Jesus_lol Posted October 28, 2007 Share Posted October 28, 2007 i was just thinking about how catholics are required by your religion to preserve life, self and others at all costs (this was badly worded feel free to correct me) then i was wondering about high risk activities and such. not so much sports, skiing etc, specifically i was thinking about smoking cigarettes. i think we can all agree that they are anything but good for you? right? anyways i was reading about stuff like 2/3 of deaths in smokers past a certain age (somewhere around 40) are directly related to smoking, which got me thinking isnt that basically suicide but slower? i do not mean any offense to smokers on PM this is just a honest question Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIKolbe Posted October 28, 2007 Share Posted October 28, 2007 i'm not goin to get all "philosophizing" and such....but i used to smoke. I smoked a pack a day. I did not think of it as suicide. I thought of it as... well....smoking. Maybe i am too dense for what you are trying to say. i quit, btw... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin86 Posted October 28, 2007 Share Posted October 28, 2007 I don't know. Maybe that Fr. Corpai's reasoning on the subject? In either case, while I agree that it's a mortal sin to take one's own life I don't think doing things that may or may not lower your lifespan is suicide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paddington Posted October 28, 2007 Share Posted October 28, 2007 This is why people should chew tobacco instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesus_lol Posted October 28, 2007 Author Share Posted October 28, 2007 [quote name='MIkolbe' post='1410530' date='Oct 28 2007, 12:45 AM']i'm not goin to get all "philosophizing" and such....but i used to smoke. I smoked a pack a day. I did not think of it as suicide. I thought of it as... well....smoking. Maybe i am too dense for what you are trying to say. i quit, btw... [/quote] good job! no sorry i didnt mean to come across as saying you are committing suicide, but was wondering what the churches policy on activities that almost certainly lower life expectancy is. but more importantly what all of you think about it, if i just wanted the churches stance on it i could spend hours searching for a relevant passage etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farsight one Posted October 28, 2007 Share Posted October 28, 2007 If you think of smoking in this way, then you have to think of over-eating, risky sports, and other such things in the same way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesus_lol Posted October 28, 2007 Author Share Posted October 28, 2007 [quote name='Farsight one' post='1410554' date='Oct 28 2007, 01:21 AM']If you think of smoking in this way, then you have to think of over-eating, risky sports, and other such things in the same way.[/quote] thats true, i guess. weeel now, isnt gluttony a sin? id have to say i dont think risky sports are in the same kind of category, as it is less of a progressive wearing down of life expectancy, and more like the possibility of getting hit by a car crossing a street, or having a dangerous job Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magisterium Posted October 28, 2007 Share Posted October 28, 2007 Considering whether smoking is a sin by indulging in an act that may injure the health and shorten the life of a person, the Catholic Church distinguishes motives and probabilities in regards to considering such acts "slow suicides." First of all, in the case of the smoker, does he have in view the hastening of his death as a goal? If so, it is a grave sin, which the Church would term a Negative and Indirect Suicide. Why? Because the Church teaches us that Negative and Indirect Suicide without the consent of God is also an attempt against the rights of the Creator and an injustice towards Him whenever without sufficient cause a man neglects all the means of preservation of which he should make use. If a man as usufructuary is obliged in justice to preserve his life, it follows that he is equally bound to make use of all the ordinary means which are indicated in the usual course of things, namely: he should employ all the ordinary means which nature itself provides, such as to eat, drink, sleep, and so on; and moreover, he should avoid all dangers which he may easily avoid. But on the other hand if the danger of death be not imminent, although it is to be feared that life may be shortened even by several years, it is not a grave but only a venial sin. This is the case with most smokers who by their intemperance shorten the quality of their lives and may causes their premature death, but are not setting out to do so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Autumn Dusk Posted October 28, 2007 Share Posted October 28, 2007 Doing anything in excess, eating, smoking, sky diving is sinful. Its up to each individual. For instance. For me two packets of oatmeal would be gluttonous...for the campus minister a 26 yo high metabolism male stringbean half a box of regular oatmeal wouldn't even reach his full point (ok, mabye its an exaggeration). Different for every person Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatherineM Posted October 28, 2007 Share Posted October 28, 2007 My husband has schizophrenia, and he wrote a paper on the subject that if you have such a chronic disease and consciously decide to quit taking your medicine, it is a form of self mutilation, and a sin. That would apply to those who need high blood pressure medicine or insulin too. He had a lot of people really mad at him. He didn't say it was suicide, but that it was a sin just like gluttony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norseman82 Posted October 28, 2007 Share Posted October 28, 2007 The cathechism states that abuse of tobacco is wrong. And considering that I have a family history of cancer on one side and heart disease on another, ANY tobacco usage for me would be abuse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norseman82 Posted October 28, 2007 Share Posted October 28, 2007 [quote name='Paddington' post='1410539' date='Oct 28 2007, 02:53 AM']This is why people should chew tobacco instead. [/quote] Two words: mouth cancer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffpugh Posted October 28, 2007 Share Posted October 28, 2007 Side note Norseman... if you end up around smokers, start popping fresh berries into your mouth. Yummy stuff is actually cancer preventative. AKA anti-oxidants Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin86 Posted October 29, 2007 Share Posted October 29, 2007 [quote name='Paddington' post='1410539' date='Oct 28 2007, 04:53 PM']This is why people should chew tobacco instead. [/quote] I suppose you could give it a try if you don't mind them cutting out half your jaw 30 or 40 years from now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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