Is smoking a sin?

[Evanescence]

I would say smoking in moderation is not a sin whilst smoking in excess could be a sin

I believe any attachment can be a sin. A smoker becomes addicted thus harms their health.
Even smoking 1 cigarette can impact your health. Smoking in moderation or not it still brings harm to your health.

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If there is nothing wrong with smoking then using the same logic there is nothing wrong with drunkeness, scriptures places drunkeness in a bad light.

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Some people use smoking as an escape from stress. Should we not turn to God when stressed and not some drug that can harm our health?

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Is taking drugs ok. Smoking Marijuana? Using the same logic and principle than it is ok.

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I still think “your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit” applies here. And would God who so cares about us want us to be attached to something that can harm us deeper?

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Evanescence

 

[steppenwolf1218]

I am a smoker and I have talked to my priest about it and he says it is not a sin, however for some reason im not convinced. Can anyone help?

As has been stated several times in this thread, smoking in moderation is permissible by the Church. Your issue I would guess is most likely because you’ve been told all these years how smoking can lead to various diseases. Now while this may be true, remember one thing…you’re going to die anyway. Nothing you do will prevent that and there are probably a dozen or so things you’re doing in your life right now that are harmful to your health. Don’t worry about that. Everyone else you meet also do things harmful to themselves. It can’t be helped. Everything a person does creates wear on the body. Time itself wears on the body. Tell me, is eating a hamburger a sin? It’s chloresterol ladened. High chloresterol can eventually clog the arteries and cause heart problems. Eating poultry has its issues as does pork. Everything we eat creates some sort of toxins that we need to flush out yet we willingly eat our fill. Granted eating is a necessity and smoking is not but how about hobbies like rock climbing? That’s not a necessity either but it can kill you if you slip and people who do have that hobby know that. Does that make it a sin? Of course not. Nothing that goes into your body defiles you. It’s what comes out that does. Do those words sound familiar? They should. They’re the words of Jesus to the Pharisees.

I’m not trying to chastise you or anything. I apologize now if it sounds that way. I’m merely trying to get you to look at this issue from the proper angle. It’s not about harming your body that’s the issue. The issue is gluttony. If smoking controls you to the point where you place it above those things that should be important to you then you crossed the line between moderation and excess.

I hope I shed some insight for you.
Take care
Dennis

 

[Aleii]

Here are the questions: What’s considered moderation in smoking? One cigarette a day? A year? No one who smokes knows if they’ll be diagnosed with lung cancer or COPD when they pick up their first cigarette. And what are the conditions surrounding the smoker smoking? Are they smoking in front of others or alone and getting rid of the smoke? Most who started smoking in years past had no idea about the plethora of health conditions associated with it, and need all the encouragement and support they can get to quit the very addictive habit of smoking. There is evidence that smoking even one cigarette a day increases risk of heart disease, the single biggest killer in the world. (I posted many links to research about that in this and the other linked thread) Smoking isn’t very comparable to eating since eating starts off good for the body, but smoking doesn’t. The body does need cholesterol, salt, and sugar to function properly. Cigarette smoking is the most important preventable cause of premature death in the United States. Even if it isn’t the #1 factor that kills a person, it aggravates health conditions and contributes to an early demise in a multitude of ways.

Granted eating is a necessity and smoking is not but how about hobbies like rock climbing? That’s not a necessity either but it can kill you if you slip and people who do have that hobby know that.

Most people who rock climb become very knowledgeable first and do so very safely. You’re trying to use the argument that everything has at least some small risk so therefore the argument about the dangers of smoking is over the top. Again, here’s the difference: Cigarette smoking is *the most *important preventable cause of premature death in the United States. It is not risk, it is harm. Couple that with the detriments to the economy, health risk to others nearby, and overburdening of an already overburdened health care system and smoking far exceeds other risks as a national health issue.

Most people who smoke do so around others which endangers their health as well. If you want to call it selfish instead of calling it a sin, you can give it whatever label you want, but the gravity of the health concern for the smoker and those around the smoker is quite severe. The next two biggest modifiable risks to health are not getting exercise and not keeping at a healthy weight. I would hope that even if your health doesn’t mean much to you that you care enough about your family’s and your neighbor’s health not to smoke around them, especially if they are elderly/children/ill. Not smoking is the single biggest and easiest(don’t start) way to help the health of the nation.

