Posted by thinker on 7/31/2009, 5:29 pm, in reply to "Religion and Smoking"
76.168.165.39
Why does smoking conflict with faith? Are you Mormon?
Scripture-based religion often has proscriptions that are based on the time when its texts were written and the scientific knowledge of the people who wrote them. For example, the Bible says it is a sin (punishable by death) to eat pork, shellfish, or come into contact with a menstruating woman. But it encourages drinking alcohol, or at least certainly does not ban it, and of course says nothing about smoking, because at the time the practice was unknown.
If you believe in God, you may imagine that He doesn't want you to smoke because it's potentially harmful. By the same logic, you might believe likewise that he doesn't want you to eat too many cheeseburgers or drive without your seatbelt on. How these things can be seen in terms of sin, faith, spirituality etc. is not really clear to me.
P.S. I'm a Unitarian and a semi-closeted light smoker.
--Previous Message--
: So here's my story...
:
: I'm nearly 30, and I smoked occasionally
: during college but not as a habit. After a
: particularly stressful day at work three
: years ago, I bought a pack to help me
: unwind.
:
: For about a week, I hid my smoking until my
: wife, an ex-smoker, caught me. A week after
: that, I told her that I was smoking more and
: didn't really intend to stop.
:
: I went out back to smoke, and to my
: surprise, she came outside and said,
: "Well, if you're smoking again, I guess
: I'm smoking again."
:
: We've both been closet smoking since then...
: about half a pack on work days... more on
: weekends and vacation. We only smoke at
: home when we're in town. It's wonderful
: when we're on vacation, and we can both
: smoke openly.
:
: My problem with 'coming out' is, of course,
: the guilt from others who know me as a
: non-smoker. My parents and other family are
: VERY anti-smoking, and they live in the same
: town we live in. Most people have some
: connection to each other here, and if I even
: smoked in my car, I know word would get back
: to others.
:
: But this is the main issue: My parents are
: deeply religious (as am I). They seem to
: connect smoking to faith, and I can't
: imagine their response if they know I smoke.
:
: We've gone to a church where they have a
: smoking area outside, and it's nice to not
: have the pressure on me there. But I don't
: know about acceptance beyond there.
:
: Any thoughts? Anyone ever dealt with this
: particular side of the issue?
:
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