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tessi
Guest
Smoking as a sin must not be seen from the point of view of health. Many saints did things harmful to health. The question is that smoking is a chain, you are a slave.
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whatevergirl
Guest
I think cigarette smoking can be seen as sinful, because if we are damaging our health–then how could we be respecting the body (temple) God gave to us? The thing with smoking cigarettes nowadays is that they are riddles with arsenic, ammonia, etc…and spiked with extra nicotine to get people addicted quicker. My dad died from smoking, so I am very biased, personally. I would go ape crazy if I saw my kids smoking, and my husband has given up the habit, thankfully.Largely, due to seeing what it did to my dad–I can never ever look at cigarette smoking as okay. The person who tries it once or twice…or is an occasional social smoker, really probably doesn’t have a problem with letting it go. But, the person who is addicted, really needs to ask him/herself…am I placing this addiction in the rightful place that God should hold? I liken anything that we become addicted to…FOOD, DRUGS, ALCOHOL, SMOKING, SEX, etc…anything that we allow to take over our lives, as idol worship. Its insidious nature is all designed by the devil, if you ask me. But, anything that we cling to for comfort or peace or whatever on a continual basis can be detrimental to our faith walk.
It also sickens me that big business gets rich off of the demise of the general public’s health–UGH!!!
It also sickens me that big business gets rich off of the demise of the general public’s health–UGH!!!
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AlegreFe
Guest
I agree one hundred percent!
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whiteknite
Guest
I always remember as a 12yr old child, Our local priest visiting my house, Saying he was just visiting his flock as to speak.
But i couldnt help notice the car he pulled up in was very new and expensive looking.
Once he sat down my mum offered him a drink!
His reply was a small brandy pls, then asked if it was ok if he smoked, My mum being a smoker said she didnt mind.
with that he lit a huge cigar, 1 that looked like half the length of my arm…
He never thought it was a sin to smoke huge cigars but as i grew up i often seen him about the church and them cigars got bigger as did his cars…
That same priest was my 1st reason for not liking the church…
He looked more like a banker than a priest.
But i couldnt help notice the car he pulled up in was very new and expensive looking.
Once he sat down my mum offered him a drink!
His reply was a small brandy pls, then asked if it was ok if he smoked, My mum being a smoker said she didnt mind.
with that he lit a huge cigar, 1 that looked like half the length of my arm…
He never thought it was a sin to smoke huge cigars but as i grew up i often seen him about the church and them cigars got bigger as did his cars…
That same priest was my 1st reason for not liking the church…
He looked more like a banker than a priest.
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whatevergirl
Guest
Well, yeah, that’s a shame. Not all priests take a vow of poverty, but they should still display a sense of humility ‘to their flocks,’ in my humble opinion. It’s also not a wise display of how he isspending the parish’s money. I mean, they get a small salary, but not enough to buy fancy cars, and cigars. Just know that is not indicative of the RCC–every person, no matter in a religious vocation or not–can do things that are wrong now and again. Just chalk it up to a bad experience, and maybe try to find a parish that would best suit what you’d like to be a part of. There are many more humble parishes, I believe, than there aren’t…so, are you not Catholic then? If not, I’m hopeful you will return.
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whiteknite
Guest
I was Christened Catholic. Mum was too but she had 6 sons in a short space of time 1 yr between each. And she suffered a slight nervous breakdown 24yrs ago to be exact lol…Well, yeah, that’s a shame. Not all priests take a vow of poverty, but they should still display a sense of humility ‘to their flocks,’ in my humble opinion. It’s also not a wise display of how he isspending the parish’s money. I mean, they get a small salary, but not enough to buy fancy cars, and cigars. Just know that is not indicative of the RCC–every person, no matter in a religious vocation or not–can do things that are wrong now and again. Just chalk it up to a bad experience, and maybe try to find a parish that would best suit what you’d like to be a part of. There are many more humble parishes, I believe, than there aren’t…so, are you not Catholic then? If not, I’m hopeful you will return.
