From Razormouth: Christians who smoke — are they “defiling” the temple of the Spirit with nicotine? While Jamey argues that a Christian can be a moderate smoker and still be living by the Gospel, I wonder if this line of thought would hold for, say, a moderate Ecstacy-user? A moderate cocaine-user? If a Christian smoker can smoke to the glory of God, can an occasional LSD-tripper also hallucinate to the glory of God? Can a Christian marijuana-user… well, let’s not get into that… ;)

I won’t stand upon on a pulpit to declare tobacco as decidedly un-Christian, any more than food or drink is decidedly un-Christian. I don’t deny that C.S. Lewis was a smoker, or that many other great Christian minds (which I am currently at a loss to name) did puff away at one time or another. But given what we now know: that nicotine is addictive, that even light smokers are at risk, and that secondhand smoke is a health threat to others — well, that makes the question of tobacco a lot more serious than comparison to mere food and drink, doesn’t it?

(Sorry to step on the toes of my fellow brothers and sisters in the faith who do smoke. You do know my current line of work. My intention is not to make you uncomfortable, but just please don’t let any smoke float in my direction. I was getting more than enough of that poison riding jeepneys back in Manila, thank you.)