Fellow Christians: Is it a sin to smoke tobacco?

Question

Please provide scriptural references to back up your views if possible.
Many thanks and God bless.

Violation man - shouldn't you be at school?
You've been sussed lad.

phil_the_sane - thanks, but your assumption that I am assuming anything is wrong. By the very nature of this being a question, I'm not - I'm asking other people's take on this. Thanks for trying to answer though.

By the way, I already have a fully formed opinion on this - I'm interested in how other Christians view this issue.

Answer 1

My view is no. And I think that we need to be very wary of quoting verses such as some of those given here as being the absolute, simple answer. I read a book a while back entitled 'Why Bible believing Methodists should not eat black pudding' - an interesting title for a challenging book that warned of the dangers of using certain Bible passages without thought and critical study. Certain verses ' what can we say to such wonderful things as these, if God is on our side who can be against us' (for example) reveal deep truths. Saying your body is a temple and therefore smoking is wrong needs sensible thinking through. Test your faith, consider whether this statement also includes references to pharmaceutical drugs, certain types of food & drink etc. I may be wrong, but can't help feeling that Jesus would be telling us to stop faffing about worrying about whether smoking is a sin and get out and follow his instruction to 'love our neighbours'.

Answer 2

Sin is not an authoritative verdict that a religious leader imposes on a believer, or a believer imposes on a non-believer. Sin is an act against natural, social, spiritual laws. This act causes harm to the doer and the society, whether being caught or not. The wrong thinking about sin in the past has caused much suffering to the whole immature human race.
So any mature man today can learn about these laws and consciously avoid sin by themselves without bothering about the observation of other people. This understanding and practice will lead to a more civilized world of peace and prosperity for all people. God does not allow the believers to judge other people, but He already judges all by the divine, subtile and flexible law of cause and effect. No guilty man can avoid punishment by this all-encompassing law.

Answer 3

I don't believe it is a sin as much as it is a mistake. It is a physical health issue more than it is a moral issue. Some would say they're tied together because the body is the temple, but the most important thing is that it's not good for anyone. Period. No need to debate that. If someone wants to quit, I believe God can help them with that if they really try. God wants what is best for us including a healthy body.

Answer 4

Oh dear. You are starting from a wrong assumption looking for rules and law on what you can and can't do. Look all you like you will find rules against things you don't do but you will also find rules against things you do. All the rules are designed to do are to lead you to the point of knowing you do nasty horrible selfish things. Once you accept that and move into a relationship with God , The Holy Spirit will deal with the specifics. If he does not condemn you then I won't. If he does I still won't as I know what I am like.

However it is a waste of money, it will ruin your health and probably lead to a slow and painful death. The tobacco companies are exploiting your addiction with little regard for you.

However I believe it was one of the Wesleys who said he could smoke a good cigar to the glory of God ie he could enjoy something in moderation without the addiction.

Answer 5

Tobacco is not a sin if it's done properly.

Good cigars are what God had in mind when he created tobacco. High quality, well aged, long leaf, hand rolled cigars. I like Cuban Montecristos and Bolivars. They're not cheap, you won't find them at the convenience store. But if you can get them they are a blessing.

Cigarettes, on the other hand, are an abomination of Satan. Cigarettes give tobacco a bad name. They're full of artificial rubbish like formaldehyde. Incidentally, it's the additives that make them so deadly. Cigarettes stink. They have almost no resemblance to real tobacco and people abuse them by inhaling the smoke. Nobody inhales cigars, it's not how it's done.

Bottom line:
Cigar smokers go to heaven.
Cigarette smokers go to hell.

Answer 6

I think that you could argue that YES IT IS! Its a sin becuase in so doing you are supporting a business that does great harm to the world. Harm to families, children, all sorts of people. Now you could look at it from other perspectives too. Everyone makes choices, and if they are informed choices then where's the sin? But I guess you could also say its self-indulgent. I'm not a smoker, nor a big anti-smoker, but I lean towards the sin idea. If using tobacco is not a sin, then there can't be many other sins that center around things you put in your body.
Buying and smoking cigarettes is a form of corporate sin.

Answer 7

Tobacco is not a food. We should take nothing into our bodies except food.
All foods contain chemicals.
So when a doctor prescribes medication, it is really only a concentrated form of the nutrients that foods contain.
Who is able to eat a thousand lettuces to gain the small amount of a particular chemical that may provide a cure for our complaint.

Answer 8

I personally think harming the body is a sin and tobacco is prov en very addictive; however having smoked many years I got saved and smoked two or three years before I was finally able to quit.. on my own. I have since repented and ask God now to keep that temptation from me... and He has.

Answer 9

If God wanted you to smoke he would have given you a chimney. The scriptural reference is:

16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
KJV

Answer 10

Passage 1 Corinthians 6:19:
19 Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself,

Its not even your body to be destroying! Its GOD'S!