Church's views on smoking

2

Comments

  • [quote author=ilovesaintmark link=topic=9406.msg116603#msg116603 date=1279222054]
    Minagir,

    I'm with you all the way.  It all comes from people trivializing things and beginning the sentence of discussion with:  "What's the big deal..." or "I do not think it is a sin".

    The whole liberal thing is a veil for immorality.

    His Holiness says that even the strongest and bulkiest rock can be eroded by drips of water on a constant basis.


    i was just talking with john about this....it's not even about the natural sexuality of human beings, heterosexuality, but rather homosexuality too. Actually, more specifically about homosexuality. everyone knows that there is always the "talk" that we get from our parents but here homosexuals want to force us to get the talk with the gay talk....knowing that parents will never get gayness in the talk......talk about defiling personal freedom!!!!
  • [quote author=ilovesaintmark link=topic=9406.msg116577#msg116577 date=1279201978]
    Do you know what flipping the middle finger means, before you down code the issue as being "trivial"?
    It is actually one of the foulest curses to be used.  It is even worse than the average "four letter word".

    I never said flipping the middle finger... I meant when I'm alone in my bedroom and for some strange reason I examine my middle finger with all my other fingers in a fist... are you telling me God will get upset?

    And my question about smoking still remains unanswered... you guys went off on Obama, and speaking of which, it isn't a bad idea to educate kids about sex... maybe not that young or in detail as Obama wants, but it is better off kids aren't ignorant about these things.

    having same sex feelings when growing up certainly does not mean u are gay.

    I'm pretty sure that's the definition of being gay.

    I'm with you all the way.  It all comes from people trivializing things and beginning the sentence of discussion with:  "What's the big deal..." or "I do not think it is a sin".

    Good. Now when I say "What's the big deal about smoking a puff in a social setting, and leaving it at that," you say why it is wrong.
  • [quote author=sodr2 link=topic=9406.msg116617#msg116617 date=1279238809]
    And my question about smoking still remains unanswered... you guys went off on Obama, and speaking of which, it isn't a bad idea to educate kids about sex... maybe not that young or in detail as Obama wants, but it is better off kids aren't ignorant about these things.
    Read the article i posted before and the general set up for this sex education set up. I don't see what's the big deal with keeping kids pure of all of these things till they are of age. there is sex education in high school which EVERYONE gets before graduating. I have to include what i have heard in Adel Imam's movie "el-tagrobah el-denimarkeya" (yes i said the name of the movie) were the girl from Denmark "why don't you have sex education?" and he simply said "we don't need to." and goes on after to say that for hundreds of years the system in our society, egypt, was always that way.....did their ignorance of details of sex decrease the number of children or even couples having sex?! NO!!!!

    having same sex feelings when growing up certainly does not mean u are gay.

    I'm pretty sure that's the definition of being gay.
    nope...sorry, that is not the definition. instead it, it is the definition of the ACTION and not the thought. the thought is the first step of the complete sin. I say complete sin because that thought can be diminished by the Holy Spirit in us; or simply our willa nd conscience.

    I'm with you all the way.  It all comes from people trivializing things and beginning the sentence of discussion with:  "What's the big deal..." or "I do not think it is a sin".

    Good. Now when I say "What's the big deal about smoking a puff in a social setting, and leaving it at that," you say why it is wrong.
    It's simply wrong because it hurts your body.....also just bring NOTHING to the table. there must be a reason for everything that we do or anyone. EVEN GOD HIMSELF does things with reasons.
  • Here are some possibilities for being able to fit in, which would be no different than just a few puffs on a cigarette (that you don't even like):

    1.  attending at a strip joint just for 5 minutes
    2.  getting a lap dance for just 30 seconds
    3.  stealing an office flash drive but not the whole computer
    4.  stealing half a ream of paper instead of a whole box.
    5.  cursing someone with non-four letter words
    6.  forgetting the Sabbath, it's only one day in the week
    7.  insulting your parents just once.
    8.  only coveting your neighbor's car but not fully on his wife or other possessions
    9.  the Bill Clinton, 'I only smoked marijuana, but I didn't inhale'.
    10.  'I only had oral sex that is not real intercourse'.
    11.  'I never had sexual relations with that woman.'
    12.  a girl can be 'slightly pregnant' [this is one of my personal favorites]

    There have been a series of replies that are quite appropriate, it might be well to start at the beginning of the thread and read through again.

    Come on Sodr2, you know better.  It's better not to belate the issue. 

    I didn't mention Obama, although there is a whole encyclopedia that can be written on his utter disdain for the Almighty and any morality.

