Liquor Prohibition is Better Than Consequential Sacrifice
Much has been talked and published about liquor prohibition in Nagaland as an approaching noise of war and a looming disaster. There is fact in it because it will wipe away generations if timely measure is ignored. The Church blows the trumpet loudly with mechanism to promote the NLTP Act passed in 1989 and is voicing against a motion of repealing of the Act. A public conscience raised by the Church should be appreciated in a land of Christians. The Church is symbolized as a watchman to blow the trumpet to warn against the sword that is coming upon people (Ezkl 33:6). Various views and opinions have been expressed. As neutral man and an observer, the author of this article wants to make an unbiased and realistic statement which may help the issue of war footing. In this, he is responsible for opinions and views expressed herein.
Liquor relates to a family of alcohol, wine, and other intoxicants. Liquor influence is devastating. Therefore, alcoholic prohibition has been a key issue in our world regardless Christian, Islamic, or Hindu nations. Both the Bible and Koran talk against drunkenness and insanity caused by liquor and alcoholism. For instance, being plagued by evil effect of unrestrained liquor and alcohol that caused social evils like mafia, thievery and racketeering, the Christians were the first people to move for liquor prohibition in USA beginning from 1840 leading to outlawing alcoholic and beverages in Kansas state in 1881. The steps taken by the Christians were appreciated and promulgation was declared.
Direct Result of Liquor Effect:
Manifold reasons of
Prohibition commonly expressed
Intellectual Disorder
Drunkenness leads to complete or partial loss of sense, resulting in anti-social violence and crime. It kills man’s capacity to distinguish between right and wrong, good or evil, virtue or vice. Reasoning power which God has created is ruined. Liquor in human body begins to control higher factors such as judgment, sense of responsibility and moral integrity. When our good quality is depressed, lower inhibition such as moral and social quality is suppressed and inactivated. Sense of reality is gone. Wine relates to nervous breakdown and degeneration.
Physical Harm
Gastric irritation, vomiting, behavioral changes such as depression and aggression are the consequences. Diseases such as insomnia and nightmare, convulsive seizure and fits, hallucination, and loss of real world to a fantasy world are common. Thus, the basic function of a human body such as seeing, feeling and hearing become abnormal and paralyzed. Other sickness such as delirium tremens (confusion and disorientation), neurological disorder, irreversible disability, digestive disorder, pancreatitis, diabetes, and nutritional deficiency are the symptoms.
Complication of liquor will bring complication to our human world, society and family. What a regrettable pity! It is the road that leads us to death.
Economic Damage
Drinking destroys both health and wealth. He spends his money outside of his family. Drinking leaves no room for wealth. It is the root cause of poverty resulting in dropouts in schools and society. The fathers keep drinking out there while their children suffer dues of tuition fees and worn-out school uniforms, pigs and chicken unfed, electrical and telephone bills piled up. On top, think of the behavior of the drunkard. Thus, drinking associates with gambling that brings empty hand.
Social Destruction
It kills the peace and tranquility of a family and society. Generations and posterity are killed. Descendants become weak, causing euphorbia. Addiction leaves no room for health. Doctors report that the skin textile of a 40 year drunkard is as old as the textile of 70 years old man. A drunkard has lost social sense or an obligation to his society. Children scoff and look down upon him. Such a person defies laws and social canons. Drunkenness cause high rate of crime and accidents. Healthy social orders and systems are abused.
Psychological Disorder
Doctors’ research reveals that children of alcoholics are affected by plagues of fainting, migraine, hot temper, lunacy, and mental disability. A German doctor said that ‘the effect of an alcoholic lasts for at least three generations.’ What a great loss! Gaining the whole world with loss of ‘self’ profits nothing (Luke 9:25). When ‘salt and light of the world’ is the address of the Lord Jesus (Matt 5:13,14), it refers to psychological value and quality of life. Look, an educated person being overpowered by the power of liquor.