 

[steppenwolf1218]

Here are the questions: What’s considered moderation in smoking? One cigarette a day? A year? No one who smokes knows if they’ll be diagnosed with lung cancer or COPD when they pick up their first cigarette. And what are the conditions surrounding the smoker smoking? Are they smoking in front of others or alone and getting rid of the smoke? Most who started smoking in years past had no idea about the plethora of health conditions associated with it, and need all the encouragement and support they can get to quit the very addictive habit of smoking. There is evidence that smoking even one cigarette a day increases risk of heart disease, the single biggest killer in the world. (I posted many links to research about that in this and the other linked thread) Smoking isn’t very comparable to eating since eating starts off good for the body, but smoking doesn’t. The body does need cholesterol, salt, and sugar to function properly. Cigarette smoking is the most important preventable cause of premature death in the United States. Even if it isn’t the #1 factor that kills a person, it aggravates health conditions and contributes to an early demise in a multitude of ways.

You miss the point of the thread. The question asked was smoking a sin. Smoking holds various health risks. There’s no debate there but it is not a sin to smoke in moderation. What is moderation? I answered that in my post. When anything you do becomes more important than following the path of Christ than that thing becomes an obsession that needs to be eliminated. People need to distinguish what is best for them vs what is best for God. Most of us are incapable of doing that on a daily interactive basis with others. Take smoking around nonsmokers for example. I’ve seen a few posts on this thread about how smoking around nonsmokers could be considered a sin because of second hand smoke. There is no logic in that statement. With all the places that prohibit smoking why would nonsmokers stay for long at a place where smoking is allowed? Most smoking areas are outside now anyways so the effect of second hand smoke is greatly diminished. The issue of consideration/sin of smoking around nonsmokers, like most issues, is two sided. Both sides have valid points and there is no reason to continue a debate about it here. The only valid reason not to smoke around someone when otherwise you would be able to is if that person is allergic to tobacco smoke.

I would like to state that I do not defend smoking. I would caution against starting to anyone. Personally, I wish I would have quit when I was younger but I didn’t and despite what the doctors may say, there is really no advantage in my quitting now. And I do admit that I enjoy it still. Also, if I know someone dislikes ciggarette smoke then I’ll either not smoke or curb my smoking depending on how long I’ll be around that person. I will show them that consideration but in return I expect consideration from them.
Take care
Dennis

 

[CRW]

I am a smoker and I have talked to my priest about it and he says it is not a sin, however for some reason im not convinced. Can anyone help?

Post by EWTN Question and Answers: Dear Jun, Smoking to excess is sinful since it clearly attacks good health. Surely it would be much better if no one smoked. With most believers, smoking is an attachment, something that quickly becomes an addiction and helps to destroy health. Smoking casually and once in a while is not sinful, of course. Fr. Bob levis

 

[Aleii]

There are several points you made, steppen, that I disagree with, but I guess we just have to agree to disagree then.

 

[rpp]

Okay, let me see if I understand the logic. Since smoking is dangerous, since it may bring harm to the smoker or those near them, it is, therefore sinful, perhaps even gravely sinful.

If that is the case, I have a couple of related questions.

Is mountain climbing a sin? It is an unnecessary activity. Many people who pursue it are injured or killed. It is inherently dangerous and an entirely optional pursuit. Climbers hurt and cause the death of other climbers too, sometimes even non-climbers. Search and rescue crews are put at risk too.

What about football? Is playning football a sin? Many people are hurt, some very seriously. Players unintentionally injure other players frequently.

Swimming and diving are dangerous. Many people have drowned and had crippling neck injuries when diving. Being a lifeguard is also risky, many have been injured or drowned trying to save a drowning person.

No matter how skilled people are or what precautions they take, accidents happen, equipment fails, etc.; they can still be injured or killed when they engage in these activities.

If I accept the logic presented here regarding smoking, I would have to conclude that any activity where there is some risk (e.g. mountain climbing, driving a car) would be inherently sinful.

If these optional and dangerous past-times are not sinful, but smoking is, why? If these other activities are sinful, then what is not sinful? Please be specific.

 

[JimG]

A woman is only a woman, but a good cigar is a smoke. ~Rudyard Kipling, The Betrothed

 

[Aleii]

rpp, the point of your post was already included earlier in the thread and responded to.

 

[rpp]

Okay, let me see if I understand the logic. Since smoking is dangerous, since it may bring harm to the smoker or those near them, it is, therefore sinful, perhaps even gravely sinful.

