is just alright are mutually exclusive. And I kind of get it. I mean, nowhere in the Bible does Jesus give us the thumbs up to use marijuana. So I guess if the Baptist ministers really want us to be like Jesus, we should start drinking wine with every meal.
Hayley is a licensed minister in Oklahoma. Follow her on twitter @squirrellygeek
