Smoking and the COC

[Moogy]

I had an uncle who attended a COC with his wife until the preacher spoke against smoking (tobacco). My uncle never went again. My own dad smoked for years, even during the few years he was an Elder. He used to smoke outside the building between Bible Class and Worship.

Remember my COC experience was many years in the past.

I was wondering what was taught about smoking at other COC places and times. What did you see and hear?

[Ivy]

I don't remember much being said about it. I can tell you my dad (coc member, low profile) smoked until some time during my early childhood. He quit cigarettes and later took up smoking a pipe. I guess that was supposed to be a lesser evil? I never heard discussions between him and my mom. He then quit the pipe, and dipped Skoal tobacco until he died in his mid nineties. His mother dipped snuff, so my guess is that he may have started tobacco use of some type while a teenager, or maybe even younger.

Funny...some things that started out as small sins (smoking, maybe abortion) become much greater sins as the years went on.

[teresa]

Some of the members of a local church were tobacco growers. I never saw anyone smoke, but there were no sermons against smoking.

[Ivy]

Some of the members of a local church were tobacco growers. I never saw anyone smoke, but there were no sermons against smoking.

I bet they were big contributors to the "till", hence no anti-tobacco sermons.

[zeek]

Over the course of my lifetime, I saw the coC position on smoking evolve. In this area, tobacco was a major cash crop and one of the few that you could grow on a small scale and make money on, at that. I can remember that when I was a child just about every adult, I knew, smoked including the Elders, Deacons and the Preacher. I can remember almost all the men and even a few of the women dashing out the front door of the church house to burn one between Sunday School and the worship service. As years went by and smoking fell out of favor culturally those who continued to smoke were "closeted" about it and wouldn't dare be seen smoking at church. Eventually, we started hearing comments in sermons about how smoking would "defile the temple of one's body" so it was sin and eventually, it evolved until there were full on sermons preached on the sinfulness of smoking. Clearly, we had determined that it was wrong to smoke. In one of many glaring hypocrisies of the coC I never heard a sermon that declared growing and selling tobacco is sin. It always seemed to me that if using tobacco is sinful then surely growing and profiting from tobacco must be sin as well??? If not then why not? Anyway, that's my experience with the coC on that subject. Since it will soon be 8 years since I walked away from them, I can't very well say what their current teaching is on any subject but could, probably, make a very educated guess.

[Ivy]

Over the course of my lifetime, I saw the coC position on smoking evolve. In this area, tobacco was a major cash crop and one of the few that you could grow on a small scale and make money on, at that. I can remember that when I was a child just about every adult, I knew, smoked including the Elders, Deacons and the Preacher. I can remember almost all the men and even a few of the women dashing out the front door of the church house to burn one between Sunday School and the worship service. As years went by and smoking fell out of favor culturally those who continued to smoke were "closeted" about it and wouldn't dare be seen smoking at church. Eventually, we started hearing comments in sermons about how smoking would "defile the temple of one's body" so it was sin and eventually, it evolved until there were full on sermons preached on the sinfulness of smoking. Clearly, we had determined that it was wrong to smoke. In one of many glaring hypocrisies of the coC I never heard a sermon that declared growing and selling tobacco is sin. It always seemed to me that if using tobacco is sinful then surely growing and profiting from tobacco must be sin as well??? If not then why not? Anyway, that's my experience with the coC on that subject. Since it will soon be 8 years since I walked away from them, I can't very well say what their current teaching is on any subject but could, probably, make a very educated guess.

My guess would be that it's now considered a fairly grave sin, along with any amount of drinking. But like you, I don't know that for certain since I exited long ago. I have friends I can ask, though.

[OneStrike_ur_out]

Smokin in the boys room...teacher don't you fill me up with yo rules...cause everybody knows that smokin ain't allowed in school!!

[OneStrike_ur_out]

There's a lotta smokers in the cOC

[longdistancerunner]

A very few people smoke after services in the parking lot at my mothers church. Some old, some fairly young.

[SolaDude]

A very few people smoke after services in the parking lot at my mothers church. Some old, some fairly young.

I remember my fifth grade Wednesday night teacher chain smoker (who was either an elder or deacon, I don't remember), talking about waking up with yellow sweat, etc. to dissuade us from smoking. As I remember him now, he had the face of a heavy smoker, very heavy crease lines everywhere.