LOL, did you know eating sushi can lead to death due to bad fish?
Is smoking a sin?
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This is one of the "old time" legalistic points which was extant to a larger extent years ago, and usually two activities were linked together...smoking and dancing. There are NO VERSES in the Bible which prohibit either and after all, David danced. However, as others have stated, smoking does defile the Temple of God, so why do it? Then again, so does eating to excess, not getting enough exercise and any other activity which is unhealthy. It is very easy for non-smokers to say, "just quit" however, it is not that easy and for many is a very difficult struggle and that is understandable. If you are the smoker, I would start as soon as possible to get rid of this habit. Rather than spend money on doctors and fads, I would try it yourself. What I have found as a motivating activity to help me with self discipline is to quantify things and keep written records so you can compete with your self. In my case, its walking. Walking eight miles per day was a piece of cake for me and I am working my way back to that. I have charts which show how much walking I did per day and per week. I set a daily goal and try to reach it. The only expense is a pedometer for about $15 from Walmart. If I was a smoker, I would mark down a start date and time and add another 24 hours the when I surpass that time the next day. So then, in summation, smoking is NOT listed as a sin in the Bible but God has given us a Temple to take care of. Quiting smoking is can be a very difficult process which starts with marking down the day, date and time of your last cigarette and adding to those hours as the days go by. If you fall after two days, then you have a goal set to beat the next time. Most importantly, this process is under the umbrella of regular prayer to God to help you beat this and when that urge for a smoke starts building, you start building your prayers to Him. I wish you well!
1 Peter 2:12
1 Peter 2:12
There's NOTHING wrong with any poster asking the question so let's not jump to some "stirring things up" nonsense. New Christians, and many long term Christians have questions as to the life and certainly due to what I call the "what I have heard" category. It is a legitimate question and deserves a legitimate answer.
Is rock climbing a sin? Driving a car, flying in an aircraft, being a police officer, joining the military, etc, etc, etc. All can cause premature death but might not. And the statement that smoking defiles the temple of God is opinion and not supported with any biblical fact.
but you know that there are things that go into the mouth that defile. Ingestion of poison? Laundry pods? We all know that smoking is not good for us, And 2ndhand smoke isnt either, for your neighbor.And if your body is a temple, well.. you can see why they say that. But if God has not convicted you that smoking is wrong and you need to stop, then no one else should either. Id ask Him. BTW, I dont think anybody smoked back in Bible times.
"The phrase you're referring to is often associated with a teaching of Jesus recorded in the New Testament of the Bible, particularly in the Gospel of Matthew (15:11) and Mark (7:15), where Jesus is addressing the topic of ritual purity and dietary laws that were part of Jewish tradition.
The full context of the phrase is important to understand its meaning. In the narrative, Jesus is confronted by the Pharisees, who were religious leaders very concerned with the strict observance of the Law, including ritual washing of hands before eating. They questioned why Jesus' disciples didn't follow these traditional purity rituals.
In response, Jesus explains that it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth—this defiles a person. Here, "defiles" means to make unclean or impure according to religious standards. Jesus is shifting the focus from external rituals and physical impurities to the internal moral state of a person. He is emphasizing that ethical behavior, speech, and thoughts are more important than ritual purity.
Jesus' point is that adherence to external rituals without corresponding internal righteousness is of little value. He is challenging the religious leaders to look beyond the letter of the Law to its spirit—calling for purity of heart rather than just external compliance with religious customs.'
IOW, out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh.
Hope this helps.
Thanks, Chat.
My apologies as I deleted that post as unnecessary for me to address. But I will address the issue of poisons and their either defiling or not defiling the temple. I don't follow that teaching that poison defiles the temple. Are the apostles and believers defiled:
Mark 16:17-18 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
Alcohol is a poison and prescribed in the bible for certain uses and drank by Jesus and many others, even made by Jesus. God made tobacco and coffee beans.
Now I wouldn't intentionally take a poison would I? Perhaps I would, if it kills cancer instead of me, such is the nature of chemo therapy. In fact my psych meds are very poisonous and are administered in very tiny milligrams of dosage. These essential poisons cause the body to react in ways that are beneficial to the receiver. Tobacco has a calming effect on mentally disturbed individuals. So the case can be made.
