Why is smoking/ selling cigarettes NOT a mortal sin?

[Burdensome1]

and burdensome, why do you continue to pass judgment on my catholic faith.

Because you sound sort of crazy about the imagined moral evil of smoking.

 

[someperson555]

Because you sound sort of crazy about the imagined moral evil of smoking.

selling someone a product which damages their health and even causes death is evil.
choosing to engage in a habit which puts your life at risk is evil (albeit not as evil as selling it though)

let me guess you probably believe in the legalization of all drugs right?

 

[Burdensome1]

I don’t believe in the real presence and I smoke, so why shouldn’t I support the legalization of drugs and, what the heck, prostitution while we’re at it.

BTW, you better go edit Wikipedia right now:

The Roman Catholic Church does not condemn smoking, but considers excessive smoking to be sinful, as described in the Catechism (CCC 2290):
“The virtue of temperance disposes us to avoid every kind of excess: the abuse of food, alcohol, tobacco, or medicine.”

…because some wascally smoker put that evil in there. Go get it, go ahead, go boy!

 

[CaptFun]

The Roman Catholic Church does not condemn smoking, but considers excessive smoking to be sinful, as described in the Catechism (CCC 2290):
“The virtue of temperance disposes us to avoid every kind of excess: the abuse of food, alcohol, tobacco, or medicine.”

 

[someperson555]

I don’t believe in the real presence and I smoke, so why shouldn’t I support the legalization of drugs and, what the heck, prostitution while we’re at it.

BTW, you better go edit Wikipedia right now:

…because some wascally smoker put that evil in there. Go get it, go ahead, go boy!

so the catholic church pretty much confirmed my position. smoking is sinful. its only a matter of time until it is changed to include even minimal use as sinful.
smoking is not a necessary thing, it is truly contrary to the natural law therefore.

 

[Burdensome1]

so the catholic church pretty much confirmed my position

Yeah, pretty much confirmed it by disagreeing with it. I like the way you think, all slimy. You may have a future in politics, my man.

 

[Burdensome1]

Oh man, I have to go to sleep and then traveling for the next few days. I won’t get to see the meltdown.

Oh well, I hope everyone else enjoying when this character blows up.

 

[someperson555]

Yeah, pretty much confirmed it by disagreeing with it. I like the way you think, all slimy. You may have a future in politics, my man.

 

[thewanderer]

so the catholic church pretty much confirmed my position. smoking is sinful. its only a matter of time until it is changed to include even minimal use as sinful.
smoking is not a necessary thing, it is truly contrary to the natural law therefore.

Actually, surprize surprize, the quote from the Catechism shows that you both are saying something correct, your statements just need to be moderated. Yes, smoking is a sin when partaken of in excess. No, smoking is not sinful when partaken of in moderation. Just like food, just like alcohol. This is not that difficult to figure out peeps. Smoking a cigarette once every five years is not sinful. Smoking two packs a day is, though being addicted will most likely mitigate ones culpability. Seriously, this is not rocket science here.

 

[TheHolyTrinity]

this is crazy. cigarettes are harmful and so is alcohol. its insane that many catholics rail against the “evils” of contraception yet do not do a thing about tobacco.
the proprieters of tobacco companies KNOW that their products harm and kill millions, yet they still sell them.
cigarettes are not the same thing as food. (however putting chemicals in food should be addressed by the church too).
it is a drug, and it is unnatural.
and the smoker also knows he is harming his own body by using the product! the catechism states that we must take reasonable care of our bodies!
these pleasures should not be allowed.

Truth was an early victim in the battle against tobacco. The big lies, repeated ad nauseam in anti-tobacco circles propaganda.

 

[marymary1975]

I don’t believe in the real presence and I smoke, so why shouldn’t I support the legalization of drugs and, what the heck, prostitution while we’re at it.

BTW, you better go edit Wikipedia right now:

…because some wascally smoker put that evil in there. Go get it, go ahead, go boy!

Pretty much this is what I said. Smoking per se is not a sin, the sin is when you let smoking control your life in a few words addiction. The tricky part is how many people are capable of start smoking without becoming addicting to it? Probably less than 1%. This is pretty much like how many people are capable of trying heroine without becoming addicted to it.

 

[Like]

Pretty much this is what I said. Smoking per se is not a sin, the sin is when you let smoking control your life in a few words addiction. The tricky part is how many people are capable of start smoking without becoming addicting to it? Probably less than 1%. This is pretty much like how many people are capable of trying heroine without becoming addicted to it.

