Smoking & Drinking

[RebeccaJ]

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I think the fact that the Church hasn’t declared smoking to be a mortal sin reflects a hypocritical, political calculation.

In a thread about masturbation, several posters stated that one reason it’s a mortal sin is because it disrespects the body that God gave us and uses it for a selfish purpose that He didn’t intend. If that’s a criterion for mortal sin, then smoking surely is one; after all, you’re using your lungs - meant to take in fresh air to sustain life - to inhale poisonous substances that are proven to damage your health. Futhermore, it’s expensive, addictive, and offensive and possibly unhealthy for people nearby.

But the difference is that masturbation always takes place in private, so the Church can prohibit it and claim that people are obeying. No one can prove otherwise because there’s no visible evidence. But smoking often takes place in public, or at least with the knowledge of other people, so the inevitable widespread defiance of Church ban on smoking would be obvious, and would undermine the Church’s perceived power.

Reducing faith to morals isn’t what the Church teaches.

 

[StrawberryJam]

Reducing faith to morals isn’t what the Church teaches.

I’m confused. Dogma falls under the category of Faith and Morals unless, I am mistaken?
Infailability can only apply to faith and morals?

You need infailability, so I assume you need to have both faith and morals, not just faith.

I would agree that to have faith, you must ignore some morals IMHO.

 

[RebeccaJ]

I’m confused. Dogma falls under the category of Faith and Morals unless, I am mistaken?
Infailability can only apply to faith and morals?

You need infailability, so I assume you need to have both faith and morals, not just faith.

I did not say morals are not needed. I said, the Catholic Church does not reduce faith to morals.

"Only Christ gives meaning to the whole of our life. Fr Giussani always kept the eyes of his life and of his heart fixed on Christ. In this way, he understood that Christianity is not an intellectual system, a packet of dogmas, a moralism, Christianity is rather an encounter, a love story; it is an event.

This love affair with Christ, this love story which is the whole of his life was however far from every superficial enthusiasm, from every vague romanticism. Really seeing Christ, he knew that to encounter Christ means to follow Christ. This encounter is a road, a journey, a journey that passes also—as we heard in the psalm—through the “valley of darkness.” In the Gospel, we heard of the last darkness of Christ’s suffering, of the apparent absence of God, when the world’s Sun was eclipsed. He knew that to follow is to pass through a “valley of darkness,” to take the way of the cross, and to live all the same in true joy.

Why is it so? The Lord himself translated this mystery of the cross, which is really the mystery of love, with a formula in which the whole reality of our life is explained. The Lord says, “Whoever seeks his life, will lose it and whoever loses his life, will find it.”" Pope Benedict XVI

I would agree that to have faith, you must ignore some morals IMHO.

Everyone has an opinion.

 

[Qoeleth]

In fact, the Holy Father himself, Benedict XVI, was a smoker until not so long ago.

I’m afraid neither drinking nor smoking are sins at all. If smoking is a sin, then drinking coffee must also be a sin.

Drunkness is a sin, but not drinking.

In fact, you need to separate worldly wisdom from morality.

Remember, “the spirit gives life, the flesh offer nothing.” (John 6:63)

 

[PrayHarder]

If smoking is a sin, then drinking coffee must also be a sin.

Because?

 

[OraLabora]

In fact, the Holy Father himself, Benedict XVI, was a smoker until not so long ago.

The Abbot Primate of the Order of St. Benedict does too. He’s also German… I sense a connection there somehow

I’m afraid neither drinking nor smoking are sins at all. If smoking is a sin, then drinking coffee must also be a sin.

Oh no! Not my morning cup!

Seriously though, how can you compare coffee to cigarettes? One has proven causal links to lung cancer, emphysema, heart disease. The other, in spite of many attempts to find some, has no causal links to serious disease and in fact has shown many health benefits in general, and for certain specific conditions.

Drunkness is a sin, but not drinking.

Indeed: “He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.”

