Is Jehovah's Witnesses the only religion that prohibits smoking?

blondie

What about 7th Day Adventists or some Baptist groups?

Gopher

The Sikh religion also outlaws smoking. They are a minority group in southern Asia, distinct from Hinduism and Islam.

stillajwexelder

Mormons - LDS do too and others where it is frowned upon

minimus

Check out Wikipedia on Religious Views on Smoking..

Many secular laws are starting to prohibit or restrict smoking these days. It is prohibited to smoke in a public building like a mall, supermarket, or even a bar in many areas these days. Even most amusement parks no longer allow smoking just anywhere--they have designated smoking areas where smokers must go to in order to light up.

As with drugs, education and stimulation help more than regulation. People are not going to smoke if they have opportunities to get their kicks in learning and creating value (which the regulators have built out of the school system and workplace). And if that is combined with education of the real cost of smoking, very few people (if any) will volitionally choose to smoke. And that's without a word of regulation against it.

Room 215

One of the few signs of cultural/social progress around here these days is that smoking has been marginalized, both by edict and by the heightened health-consciousness of the public. Many religions deplore smoking, but the WT is the only one I know of that punishes people for it.

james_woods

Many religions deplore smoking, but the WT is the only one I know of that punishes people for it.

Indeed, Room 215.

Also, to my knowledge, the other non-smoking religions did it by edict - backed up by health or moral/social reasons. I think the witnesses are the only ones to try to claim that there is a clear and direct biblical proclamation on smoking.

Something that there clearly is not.

So, it falls into the long JW list of things like "no college", "no military service", "no flag salute", "no voting or public office", "no blood transfusion", "no Malawi party card", "no alternative service","no working on military projects", "no vaccinations", "no masturbation", "no unusual marital sex", "no aluminum cookware", "no partaking of the emblems at the memorial", "no U.N. involvement", etc.etc.etc...all supposedly clearly indicated in the scriptures. And note that the WTS/GB itself happily tosses any and all of the above whenever it wants or needs to out of pragmatism.

All showing a dictatorial attitude and a clearly cavilier disregard for the actual scriptures.

LongHairGal

I gotta admit this is probably one of the few benefits I derived from being in the religion. For this I am grateful.

I had to quit in order to be baptized. At the time the habit was so strong that even the fear of health issues didn't make me stop. This is how strong an addiction it is.

LHG

Is Jehovah's Witnesses the only religion that prohibits smoking?

asilentone

daniel-p