Actually, when the material came out about smoking and tobacco, it was connected with drugs and spiritism and that was the reason it was a df'ing offense, it was not the health aspect. This issue comes up when discussing blood transfusions with jws, since even if transfusions were completely safe medically, jws supposedly would still not take them.
*** w73 3/15 p. 181 pars. 33-34 Approach to Jehovah or to the Demons—Which? ***It is of interest to us that the Greek word used in the Bible for "practice of spiritism," "sorcery" or "witchcraft" is phar·ma·ki´a, which is very closely related to our word "pharmacy." Phar·ma·ki´a means, literally, "druggery." Why is this word used for spiritism or sorcery? One authority says:
"PHARMAKIA . . . (Eng., pharmacy, etc.) primarily signified the use of medicine, drugs, spells; then, poisoning; then, sorcery, . . . See also Rev. 9:21; 18:23. . . . In sorcery, the use of drugs, whether simple or potent, was generally accompanied by incantations and appeals to occult powers, with the provision of various charms, amulets, etc., professedly designed to keep the applicant or patient from the attention and power of demons, but actually to impress the applicant with the mysterious resources and powers of the sorcerer."—Vine’s ExpositoryDictionaryofNewTestamentWords.
Is not the situation parallel today? Many drug users claim they are ‘approaching God,’ they are ‘expanding their minds.’ But actually it has to do with impressing the user with mysterious hallucinations and feelings, leading them to the demons, under the idea that the drug is freeing their minds for higher, broader thinking. If one is led into the practice of spiritism he is open to all sorts of wrong practices, demon influence, insanity and everlasting death. Spiritism, a work of the flesh, will prevent one from entering God’s kingdom, say the Scriptures at Galatians 5:21.
*** w73 6/1 pp. 338-339 pars. 14-15 Keeping God’s Congregation Clean in the Time of His Judgment ***Do, then, persons who have not broken their addiction to tobacco qualify for baptism?
The Scriptural evidence points to the conclusion that they do not.
As has been explained in other issues of this magazine, the Greek word phar·ma·ki´a used by Bible writers and translated "practice of spiritism" or "spiritistic practices" has the initial meaning of "druggery." (Gal. 5:20; Rev. 9:21) The term came to refer to spiritistic practices because of the close connection between the use of drugs and spiritism.
Tobacco was also used initially by the American Indians in this way. It can properly be placed, therefore, in the category of addictive drugs like those that provided the source for the Greek term phar·ma·ki´a. The nicotine in tobacco does not have the same mental and emotional effects produced by "hard" drugs such as heroin or the so-called psychedelic drugs like LSD; yet nicotine addiction does definitely affect the mind and exercises a strong enslavement.
*** w88 10/1 p. 29 Remember Christian Principles ***We are also warned against the misuse of drugs: "The works of the flesh are . . . idolatry, practice of spiritism [phar·ma·ki´a, "druggery" in the original Greek]." (Galatians 5:19, 20) Additionally, the apostle Paul urges: "Let us cleanse ourselves of every defilement of flesh and spirit."—2 Corinthians 7:1.
Smoking tobacco and using other addictive drugs clearly go against these Bible principles and are thus "lawlessness." (Matthew 7:23) Any servants of God who pollute themselves with such substances will find that their worship is not acceptable to God. Hence, many hundreds of thousands have taken the step of ceasing to use these drugs, and as a result, they have received both spiritual and physical benefits. Of course, it is not always easy to break away from these unclean habits.
