Are Jehovah's Witnesses allowed to smoke?

Answer 1

Most religions have certain things they don't want you to do. Some don't want you to eat certain types of foods, some don't want you to smoke or drink alcohol and some don't want you to have caffiene. Usually it's things that someone who started the religion way back when thought was bad for you and your body. Remember, your body is a temple............

Clarification

Just to be clear, Jehovah's Witnesses don't smoke mainly because it is harmful to the body.

To the best of their ability, Jehovah's Witnesses don't do things to their bodies that will cause harm. More than the reason that "the body is a temple" but that it's a gift from God. It's disrespectful to the giver of a gift to treat it poorly.

As for alcohol and caffeine: Balance (as in not overindulging, and addiction), a person's own conscience, and the desire not to offend those who choose to abstain (choosing not to drink around such people), govern a JW's consumption of alcohol and caffeine.

In addition: Servants of Jehovah do not partake in smoking because of the scriptural basis found at 2 Corinthians 7:1, which states, "Therefore, since we have these promises, beloved ones, let us cleanse ourselves of every defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in God's fear." Here we see that we need to live a life that does not include being involved in activities that would intentionally defile our bodies. Smoking is quite detrimental as brought out in many medical reports. Therefore we would not want to smoke cigarettes or anything of the sort, because we would be defiling our bodies, which would not be living in accordance with Bible principal.

Answer 2

Jehovah's Witnesses do not smoke since smoking would be in violation of bible principles. The Bible encourages worshippers to be free from every "defilement" and smoking definetly "defiles" or makes the body unclean.

We also honour the life we were given by the Creator and do not do anything that would deliberately put that god-given life in danger. It is common knowledge now that smoking is dangerous for ones health and in some countries the cigarette package has the words "SMOKING KILLS" written on it as a health warning. So Jehovah's Witnesses do not smoke since smoking would displease their Creator and harm both themselves and their neighbours.

Answer 3

No, Jehovah's Witnesses are not allowed to smoke.

I am one of Jehovah's Witnesses and I'm 13 years old and even I know that we are not allowed to smoke, even when we are older.

The basis for this Bible principal comes from the scriptural admonitions to:

1) keep our bodies clean: 1 Corinthians 7:1 "Let us cleanse ourselves of every defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in God's fear." ;

2) love our neighbor: Mark 12:31 "'You must love your neighbor as yourself.'" ; and

3) not copy worldly habits: Romans 12:1,2 "Present your bodies a sacrifice living, holy, acceptable to God, a sacred service with your power of reason. And quit being fashioned after this system of things, but be transformed by making your mind over, that you may prove to yourselves the good and acceptable and perfect will of God."

Personally, the second reason is the one which convinced me the most, as my mother died from lung cancer and heart failure due to smoking. Also my sister now has emphysema and COPD, and one of my brothers suffers from frequent bouts of chronic bronchitis, both of these cases resulting from second hand smoke!

Thank you Jehovah, for giving us such a clear and profound warning about such adverse habits like smoking.