Posted by JohnB
on 8/11/2009, 12:51 am, in reply to "Religion and Smoking"
114.75.144.139
Antismoking is not new. The two most recent aggressive crusades were in the USA in the early-1900s and in the Nazi regime (Hitler, an ex-smoker, and the Nazis were rabidly antismoking). Both crusades were underlain by a eugenics (materialist) framework where the individual is viewed as no more than a bio-mass with ‘behaviors’. In materialism there is no mind, no soul, no spirit, no God - just the body and behavior. And, the ‘priests’ of materialism are typically the medical establishment. With antismoking rampant, indeed materialism is rife again. But this time not just in one or another nation, but is an unprecedented global phenomenon. The worldly system is in a very serious condition.
Don’t let anyone put you off your faith (including you) because you smoke. Smoking will not block the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Thinking with the world will block the fruits. If a Christian tells you that you can’t be a Christian if you smoke, pay no attention. They are not a Christian. Christianity is experiencing an apostasy. There are Christians now that are so in name only. Having relinquished the faith (although they think they still are Christian), they attempt to distinguish themselves morally as the world does, by not smoking, no alcohol, watching what they eat, and exercising. In Christian terms this is moral fakery or haughtiness.
The medical establishment, through antismoking groups, has spent the last four decades ‘denormalizing’ the smoking habit. During the same time frame, all manner of moral recklessness has been ‘normalized’. To denormalize the smoking habit, many lies have had to be told. These lies promote fear, hatred and social division. Much of what you hear about smokers/smoking is not accurate. And, through denormalization, a despicable strategy conjured by the foolish, smokers are a hated second-class citizenry. Yet, to be sure, fear and hatred go hand in hand and are anti-Christian.
Won’t take up any more space. Refer www.rampant-antismoking.com for more information. There is a good section in the book on Christianity and smoking/antismoking.
Blessings.
--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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