<p>First, let me say that I’m really sorry to hear about your daughter’s experience, junecleaver. I know that some of QMP’s classmates have had to deal with this type of situation. Echoing some others, I think she would be better off without the car.</p>
<p>The “I don’t have to drink to have fun” line strikes me as somewhat aggressive and sanctimonious, as others have commented. On the other hand, I have often felt that I am at a considerable social disadvantage because I don’t drink.</p>
<p>It should be pointed out that it’s not just Muslims, Southern Baptists, and Mormons who are discouraged from drinking for religious reasons. The United Methodist Church suggests that its members should not drink (although in practice, this is often ignored). The Methodist denomination is broad enough to encompass both George Bush and Hilary Clinton. The Eucharist is celebrated with non-fermented grape juice in the Methodist Church, to permit the participation of recovering alcoholics, children, and youth, and also to affirm the church’s statement that people should not drink.</p>
<p>From Biblical sources, it seems that the first miracle of Christ was the transformation of water to wine, during the wedding at Cana. So it’s hard to trace a Biblical source for avoiding alcohol, and indeed the Methodists do not trace this idea to Biblical references, but rather to social principles.</p>