I’m one of the stupid ones here. What can I say? I’ve been smoking for over 60+ years.
I’m a sinner! Lord have mercy on me!

 

[MilesVitae]

MilesVitae:

As far as smoking cigarettes is concerned, I would say that becoming a frequent smoker and/or letting oneself become addicted is sinful - for, smoking in excess is harmful to one’s body. However, smoking is not, per se, immoral - it is only so when there is a real risk to one’s health. I know people who smoke a pipe, cigar, or a couple cigarettes on occasion, but nowhere near a frequency that would be dangerous to the point of being immoral.
As such, selling tobacco is not evil per se - Aquinas says that one can make and sell things which have a proper use, even though some will abuse it (weapons or jewelry I think are the examples he uses, though alcohol and tobacco would also be obvious examples). That being said, I would say that to the extent that tobacco companies seek to promote cigarette addiction and profit thereby, this is immoral.

yes it is evil.
weapons have a legit use. the weapons dealer cant guaruntee that people wont abuse his products but there is still a legit use for weapons therefore its moral for him to sell. however this is not the case with cigarettes. cigarettes just cause harm, they are not necessary for any aspect of human life. the individuals who push tobacco products know full well the damage their products cause. yet they ignore it out of their greed. this is mortally sinful!

I think we all need to have a beer, light up a cigar, and relax in this thread. That being said…

In response to your above response to my first response to your original claim - I think I got all that right - I suppose you’d have to define “legitimate use.” Also, are you claiming that for something to have a legitimate use it must be necessary for some aspect of human life? I’m not sure if that’s your claim or not, so I didn’t want to assume that to be the case - but you’d have to define “necessary.”
In any case, tobacco does have a legitimate use, and it does not just cause harm. It can be used as a form of leisure and relaxation - that is a legitimate good.
As far as it being necessary, you are, of course, right in claiming that tobacco per se is not necessary to any aspect of human life - but that does not make it illegitimate to use. There are many things we use that are not specifically necessary. For instance, we have many forms of recreation, all of which are each specifically unnecessary, although recreation itself is relatively necessary to human life. For instance, I play pool. Pool per se is not necessary for any aspect of my life, but it serves a legitimate purpose, that of recreation (and, in my case, socialization). Smoking tobacco is one way to relax - not everybody’s way, but some of us enjoy it - so assuming it is not intrinsically evil, or not used in an evil manner (e.g. excessively), it has a legitimate purpose.
Like I said, this is assuming it is being used moderately. I don’t think taking up addictive daily cigarette smoking is moral - but I don’t think having an occasional cigar is going to give one cancer or emphysema.

 

[MilesVitae]

Pretty much this is what I said. Smoking per se is not a sin, the sin is when you let smoking control your life in a few words addiction. The tricky part is how many people are capable of start smoking without becoming addicting to it? Probably less than 1%. This is pretty much like how many people are capable of trying heroine without becoming addicted to it.

I don’t think I agree. As far as tobacco generally is concerned, there are plenty of people who smoke cigars or pipes or cigarettes sometimes without becoming addicted. Now if you’re talking about someone picking up daily packs of cigarettes and continuing in that way for a while…well, then you’re probably quite right.

 

[NovusAugustus]

Smoking isn’t a sin. Case closed.

 

[andrewstx]

Once agian I am of a mixed mind on this subject. I grew up an asthmatic with both parents smoking cigs and blowing their smoke in my face. Back then in the 60s people could smoke anywhere with impunity, asthma did not make a difference cig smokers ruled.

My dad died of lung cancer in his early 30s with mom puffing away in the same room as he died. Then Mom died of emphasema/copd.

The thing is cigarettes are very adictive, they weren’t smoking to be cruel, they were just hooked before nicotine gums and patches and stop smoking drugs even existed.

And I have been addicted myself, but now I am down tl mostly less than 5 a day.

But I still smoke an occasional cigar and dip snuff, it’s really hard to get the cig monkey off your back. So antis please remember that and go easy on us.

 

[PeterGStanley]

It a horrible addiction and is thought to be more addictive then heroin - even the Government is addicted to the tax revenues that come from the sales and will not ban it.It slowly has and is being outlawed with smoking bans but will never be completely eliminated - I don’t judge people that smoke I would have to clean up every bad habit I have to be able to do that.I won’t call it a mortal sin because it is a addiction and is beyond the power of some to quit .
Theres a long list of these items in our society - drinking alcohol should be a mortal sin with the violence and death it causes , the cost of the damage it causes ( the violence alone) would out weigh the damage that cigarettes cause.But I can’t call drinking excessively a mortals sin because it too is an addiction. Being angry and judging people does not solve the problem and will not bring the solution. Just look at the failed drug policy which is based purely on punishment - has it ever made any difference at all?The answer is no.