Yes our of the heart man speaks. And I speak to the truth of things.
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This is a subject that's been done to death on every site I've belonged to. I just wondered why it needed to be asked again. I meant no offence.
Now I don't promote the use of tobacco, but I don't judge or condemn people that do either. So the medical authorities have long promoted the negative aspects of smoking and the health related issues it can cause. Noticing also that they make a very large amount of money from tobacco pushing these issues as a reason to tax heavily those industries. So they don't have a problem dipping their fingers into the pool that the tobacco industry creates.
That said what are the positive aspects of tobacco use? Well it's probably similar to alcohol use in that it relaxes and calms people down. Some people seem to lack control of anger and frustration. And some of those people will say that they use tobacco to relax.
"The calming neurological effects of nicotine have been demonstrated in a group of non-smokers during anger provocation. Researchers writing in BioMed Central's open access journal Behavioral and Brain Functions suggest that nicotine may alter the activity of brain areas that are involved in the inhibition of negative emotions such as anger." How Cigarettes Calm You Down
That said what are the positive aspects of tobacco use? Well it's probably similar to alcohol use in that it relaxes and calms people down. Some people seem to lack control of anger and frustration. And some of those people will say that they use tobacco to relax.
"The calming neurological effects of nicotine have been demonstrated in a group of non-smokers during anger provocation. Researchers writing in BioMed Central's open access journal Behavioral and Brain Functions suggest that nicotine may alter the activity of brain areas that are involved in the inhibition of negative emotions such as anger." How Cigarettes Calm You Down
I'm going to agree with @Pearl on this one....been done to death.
But in truth if these people who claim that something like Tobacco is a sin and have fillings in their teeth (cavities stem from lack of brushing and flossing after every meal and snack) Then they are complete hypocrites.
Meaning they are already showing the physical repercussions of not treating their body as the temple they claim it to be. So they don't have a leg to stand on.
But in truth if these people who claim that something like Tobacco is a sin and have fillings in their teeth (cavities stem from lack of brushing and flossing after every meal and snack) Then they are complete hypocrites.
Meaning they are already showing the physical repercussions of not treating their body as the temple they claim it to be. So they don't have a leg to stand on.
Did you know that they have trouble proving that chew tobacco causes mouth cancer (Oral cancer in a tobacco-chewing US population--no apparent increased incidence or mortality - PubMed). But they don't seem to have a problem proving that smoking can cause lung cancer. They have also promoted the evidence that eating smoked meats can cause stomach cancer (Smoked food and cancer - PubMed). Are those countries that eat smoked meats defiling the temple and sinning then. Do you believe this because the government has told you it's a sin?
I think if we're going to say smoking is a sin we should be educated in smoking and the effects it causes or does not cause.
I think if we're going to say smoking is a sin we should be educated in smoking and the effects it causes or does not cause.
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Uh oh.....
Jesus fed Peter some fish he had hot smoked....was He wanting to give Peter Stomach Cancer?
Yes did you know it is the smoke that causes cancer, inhaling smoke from a wood fire can cause cancer apparently:
"Wood smoke is a mixture of solids, gases, and liquids. Much like cigarette smoke, wood smoke contains hundreds of air pollutants that can cause cancer and other health problems. One of these pollutants that is of most concern is fine particles." https://apps.ecology.wa.gov/publications/publications/91br023.pdf
I think the point is to quit worrying about death and just live for Christ no matter if you smoke or not. It's sad that smokers get judged though. But then again I'm not sure who really gets judged when we call smokers sinners.
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I'm not a betting man. You asked and I answered. If you feel I'm wrong let me know and we can reason together.
This is not a lotto/gambling bet. This is a bet to scientifically measure the strength of your belief. Put money where your mouth is.
Not by my mouth but by Scripture! Smoking is self-murder. Read the label on a pack of cigarettes.
My husband smoked 20 a day all his life from his teen years until 2012 when he gave up cigarettes and began to us a vape. His health improved because there is no tar and other such substances in the vape liquid.
me too!!! But like I said, if God is not convicting someone, then it is not a problem. It is is one for me.
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