Sorry, I am new here and can not figure out how to edit the empty message I uploaded a few minutes ago.
Several good points here, but this was one of my primary hang-ups that made no sense to me (one of many to say the least).
Smoking, gluttony, and alcohol abuse are three completely different things, despite how they may seem similar on the surface.
First off, I personally find smoking to be a disgusting addictive activity that many get hooked on without fully understanding the complications of addiction. I can speak from experience here, addiction to a substance without having been addicted to something previously is difficult to comprehend or explain. My best analogy would be hold your breath till you can not hold it any longer. That overwhelming and uncontrollable feeling you have to take a breath is the closest you will get to the feeling an addiction gives an addict. Thus it is easy for a non smoker to pass judgment on someone addicted to smoking. So now the question is why disfellowship someone for smoking? The addiction? No, if that was the case all the old people (like my father, and elder) addicted to pain killers in the congregations would be booted out for their addictions. For polluting the body? Nope again, see first example.....you are not going to convince me that drugs, legal, illegal, prescription, over the counter, etc....are not in many cases a worse form of pollution to the body (temple) than smoking (go read the side effect). Considering that sacrifices were made to God so he could have the 'pleasing aroma' (BBQ smell?), I suspect smoking would be more tolerable that popping pills in this category. Pagan ties, signaling spirits and the like.....Yea well my father and I got into a really ugly conversation about this one. If it has anything to do with some remote tie to pagan rites or the like (which I doubt winton or camel sell cancer stick for), a lot of wedding rings (a well defined pagan originating tradition) need to be shed. It's bad for your health.......yea, well so is driving....pick something else unless horses and buggies are coming into fashion going door to door. So why?
With that said, gluttony is not the same. Gluttons are not told to stop eating, but to stop shoveling stuff down their throats. This is where the BS with judgment comes in (*you know* in a group that doesn't judge because that is not up to them). How much is too much? My ex-father-in-law ate way too much on a regular basis, so did his wife. He was an elder, and she was a pioneer (side note, he molested children, had hidden videos of my ex-wife, etc....was an elder until he stepped down....right before they dragged him away to prison for 10 years). Most elders I have known eat way too much. I have never seen any of them take eating in moderation seriously (not to say none do), and most would have to do the traditional belt loosening at the end of a get together. So if overeating is how this is judged, I would guess most elders would be out in the street. That aint going to happen, we all know that. From time to time even the most health conscience indulge for the pleasure of it. Are they going to start counting calories of the members in the congregation? Not likely. If they really wanted to do something about this, a simple use of their God given talents would do the job, sight. If someone is 300 lbs and not 7.5' tall, they probably shovel too much crap down their throats. Yep. Pretty simple, not rocket science. Doesn't matter if they have a gland problem, 1+1=2. Shovel crap down your throat all the time and it turns into fat you can't hide. Don't shovel crap down your throat and it doesn't. This would make more sense than disfellowshipping someone for smoking. Unfortunately logic doesn't prevail, otherwise we would not be having this conversation.
Alcohol, drunks, alcoholics, and alcohol abuse. What is the sin? Well anyone that reads the bible knows that getting drunk is frowned upon (unless you and your sister are trying to get knocked up by your dad, for some reason that is ok.....not sure how that works). Thus alcohol abuse, right? So we use the .08 guide? ....the .10 guide? ....stupid pet tricks? ...um well hmmmm.... I don't know, wth. I bet you get bottled up really good and stay in good graces if you know the right people. Get crossed with the wrong elder (or elder's wife) and get moderately tipsy and before the congregational version of a Patriot Act Secret Court you will go. Personally I have no experience with how this works in a congregation outside of the generalities, but I can say from experience that you can get drunk and not realize it until you are drunk.....making it a big grey area. On the other hand, the second helping at dinner combined with a large desert on a regular basis is something you know you are doing to yourself as you do it....not that grey.
So why does someone get disfelloshipped? Mostly for ending up in someone's crosshairs, either by your own fault or maybe not. It all boils down to popularity and what someone can hide. Smoking has been going out of style since the 70's, the JW's jumped on the bandwagon early (trendsetters maybe). Gave them a good demon to purge from their ranks, and an organization like this one needs tools to keep the rank and file wondering. Over eating is popular, for the time being, in most areas (at least North America). Till that changes, members can continue shoveling crap down their throats in bliss. Drinking....I guess the same here....not sure what to say other than don't get completely hosed before you go to a meeting. Bottom line, it does not matter what you do if you get crossed with the wrong person. I've seen people chased out of the hall like witches of Salem for trying to do what was right while other jacked off to videos of their own daughter getting banged with all of it kept hush hush till it hit the newspapers.
My 2 cents.