She turned to the Church and believe it or not that same priest told her he couldnt do nothing for her…
So she turned to the Jehovas witnesses and now shes brain washed. My dad Prodastent, Auntie Muslim. Thats why im messed up LOL
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whatevergirl
Guest
LOL–aw. Well…there’s always tomorrow. Tomorrow allow us to begin anew, and with Christ, all things are made new. I strayed from the Church–not God–but the Church many moons ago, and what brought me back, was not devouring the Bible, or the CCC, or mass…I just took bite sized portions daily, reading the Bible when I could, started praying more, my husband and me started going to mass more and more…and pretty soon…I fell in love with Christ, through the heart of the RCC. The Church is not an organization that stands alone – but it is the fullness of faith that Christ passed down to St Peter, and here we are today, still going strong. If I could just offer some advice…take bite sized portions of the faith, and see where it leads. It may leave you hungering for more…
God bless!
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whiteknite
Guest
In front of me i have Catholic NT/JW And King James Version…LOL–aw. Well…there’s always tomorrow. Tomorrow allow us to begin anew, and with Christ, all things are made new. I strayed from the Church–not God–but the Church many moons ago, and what brought me back, was not devouring the Bible, or the CCC, or mass…I just took bite sized portions daily, reading the Bible when I could, started praying more, my husband and me started going to mass more and more…and pretty soon…I fell in love with Christ, through the heart of the RCC. The Church is not an organization that stands alone – but it is the fullness of faith that Christ passed down to St Peter, and here we are today, still going strong. If I could just offer some advice…take bite sized portions of the faith, and see where it leads. It may leave you hungering for more…
I have read the JW 1 and Catholic 1 Front to back, And use the KJ 1 for ref But still i have my Questions lol, But still i will get there in the end. LOL:blush:
I just dont believe in using a church to reach the Lord…
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whatevergirl
Guest
The Church really is not about a ‘building’ or some obscure organization…in that I agree with you, then. But, Christ in His ‘giving of the keys to His kingdom’ to Peter, allowed Peter to institute a Church–a body of people–a central place where the teachings of Christ, unfiltered–would be present. The Church is really the fullness of faith–not the only place people can find the Lord, certainly. The beautiful reenactment of the Last Supper, done every Sunday (and weekday) during mass, is definitely what one can see making the RCC–the fullness of faith. Not better. Not superior…but the fullness and richness of the faith.
I look at the Catholic faith this way…The RCC always takes the moral high road…other faiths, cower and buckle to the culture’s whims, and pressures…not the RCC. I find that so remarkable…
This is why the faith has withstood the test of time…and the surpassing of trends. The Church isn’t without its problems, but the fullness of The Truth, can be found there. Other ‘denominations’ can offer great worship services, but I don’t believe they hold the fullness of Truth. The spinoffs of faith, come from the watering down of Truth, to fit subjective needs. I think the RCC has evolved with time, but its code of morality stays steadfast.
Sorry–I didn’t mean to derail this thread…back to smoking now! Eh-hem.
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nana3
Guest
My husband must have a chemical imbalance. He had to stop taking a medication that was causing Parkinson symptoms and when he did, the anger came back and he himself realized that it was affecting my dd and I. He must have told his psychiatrist and he put him on a new medication for the same thing, Bipolar disorder. I wonder if he has that than. Anyway, the anger is better again, but his parkinson symptoms are coming back. Yes, he was also diagnosed years ago with Control Impulsive disorder. That would explain the addictions. I didn’t think of it that way until you mentioned it. He does go to weekly confession and is very knowledgable about the deadly sins for he use to be a seminarian studying for the priesthood. What I have noticed with him is that he knows everything the Church teaches and approves of, but has a lacking in spirituality. He can’t seem to live what he reads. We do go to Holy Hour every Friday night and he goes to daily Mass. He may miss one here and there, but for the most part he goes. That is why I don’t understand how all this has not gotten to him. It has to be that he can’t grasp it. When I first met him, we talked hours on the phone. I feel in love with the man who talked about faith and how we should live as Catholic, but once married, I found that he did not live what he preached. He use to be so arrogant. I remember one time when I corrected him on something and he said, “You are preaching to me. I can preach circles around you.” In response, I said, “You may know what to say, but what good is that if you don’t live it.” He didn’t say anything at the time, but later he said my statement made him thing and that he was arrogant in what he said.
