Smoking

Theresa said:

All right, since we're talking about mortal sins anyway, I have to ask:

Is smoking a mortal sin?

-I quit from Nov 5-Apr14 and started up again because human stupidity knows no bounds.

But, what is the technical scoop?

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Dearest Theresa:

Christ is glorified in His Saints! May He also be glorified in us!

From both an Orthodox and a Roman Catholic perspective, habitual sins are very hard to root out. So, we are told not to let ourselves fall into a bad habit in the first place, because they are serious sins. Smoking is called a slow sin of suicide, so yes, it is serious, because we are harming our bodies which are Temples of the Holy Spirit. Would anyone smoke in Church, should we smoke in a temple of the Holy Spirit? Think about it? (Again, this was told to me by both Orthodox and Catholic priests.)

However, in order to overcome a bad habit once it has established itself in our souls, we need Holy Confession. We all need to frequent the sacraments to receive the grace to avoid these habitual sins.

The Church saints tell us that if we sin to get up again. Every time we fall into sin, we must tell God that we are sorry, and beg His forgiveness and the grace not to sin again, until the day we die.

There is the old saying: We are alive and continue to struggle or we are dead in our sins. As long as we pray and desire to conquer sin in our lives, we are still struggling. We cannot give up, or we die.

My priests (from both the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Church) have always told me to repent immediately and then to frequent confession if I am struggling with a particular sin of thought, word, or deed.

Take it one day at a time, but go to confession, then immediately go to Holy Communion. We must be nourished by Christ, our Light and our Life or we will wither. Don't forget to pray and perhaps try to join a support group.

Hope this helps.

A fellow struggler.

Elizabeth

I was under the impression that anything in moderation was acceptable. I think a priest told me that. Which means that if you are "hooked" on cigarettes, then give it up. The thinking behind it is not to let the habit of smoking become a possible stumbling point for yourself - in in other words, don't let the cigarette becomes a sort of god to you.

If it is not a habit, but infrequent and social, then I think it is OK and definitely NOT A SIN of any kind (mortal or venial). Just enjoying what God gave us here on Earth.

artnalex said:

If it is not a habit, but infrequent and social, then I think it is OK and definitely NOT A SIN of any kind (mortal or venial). Just enjoying what God gave us here on Earth.

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My dearest joy in Christ:

Christ is in our midst.

When the priest says to do everything in moderation. He is referring to all the pleasures in life which are good: eating, drinking, sleeping, exercising, etc. If you overeat, you gain weight. If you diet to excess, you can die of heart failure. If you drink alcohol to excess, you can destroy your brain cells as well as your liver. If you sleep too much, you can be tempted. If you exercise too much, you can wear out your joints. If you dance too much, you'll get very sore muscles you never knew you had.

Now, what would you do if your friend told you that he was going to have a little arsenic or a little strychnine? How about deliberately subjecting yourself to a little snake bite because it is only five percent poison and a whopping 95 percent protein? Interestingly, it is the baby rattlers that are the most poisonous.

This sounds silly doesn't it?

I was bitten by a tiny newborn black widow spider and almost died. I could barely see the thing. It was the size of a pin head. However, the venom paralyzed me so that I couldn't even sign my name or move my head. And I had headaches for four months afterward.

Smoke is filled with toxic poisons. In addition, there are certain diseases like Buerger's disease which can cause death by aortic aneurysms (ballooning of the large blood vessel) if someone is breathing second hand smoke. Have you heard of the basketball players who died suddenly on the court from an aneurysm after attending a party (with smokers) the night before? They probably had Buerger's disease, as several of my young relatives died the same way. For them, smoking one cigarette killed them.

Have you heard of fetal alcohol syndrome babies? Smoking is also contraindicated during pregnancy because it affects the brain and birth weight also. Smoking in the home can cause asthma and heart problems in children.

Smoking is addictive and as our first poster said, it is very difficult to overcome. We must all pray for her. She has a difficult struggle ahead. But we all have sins against which we must struggle.

Again I ask you:

Would you smoke in Church?

Would you desecrate a Temple of the Holy Spirit, which you are?

Just something to think about.

