But he smokes

I think they had something like this at a conf. (not a pastors conf. I don't think) where McLaren was. They had "sacred spaces" and things to provoke thinking about the earth. Did you know this or is it that your guess just happened to hit the mark?

Okay. Thought so!

 

Does something have to technically be a sin to be bad? I think ThinkingStuff pointed out how we apply principles to behaviors - your body as a temple, self-control, etc.

I think primarily of the influence on young people if a pastor or leader in the church smokes quite a bit.

As for fast food - the results are not as immediately destructive as smoking. Also, we have to eat to live; we don't have to smoke. I think these are 2 different categories and can't really be compared.

Want a discussion on fast food - I think you could start a thread on that. I think deciding against fast food is futile as it would be a matter of how much fast food one is eating and how often, and who's going to draw lines there? Smoking is more obvious if it's an addiction. No one has to smoke; there's simply no good reason for it.

 

Certainly not in hell.

 

I just did a quick calculation. In Canada, smoking a package a day would cost $3,000.00 a year! Wow! I could help provide for a missionary with that.

Cheers,

Jim

 

Agreed.


.

 

I don't want Pharisee kids---"Gasp, did you know Brother Jones smokes? Oh My!"

While I don't want my kids smoking and will give them all the information necessary to make their own decisions on the matter, a Sunday School teacher's smoking would be one of the last things on my list of worries.

There is a man at our home church who we would totally trust with our children (and we don't trust). He has the most sincere heart of anyone I know. He cries when he prays. He can pray Heaven down. He loves people. He has such a burden for the lost. But, he smokes. What are you going to do with a man like that, who happens to smoke?

I'm glad God doesn't act as man acts!!!

 

Withdrawn...

 

Keep reading. He apologized.

 

That would provide for an entire family for more than two years in some countries.

 

Apology accepted.

However, I think you have your cities confused. Chattanooga is nowhere near the NC border.

 

I did say I was north east of Chattanooga in Polk County and it is near NC. Chattanooga sits on the boarder of Georgia. But its not too far from NC either.

 

Gottcha. It must have been those North Caroliners that caused you the problems. :laugh:

:tonofbricks:

 

You may have a point there. I mean they are southerners with "North" in the title of their state. They probably warring with themselves and are just Ornery

 

You might change your mind were your kids to take up smoking due to his influence. I'm not saying they would, but it's possible. It's always easy to be okay with smoking until your kids smoke and you know it's destroying their lungs.

I had a mother-in-law die due to emphysema - from smoking.
A former husband die from lung cancer - from smoking.
An uncle die from lung cancer - from smoking.

The latter 2 died within 6 mos. of diagnosis - and very painful deaths. One was rather young.

 

Do you mean like the illustration at http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped..._smoking_lung_cancer_correlation_from_NIH.png

 

Marcia, Marcia....for every death attributed to smoking facts can produce two that lived to 80 or better and smoked all their lives.

Whilst smoking may have contributed to the cancer, there is more to cancer than smoking.

Also, there are people who died from cancer and never puffed a smoke in their lives, and lived a clean life. These too are numerous these days.

I agree there is a much better scenery than someone blowing smoke, and it would be better if others weren't influenced by someone in such a position, especially youth. Young people will have stronger inflences where they go to school and hang out.

Cheers,

Jim

 

Tell that to the 3 people I knew who died. Oh, right, you can't. They're dead (and I am pretty sure at least 2 of them died as unbelievers).

It's pretty solid evidence that smoking does cause lung cancer, and sometimes mouth cancer and throat cancer, and other types of cancer in the mouth/throat area.

We're talking about lung cancer, mainly. I realize some people get lung cancer other ways (sometimes secondhand smoke), but we do know smoking does up the chances for lung cancer to a high degree. This is just factual.

Not sure what you are saying here. So I'll just say a strong argument against a leader in the church smoking is the influence on kids.

 

Define leader...

I don't necessarily think "kids" see the distinction between those who lead in a church and adults in general that we do, aside from maybe the staff. Even if they do, the question remains as to the influence they will ultimately have. Influence among peers will have a deeper impact than adults.

If a church establishes a policy banning the practice of smoking from the church campus, that solves the immediate problem.

 

Quote: I agree there is a much better scenery than someone blowing smoke, and it would be better if others weren't influenced by someone in such a position, especially youth. Young people will have stronger influences where they go to school and hang out.
------------------------------

Sorry, I will try English next time.

Cheers,

Jim

 

In reviewing the list of qualifying marks for leadership there seems to be a correlation.

Why smoking? What about speeding? What about over eating? What about being a slacker?

This isn't true at all. Smoking doesn't kill you overnight. Neither does over eating or eating poorly. It takes time.

I'll even go a step farther and point out that there are plenty of examples of where eating habits have a quicker impact on one's overall health picture than suggested. Start eating really poorly and your energy levels, your ability to process, etc all begin to slide quickly.

I don't know any smoker who died overnight once they picked up smoking. I don't know any obese individual who died overnight from their habits. Its a process.