    As for looking at your middle finger, the reason why to avoid that habit is so that you do not do it in public by accident some day and some nut case takes offense and breaks every finger on your hand so that you are never able to raise your middle finger.

    Just looking out for you buddy. 
  • [quote author=yousiegtennis link=topic=9406.msg116635#msg116635 date=1279255407]
    [quote author=minagir link=topic=9406.msg116595#msg116595 date=1279217291]
    Dude....i don't think that is much to what they are trying to do now.

    Look at this:OBAMA SUPPORTS KINDERGARTEN SEX ED


    there's nothing wrong with this, if you actually read the article, it says they will introduce them to their body parts and how they work.  and btw, in today's society, little children are being exposed to sex earlier and earlier...the more they know at a younger age, the better, so we don't get pregnant girls in like 6th grade!!

    the goal is different. the goal is not to stop SEX but to teach sex without pregnancy......not only that but again, you missed what i said before and how this is all about bringing homosexuality into sex as a norm for a human being....which we know and believe is NOT!!!

    pregnant girls in 6th grade....i think that is really hard to believe.

    you'll be teaching kids about theIr body parts and what they do and wat you can do with them.....also about sex and how to have it and ways to have it....but now there is ONE BIG PROBLEM: you can never teach them the consequences of sex: pregnancy. And how that needs a family for achild to be born and be raising and many other needs. Now you'll get into problems of abortion for all those minors that can't raise kids. it doesn't matter how much you teach them about how something works if their mind cannot comprehend why it works.

    in the video in the article i posted, Obama mentions teaching abstinence in classrooms and just lets it go as it is not important and says after that the teenagers need to learn from younger age about sex to avoid becoming pregnant when having sex.....this is just stupid........the problem is not them knowing sex but rather how to deal with that action that is taken. it is the parents job to communicate with there kids to make sure of that.

    here in the states, we just fix problems from what we see from the outside and not, on purpose, dig deep for the bigger problem to fix.
  • We have lots of sex education here in the UK and a younger and younger age, and our last socialist government wanted to impose it on kindergartens too. Free contraceptives and abortions are arranged for teenage girls without their parents knowledge or consent.

    Yet we also have the highest rates of teenage pregnancy and std's in the Western world.

    It is like teaching 7 year olds how to create a worm virus, just so that they know, and then telling them not to go make any and infect anyone's computers.
  • Teenage girls don't get pregnant, they become slightly pregnant.  I just want to register that point.
  • [quote author=ilovesaintmark link=topic=9406.msg116646#msg116646 date=1279280125]
    Teenage girls don't get pregnant, they become slightly pregnant.  I just want to register that point.


    I'm just curious as to how a girl can become "slightly" pregnant.
  • [quote author=yousiegtennis link=topic=9406.msg116654#msg116654 date=1279298355]
    [quote author=minagir link=topic=9406.msg116636#msg116636 date=1279256687]
    it is the parents job to communicate with there kids to make sure of that.


    how many Egyptians do you know who do this??  probably not very many...in our culture it's considered "3eib" to talk about these things...

    i am not saying teach them specifics about the whole thing, as the american culture here teaches......but there are mere things that they must know. it goes this way, the what of sex is taught in school, and the why should be done through parents.
  • [quote author=minagir link=topic=9406.msg116625#msg116625 date=1279240808]
    [quote author=sodr2 link=topic=9406.msg116617#msg116617 date=1279238809]
    And my question about smoking still remains unanswered... you guys went off on Obama, and speaking of which, it isn't a bad idea to educate kids about sex... maybe not that young or in detail as Obama wants, but it is better off kids aren't ignorant about these things.
    Read the article i posted before and the general set up for this sex education set up. I don't see what's the big deal with keeping kids pure of all of these things till they are of age. there is sex education in high school which EVERYONE gets before graduating. I have to include what i have heard in Adel Imam's movie "el-tagrobah el-denimarkeya" (yes i said the name of the movie) were the girl from Denmark "why don't you have sex education?" and he simply said "we don't need to." and goes on after to say that for hundreds of years the system in our society, egypt, was always that way.....did their ignorance of details of sex decrease the number of children or even couples having sex?! NO!!!!
    Well my ignorance certainly was harmful.

    [quote author=minagir link=topic=9406.msg116625#msg116625 date=1279240808]

    having same sex feelings when growing up certainly does not mean u are gay.

