Religious views on smoking
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Religious views on smoking vary widely. Indigenous peoples of the Americas have traditionally used tobacco for religious purposes, while Abrahamic and other religions have only been introduced to the practice in recent times due to the European colonization of the Americas in the 16th century.
Abrahamic religions
With the exception of a few Christian denominations, the Abrahamic religions originated before tobacco smoking was introduced to the Old World from the New World. Therefore, these religions do not address it in their foundational teachings; however, modern practitioners have offered interpretations of their faith with regard to smoking.
Christianity
In the 19th century, smoking was considered as inappropriate by certain
Roman Catholic Church
The
The virtue of temperance disposes us to avoid every kind of excess: the abuse of food, alcohol, tobacco, or medicine.
Orthodoxy
Though there is no official
You ask, "Are there canons that speak to the issues of ... tobacco?" I would ask you, where are the Canons that forbid use of marijuana or snorting cocaine or downloading pornography from the Internet? Obviously, there are none. Does this mean that your innate Orthodox common sense should not be enough to guide you to recognize what is healthy and what is not? The Canons should not be considered a compendium of answers to all possible questions. God gave us a mind and a conscience and we should use them to determine what is right and what is wrong, whether or not the particular yes issue has been addressed in the canons or not.
Smoking tobacco is a disgusting, filthy, addictive habit that turns the mouth of the smoker into an ashtray. It not only poisons the body of the smoker but pollutes the air that others around the smoker breathe. It is absolutely incompatible with the dignity of the Orthodox Priesthood, diaconate, or monastic state, whether the Canons specifically address it or not.[4]
Other churches
The view of the body being the "temple of the Holy Spirit" is also common in Protestant circles, and is quoted as a basis against not only tobacco use, but recreational drugs, eating disorders, sexual immorality, and other vices which can be harmful to the body. The Bible reference is I Corinthians 6:7-20.
Jehovah's Witnesses have not permitted any active members to smoke since 1973.[6][7]
The Seventh-day Adventist Church also recommends that its members abstain from tobacco use.[8] It has called for governments to enact policies that include "a uniform ban on all tobacco advertising, stricter laws prohibiting smoking in non-residential public places, more aggressive and systematic public education, and substantially higher taxes on cigarettes."[9] North American Adventist health study recruitments from 2001-2007 found that 98.9% of Adventists were non-smokers.[10]
In
Tobacco is not for the body, neither for the belly, and is not good for man, but is an herb for bruises and all sick cattle, to be used with judgment and skill.
Islam
The holy book of
- "Don't throw yourself into danger by your own hands ..." (Quran 2:195)
and, in recent years,
The reported juristic disagreement among Muslim scholars on the ruling concerning smoking, since its appearance and spread, is not usually based on differences between legal proofs, but on the difference in the verification of the cause on which the ruling is based. They all agree that whatever is proved to be harmful to the body and mind is prohibited, yet they differ whether this ruling applies to smoking. Some of them claimed that smoking has some benefits, others assured that it had few disadvantages compared to its benefits, whereas a third group maintained that it had neither benefits nor bad effects. This means that if scholars had been certain about the harmfulness of smoking, then they would undoubtedly have considered it prohibited....
Second: Our inclination to consider smoking prohibited does not mean that it is as grave as major sins like adultery, drinking alcohol or theft. In fact, prohibited matters in Islam are relative; some of them are minor prohibitions whereas others are major, and each has its own ruling. The major sins, for example, have no expiation other than sincere repentance. However, the minor sins can be expiated by the Five Prayers, the
All contemporary rulings tend to condemn smoking as potentially harmful or prohibit (
In many parts of the Arabic speaking world, the legal status of smoking has further changed during recent years, and numerous religious edicts or fatawa, including from notable authorities such as
Q2:195)." Additionally, jurists rely on the exhortations in the Qur'an not to waste money. Greater appreciation of the risks associated with passive smoking, has also led recent jurists to cite the obligation to avoid causing willful annoyance, distress, or harm to other people.[18]
In practice, at least one recent survey (Abbottabad, Pakistan) found that observant Muslims tend to avoid smoking.[19] A study of young Muslim Arab-Americans found that Islamic influences were correlated with some diminished smoking.[20] Conversely, an Egyptian study found that knowledge of an anti-smoking fatwa did not reduce smoking.[21] Overall, the prevalence of smoking is increasing in Islamic countries.