If that is the case, I have a couple of related questions.

Is mountain climbing a sin? It is an unnecessary activity. Many people who pursue it are injured or killed. It is inherently dangerous and an entirely optional pursuit. Climbers hurt and cause the death of other climbers too, sometimes even non-climbers. Search and rescue crews are put at risk too.

What about football? Is playning football a sin? Many people are hurt, some very seriously. Players unintentionally injure other players frequently.

Swimming and diving are dangerous. Many people have drowned and had crippling neck injuries when diving. Being a lifeguard is also risky, many have been injured or drowned trying to save a drowning person.

No matter how skilled people are or what precautions they take, accidents happen, equipment fails, etc.; they can still be injured or killed when they engage in these activities.

If I accept the logic presented here regarding smoking, I would have to conclude that any activity where there is some risk (e.g. mountain climbing, driving a car) would be inherently sinful.

If these optional and dangerous past-times are not sinful, but smoking is, why? If these other activities are sinful, then what is not sinful? Please be specific.

rpp, the point of your post was already included earlier in the thread and responded to.

It was mentioned briefly in one of your posts true, but this is an important distinction that is worth exploring.

Remember, sin is a personal thing. Something is not a sin because it harms a lot of people, it is a sin because it violates God’s law. Using statistics to point out how dangerous smoking can be deceptive. Auto accidents kill many, many people. Drinking alcohol kills many people.

A serious comparison between potentially dangerous activities and smoking, which is another potentially dangerous activity, is entirely appropriate if the position that smoking is a sin is to be argued.

 

[jmm08]

I once heard a Protestant preacher tell this.

Question: If I’m a smoker does that mean I will go to hell.
Answer: Maybe not, but you will smell like you’ve been there.

Sorry, I couldn’t resist re-telling that joke.

jmm08

 

[AlegreFe]

The way that I see it is that those who smoke don’t think it’s a sin.

We all know that smoking can kill. That is breaking the fifth commandment. Therefore smoking is a sin.

If you are a devout Catholic and believe in the Real Presence would you blow your cigarette smoke in the Tabernacle?

Would you blow smoke in Jesus’ face if He was standing right next to you? Well when you smoke that is what you’re doing.

Smoking is a sin

 

[nana3]

The way that I see it is that those who smoke don’t think it’s a sin.

We all know that smoking can kill. That is breaking the fifth commandment. Therefore smoking is a sin.

If you are a devout Catholic and believe in the Real Presence would you blow your cigarette smoke in the Tabernacle?

Would you blow smoke in Jesus’ face if He was standing right next to you? Well when you smoke that is what you’re doing.

Smoking is a sin

I agree so much with all of what you say. I do have one question. What about mental illness? Where does that fall into all this? I mean, my dh smokes about two or three cigarettes a day and some days fewer than that. I too ask for prayers for him to quit this addiction. I did not marry a smoker and would not have, but he became one after marriage. Anyway, back to the mental health issue. He suffers from depression and other mental health issues. He has many addictions to many things including sodas, ice cream, buying things not needed in excess and even prescriptions drugs. All of these are done in excess. The smoking is the only one he does in moderation, if you want to call it that. I hate it no matter what. I have asthma and so does our dd and he makes us cough more even though he smokes outside. The smell is on his clothes.

Is it a sin when their mind sees it differently? I mean everything I see as an addiction and others too, he sees it as enjoying something. But it is in excess. Before the ice cream runs out, he has already bought another. He drinks about 8 to 10 soda cans a day, sometimes more. You get the picture. But in all these addiction, I have emphasized to him that all he needs to fill the void is Jesus. He is Catholic and I have come to believe that mentally, he sees no wrong in all these addictions. Oh, I forgot to add food. He is over 100 pounds over weigh. At times he will even makes statements like, “I hope this cigarette will kill me.” Or if I say he could get a stroke, he will say, “Good, I would be the happiest man alive.” Of course, these statements are usually when we are arguing over all these addictions. I don’t bother anymore and let nature take its course. Do you see the way he thinks and it can be irrational, is it still a sin to smoke for him and others with mental illness?

I was just wondering what others taught.

By the way, Sandy, did you ever find out if Fr. Corapi said that it is sinful to smoke for my dh loves, as I do, Fr. Corapi but he listens more to him and has recorded many of his shows off of EWTN. Let me know.