    I'm pretty sure that's the definition of being gay.
    nope...sorry, that is not the definition. instead it, it is the definition of the ACTION and not the thought.
    dude...If I have feelings for MEN instead of WOMEN then I am gay... being gay isnt a sin i'm with you there,, the action is, but if i have gay thoughts thats certainly an indication

    [quote author=minagir link=topic=9406.msg116625#msg116625 date=1279240808]
    It's simply wrong because it hurts your body.....also just bring NOTHING to the table. there must be a reason for everything that we do or anyone. EVEN GOD HIMSELF does things with reasons.

    1. Again, there are no complications for smoking once (that im aware of), how many times must i repeat myself, im not talking about habitual smoking
    2. Just because it brings "nothing to the table" means its a sin? Plus, it does bring something to the table if youre doing it in a social setting

    ----------
    ilovestmark: im asking if smoking a puff is a sin, then you ask if getting a lap dance is a sin, comparing the two. you dont see how weak of an argument this is? lust is a sin whether youre addicted to it or not.... IM ASKING is smoking a sin if youre not addicted to it, if its a sin in itself, im aware if youre addicted to it then its a sin

    As for looking at your middle finger, the reason why to avoid that habit is so that you do not do it in public by accident some day and some nut case takes offense and breaks every finger on your hand so that you are never able to raise your middle finger.

    Is it offensive to God is what we're debating, I don't know what youre talking about here.
  • [quote author=TITL link=topic=9406.msg116655#msg116655 date=1279299353]
    [quote author=ilovesaintmark link=topic=9406.msg116646#msg116646 date=1279280125]
    Teenage girls don't get pregnant, they become slightly pregnant.  I just want to register that point.


    I'm just curious as to how a girl can become "slightly" pregnant.


    Teens mostly abort (slight pregnancy ~ 10weeks),before they get full pregnant ;D..Anyway "slightly pregnant" is oxymoronic phrase.
  • IT IS A SIN, AND YOU KNOW THAT.  IT HAS BEEN EXPLAINED TO YOU AT LENGTH THROUGH ALL OF THESE POSTS.

    IF YOU WISH TO BE PERSISTENT AND OBSTINANT, THEN SO BE IT.

    I GUESS YOU QUALIFY FOR THE 'CAFETERIA ORTHODOX' LABEL.

    HAVE FUN, AND HAVE A SMOKE, ENJOY YOUR FRIENDS THAT YOU WANT TO FIT IN WITH.  WHILE YOU ARE AT IT GET YOUR EARS AND BELLY BUTTON PIERCED.

    I LOVE PEOPLE LIKE YOU, THEY LIKE TO ARGUE IN THE HOPES THAT THE RULES WILL CHANGE. 

    MAYBE YOU CAN ASK POPE SHENOUDA TO HAVE TOBACCO added TO THE INCENSE, AS A PAPAL AND SYNODAL DECREE, SO THAT IT WILL BE EASIER TO GET A PUFF.



  • [quote author=ilovesaintmark link=topic=9406.msg116674#msg116674 date=1279322596]
    IT IS A SIN, AND YOU KNOW THAT.  IT HAS BEEN EXPLAINED TO YOU AT LENGTH THROUGH ALL OF THESE POSTS.

    IF YOU WISH TO BE PERSISTENT AND OBSTINANT, THEN SO BE IT.

    I GUESS YOU QUALIFY FOR THE 'CAFETERIA ORTHODOX' LABEL.

    HAVE FUN, AND HAVE A SMOKE, ENJOY YOUR FRIENDS THAT YOU WANT TO FIT IN WITH.  WHILE YOU ARE AT IT GET YOUR EARS AND BELLY BUTTON PIERCED.

    I LOVE PEOPLE LIKE YOU, THEY LIKE TO ARGUE IN THE HOPES THAT THE RULES WILL CHANGE. 

    MAYBE YOU CAN ASK POPE SHENOUDA TO HAVE TOBACCO added TO THE INCENSE, AS A PAPAL AND SYNODAL DECREE, SO THAT IT WILL BE EASIER TO GET A PUFF.


    You're 12, right?
  • Actually, to make you happy Sodr2, I'm three years old.

    But I am sure of what is right and wrong.

    I am also sure that I have to do the Will of God, and not try to make excuses to fit in with people that lack the search and the acceptance of the Will of God.

    My dear Sodr2, it is wrong.

    It is wrong.
    It is wrong.
    And it is a sin.