Response of the tobacco industry
From the 1970s to the late 1990s, tobacco companies including
Judaism
Early on in the Hasidic movement, the
Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan was one of the first Jewish authorities to speak out on smoking. He considered it a health risk and a waste of time, and had little patience for those who claimed addiction, stating that they never should have started smoking in the first place.[23]
A shift toward health-oriented concerns may be observed in different rabbinic interpretations of Jewish law (halakha). For instance, at a time when the link between smoking and health was still in doubt, Rabbi Moshe Feinstein issued an influential opinion in 1963 stating that smoking was permitted, although still inadvisable.[24] He later stated that a non-smoker is prohibited from developing a smoking habit.[25]
More recently, rabbinic responsa tend to argue that smoking is prohibited as self-endangerment under Jewish law and that smoking in indoor spaces should be restricted as a type of damage to others. The self-endangerment rule is grounded partly on a Biblical verse that is read as an injunction to watch one's health - "ונשמרתם מאד, לנפשתיכם" [Vi'nish'martem Me'od Li'naf'sho'tey'chem] Deut. 04:15 "And you shall watch yourselves very well ..." Similarly, rabbinic rules against damaging others are traced back to Biblical and Talmudic laws.
Famous Ashkenazi
Among important Sephardi Haredi rabbis, Rabbi
Other major Ashkenazi rabbis who explicitly forbade smoking include Rabbi
Buddhism
In Buddhism, smoking is not explicitly prohibited and Buddhist communities have generally tolerated the practice.[28] A definite Buddhist view towards smoking is ambiguous, and attitudes towards it vary from positive to negative; which vary by institution, teaching, and personal views.[28] The question of smoking isn't considered a significant Buddhist issue, unlike other topics like the consumption of meat.[29] In some southeast Asian Buddhist countries, smoking is prevalent among the population at large and to a certain extent among Buddhist monks, too.[30][31][32] There have however been some active anti-smoking campaigns in certain Buddhist communities to help Buddhists quit smoking, and create smoke-free temples and religious sites.[33][30] It is generally regarded as impolite for visitors to smoke inside pagodas or other Buddhist sites.
Hinduism
While not explicitly prohibited in Hinduism, tobacco use is seen as a kind of intoxication, and as such should not be done in public.
Native American religions
Communal smoking of a sacred pipe is a religious ceremony in a number of Native American cultures, while other tribes are social smokers only, if they smoke at all. In some cases tobacco is smoked, in other cases, kinnikinnick, or a combination of the two.
Naturally grown and harvested tobacco, prepared in the ways traditional to intact Native American and First Nations ceremonial communities, is very different from commercially marketed tobacco.[34][35] Commercial tobacco usually contains chemical additives and much higher levels of nicotine.[34] In ceremonial usage, much smaller amounts of natural tobacco are burned than in secular, recreational tobacco smoking. There is a movement among Native peoples, including a resolution by The National Congress of American Indians, to make sure that only naturally-grown tobacco is used in ceremonies,[34] and that social smoking and use of commercial tobacco be avoided or ended altogether.[34][36]
WHEREAS, the quality of commercial tobacco products has been compromised due to the chemical engineering by the tobacco industry and commercial tobacco contains 7,000 chemical additives (such as rat poison, formaldehyde, ammonia, acetone, arsenic and many more) that are harmful to health; and commercial tobacco disrespects the fundamental cultural traditions of American Indians and Alaska Natives; ...
...
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the National Congress of American Indians does hereby endorse policies for the protection of tribal community members from tobacco use and secondhand smoke exposure through comprehensive tribal commercial tobacco-free air policies (including all forms of commercial tobacco products) in indoor workplaces and public places (including tribal casinos), providing access to high quality tobacco cessation services, and promotes the creation of policy to dis-incentivize individuals from purchasing and using commercial tobacco products;[37] - National Congress of American Indians Resolution #SPO-16-046
Sikhism
Guru Gobind Singh prohibited his Sikhs from smoking tobacco. He called tobacco "jagat jooth" (Punjabi: "the world's impurity").
A legend states that when Guru Gobind Singh Ji was riding his blue horse, Neela, it would not enter a tobacco field and reared up in front of it.[citation needed]
Among people of south Asian ancestry (primarily Punjabi Sikhs) residing in the
Baháʼí Faith
In the Baháʼí Faith, smoking is not forbidden but is discouraged.[39]
Zoroastrianism
The idea of smoking tobacco has been looked down upon in modern
See also
References
- ISBN 978-1-136-47940-3.
In 1877 the Methodist Episcopal Conference prohibited the use of tobacco by its ministers .... Some other churches discourage or prohibit the use of it by members. ... in the revelation to Prophet Joseph Smith in 1833 there was this declaration: '... tobacco is not good for man ....'
- ^ "Spurgeon's love of fine cigars". The Spurgeon Archive. Retrieved 2016-10-07.
- ^ Johann Sebastian Bach (1725). Edifying Thoughts of a Tobacco Smoker.