 

[JimG]

Smoking can be a bad habit. It can be an addiction. It is not a mortal sin. The addictive quality of tobacco for a long term smoker is such that I don’t see how it could ever be a mortal sin.

 

[kesa82]

The way that I see it is that those who smoke don’t think it’s a sin.

We all know that smoking can kill. That is breaking the fifth commandment. Therefore smoking is a sin.

If you are a devout Catholic and believe in the Real Presence would you blow your cigarette smoke in the Tabernacle?

Would you blow smoke in Jesus’ face if He was standing right next to you? Well when you smoke that is what you’re doing.

Smoking is a sin

Hmmm, even though I CLEARLY FEEL absolutely naked without a hat, I do not wear one in church. ( as they say, " it is the thought, or feeling, that counts " and not necessarily the objective reality. )

If I was face to face with Jesus ( or the pope, or any hereditary monarch or aristocrat ) I would want to kiss him, even though, believe it or not, I am not homosexual or bisexual, but still, for the same reason I would want to kiss a pretty girl.

But I wouldn’t kiss him.

I think I get your point though, maybe.

Hmmm, is the real issue here, " IS smoking A SIN ." ( full stop )

or is the issue ; Is smoking such a terrible sin it justifies THE USE of FORCE AGAINST people ?

 

[AlegreFe]

I agree so much with all of what you say. I do have one question. What about mental illness? Where does that fall into all this?

Was your husband diagnosed with this mental illness as being chemical?

Anyway, back to the mental health issue. He suffers from depression and other mental health issues.

Is there some chemical imbalance? Perhaps dopamine, which can lead to impulsive behavior, then likely lead to addiction? Or perhaps a stress related chemical like Corticotropin or ACTH, which can increase vulnerability to temptations?

If it is chemical your husband should of course take care of it but it cannot stop there. I know you told him that he needs Jesus. I guess it’s not easy for him though because of his illness. But you know, we all have an illness. It’s called the “Adamtropin Syndrome.” It’s our weakness to temptation. We all have it.

I think the first thing your husband should do is to find out for himself what is considered a sin, the Ten Commandments & the Seven Deadly Sins. The next step for him should be to pray for the desire to quit all this behavior. Then your husband should go to Confession & get the grace that he needs to help him quit. He should replace his habits or behavior with something else. I also think all “occasion of sin” should be removed from the house. I know it’s easier said than done but the easiest way is to just do it cold turkey. Just don’t buy any sweets. And if that means that you also give up sweets then do it. Do it for your husband and do it for yourself and your daughter.

I hate it no matter what. I have asthma and so does our dd and he makes us cough more even though he smokes outside. The smell is on his clothes.

I used to bug my daughter’s father about his smoking. He couldn’t stand it. It just lead to him lying to me and telling me that he quit. I believe he did quit for about 3 or 4 months (maybe more but I’ll never know) but then when he started smoking again he lied about it & let me believe that he didn’t start smoking again. Then I finally told him that I knew he started smoking again.

Anyway, I knew that I could no longer bug him about it, so I left him alone about his smoking for years. Until one day my daughter told me that she could smell it when he comes home (he only smokes at work) and that it made her literally sick. She gets light headed & feels like throwing up. Even though she offers it up I could not allow him to do that to our daughter. That is when I decided to start “bugging” him again. One thing is that it bothers me & it makes me sneeze & cough, I could handle it, but another thing is when it affects my daughter. So I let him know that he is affecting his own daughter. No matter what I tell him, it doesn’t seem to help. He still smokes. And I just end up offering it up.

Is it a sin when their mind sees it differently?

He needs to find out about the Seven Deadly Sins. I don’t know if ignorance would play a part here. I doubt it. Perhaps it’s just an excuse for him to continue his behavior.

I mean everything I see as an addiction and others too, he sees it as enjoying something. But it is in excess. … But in all these addiction, I have emphasized to him that all he needs to fill the void is Jesus. He is Catholic and I have come to believe that mentally, he sees no wrong in all these addictions. Oh, I forgot to add food. He is over 100 pounds over weigh. At times he will even make statements like, “I hope this cigarette will kill me.” Or if I say he could get a stroke, he will say, “Good, I would be the happiest man alive.” Of course, these statements are usually when we are arguing over all these addictions. I don’t bother anymore and let nature take its course. Do you see the way he thinks and it can be irrational, is it still a sin to smoke for him and others with mental illness?