You asked if he had any triggers. Any normal stress is a trigger. If we have a normal argument, it triggers it and he goes smoke. When we argue, he would say, “…and you wonder why I smoke.” We use to argue the most when he had a job. He could not handle the stress of a job. He is disabled and can’t work and so am I. We spend all our time together. I spend my days homeschooling our dd and he spends it sleeping and watching TV. He is active with the Knights of Columbus and his political party, but those meet on certain nights only. He needs to feel useful, but doesn’t do anything to get motivated and do something. When I was single and became disabled, I use to wake up early and go to Mass. I would stay for the prayer meeting and from there go to the gym and do about 2 hours of a workout, mostly swimming. Then I would come home and pray some more and than go to pick up my niece at school and pray at the church there while I waited for her. I kept busy even though I was in pain all the time. I have asked him to keep busy, but I think part of it is depression and laziness. I do everything around here. It is making my back worse and I have asked for his help, but he hasn’t yet.
Like your dd, my dd hates his smoking. She doesn’t get physically sick, but gets very emotional and cries. He says to her that he will quit, but has told her that so many times she doesn’t believe him anymore.
Oh well, in the meantime, I have a smoker and I hate it.
By the way, after reading your post that Fr. Corapi said it was a sin, I went to his website that very day and ordered the CD on it. I asked dh if he would listen to it and he said yes.
That is a good start, but he other addictions and I hope Father talks about many of them.
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AlegreFe
Guest
That priest was/is not the Church. Please do not judge the Bride of Christ on one priest. The Church is perfect. The priests are not.
This is what I mean by God wanting to separate the weak from the strong. Your “don’t be nosey” statement on your profile says a lot to me about your faith. You are in my prayers.
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AlegreFe
Guest
I don’t believe you can use that excuse anymore. Don’t blame them now. Just be adult about it and come back home. Jesus misses you very much and he wants you to come back home.
Learn about the Catholic faith (I guess that’s why you’re here), take a class at a good parish, find a good priest who doesn’t go against Church’s teachings, go to Confession and you’re back home, but only if you’ve made your First Holy Communion and Confirmation. And it would only be the start. Our conversion is constant until the day we die and then some. Pray to the Holy Spirit so He can “move” you in the right direction. Now is a great time for that since we are in the season of Pentecost.
Unless you like being “messed up” I see no reason for you not to come home. I know you laugh but it’s not a laughing matter is it? I can only imagine how you really feel inside. It’s not funny is it?
I will definitely pray for you.
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AlegreFe
Guest
Wow, lots of info. If he goes to Mass and Adoration then you could say he’s “clogged up” which means graces cannot flow through to him. He needs the “Roto-Rooter of souls” and that is Father Corapi. LOL Once the “roto-rooter” starts working then the Graces can start flowing again.My husband must have a chemical imbalance. He had to stop taking a medication that was causing Parkinson symptoms and when he did, the anger came back and he himself realized that it was affecting my dd and I. He must have told his psychiatrist and he put him on a new medication for the same thing, Bipolar disorder. I wonder if he has that than. Anyway, the anger is better again, but his parkinson symptoms are coming back. Yes, he was also diagnosed years ago with Control Impulsive disorder. That would explain the addictions. I didn’t think of it that way until you mentioned it. He does go to weekly confession and is very knowledgable about the deadly sins for he use to be a seminarian studying for the priesthood. What I have noticed with him is that he knows everything the Church teaches and approves of, but has a lacking in spirituality. He can’t seem to live what he reads. We do go to Holy Hour every Friday night and he goes to daily Mass. He may miss one here and there, but for the most part he goes. That is why I don’t understand how all this has not gotten to him. It has to be that he can’t grasp it. When I first met him, we talked hours on the phone. I feel in love with the man who talked about faith and how we should live as Catholic, but once married, I found that he did not live what he preached. He use to be so arrogant. I remember one time when I corrected him on something and he said, “You are preaching to me. I can preach circles around you.” In response, I said, “You may know what to say, but what good is that if you don’t live it.” He didn’t say anything at the time, but later he said my statement made him thing and that he was arrogant in what he said.
You asked if he had any triggers. Any normal stress is a trigger. If we have a normal argument, it triggers it and he goes smoke. When we argue, he would say, “…and you wonder why I smoke.” We use to argue the most when he had a job. He could not handle the stress of a job. He is disabled and can’t work and so am I. We spend all our time together. I spend my days homeschooling our dd and he spends it sleeping and watching TV. He is active with the Knights of Columbus and his political party, but those meet on certain nights only. He needs to feel useful, but doesn’t do anything to get motivated and do something. When I was single and became disabled, I use to wake up early and go to Mass. I would stay for the prayer meeting and from there go to the gym and do about 2 hours of a workout, mostly swimming. Then I would come home and pray some more and than go to pick up my niece at school and pray at the church there while I waited for her. I kept busy even though I was in pain all the time. I have asked him to keep busy, but I think part of it is depression and laziness. I do everything around here. It is making my back worse and I have asked for his help, but he hasn’t yet.