 

[thewanderer]

It a horrible addiction and is thought to be more addictive then heroin - even the Government is addicted to the tax revenues that come from the sales and will not ban it.It slowly has and is being outlawed with smoking bans but will never be completely eliminated - I don’t judge people that smoke I would have to clean up every bad habit I have to be able to do that.I won’t call it a mortal sin because it is a addiction and is beyond the power of some to quit .
Theres a long list of these items in our society - drinking alcohol should be a mortal sin with the violence and death it causes , the cost of the damage it causes ( the violence alone) would out weigh the damage that cigarettes cause.But I can’t call drinking excessively a mortals sin because it too is an addiction. Being angry and judging people does not solve the problem and will not bring the solution. Just look at the failed drug policy which is based purely on punishment - has it ever made any difference at all?The answer is no.

I’m sorry, but smoking and drinking are not of themselves sinful. I have smoked maybe 5 times in my life, I never came anywhere near getting addicted, and if I ever smoke again in the future I will still not become addicted because I have such an abhorrence of the thought of being addicted that I would never let myself smoke even 1 cigarette on a daily basis, or even a weekly basis. As for drinking, alcohol does not cause violence unless it is drunk to excess. I drink quite frequently, but rarely enough to even get a buzz, Are you claiming that this kind of moderate drinking is gravely sinful? This kind of moderate drinking does not lead to violence. Drinking to excess is mortally sinful and it is not necessary to be addicted to drink to excess. Please be careful to make the correct distinctions which the Catechism itself actually makes. In moderation there is absolutely nothing wrong with either drinking or smoking, the problem comes in when either are taken to excess. That is when it becomes sinful, just as overeating and eating too much junkfood can become sinful. (Though, admittedly, beccause the effects of alcohol to excess are worse than food etc drinking alcohol to excess is usually a more serious sin than eating too much junk food)

 

[PeterGStanley]

I’m sorry, but smoking and drinking are not of themselves sinful. I have smoked maybe 5 times in my life, I never came anywhere near getting addicted, and if I ever smoke again in the future I will still not become addicted because I have such an abhorrence of the thought of being addicted that I would never let myself smoke even 1 cigarette on a daily basis, or even a weekly basis. As for drinking, alcohol does not cause violence unless it is drunk to excess. I drink quite frequently, but rarely enough to even get a buzz, Are you claiming that this kind of moderate drinking is gravely sinful? This kind of moderate drinking does not lead to violence. Drinking to excess is mortally sinful and it is not necessary to be addicted to drink to excess. Please be careful to make the correct distinctions which the Catechism itself actually makes. In moderation there is absolutely nothing wrong with either drinking or smoking, the problem comes in when either are taken to excess. That is when it becomes sinful, just as overeating and eating too much junkfood can become sinful. (Though, admittedly, beccause the effects of alcohol to excess are worse than food etc drinking alcohol to excess is usually a more serious sin than eating too much junk food)

Take it how ever you want and believe what you want - Ive seen the damage and horror that alcohol has caused in peoples lives - the destruction of families - the murders - the accidental deaths - its playing Russian roulette with your lives just like taking any drug can be and how many of them said Oh it won’t happen to me I’m better then that.Its the most dangerous drug in society today and does more damage then any other drug. I’ll have no part of it. I don’t have to be careful I am allowed to have my opinion - I’m not going to be condemned because I have strong feeling on the negative effects of alcohol. This is a open forum if thats not the case then have the moderators make it a rule to never question the Catechism and blindly follow it and ban those who don’t go alone with it. Then this will not be a forum for discussion anymore more and you can get rid of me and many others.

 

[PennyinCanada]

It a horrible addiction and is thought to be more addictive then heroin -I won’t call it a mortal sin because it is a addiction and is beyond the power of some to quit .

OK, that’s the reasoning and argument to say that it isa mortal sin.

To take a cigarette to your mouth willingly, with consent, knowing the above consequences (who doesn’t know the above at this point?) in my opinion is a mortal sin. Choosing to disregard the addiction and it’s cost and pick up a cigarette to smoke anyway seems hard to justify or rationalize. It all comes down to a decision of the will right from the start. The decision is to give up your will to addiction. To become a slave and it your master. Explain how that isn’t a mortal sin given those parameters? You have consent, knowledge, gravity.