Am I sinning by smoking?

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Lung cancer and diseases, cardiac and vascular diseases. It is bad, bad, bad.
 
Just because a bishop does something doesn’t mean it’s not sinful. That said, I don’t think smoking is a sin. Doesn’t mean it’s a good idea though.
 
PaulfromIowa said:
The traditional teaching is that tobacco use is not a sin. However, in those days it was not widely understood how addictive it is and what a strong carcinogen it is. Give it up if you possibly can.
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That is debatable. Cigarettes were called coffin nails well over a hundred years ago. So people had a sense they were not good for you. Everyone knew they were addictive too. I think the idea that people were ignorant is made up to vilify the tobacco companies (and justify stealing from them) and give cover to the government and medical professional who both promoted smoking. Also, tobacco isn’t especially carcinogenic. It is when burned as our most things. You have to differentiate between how tobacco is consumed.
 
ndmoharo said:
There are many deaths related to second hand smoke according to the CDC and Surgeon General
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The secondhand smoke statistics are probably all farcical. Also, smokers are exposed to secondhand smoke from their own cigarettes. The more secondhand smoke is said to be dangerous the less firsthand is. But they don’t account for that in their numbers.

This isn’t to say that cigarettes aren’t bad for your health. It is just to make them sound really bad people abandon good judgment.
 
MrsBoley100717 said:
I was an addict for years, and got off all of the drugs and booze. I have horrible social anxiety, and started smoking to cope with it.

I’ve cut back drastically - from two packs a day to about 4 cigarettes daily. Reading this is a good kick in the butt for me to get it together and quit for good.
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You can do this … look how far you have come. Lent is around the corner. Instead of wondering if it is sinful or not, you may consider quitting as a sacrificial opportunity you can offer during Lent? I have found there is great strength to be found in the prayers and sacrifices one offers during Lent. Blessings.
 
Gosh, that is a scary reality!! I have poor eye site to begin with… I read this post when I woke up and didn’t have my morning smoke, so thank YOU! 🙂
 
Thank you, Jaaye! I was talking with my Husband last night and mentioned the same thing… I’m always really good during lent (usually give up sweets and soda) and never cave. I read online that it takes 3 weeks to get over the hardest parts - so maybe that 40 days is just what I need.

God bless!
 
In the context of smoking it obviously must be burned.

'Vilify the tobacco companies"? As if they did not develop more addictive tobacco and try to convince the public there was no health concern and even today target youth?
 
Shakuhachi said:
'Vilify the tobacco companies"? As if they did not develop more addictive tobacco and try to convince the public there was no health concern and even today target youth?
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All companies do that. The same is happening with mobile devices right now. Maybe all companies are villains. But the tobacco industry is the only one the government shook down.
 
It is but so are a lot of things. Overeating or over drinking would be classified as well.
 
Rhubarb said:
They put a spring to hold her eyelids open and she has to watch the needle approach and penetrate her eyeball. The whole time.
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Ouch! In my childhood, I watched one set of grandparents die young due to smoking related illnesses. For one it came sooner. For the other, it was after having to cart around an oxygen tank everywhere for nearly ten years. Never in my life have I been tempted to smoke.

But, to answer the OP’s question on is it a sin, I’d say the answer is it depends. We ought to take care of ourselves in what we consume in all ways—whether it be the air we breathe, the food we eat, the beverages we drink, the media we view, the music we hear, etc. Some things can be minor imperfections, but they can rise to the level of sinfulness. Is eating an Oreo cookie a sin? Probably not. Is eating a couple packs of Oreos a day sinful? Probably. Of course, the level of addiction might mitigate culpability, but doing things that endanger our health is generally wrong.

Best of luck in trying to quit!
 
All companies?

Mobile devices?

Please say more and about how they compare to tobacco companies.
 
Yes. I think all companies want to make a product you feel you need and that targets youth so they will have lifetime customers. Some products don’t lend themselves as much to this, but if they could do it they would.

Mobile companies deny negative health effects from using their products (cancer, attention issues etc). They target young folks with colorful devices and graphics.
 
Yes. Years ago everyone smoked because that is what you did, regardless of health consequences. Now that most people don’t smoke there is lots of judgment for smokers and the tobacco companies. Because these days almost everyone has a cell phone, including children who have been given it by their parents, we don’t have the sort of prideful judgment of people or companies.
 
Fr. Ripperger says its a sin to say smoking is a sin. I’m down with that.
 
I am not convinced cell phone companies are concealing evidence of their danger the way tobacco did.
 
If we had proof then there would be no question. We do know they deny any negative health effects. The problem with the tobacco companies is they had internal memos indicating they did believe tobacco was addictive (everyone knew that) and that it was carcinogenic (everyone knew smoking was bad for your health). It wasn’t a revelation about reality. The issue is the tobacco companies denied this publicly.

There could be memos floating around tech companies admitting the same thing. Or they could have gotten smart and not created a paper (electronic) trail. I just don’t believe that tobacco executives were some unique corporate villain. I think all businesses are like this. Any executive that admitted his product was a health danger would be out of a job.
 
You acknowledge that “everyone knew” about smoke but can only speculate about cell phones and other product dangers.

I do think the tobacco industry was particularly deceitful.

But I also share some of your concerns about the food industry, energy industry and any industry that has disregard for the environment.
 
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