What is Religion?
Collin’s English paperback dictionary (4th edition, 1999) defines religion as follows:
- Belief in or worship of a supernatural power or powers considered to be divine or to have control of human destiny.
- Any formal expression of such belief: the Christian Religion
- Chiefly RC Church the way of life entered upon by monks and nuns: to enter religion
So let’s look more closely at the first definition. This can be broken into six different sentences.
- Belief in a supernatural power.
- Worship of a supernatural power.
- Belief in powers considered to be divine.
- Worship of powers considered to be divine.
- Belief in powers considered to have control of human destiny.
- Worship of powers considered to have control of human destiny.
How can smoking be a religion?
Supernatural means ‘of or relating to things that cannot be explained by science’. Science has all sorts of explanations as to why we smoke and how nicotine can trigger certain responses inside of us. No obviously supernatural powers are at play here so the first two sentences aren’t relevant to our type of religion.
What remains after disposing of those two, is by all accounts four extremely apt descriptions of what smoking is in actuality to a smoker.
- The belief in an ability to do something that is considered to be splendid.
- To show religious devotion for the aforementioned ability.
- The belief in an ability to do something that is considered to have control of what is destined for us and our future.
- And again, showing religious devotion for the same.
Let’s compare ourselves to other religions.
When a Christian needs solace, they look to the bible. We look towards our packets of cigarettes or tobacco products.
Devoutly religious types will pray to find comfort and reassurance during times of stress or hardship. We smoke for that same relief and feeling of comfort.
Religious holiday’s see various groups gathering together socially in order to collectively worship what they believe in. Smokers are seen every day, worldwide, united outside a bar or workplace to share their same devotion to the nicotine.
Different religions have rules in place of what is right and wrong, whether they are in the form of commandments or goodwill to one another. Smokers are also bound by rules, such as never taking their fellow smokers’ last cigarette and sharing with others if they look defeated.
We aren’t stupid people. We know that smoking is bad for us, but to us it is a religious choice. Satanism isn’t considered to be a good force, but it is still classified as a religion of sorts.
Make a stand for human rights.
We, as smokers, are entitled to the same protections as any other people out there. You may not like our religion, but it is not your place to judge us on it. Smokers also need to be aware that forcing others to smoke, whether through peer-pressure or passive means, is also not acceptable.
How long is the human race going to tolerate this evasion of a person’s basic right? We all need to take responsibility for the world and one by one, maybe we can change it for the better.
Hi. My name is Karla, and smoking is my religion.