Yours in Christ,
Elizabeth

Smoking make your live shorter so it's not good , like the alcohol but Masturbation is not good either and I do slip sometime in that , but we have to fight over these situations.

I will let you with a text from www.bible.com who will help you

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT....SMOKING?

LITTLE FOXES
(LITTLE COMPROMISES THAT CAUSE BIG PROBLEMS)

Song of Solomon 2:15 says, "Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes." Foxes sometime in search of food would enter into the grape orchards and devour the grapes and spoil the crop. However, the little foxes were too small to reach the grape bunches so they would chew on the vines and it would kill the whole vine. Instead of the farmer just losing his crop, he would lose his vine which was more disastrous. Spiritually some things we do or allow that we might think are little or insignificant can also be disastrous for us.

SMOKING

I chose to deal with the issue of smoking as a "little fox" because most people that indulge in this practice do not realize the toll it takes on the longivity of their lives until it is too late. I read a shocking statistic from a book by Andrew Salter that stated "the heavy smoker pays with 34.6 minutes of life for each cigarette he smokes. The pack-a-day smoker pays with 11.5 hours for each pack he smokes." This would equate to someone's life span being cut almost in half due to the evil of smoking. The Lord promises us long life in the Bible but those who violate His commandments are choosing to shorten their own lives.

Psa 91:16 With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation.

Prov 4:10 Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many.

What does the Bible say about smoking? You will find no text that says, "Thou shalt not smoke." Tobacco is not mentioned in the Bible for a very good reason; its use is of comparatively recent origin and was not known in Bible times. In fact, Western Europe was introduced to it from the Americas in the sixteen century.

In 1613 John Rolfe sent the first shipment of Virginia tobacco from Jamestown to England. Sir Walter Raleigh also imported it from the island of Tobago (West Indies) during the later half of the sixteenth century. The practice of smoking tobacco came from the native American Indians and the Carib Indians of Tobago. These practices were done as part of their religious rites. It is interesting to find that the root of smoking tobacco came from heathen religions.

Columbus was amazed when he saw the Indians of the Caribbean drawing smoke through their nostrils with a Y-shaped pipe called a "tabaca", hence the name tobacco.

Satan is always trying to destroy God's crowning creation "man", anyway that he can, and addicting people to tobacco is one of those ways. If Satan cannot destroy us other ways he uses this "little nasty habit" to slowly kill us over the years. Young people are the most vulnerable as many movie and television productions glamorize drinking and smoking. They never show the long term effects this habit has on people.

Coming from a background as a medical technologist I saw so many people in the hospital, suffering needlessly, as the result of their smoking. Most people are aware of the major list of diseases caused by the longterm use of tobacco which are lung, throat and mouth cancer, heart disease and emphezema. However, Satan deceives them into thinking it won't happen to them. Young people just don't think about their latter years, and this "little habit" finally becomes so enslaving it becomes a"big monster" and is very difficult to get free from without Christ.

I have known of a lot of Christians who smoked and really just did not want to give this pleasure up. The Bible does say there is pleasure in sin for a season but in the end we shall reap the result of that sin. The Bible says Moses chose to turn against the pleasures he could have enjoyed to follow God. (Hebrews 11:24-25 says "By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.")

Galatians 6:7-8 tells us that in time we shall reap corruption from our sinful habits.

Gal 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

Gal 6:8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

Tobacco is considered physically harmful because it contains nicotine, a drug which in its pure state is highly poisonous. It definitely is not only habit forming but addictive as well. It is ludicrous to hear the tobacco company executives state otherwise. We all know that their statements were made only because it would produce huge monetary losses for them to state otherwise. They need only ask someone who has tried to get free of this evil if they think it is addicting or just merely a bad habit.

The Bible teaches us as Christians that we are to be clean and holy -- spirit, soul and body. Our bodies are called the "temple of the Holy Spirit". Every Christian is accountable to God for the condition of his body.

1 Cor 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

1 Cor 6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Someone might ask, "Why did God make tobacco since it is responsible for so many deaths?" Not only does it destroy the lives of those that smoke but we know also from research that "second hand smoke" is also a leading cause of sickness that leads to deaths, especially in small children. Pregnant mothers also endanger the lives of their unborn with this evil habit. We should also mention the many lives and property that are lost to fires caused by a careless smoker.

