Smoking on Church Property

I quit smoking about 25 years ago (actually it would be more accurate to say that God delivered me from them 25 years ago), but I think its a crying shame that in so many christian places of worship/fellowship the smokers are made to feel like the outcasts of the church.

Huddled outside in the parking lot like the "lepers" of the church.

Shame on us.

There out to be someplace in every place of fellowship where smokers can go and smoke with some semblance of dignity. Ash trays, etc.

God bless,

Mike

 

Policy is "No smoking on church property"; it lowers our insurance rates.

Rob

 

Great reply! While pastoring in the states, we did not allow smoking on the front steps or at any entrance. Fortunately here where we are in Mexico it is rare to ever see anyone smoking in public. I have never seen it at church.

 

Smoke em if you got em!

Not really an issue for me, just not in the building. In fact we have a place outside the doors for such items to discarded, small planter with sand in it.

 

Same at our church. We have signs posted for people not to smoke on the property. We still find cigarette butts in our mulch though. It's a shame that people would be that disrepectful.

 

How does one smoke with dignity? How dignified can you be with a chimney of nicotine hanging out of your mouth while giving off that odor? We don't allow smoking in the building. People do go outside to smoke. But smoking is hardly dignified in any sense. I encourage people to quit.

 

Maybe we can train ushers to greet people with Good Morning, welcome to our church, would you prefer smoking or non-smoking...

 

That's the altar call!!! :laugh:

 

Not in our state (Ohio). Smoking in public places is against the law, as should be in every state. Why should smokers be able to blow their filthy toxins in the air for me to breathe in, leading to lung cancer? Would smokers like AIDS patients walking around spitting on everyone? All smoking should be done outside.

 

not a problem for me, as long as they don't smoke inside the main church building itself. oh, and they can bring their own ash trays.

 

Webdog,

Obviously, if its against the law, there should be no smoking. Thats understood.

I'm not advocating that. I'm talking about a room THEY can go to inside the building where they wont be made to feel like the
"lepers" of the church.

Larry,

By not being made to feel that they are the "unclean" of the church. By choosing to not make them feel that they are some kind of 2nd class christians and that they are still loved and valued. Sort of treating as Christ would treat them.

They are still loved by God. If they are born again, and many of them are, they should never feel shunned.

I know. But of its not against the law there should be someplace they can go to smoke inside the building.

I know.

Not to you, or to me. But they still deserve to be treated with dignity. The adultress caught in the act was as guilty as can be, wasnt she?

How did Christ treat her?

I said they should not be made to feel like 2nd class, "dirty" christians. They should be treated with dignity.

So do I.

God bless,

Mike

 

That is a ridiculous comparison being made.

You don't breathe in the air from ouside? Isn't outside, public?

Why don't you just say smoking is horrible and nasty and smokers should lock themselves in a closet in their home and smoke in there? Pretty soon that is what it is going to come to.

 

I think we should absolutely treat people who smoke this way. I am not sure how we get from there to designating a room in teh church for them to smoke. Those things are very different.

I agree they are loved by God, but how does requiring people to smoke outside equal shunning them?

Why?

Of course.

Yes.

Certainly not by giving her a bed so she could do it with dignity. (I think this is a bad analogy you brought up, but since you brought it up, I will use it.)

Again, I agree. But how does that lead to giving them a room in the church? Why shouldn't they smoke at home? Or somewhere else? On what possible basis do we assert that making a room available is a necessary part of treating someone with a bad habit with dignity?

 

Maybe a better one would be me walking into a room filled with people with a fog machine blowing toxic fumes in the air.

What are you talking about? If I'm outside, I'm not breathing in their secondhand smoke unless I'm 6 inches from their face. You make no sense.

Because that's not my thought process...that's yours. You said it. It is horrible and nasty, though. They can smoke freely in their homes without having to lock themselves in a closet.

:laugh:
I do feel it should be outlawed for parents to smoke, period. Their little children and babies have no say so in being poisoned.

 

Smoking is already causing problems, you can have the f-word once, along with 18 uses of GD mixed in with a couple of steamy sex scenes and you wind up with a PG-13, now they are passing a modification to the ratings, if after the steamy scenes they light up, that bumps it to an R rating. Does that make sense?

Maybe if you would pay attention to how you word things it would make sense.

2nd hand smoke is a myth and a fairy tale, if inhaling the smoke and the chemicals directly into your lungs may cause cancer (notice I say may, because not everyone who smokes gets cancer) then how in the world is smoke that is in the air going to cause you to get cancer. That isn't going to happen.

But what do I know, I am not a Surgeon General, I just read the warnings.

 

Maybe if you paid attention to how I word things, your answers would make sense.

Well, folks, now we have it. Second hand smoke is a myth. Why? Shotgunwillie says so
Tell that to the families of the millions who die each year from lung cancer due to being exposed to it their whole lives. I bet next you will tell us that asbestos doesn't cause cancer.

 

Not a bad idea...

Nicotene is a drug, why are Christians advocating drug use?

 

Up here, it's legal for college students to smoke on campus, but they must remain 30 yards from all doorways, and no smoking inside any buildings.

I have no problem with limiting smoking.

 

Smoking on church property is not much different than smoking anywhere--it all belongs to God.