    Don't defend a sin, because the sin will not defend you before God.
  • Ya, sodr2, smoking is obviously a sin, your body is a Temple. Inside you is the Holy Spirit. Most of the time in the New Testament Jerusalem is referring to us. How, after you know all of this, can you say that smoking is ok. You are ruining your life. Please do not endorse this kind of foolish behavior.
  • [quote author=yousiegtennis link=topic=9406.msg116681#msg116681 date=1279341611]
    [quote author=sodr2 link=topic=9406.msg116676#msg116676 date=1279322990]
    You're 12, right?


    hmmm...how old are you??  just wondering...i mean people who are older usually get the point after being told the same answer about five times from five different people...

    Check my profile. & I have checked all answers on all pages... their either "it harms your body" (but I'm talking about smoking [move]once [/move]as opposed to long term smoking to which you people can't wrap your heads around) or "It is wrong. It is wrong. And it is a sin." without explaining anything. I guess I'll just have to ask my priest.
  • smoking once still affects ur body in a negative manner. I think you are just being to lenient with yourself because you want an excuse to smoke(I hope i am wrong about this). If this is what you think that doing it just once isn't a sin well then this is true also:


    1. Having sex outside marriage isn't a sin if you do it just once.
    2. Cussing is ok as long as you do it just once.
    3. Murder is ok as long as you kill one person.
    4. Idol worshipping is ok as long as you bow down only once.
    5. Taking drugs is fine and dandy as long as you don't overdose and do it just once.
    etc.

    You might want to rethink your decision.
  • [quote author=sodr2 link=topic=9406.msg116033#msg116033 date=1277699577]
    [quote author=gregorytheSinner link=topic=9406.msg116029#msg116029 date=1277694927]
    From what my priest/teachers have always taught me, smoking is considered wrong because of it's harmful effects on the human body.

    Our body is a gift from God, doing anything to harm it, is considered a sin.  And since medical evidence has linked smoking to certain diseases, we consider it a sin.
    So what about back in the days where the harmful effects of smoking weren't yet recognized? Was it still a sin then? What if someone enjoyed chewing bubblegum everyday, but it was latter found to be harmful.. is that a sin?

    I think people can't differentiate between a taboo and a sin. Jesus said it's not what goes in a man (food), but does it really matter if what we put in our mouths enters the stomach or the lungs?
  • Geo,

    You took my tact. 
  • Just to be clear, I don't want to smoke.

    what is there to explain about something being a sin??  if it's a sin it's a sin.

    Yes... and I'm wondering what constitutes smoking itself to be a sin (if it is). But whatever, this thread should be locked, I'm just going to ask my priest instead.
  • You are making it seem like nobody explained it outside of the statement you highlighted.

    I will repeat, read all of the posts, and the answers are written clearly.

    Please, go to your priest and ask him, but don't offer him a drag when you go.  In the event you want him to experience it before he gives you advice.
  • Sodr2, that is the best choice. Go ask your local priest he will tell you basically the same thing we said here.

    May God guide you
  • I think, actually, that sodr2 has a point. Though we said smoking is harmful, the fact that one cigarette is negligibly harmful or at least more or less the same as passive smoking most of accumulate over the course of a week (I cannot validate this statement, I admitt), then the case is not strong for having one cigarette. Everyone was persuasive in condemning the lifestyle and habit of the smoker-for smoking is an addictive pasttime and drug- but to have one cigarette or cigar very occasionally, which quite a few people do, has not been persuasively argued against.

    The geomike's response, I found, was one attempt to actually wrestle with what sodr2 had been discussing, but I don't think it was convincing. Sex, murder, cussing, Idolatory even once is a sin, even once, because it is the manifestation of lust, anger, unclean hearts and blasphemy. It has effects on others, and an affect on the body in all these except idolatory- in which case it is an outright rejection of God. They are clearly sins, as they were told to be so in the Scriptures. But the Scripture you used to condemn smoking, was on its habit.

    But sodr2, smoking is very rarely a single event. And it is often even if taken once, a result of idle curiousity, wishing to gain acceptance by others, hanging around others with this bad habit and re-enforcing their diminished view of smoking. I think, if only taken once, still indicates something sinful in the person. Further, it definately is not helpful or edifying.

    I also have this thought that aren't fatty foods also detrimental to the body, why are they not sinful- well gluttony is a sin, and of course we are takling about a lifestyle- though fatty foods are actually filled with nutrition as well- there is nothing beneficial for cigarrettes (except if you have a form of Inflammatory Bowel Disease).

    And we are talking about ciagerette smoking- because there is no way I can say the same to cannabis. Though I accept it has a place in treatment of cancer, I cannot see how its harmful effects on the brain can be entertained by any young person.

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