TrendZion

Passages drawn from the sermons and published works that carry this theme forward.

1. 1861·George A. Smith·Apostle
   Speaking of cigar-smoking makes me think of an anecdote of a sick man and his doctor. The doctor asked him how many cigars he smoked in a day; the answer was, Six. That is too much; you must quit smoking. You will allow me to smoke a little. Yes, you may smoke two a day to begin with, and finally quit altogether. The next day the doctor called to see his patient, and found him smoking a cigar two feet long. What are you doing? inquired the doctor. Just doing as you told me; I went down to the cigar-maker and got two made two feet long, and they answer first-rate.
   Difficulties With Which the Church Has Had to Contend in its Establishment in Utah — jodcopy citation
2. 1884·Moses Thatcher·Apostle
   Put the essence of tobacco into the mouth of a rattlesnake and see if the venom which makes its fangs the instrument of death, possesses neutralizing force sufficient to counteract the more deadly poison of the vegetable drug. And yet I have seen tobacco in pieces larger than my hand in barrels from which my brethren and friends had drank the whisky that extracted from that tobacco its deadly narcotic properties.
   Prohibition Advocated—Effects of Drunkenness Illustrated, Statistics, Etc. — jodcopy citation
3. 1974·Spencer W. Kimball·Prophet
   We noted recently of a community in Minnesota which set up a “D-Day” in which, through all their agencies, they persuaded people to give up smoking. In their January 7 “D-Day,” they reported 271 smokers who gave up that habit. We commend such an awake community and its leaders.
   God Will Not Be Mocked — cojccopy citation
4. 1975·Spencer W. Kimball·Prophet
   Moses came down from the quaking, smoking Mount Sinai and brought to the wandering children of Israel the Ten Commandments, fundamental rules for the conduct of life. These commandments were, however, not new. They had been known to Adam and his posterity, who had been commanded to live them from the beginning and were merely reiterated by the Lord to Moses. And the commandments even antedated earth life and were part of the test for mortals established in the council of heaven.
   “Why Call Ye Me Lord, Lord, and Do Not the Things Which I Say?” — cojccopy citation
5. 1981·Gordon B. Hinckley·Apostle
   Be smart. Do not be so shortsighted as to indulge in the use of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs. It simply is not smart to do so. It is stupid, if you will pardon that harsh word, to use cocaine, marijuana, or any of the other drugs that rob you of control of your mind. After every drug-induced “high,” there is a reactionary “low.” Why spend money on that which can only harm you? Why become enslaved to a habit that can only hinder and short-circuit your future?
   Four B’s for Boys — cojccopy citation
6. 1988·Russell M. Nelson·Apostle
   For the year 1985, the estimated cost of both smoking-related health care and lost productivity amounted to $65 billion. That calculates to an average of $2.17 per pack of cigarettes sold. Social consequences of smoking far exceed the price paid to purchase cigarettes.
   Addiction or Freedom — cojccopy citation