Author Topic: Should we avoid certain people? (Read 2629 times)

InfiniteFaith · « **on:** April 09, 2013, 10:08:16 PM »

Should we avoid people because of certain flaws they may have? What if someone likes to go to a casino occasionally, smoke cigarettes, and have a few beers? Should this person be avoided? What if someone takes pride in their race or is somewhat conceded? Should we avoid them too?

To what extent should we reject people?

MyrnaM · « **Reply #1 on:** April 09, 2013, 10:10:39 PM »

What did Jesus do?

Napoli · « **Reply #2 on:** April 09, 2013, 10:11:36 PM »

Perhaps we should keep our children away from these kinds of people, but, we need to know some of these people. At least as acquaintances. They need our prayers.

Napoli · « **Reply #3 on:** April 09, 2013, 10:13:05 PM »

Is smoking sinful? I hope drinking a few beers isn't or I am in big trouble!

HelenMargaret · « **Reply #4 on:** April 09, 2013, 10:26:36 PM »

I agree they need our prayers and sometimes we may be the good influence they need. But we need to guard our own spiritual lives first; don`t keep company with those who you may instinctivly know might very lead YOU to sin.

Anthony Benedict · « **Reply #5 on:** April 09, 2013, 10:28:56 PM »

Quote from: Napoli

Is smoking sinful? I hope drinking a few beers isn't or I am in big trouble!

r

The body of Pope St. Pius X is incorrupt.

He smoked, even arriving a few minutes late for audiences due to having a cigarette with a member of the Vatican Swiss Guards, just outside the meeting room.

BLESSED Pius IX had a cigar factory built on Vatican grounds.

John XXIII smoked. His favorites were Winstons, I believe.

The Handbook of Moral Theology by Fr. Dominic Proemmer, OP explicitly states that tobacco is not considered an impediment to receiving communion, by reason of breaking the Eucharistic fast, by the Church.

On the other hand, there were and are some baptized Catholics who were or, to this day, are virulently anti-smoking. One of them was an Austrian paperhanger who became quite widely known in his day.

The only time alcohol enjoyment is sinful is if it is consumed in an amount which impairs the function of reason. Naturally, that means that excessive use that leads to impaired driving or the excitation of base passions or the impairment of judgment and/or ability to carry out one's proper duties is not to be engaged in.

Speaking only for myself, I find it most salutary, during Lent, to abstain altogether from lighting up... during sermons, no matter how boring.

Cato · « **Reply #6 on:** April 09, 2013, 10:44:33 PM »

I think we should. The Christian path is straight and narrow; it's far to easy to be put into a near occasion of sin by a bad acquaintance.

Now if you're a missionary, then that's another story.

songbird · « **Reply #7 on:** April 09, 2013, 10:48:39 PM »

Didn't Our Lady say "having bad company" can lead to sin? It certainly can. Talking with co-workers, which are doing sinful things, talking about divorce, and everyone is doing it and etc. This is dangerous! My daughter was around teen smokers, only to find that they were smoking until they could have the hard stuff. Gambling needs to be mentioned for it is so much on the rise, and in the area that I live it is everywhere. My son who stays away from it, faces it in motels in the bathrooms! Gambling is said to be worse than drinking. Keep a prayerful life, then maybe we can stop any bad influences before they get to far.

Marlelar · « **Reply #8 on:** April 09, 2013, 11:02:26 PM »

I think it runs deeper than a few (arguably) bad habits. Drinking to excess and losing control of oneself is the problem, not the alcohol per se. Buying the odd lottery ticket or visiting a casino on occasion are a far cry from gambling the grocery money away. Smoking? I personally have no problem w/it so long as it is not in my house :smoke-pot:

I'd rather spend my time with a cigar puffing, beer swilling, crap-shooter who knows right from wrong than with a lying, cheating, back-biting gossip any day!