- ^ Lebedeff, Father Alexander (1996), Barnes, Patrick (ed.), A Conversation About Modernism, The Dalles, Oregon: Orthodox Christian Information Center, retrieved 2008-02-15
- ^ The Discipline of the Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection (Original Allegheny Conference). Salem: Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection. 2014. pp. 37, 44.
- ^ "Life Story: Jehovah Always Rewards His Loyal Ones", The Watchtower, September 1, 2000, page 26. The footnote reads: "The Watchtower of June 1, 1973, explained why from that time forward, an individual would need to quit smoking before he could be baptized and become one of Jehovah's Witnesses."
- ^ "Why Quit Smoking?". wol.jw.org. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
- ^ Christian Behavior, The Seventh-day Adventist Church, retrieved 28 December 2013
- ^ Statements – Smoking and Tobacco, The Seventh-day Adventist Church, 29 June 1995, retrieved 28 December 2013
- ^ "Adventist Health Study-2 | Adventist Health Study". adventisthealthstudy.org. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
- ^ "When a Membership Council Is Not Normally Necessary", General Handbook (LDS Church, 2020) § 32.6.4.
- ^ "12. How Do I Prepare People for Baptism and Confirmation?". churchofjesuschrist.org. Retrieved 2022-04-06.
- ^ Brigham, Janet. "Tobacco: Quitting for Good". The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
being tobacco-free is a requirement for baptism and temple attendance.
- ISBN 978-92-9021-277-5.
- ^ a b "How tobacco firms try to undermine Muslim countries' smoking ban". The Daily Observer. 21 April 2015. Archived from the original on 2 August 2018. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
- ^ "Is the Ruling on Smoking Still Controversial? - IslamonLine.net - Ask The Scholar". Archived from the original on 13 February 2008.
- ^ "Saudi Arabia: Don't Keep Us From Smoking". American Bedu. Archived from the original on 2009-10-11. Retrieved 2012-09-20.
- ^ PMID 16455732.
- PMID 12043328.
- S2CID 13545784.
- PMID 15119472. Archived from the original on 2004-10-12.)
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link - ^ a b c Boseley, Sarah (20 April 2015). "How tobacco firms tried to undermine Muslim countries' smoking ban". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
- ^ Yisrael Meir Kagan (1965) [1925]. Zechor L'Miriam, 23 (in Hebrew). See also Yisrael Meir Kagan (1930). Likutei Amarim, 13 (in Hebrew and Yiddish).
- ^ Igrot Moshe Y.D. II:49
- ^ Igrot Moshe C.M. II:76. See also Chaim Jachter. "Medical Issues, The Prohibition to Smoke". Gray Matter III.
- ^ "Dei'ah veDibur - Information & Insight - NEWS". Archived from the original on 2008-07-04. Retrieved 2008-08-18.; "Dei'ah veDibur - Information & Insight - NEWS". Archived from the original on 2008-07-04. Retrieved 2008-08-18.; "Dei'ah veDibur - Information & Insight - NEWS". Archived from the original on 2008-07-04. Retrieved 2008-08-18.
- ^ "Dei'ah veDibur - Information & Insight - OPINION & COMMENT". Archived from the original on 2008-09-07. Retrieved 2008-08-18.
- ^ a b Tzelnic, Alex (2017-09-06). "The Slow Burn". Tricycle: The Buddhist Review. Retrieved 2021-02-07.
- ^ "The Smoking Monk". Lion's Roar. 13 July 2009. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
- ^ abc.net.au. 2005-05-31. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
- ^ Chaveepojnkamjorn W, Pichainarong N. Cigarette smoking among Thai Buddhist monks, central and eastern Thailand. Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health. 2005 Mar;36(2):505-11. PMID 15916063.
- ^ Vanphanom S, Phengsavanh A, Hansana V, Menorath S, Tomson T. Smoking prevalence, determinants, knowledge, attitudes and habits among Buddhist monks in Lao PDR. BMC Res Notes. 2009 Jun 8;2:100. doi: 10.1186/1756-0500-2-100. PMID 19505329; PMCID: PMC2704224.
- Phnom Penh Post. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
- ^ a b c d "Traditional vs. Commercial Tobacco". Keep It Sacred - National Native Network. Retrieved Oct 9, 2016.
- ^ "Big Tobacco and Minorities: Native American Statistics". QuitDay. Retrieved Oct 9, 2016.
- Indian Country Today Media Network. Retrieved Oct 9, 2016.
- ^ "Resolution #SPO-16-046: Supporting Policies to Reduce Commercial Tobacco Use, Secondhand Smoke Exposure and Tobacco-Related Disease among American Indians and Alaska Natives" (PDF). ncai.org/. National Congress of American Indians. June 30, 2016. Retrieved Oct 9, 2016.
- ^ "South Asian Health Report" (PDF). businessinsurrey.com. Fraser Health Authority. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
- ISBN 978-0-521-86251-6.