Does he have any triggers? I would think so. What are those triggers? Is it stress or is it just something he does whenever or always? Perhaps those triggers can be removed. So I would try to remove the triggers & then I would definitely remove all “near occasion of sin” from the house.

By the way, Sandy, did you ever find out if Fr. Corapi said that it is sinful to smoke for my dh loves, as I do, Fr. Corapi but he listens more to him and has recorded many of his shows off of EWTN. Let me know.

Yes he did say that it is a sin. He said years ago that it would not be considered a sin because we didn’t know back then that it could kill us. But with all this evidence, we should know that it could kill & with that information we would consider it a sin. He did say that he knows about addictions and that it is hard for someone with an addiction to just quit but with God’s help they should do it. He knows about addiction because he was an addict himself so it’s not like he’s just talking nonsense, he knows very well what it’s like. You can find his DVD here about Addictions.

 

[AlegreFe]

Do you see the way he thinks and it can be irrational, is it still a sin to smoke for him and others with mental illness?

My daughter’s father went to Confession and confessed his smoking. The priest said that if it’s an addiction that it should not be considered a mortal sin. All in all, it is still a sin although not mortal. But my husband insisted with the priest that it was a sin for him to smoke. I told him not to argue with a priest in Confession but he still insisted that smoking for him was a sin. He heard Father Corapi and he decided that Father was right, so he went to Confession asap.

Even though he considers it a sin for him to smoke he continues to do it. So I guess that would lead it to being a mortal sin for him but I’ll never know. His weakness, the addiction, tells him that it is not a sin, so he doesn’t seem to care.

I think people would say that it is not a sin if it is a chemical addiction but at the same time I think it’s all just an excuse to continue to do it, ergo our weakness. So as I see it that way, I say it is a sin. It’s all one big circle which ends up in the same place, it’s a sin.

Do you go to Adoration? If so, do you take your husband? If not, I think you should take your husband to Adoration. Tell him that he could just sit there if he doesn’t know how to pray or doesn’t want to pray. He could just “let God be God” and sit there to spend time with Him. If your husband believes in the Real Presence then he could make an effort to go to Adoration. Perhaps something can “trigger” him during his time there. More than likely it might not happen the first time so your husband needs to be patient and you too for that matter. I would try to make it a once a week occasion and something could happen, you never know until you try. I would even try to go two or three days in a row for the first time (if you have a perpetual Adoration chapel nearby) then switch to once a week. God can work wonders!

 

[AlegreFe]

I once heard a Protestant preacher tell this.

Question: If I’m a smoker does that mean I will go to hell.
Answer: Maybe not, but you will smell like you’ve been there.

Sorry, I couldn’t resist re-telling that joke.

jmm08

I like it!

And even though I have said that smoking is a sin, I don’t believe smoking alone can land you in hell.

 

[kentuckyliz]

If you’re addicted, it isn’t a sin because there wasn’t full consent of the will. So, habitual addicted smokers aren’t sinning.

If you’re not addicted, you don’t have the compulsion of addiction, so you are giving full consent of the will…so it is a sin to be a non-addicted occasional smoker?

I’m cornfused. I’ll go with what the CCC says as quoted above.

You can’t say smoking is only harmful–the “Smoker’s Paradox” is the health benefits:

• lower risk of Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s
• protects against ulcerative colitis
• reduces the risk of Kaposi’s sarcoma in people without HIV
• decreased risk of endometriosis in infertile women
• reduced incidence of uterine fibroids
• reduces pregancy related hypertension (but only if you’re not carrying twins/multiples)
• assists with managing mood and mind in schizophrenics
• reduced incidence of acne requiring medical treatment

Now I’m wondering about the pink iced donut with sprinkles.

 

[JimG]

You can’t say smoking is only harmful–the “Smoker’s Paradox” is the health benefits:

• lower risk of Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s
• protects against ulcerative colitis
• reduces the risk of Kaposi’s sarcoma in people without HIV
• decreased risk of endometriosis in infertile women
• reduced incidence of uterine fibroids
• reduces pregancy related hypertension (but only if you’re not carrying twins/multiples)
• assists with managing mood and mind in schizophrenics
• reduced incidence of acne requiring medical treatment

Now I’m wondering about the pink iced donut with sprinkles.

Well now, someone has pointed out some actual health benefits of smoking! Now if only it could be demonstrated that smoking acted as a contraceptive and helped to eliminate greenhouse gases, smokers would be the new saints!