Marsha

Marlelar · « **Reply #9 on:** April 09, 2013, 11:06:38 PM »

Quote from: Anthony Benedict

Speaking only for myself, I find it most salutary, during Lent, to abstain altogether from lighting up... during sermons, no matter how boring.

:roll-laugh1:

MrsZ · « **Reply #10 on:** April 10, 2013, 12:55:42 PM »

In the early days of my conversion, upon reading various lives of the saints, I had the impression that I was supposed to avoid all sinners. So, that was everyone in the world, apparently... :rolleyes: But as other posters have indicated, my understanding of avoiding people has to do with those in which you may be tempted to participate in their activities, or who will not refrain from their bad behavior around you. But again, there's a difference with working with people in an office and going out with said people for happy hour. If someone's weakness is gossip, then avoiding conversation with fellow gossipers is a good idea.

Mithrandylan · « **Reply #11 on:** April 10, 2013, 01:22:28 PM »

You should stay away from alcoholics insofar as you shouldn't put yourself in a position where you'd knowingly be scandalized or given cause to sin. But a 'few beers' isn't an alcoholic. At least, not for most (some?) people. How alcohol affects us is subjective, based on ethnicity, body weight, sex, etc. I'm a Celt-Norse male, and it's just basic biology and anatomy that I can go through 'a few beers' unaffected, whereas a 90 lb five foot American Indian girl isn't going to be as lucky.

One of my favorite psalms:

Ps. 103

[13] Thou waterest the hills from thy upper rooms: the earth shall be filled with the fruit of thy works: [14] Bringing forth grass for cattle, and herb for the service of men. That thou mayst bring bread out of the earth: [15] And that wine may cheer the heart of man. That he may make the face cheerful with oil: and that bread may strengthen man' s heart.

Anthony Benedict · « **Reply #12 on:** April 10, 2013, 02:10:55 PM »

Quote from: songbird

Didn't Our Lady say "having bad company" can lead to sin? It certainly can. Talking with co-workers, which are doing sinful things, talking about divorce, and everyone is doing it and etc. This is dangerous! My daughter was around teen smokers, only to find that they were smoking until they could have the hard stuff. Gambling needs to be mentioned for it is so much on the rise, and in the area that I live it is everywhere. My son who stays away from it, faces it in motels in the bathrooms! Gambdling is said to be worse than drinking. Keep a prayerful life, then maybe we can stop any bad influences before they get to far.

I "liked" the above quote for a simple reason: It's sensible, thus Catholic. I did not mean to imply that people should take up smoking or drinking if they have not already. Nor did I wish to infer that those who do either are necessarily edifying, socially or spiritually. Some may be and many others may be ( and probably are ) anything but.

But, then, you have the whole granola-munching tree-hugger phenomenon, too. They're vindictive Marxist vegans, for pity's sake! They hate anything that wasn't first marinated in swamp water or didn't first pass through the gastrointestinal tract of some quadraped before being consumed, atop their proverbial mountain of tofu, by "humanoid animals"!

What matters, and I would hope this proves consistent with sound Catholic pedagogy, is that a Catholic becomes sufficiently well-formed, thus resistant to temptations to excess in anything, prior to adulthood.

I am not conversant with gambling and its implications save for what I've read in the funny papers. But I'll bet it's an interesting topic! :cool:

TKGS · « **Reply #13 on:** April 10, 2013, 02:18:25 PM »

Quote from: InfiniteFaith

Should we avoid people because of certain flaws they may have? What if someone likes to go to a casino occasionally, smoke cigarettes, and have a few beers? Should this person be avoided? What if someone takes pride in their race or is somewhat conceded? Should we avoid them too?

To what extent should we reject people?

If you have the intent to avoid anyone who has "flaws", then you need to become a hermit in the desert because you cannot avoid people with flaws.

As for the issues you list above, I don't see the "flaws".

Anthony Benedict · « **Reply #14 on:** April 10, 2013, 02:24:44 PM »

For an interesting review of how France has fallen into mindless PC-ism and as heven started to abandon their own excellent vintages....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21929287