Spiritual Downfall
A drunkard has no sense of ‘sin.’ Self-restraint is gone. His spiritual gear is out of control. Success of a nation is remote when its citizens are in dirty and murky relationship with their Creator. If a non-Christian nation views liquor with seriousness, what about Christians? The Bible recognized the damage caused by wine and termed it as ‘mockery’ (Prov 20:1). Wine problem was a battle in the Jewish society (Jer 35:6-8).
Human bodies are the temples of God which must be preserved and kept healthy (1 Cor 3:16, 17; 6:19, 20; 2 Cor 6:16). We must not allow liquor to enslave our body.
Worldwide Liquor Prohibition
Reasons are obvious as discussed aforesaid. Nations around the world, including a number of states in India, make every effort to prohibit alcoholics from time immemorial. It means ‘effort to save humanity from devastating liquor evil effects.’ Prohibition laws were passed but without much success. Failure of prohibition is due to lack of action, disobedience, breaking of laws, illicit distilleries and breweries, and of course, illegal imports and leakages. It is all because of human problem and crave for money. Circumscribing and restriction were collective decision but implementation process becomes impotent along the way. Islamic nations (Arab countries) pass law of legal drinking age (18-21 years). But it gets flopped down on the road.
On the whole, prohibition brings a conscience to each nation. US prohibition law stated:
“Prohibition did make the nation conscious that corruption of the land and of the populace may be the consequence of a law which is not reflective of the moral and mores of the time.” Liquor kills the conscience of a nation. A strategy to eliminate evils caused by alcohol is still a continuous attempt of each nation. Sickening factors such as untimely death, serious mental disorder and inner brokenness of a family are common concern of our human world. The fact is that prohibition of alcoholic is always the outcome of conscience of right and wrong, good and evil, and merit and demerit.
Nagaland Context
Liquor Prohibition
The NLTP is a result of much Prayer and Faith in God. Seeing deadly and evil effects, prohibition movement was underway as early as churches were organized into a council. The state, Nagaland, is a land of Christians with Christians in authority and leadership. The land is a gift of God with decorated inviting mountains and hills. But more important than nature is the people. The legislation and enactment is a providence and an intervention of God. It is a very unique example in India and even in the world too. Reversal or revocation will be a mockery and will cost us heavily. Evil effect of alcohol (rice-beer) was an issue even far before Christianity in Nagaland. Control or restraint was the catchword in families and social events.
Failure of Implementation
Illegal supply, leakages and osmosis loopholes are due to lack of action in implementing functionary. Painful, but lawmakers become law breakers. Regrettably least attempt was given to implementing mechanism
A Common Concern Observed
Dignity of citizens will create dignity of a secular state. A mature public is the result of a people of sobriety and clear conscience. A responsible public leader or a government authority will act, not simply watching an insane movement caused by unrestrained drinking expecting something better to happen. Genuine parents will certainly not allow their family to be fractured and disordered by influence and infliction of liquor disease. A society is plagued when God-given sense is lost in drinking.
Question of Liquor Regulations
Factors include revenue, failure of implementation, illegal supply, consumption by army and paramilitary in the state, and perhaps lobbying forces. Before considering ‘lift of prohibition’ general public opinion should be sought about advantage and disadvantages, and human value and quality that liquor can generate or destroy. Certainly lifting of prohibition shall be based on regulation like license, designated location, law of legal drinking age, and perhaps mass awareness and public education. But few pertaining issues that should be deliberated are:
1. Are the people mature enough to abide by the liquor laws and regulations?
2. What can be the environment after lifting in public places? Prohibition itself creates a legal awareness in society and a fear of law. Aftermath will make a difference.
3. School students aging 13-16 received discipline on account of drinking. What can be our school and institutional environment when free liquor sale is promulgated?
4. Salaries of many fathers (and mothers) never reach their wives and children. What guarantee do we have to check on in order to avoid a worse consequence?