It is never God who is to blame for evil, as the tobacco plant has its virtues. There are useful chemical products made from tobacco which include those which kill insects and fungi. If man would spend the time and research for the good use of tobacco, I believe he would discover some healing properties in this plant, outside of smoking it. Satan always perverts the things in this world for evil use, while God has plans for them to bless mankind.

As Christians there should be no place in our lives for this evil habit. This "little fox" is a killer and we should pray for those to be free whom we know have this problem. If you are in this trap, there is a way out. If you sincerely want to be free, tell God about your desire and your resolve. Ask others to pray for you too. Open the door of your heart heavenward and the Holy Spirit, will bring you both strength and victory.

Is the next crusade against caffine and coffee? Smoking is not good, but is it a sin? I do not think that moralism when it comes to smoking does anyone any good. As the Reader who brought me into Orthodoxy, told me you are not going to go to hell for smoking but might end up in heaven a great deal sooner.
Jeff the Finn

jeffthefinn said:

Is the next crusade against caffine and coffee? Smoking is not good, but is it a sin? I do not think that moralism when it comes to smoking does anyone any good. As the Reader who brought me into Orthodoxy, told me you are not going to go to hell for smoking but might end up in heaven a great deal sooner.
Jeff the Finn

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it's not because it's not a sin that we can said to ourselves : It's not a sin so I can do it. Smoking shorthen your lives , like a slow suicide. Would Jesus had smoke ???

What would Jesus have done in that situation that's the question we must ask to ourselves I think.

Slowly killing yourselves is good now ?? Instead of killing someone , you are killing yourselve.

It's must be difficult to get rid of smoking but nobody will prove me that this is not bad.

I'm not taking about you Jeffthefin if you wonder. I'm just talking generally of what I hear.

jeffthefinn said:

Is the next crusade against caffine and coffee? Smoking is not good, but is it a sin? I do not think that moralism when it comes to smoking does anyone any good. As the Reader who brought me into Orthodoxy, told me you are not going to go to hell for smoking but might end up in heaven a great deal sooner.
Jeff the Finn

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FYI: dearest Jeff in Christ,

Christ is glorified in His saints! May He also be glorified in us!

The OCA priests seem to be the most adamant preachers against smoking. Every OCA priest I have met says it is a form of slow suicide, no doubt about it. Even the past dean of SVS preached against it. Several mentioned that they recently gave up the bad habit to be a good example in their parish. They felt it was hypocritical to tell people in confession that it was a sin to smoke, when they went outside and puffed away.

Now it follows that tobacco smoke isn't good. Have you read the studies? Have you seen a child suffer from an asthma attack because his mother had to smoke? That's a sin for sure. It could be a murder charge later on, if that child dies.

So enjoy your coffee, tea and chocolate, but beware, they are also addictive and should be used in moderation.

Have I said that alcohol is bad? No! Only the excessive use.

Everything good in moderation. We have to watch gluttony because it leads to sins of lust. (That was also from an Orthodox priest. And I think St. Thomas Aquinas also might have mentioned that somewhere.)

That's why we pray and fast --To teach us self-discipline. If we can say no to food and drink, then we can say no to sin, especially of the tongue.

One priest put it one way: What is a sin for one person, isn't a sin for another. For me, eating eggs and chocolate is a sin. I am very allergic to eggs because they cause hives and kidney infections. They can kill me. Chocolate is also very bad for me. Do I tell people to stay away from them, no. I give them chocolate easter eggs as gifts. Now that's a penance because I love the stuff. Guess I'll just have to wait for bacon and eggs in heaven. LOL

Lord have mercy. Kyrie eleison. Domine miserere. Señor ten piedad.

YSIC

Elizabeth

P.S. TO THERESA: I heard that if you take a bunch of veggies and have them cut up and ready to eat in the refrigerator, whenever you have a craving to smoke, you can nibble on celery sticks sans dressing. I like celery sticks, carrots, bell peppers, olives and broccoli mix, especially with squeezed lemon. Yum! Keeps the weight off too!

