With the Fifth Commandment, the Creator forbids his people to wilfully destroy life, either their own, as in suicide, or the lives of others. God did not differentiate between quick death or a long drawn-out one. Some killers use guns, others use cigarettes. Few reputable scientists today who would deny that smoking causes illness and death.
The smoker puts his own life in peril. Statistics show that tobacco addicts suffer more frequent and more serious bouts of colds and 'flu, bronchitis and pneumonia. Smokers usually suffer an early death due to lung cancer or heart disease. They are, in effect, killing themselves with cigarettes.
In addition, smokers contribute to the illnesses and deaths of others who must live or work with them. While the addict may use filters on his cigarettes, others in the immediate area inhale the full blast of the smoke with all its tar and poisonous gases. The damage done to bystanders by second-hand smoke is just as serious, if not more so, than that done to the smoker himself.
On May 31st., 2006, smoking in enclosed areas was banned in the province of Ontario, Canada. Despite grumbling from smokers and predictions of dire consequences for the dining and entertainment industries, everyone has adjusted very well. Some restaurants, in fact, have reported increased patronage. Families are more inclined to bring their children to smoke-free establishments and non-smokers are now free to enjoy a meal without the stench of tobacco smoke wafting around them.
God did not give the Commandments for His own benefit, but for ours. When everyone is able to free him or herself from tobacco addiction, we'll benefit by having better health, more disposable income and longer lives. Most importantly, we'll no longer be sentencing ourselves and each other to preventable illnesses during life, and the early and painful deaths because some among us couldn't overcome their dependency on tobacco.
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