Pastors who smoke

I'm new here but don't understand a lot of what I'm reading. Remember that sin is a transgression against GOD. You guys are talking about what offends you and using the Bible to justify your thinking. I would consider that close to adding to the word, judging your fellow man and part of the major problem with the Church.

If Jesus forgives, why can't we? If Jesus can look past our faults and love us for who we are then why can't we? You are picking on the Man and disgarding the message because of his habbits. Need I remind us of John the Baptist? Not a pretty sight, was he?

I know GOD is very capable of knowing what he wants of his people and really doesn't need us adding to an already difficult road that we travel. Even if smoking was a sin, which it is not, then we would only be admitting that we are all sinners, which we are...

Sorry, my $00.02

 

Good ole Baptist Board.........Why can't we drink, why can't we smoke, why can't we dance, on and on and on. Hey, after all the Bible never says we have to "change" does it? The Bible never says we are to be peculiar or anything like that.......does it? The Bible never says we are to be holy or Christ like....does it. Hey it's ok people, if Spurgeon did it it's ok. raying: raying: Oh babies!

 

:saint: Just for the record.Cocoa plants and marijuana plants were made by God.There is a reason for them.As time goes on you will find out why.Cocoa plants are used in some medicines.The weed is used to dull peoples pain that have cancer.It is legal in some states with a prescription.All drugs "dope"when taken illegally is called dope.With a prescription it is called RX.Cocoa plants are used in coke syrup.When a child has and upset stomach the doctor will tell the mother to get coke syrup at the drug store.It's all in what you use it for.A car can kill you .Should a Christian stop driving?God made man and until woman changed his mine everything was OK.Should we kill all women.?Somewhere you have got off track and are looking for and argument.If all that comes out of that pastors mouth is smoke and he is preaching the truth it could be worse.

 

Wow, that was great! Amen Brother. What did James say, That tongue... That nasty little tongue!

 

I wouldn't suggest anyone take up smoking, just stating that where you grew up has a lot to do with what you think about the areas not specifically addressed in scripture. If you went to Spain to the Baptists pastors over there, they would most likely offer wine to drink at dinner, something not likely to happen here in America.
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Catholic Church will offer you wine also. I agree.

 

From research I've done, articles I've read, it's not the tobacco in it's natural state that is so dangerous to our health, it's all the additives and chemicals that are added to make it 'freebase', as it were. Not to mention all the pesticides that it is saturated with.

Seems folks from much earlier generations smoked or chewed and didn't have as many health issues as modern tobacco users do.
(Hey, I'm from the South, I've got plenty of family research to prove my point! :laugh: My grannie is 89 and she still dips snuff! She may outlive a lot of us!!!)

One thing tobacco is good for... spider bites. My nephew was bitten by a brown recluse spider. An older man told my sister and brother-in-law to put a tobacco pack on it. He told my brother-in-law that he'd have to chew it, mixing it with saliva in order to work properly. (Maybe he was kidding, I don't know.) But, they did it, and kept putting in on several times a day for two days and it drew all that nasty venom and junk out. My nephew ended up with a little scar and no tissue damage.

Tobacco can be used as a natural insect repellent in your garden. I know it works, I've done it.

So, yes, God made tobacco and like everything else He created, there is good in it! And like man is so apt to do, we corrupted it!

 

Ah yes! The old "No ones perfect so let's just excuse all sin" argument. We're under grace, so viva le sin!

Smoking is proven to harm the body, the temple of the Lord, so my position is not to smoke. The smoke is proven to harm others, so, that is another reason I do not use it. And then there is the smell of the stuff!

As for Spurgeon. Firstly, Scripture, and not even the greatest men and women of God, should define our beliefs and subsequent behaviour.

Also, if he had had knowledge of the medical side effects perhaps he would have stopped. Perhaps someone can verify this but this is how I heard Spurgeon stopped smoking. Apparently he saw an advert using him as a way of promoting their particular brand! He wanted to be known for other reasons.

 

Spurgeon quit (or so they say)

Ain't no fan of his immensity, but I read somewhere that one day he came to this English town, and as he got off the carriage, happened to look up and see this big billboard with his face and a puff of smoke coming out from the side of his mouth that was clamped on this big cigar, and the words:
"Smoke ___cigars. It's the brand Charles Spurgeon loves."
That got to him.
He quit.

Wouldn't bet on it, though.
Nicotine is a pretty powerful slave driver.
Trust me, it took a quadruple bypass to make me truly quit.

 

Why is Smoking Sinful?

Do not Murder is one of the Ten Commandments.

Smoking kills not only yourself but others around you. Many people have died of lung cancer not ever having smoked, but because they had to live or work around someone that was a smoker.

As for the Pastor of the church being a smoker, that is a matter that the opening poster should take to the eldership of the church, that way the Elders can discuss the matter and consider what the right thing is to do. I would suggest that the Pastor may have to make the ultimate choice between serving in ministry and serving nicotine or any other enslaving substance.

 

Thankfully I've never smoked. It would bother me if my pastor smoked. I don't believe it's a sin necessarily, apart from the fact that you're slowly killing yourself, but I'm allergic and just can't be around it long-term. I can't even visit my wife's family and be in the same room with them for more than a couple hours at a time.

 

You are one smart person .I loved your story and answer.It was well put.