Like your dd, my dd hates his smoking. She doesn’t get physically sick, but gets very emotional and cries. He says to her that he will quit, but has told her that so many times she doesn’t believe him anymore.
Oh well, in the meantime, I have a smoker and I hate it.
By the way, after reading your post that Fr. Corapi said it was a sin, I went to his website that very day and ordered the CD on it. I asked dh if he would listen to it and he said yes.
Father Corapi even says (paraphrasing), “grace is received according to the mode of the receiver.” Perhaps your husband is just going through the motions but is not receptive to the graces.How long has it been? I guess it really doesn’t matter. I was going to say to be patient and if it’s been a while already then perhaps time is on your side. But at the same time, God has His own time and there is something that is going on with your husband right now that God wants to be a part of his journey. So allow for whatever God wants to happen. He has his own plan for your husband. Then just sit back and keep praying and going to Mass with him. Something will happen sooner or later and I think sooner.
If your husband knows about what the Church teaches then he would know about “offering up” all his sufferings. Does your husband “offer it up” to Jesus? Father Corapi is big on that also. One of the many reasons why I love Father Corapi so much. If your husband doesn’t do that, then perhaps God is waiting for him to do it. I don’t know. I’m just throwing possibilities out there. You never know what God wants. I assume you also sit and listen during adoration? Perhaps your husband can ask Jesus what he should do and your husband can just sit and listen to Jesus.
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Jimsdun
Guest
Smoking is also an appetite suppressent, if there is any other benefet that can be mentioned. Calculating the cost of a cigarette (from a $4.00 pack). It was 20 cents to smoke a cigarette during my lunch hour versus spending $5.50 for an item on the lunch menu.
I quit smoking a little over a year ago and I have gained about 15 pounds since then.
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alexbrown
Guest
Check this link it may help you out :
gotquestions.org/smoking-Christian-sin.html
gotquestions.org/smoking-Christian-sin.html
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Al_Masetti
Guest
A friend of mine who used to smoke cigarettes said that in the “old days” cigarettes were just plain tobacco. But nowadays the government has required a lot of additives added to cigarettes. And that changes the chemical composition of the smoke.
And it may be some of those additives that are causing some of the recent health issues or health issue statistics.
And it may be some of those additives that are causing some of the recent health issues or health issue statistics.
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Starwynd
Guest
I’d say yes.
Because smokers are killing themselves. Maybe not quickly with a firearm or a knife, but slowly over time, just because they can’t see the damage they cause themselves on the inside.
Suicide is a mortal sin, and perhaps the only one that cannot be forgiven. But I’m uncertain about the forgiven part.
Because smokers are killing themselves. Maybe not quickly with a firearm or a knife, but slowly over time, just because they can’t see the damage they cause themselves on the inside.
Suicide is a mortal sin, and perhaps the only one that cannot be forgiven. But I’m uncertain about the forgiven part.
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JimG
Guest
But what about the health benefits of smoking mentioned in post #59 and 74?
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whiteknite
Guest
I suppose it depends on WHAT you smoke 
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AlegreFe
Guest
Thanks so much Alex for that link. I read the article and I loved it. It makes so much sense to me.
There are some here that said that smoking is not a sin because it is not your will because of the addiction. Well I don’t believe that. It is just an excuse. It is a weakness on the smokers part.
I believe if a person is trying to quit, stop buying cigarettes. That is a near occasion of sin if you have them on your person. Then when you get the urge to quit “offer it up!” That urge that you feel can be offered up to Jesus (through Mary if you’re Catholic). Ask Him to help you. Ask Him to please send down graces for you to overcome the urge, even if it’s just for a few minutes. Those few minutes will pass then ask for more help. You can ask for graces through Mary as she is Our Lady of Grace.
If you have triggers, try to avoid the triggers. If you have a routine that motivates the habit of lighting up, then change your routine throughout the day. When you get that urge again, offer it up. All that offering up will add up. Ask for the graces you need. God will help you. Mary will help you. Ask her to pray for you too.
I know it might be easier said than done but just try it. One step at a time. One cigarette at a time. One urge at a time. You can do it, with God’s help, you can do anything.
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