5. Our children are instructed not to indulge in drinking. Think of consequence of free sale and drinking. The word ‘miserable’ can best describe our homes.
6. Our generation is climbing the ladder of academic excellence and elevation. What can be the graph if our young brains are damaged?
7. Peace and tranquility of a family is the strength of a nation. Can a broken family bring principle of honesty, integrity and credibility to churches, social circles, NGOs, schools and government offices?
8. There is no debate about economic progress. A beast has no sense about economic security. Let us think first if liquor revenue can uplift our economy or bring poverty and devastating consequence when human minds are captivated by evil of alcohol.
Thus, Nagaland is in a crucial and peculiar situation regarding prohibition Act. We can regulate the Act with a success though other nations fail, proving that impossible is possible with God. In this, the matter is the choice and determination of the people.
Nagaland Can Still Make A Difference
Churches must be appreciated by the general public of the state, irrespective of religions and Christian denominations, for expressing deep concern and taking stance for physical, social economic, social and spiritual wellbeing of the people. The subject now is not ‘consumerism’ but salvation of total human value. It is the fact that human institutions and secular governments wrestle and struggle with issue of evils of liquor influence.
Thanks be to God for total liquor prohibition. The state government is to be thanked and placed on record by generations to come for passing a unique history of Act. The result of NLTP Act is academic progress, low rate of crime and liquor influenced accidents, and graphic economic progress. Acknowledging human problems, much difference is seen in the state. The prohibitory Act gives a legal consciousness and fear of prohibitory law. What could have happened by now if there were no prohibition in Nagaland?
We can now discern what, if the Liquor Prohibition is repealed, will invade into human institutions like our family, churches, government offices, social centers, public points, schools, traffics and market places! Analogically, liquor is like a match stick. It is, therefore, high time to put out the fire before it gets wild to consume the entire forest. A new joint implementing mechanism by the state and Church is the need. Church exists for dimension of spiritual, social and human wellbeing. Church exists in human culture with a prophetic role, and Christians living with people as salt and light. But transformation comes about only when ‘right and wrong’ or ‘good or evil’ conscience is verbalized to be accepted or rejected. “What Church is doing?” is the expression and expectation when it comes to critical moment in Nagaland – be political or social issues. It is the right time for the Church to give God guided direction to the generation in a time such as this.
A Mechanism
Passing the ball, blaming the authority and criticizing the Church may not bring a solution at this juncture. Jointly we have to do something together concrete to make a better future.
1 Uphold and reinforce the prohibition Act.
2 Include Church and NMA in implementing functionary (state and district levels).
3 Develop a habit of overcoming drinking.
4 Lawmakers handle prohibition circumspectly.
5 Pass law of legal drinking age (18 years of age?)
6 Strictly protect educational environments.
7 Grass-root level biblical teaching and counseling by churches.
8 Frequent review, evaluation and consultation on phase wise of prohibition.
9 Explore strategy of recovery of liquor revenue by the state government.
10 National repentance and prayer day be declared by the Church.
11 Write healthy and positive elements that bring inner healing to home and society.
12 Render special efforts on side affect of liquor in education system.
Conclusion
Like Joshua urging his people to make a choice (24:15), every citizen can decide to flee from hunt of clutch of liquor. Allow Not liquor to control you and family. A family refers to a biological composition while a home relates to the environmental condition of that family. Make your home a happy place, free from liquor related quarrels and wars. A home is a happy home if Jesus Christ is in the family. Liquor shortens the life of a family. A family is a strong unit of a healthy society and nation.
As People of Nagaland, we are different professions of the same body. As politicians, bureaucrats, businessmen, youth, churchmen, parents and all, we all belong to the whole body of Christ. Knowing that peace and progress of a family and society is better than inner fracture and disorder, may we all unite and stand together against evils, risks and vile of liquor and alcohol.
God bless Nagaland!
Rev. Dr. P. Dozo,
Dimapur