Someone else said that drinking lots of water helps to detoxify you. In fact, Trader Joes has boxes of EMERGEN-C vitamin C packets that, added to water, are great detoxifiers and can help people overcome the cravings for alcohol and tobacco.

Hope this helps

Theresa said:

I still don't know if it is a mortal sin or not, ie. and error/rebellion so bad that it can keep me from receiving the Eucharist.

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1863 Venial sin weakens charity; it manifests a disordered affection for created goods; it impedes the soul's progress in the exercise of the virtues and the practice of the moral good; it merits temporal punishment.

The habit of smoking seems to fall under the category of venial sin. I can't see how, even though it is a disgusting habit, it can be considered grave matter, unless you're purposely smoking so you can die.

nyj said:

1863 Venial sin weakens charity; it manifests a disordered affection for created goods; it impedes the soul's progress in the exercise of the virtues and the practice of the moral good; it merits temporal punishment.

The habit of smoking seems to fall under the category of venial sin. I can't see how, even though it is a disgusting habit, it can be considered grave matter, unless you're purposely smoking so you can die.

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My dearest Dominican Tertiary and Theresa:

Christ is glorified in His saints! May He also be glorified in us!

May He also be glorified is us! Do you really want to become a saint? That is our calling. But how many of us are convinced, that right now, we are going to avoid any and all sins.This is the meaning of "metanoia" - a total change of heart, so that we don't want to offend God whom we love, even slightly. Look up METANOIA in the CCC.

Also look up HABITUAL SINS in the CCC. There you will find your answer. If a person is sincerely struggling against habitual sins, then the Catholic Church allows them to continue receiving the sacraments because they are necessary aids, especially Holy Confession.

Does your priest ask you if you will avoid all sins in the future? Most good Confessors do, and that includes a firm resolution to avoid even "venial" sins.

Within the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church all sins are considered serious, because they offend our Loving God. Only some sins are deadly. We are to avoid all sins. So we struggle to avoid
committing any sins (even the sins you call venial).

Again, would you smoke in Church?
Why do you smoke and pollute the Temple of God within?

We struggle; we avoid scrupulosity; we get up after we fall and beg God's pardon.

This is the Christian way of live -- continual repentance until we die.

Your sister in Christ,
Elizabeth

Hmmm, is there any reason you addressed the post above to me? Is anything that I said contrary to what you have posted? Did I, somewhere, deny the necessity of continual repentance?

nyj said:

Hmmm, is there any reason you addressed the post above to me? Is anything that I said contrary to what you have posted? Did I, somewhere, deny the necessity of continual repentance?

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Dearest Dominican Tertiary:

I was hoping you could find the passage in the CCC dealing with metanoia and habitual sins - because those are very comforting passages that will help Theresa. Besides you have a CCC and I don't.

YSIC
Elizabeth

P.S. I did read those passages in the CCC recently.

chanterhanson said:

Besides you have a CCC and I don't.

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I actually currently don't own a physical copy of the CCC. I gave it to my parents.

1. KofC - Catechism of the Catholic Church - Search Engine

2. KofC - Catechism of the Catholic Church - Table of Contents

Again, would you smoke in Church?
Why do you smoke and pollute the Temple of God within?

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This is just my opinion, for what it is worth. I am not a smoker, nor have ever been, but from what I have heard from those who have quit, it is the one of the hardest addictions to break. If I were struggling with this, I would take the comment above as condemnation. It probably isn't meant that way, but that's the way I would take it as one who has struggled with addiction of another form.

We struggle; we avoid scrupulosity; we get up after we fall and beg God's pardon.

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How could a smoker avoid scrupulosity with this advice? Many smokers would be falling down in repentance ten times a day.

Theresa,

Have you talked to your doctor about it? I know that in some places there are smoking cessation programs that work through support groups and medical intervention.

Michelle

Miss Shelby said:

This is just my opinion, for what it is worth. I am not a smoker, nor have ever been, but from what I have heard from those who have quit, it is the one of the hardest addictions to break. If I were struggling with this, I would take the comment above as condemnation. It probably isn't meant that way, but that's the way I would take it as one who has struggled with addiction of another form.