Communion would be a huge issue if drinking wine was a sin!!! We’d have to be like the 7th day Adventists and drink grape juice for communion…

 

[stringbeanduck]

Communion would be a huge issue if drinking wine was a sin!!! We’d have to be like the 7th day Adventists and drink grape juice for communion…

Even it was a sin, it wouldn’t be during communion given that Christ turned wine into His blood. Grape juice wouldn’t suffice.

 

[RebeccaJ]

I’m afraid neither drinking nor smoking are sins at all. If smoking is a sin, then drinking coffee must also be a sin.

Or not wearing a seat belt? Maybe the Vatican can put out a quarterly list.

 

[PrayHarder]

In fact, the Holy Father himself, Benedict XVI, was a smoker until not so long ago.

I know this is almost a dead thread, but I can’t let this go. Just because a priest or the pope smokes (or smoked) doesn’t mean that it is right. How do we know that at some point in the past Pope Benedict didn’t confess this during Confession and asked God for the strength to beat it? How do we know that in his prayers he didn’t ask God to break that habit? Priests and even popes are not sinless. Why do you think the pope goes to Confession once a week? Remember, the pope USED to be a smoker and quit. If he is a role model to all of use, perhaps other smokers should follow his lead and muster up the strength to quit.

I know several smokers and they all wish they could break the habit. They hate the fact that it costs them thousands of dollars a year. They hate it that wherever they go they have to look for the “smoking section.” They hate that when they don’t smoke they can’t concentrate. They hate that everything they own smells of smoke and their teeth are yellow (or they pay hundreds for whitening). And many of them hate the fact that they are shortening their lifespan and the lifespan of those around them. Some of the more reflective ones feel really bad that they will be dead when they could have had a few more years with their loved ones. Sin or not, it doesn’t look like there is much of an upside to the habit.

 

[BrandonR]

Catechism of the catholic church says:

2290 the virtue of temprence disposes us to avoid every kind of : the abuse of food, alcohol, tobacco, or medicine. Those incur grave guilt who, by drunkeness or a love of speed, endanger their own and othersk safety on the road, at sea, or in the air.

The Catechism tells us that we must not abuse things such as food, alcohol, tobacco, or medicine; it does not say that we must not partake in these things. Many people in the Bible drink alcohol, including the apostles. I believe tobacco would be okay in moderation as well; however, it becomes a problem when you become addicted to it. Try thinking of it this way, not all things that are “bad” for your health should be considered a sin, lots of things, including unhealthy foods such as bacon and other hight fat or high cholesterol foods, may cause things such as high blood pressure, but it would be ridiculous to say its a sin to eat bacon every once in a while. Similarly, the sun emits large amounts of UV radiation which causes skin cancer, but that doesnt mean that it’s a sin to go outside without wearing sunscreen.

 

[Rogerteder]

You don’t masturbate with lungs and you don’t smoke with you reproductive organ. Although smoking isn’t good for you lungs, it remains a morally neutral act. Smoking in certain situations can be sin, be a sin, but in general it isn’t. Masturbation is something that directly violates virture chastity. Smoking or drinking doesn’t violate the virture of temperance unless it’s done in excess. There’s a difference between Chastity and Temperance. Nobody has the same excess. If a person has problems with drinking and smoking or doesn’t know if they do it too much, they should talk to Priest to detirmine if it is.

Getting drunk is grave matter and therefore a mortal sin if the person doing it meets all three criteria. It’s a waste of our God giving ability to reason. And when we choose not to be able to reason we choose to go against God.

Very nice!!! READ WHAT HE SAID PEOPLE!!!

 

[Eilrahc]

I heard that smoking can increase your metabolism.

 

[StrawberryJam]

I heard that smoking can increase your metabolism.

It would be a very kind and helpful thing to cite your source on this very old dead thread.
You may even get someone who cares enough about the topic to comment about it that way.

I’ll tell you what I think of it after smoking a marlboro while listening to some Aretha Franklin. Of course, I will be drinking at least a small shot of something to be “Drinking Again” with her before I was born.Why not? I never missed not being before I was. And I won’t miss it after. I am doing it now. Here and now.

 

[Joe_5859]

[SIGN]Old thread alert![/SIGN]

 

[Mar044]

just so you know,

smoking is a sin because your killing yourself, it WILL cause you cancer.