Is smoking cigarettes or "slowly killing yourself" considered suicide?

Question

I know that in religious terms, suicide is a terrible thing which results in your soul going to hell. Does that mean that doing things like "living on the edge", smoking, drinking, and even getting in your car every morning, which increase the chances of death, are considered forms of suicide? If not, then where do we draw the line between suicide and simply living life?

You idiots aren't understanding the point im trying to make with this question. I'm not attacking you or your beliefs. I am also not going to defend myself against the people who outlive others even though they do "dangerous and risky" things that I listed. I am simply asking a philosophical question regarding suicide and its true definition. Please open your mind.

This is why I think the term "suicide" and even religion is bogus. You can't put a definition on suicide. Every day that you live, you are getting older, and thus, are getting closer to death. SO, we are all killing ourselves. We are all going to hell. Ridiculous. The world is based on pure hard science and the world doesn't make a distinction between "suicide" and simply dying. So, what I can conclude is go ahead and kill yourself if you don't like your life. THe world doesn't care and god doesnt care, if there even is a god.

shalei, can you email me at danei@westmarine and tell me more about food poisoning and the FDA? I am really interested in it. If you have any web sources that would be great. Thank you.

Answer 1

NO, because not EVERYBODY dies from smoking......

Answer 2

I'd say no, as cigarettes don't kill for sure, just vastly increase your cances of dying younger. Look at George Burns - he apparently smoked 2 cigars a day since he was 13, and he lived a hell of a lot longer than Jim Fixx (the guy who started America's short-lived jogging / fitness craze and died of a massive heart attack at age 52).

I guess that if God wants you to stick around, you can smoke and drink all you want. But if he's got it in for you, all the organic bean sprouts and exercise in the world are going to keep you here.

Answer 3

Suicide is intentionally taking ones own life. Smoking and all bad habits that destroy your body and its organs will bring you a timely death. Most likely painful and insufferable. Now days that's not the only way people die. We also die from just eating our daily food. The FDA allow so much poison to be placed in foods that we will also die from that. Its sad because not everyone has wealth beyond their means, and so they cannot afford oraganic foods. The FDA is accountable for millions of lives and the suffering of horrific diseases (like cancer) ; the blame lies in the hands of the FDA. People can't trust the Government anymore. We are on our own to survive.
Very good question. You draw your own line when you willingly commit yourself to bad health hazards that you have control of. Where you don't have control (like eating foods), that's where God draws the line between you and the FDA or Government. There are things we have no control of because we are the powerless and the Government has all the power. Wishing you good health.

Answer 4

I'm not religious, but I'm going to throw in my two cents anyhow:

The difference between suicide and living life is the intent. If you intend to kill yourself, that's suicide. If your intention is to simply live the way you want, that's completely different.

Though, I think it says something in the Bible about honoring your body as a sacred temple.

Answer 5

I cannot see drinking and cigarette smoking as suicide, however, I can see a bad choice/habitual addiction, that can one day lead to destruction. Getting into your car....is like saying, by being born increases your chances of death.

Answer 6

this one issue tears me , as cigarettes don't alter your mind like drink or narcotic would. cholesterol could be also called suicide. but we do know that cigarettes if used as intended generally lead to ill health, complications, perhaps pre mature death, one could assume it is a sin perhaps akin to suicide. I really can't say for sure, sometimes i think its suicide other times i feel just the opposite

Answer 7

No but it is defiling your body which is the holy temple just like drinking or overeating.

I think the difference with smoking, is that with suicide, the person removes their abiilty to ask for forgiveness after the sin is done. You can ask the Lord to forgive you after you smoke, but there's no repentance after blowing your brains out.

Answer 8

mountain climbing is almost considered suicide, and insane socialists have passed a law that says it's illegal to go mountain climbing without a global tracking device of some sort on your person. mandatory human tracking devices are the beginning of the end, so all you religious people better dig your shelters and stock up on canned food.

Answer 9

I believe unhealthy things are wrong..because your body is a "temple of god"....so abusing it by smoking or drinking in excess would be wrong...but, so is overeating, and not exercising...

then, where do we stop....

Answer 10

Not unless killing yourself is your conscious intent in smoking.
.

Answer 11

No it's not-If it was, it's not cigarettes, it's smoking illegal drugs!-my uncle lost his wife, kids & life from a coke overdose. (NOT GOOD.)