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Christ is in our very midst! He calls us to love and repentance. Do you hear His small still voice?

Listen, the truth sometimes hurts. My comment about smoking in the Temple of God, which we are, was not meant as a condemnation, but like St. John the Baptist, a call to repentance.

How could a smoker avoid scrupulosity with this advice? Many smokers would be falling down in repentance ten times a day.

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No, Dearest Ms. Shelby:

Scrupulosity results when people cannot accept God's forgiveness. They want the assurance from God that they are forgiven. Even when a priest says, "Go in peace, your sins are forgiven," they still doubt. It is a psychological problem usually related to depression.

Continual repentance is metanoia. It is a total change of heart and the awareness of our sinfulness. It is the acknowledgment that we are creatures and that God is the Creator. Falling down in repentance ten times a day is what we all should be doing. But then we should get up rejoicing in God's salvation. Fall down, get up. Fall down, get up.

Hope this clarifies things. I love Theresa in Christ and wish for her salvation. That's why she should look up metanoia, scrupulosity and habitual sins in the CCC. It would help her tremendously. I've already read those passages. Maybe she should post them.

Your Sister in Christ,
Elizabeth

Excessive use of tobacco, food, or alcohol is a sin against temperence.

CCC 2290. "The virtue of temperance disposes us to avoid every kind of excess: the abuse of food, alcohol, tobacco , or medicine. Those incur grave guilt who, by drunkenness or a love of speed, endanger their own and others' safety on the road, at sea, or in the air. "

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Miss Shelby said:

as one who has struggled with addiction of another form.

Theresa,

Have you talked to your doctor about it? I know that in some places there are smoking cessation programs that work through support groups and medical intervention.

Michelle

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Good idea! But lots of salads help too, so you won't gain weight. And nibbling on carrots and celery sticks helps also. It's the idea of substitution.

Dearest Theresa and Michelle:

I too struggled with a terrible addiction to barley, which gave me amnesia and flu like symptoms (more like a hangover). My Roman Catholic confessor told me that FOR ME it was a mortal sin to eat anything with barley in it, even donuts which have barley flour. And I loved buttermilk donuts and TigerMilk bars! So please don't mention donuts on the Pub. PLEASE. I even had to go to AA to help me overcome that addiction because some Irish [Catholic] alcoholics have an allergy to barley - at least my Irish Catholic ancestors did. Yes, they thought I was an oddball getting up there and saying "I am a sugarholic addicted to barley". Thank God those days are over. Thank you Jesus. Praise the Lord. Alleluia! Yet I still have to be watchful.

So I know what struggle you are going through. If I ate barley, I was forbidden to receive Holy Communion until I went to Confession. It was a tough three years. But I've heard of smokers kicking the habit cold turkey and hating the smell of tobacco smoke within three months. So it may not be that bad after all. My husband kicked the habit too.

Know that I will pray for you, Theresa!

Your sister in Christ,
Elizabeth

Again I ask you:

Would you smoke in Church?

Would you desecrate a Temple of the Holy Spirit, which you are?

Just something to think about.

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No, I would not smoke in church. But that is not how we define sin is it? Is it a sin to have sexual intercourse with my wife? No, but I wouldn't do it in a church would I? Of course not. I am not saying habitual smoking is not a sin. I am saying smoking itself, with no addicition, is not one.

1863 Venial sin weakens charity; it manifests a disordered affection for created goods; it impedes the soul's progress in the exercise of the virtues and the practice of the moral good; it merits temporal punishment.

The habit of smoking seems to fall under the category of venial sin. I can't see how, even though it is a disgusting habit, it can be considered grave matter, unless you're purposely smoking so you can die.

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This is your interpretation,not the Church's. Where does the Church or the CCCsay that smoking itself is any type of sin, venial or otherwise?


A person asked this question on another forum. Here was Fr. Z's answer: Read This Link!

Again,
smoking itself is not a sin. But if you are addicted to smoking and still smoke, then it could likely be a sin.