Hi there

My family is ex-mormon. My grandfather was once a bishop & is now a patriarch. He has always been a closet smoker. His whole life. Surely the hierarchy know. But perhaps not.

I was only a boy when we left so I don't know alot about their poltics & morality, besides that they're not alot to take things like coffee or nicotine (smoking).

To me it seems totally hypocritical that grandpa has had these offices whilst smoking his whole life. Personally I don't care too much because I'm Catholic & smoking in itself isn't considered morally disordered. But Mormonism does.

Don't know if this will reach anyone but I'd love some insight into this. I do know about the interview needed to be admitted into their temple. I wonder if there's any norms preventing his admission, or censuring him from ministry because of his smoking habit.

Thanks.

Nicotine releases dopamine, Mormo-ism (forbidden word) clearly releases dopamine too, I guess?

No, it would not be very good if said Patriarch were to suddenly place a Mr Coffee onto his kitchen countertop.

Could get a Medical Marijuana card and sneak a little tobacco in there, I guess, haa.

The gears inside the mind of the interview passing LDS person might be the best thing ever to contemplate, if they even turn at all.

There was a time when the "Word of Wisdom," (the church edict which bans tobacco, coffee, and tea) was merely taken as an advisory and not as a firm directive. Your grandpa's parents and grandparents may have lived their lives in a time when this was the case. Also, there are certain areas where the WoW is still taken with a large grain of salt, and church authorities are often inclined to look the other way at member indiscretions.

You might find it interesting to talk with your grandpa about this.

good luck with your smoking mormon grandpa OPie ~

Could be worse. Grandpa could be a self-righteous prick.

. . . so, is it the individual hypocrisy itself that's the sticking point?
Or is it that the corporation must know (true) yet either
- ignores evidence (denial)
- organizational hypocrisy (we know but don't care)
Or is it that "the rules" are arbitrary and many are somewhat silly

You can get away with a lot in the church if you pay enough tithing. If he was a full payer on gross income, this was his only sticking point, and he was giving pro forma lip service to repenting, it's not hard to see the org considering it a minor transgression and giving him a pass on it. In addition, as he made it to bishop and patriarch he was part of the local Old Boys' Club. The other OBC participants were likely doing the same or worse and they covered for each other, kind of like secret combinations.

My HS girlfriend's father was branch president. He smoked cigars and drank hard likker, Wich he kept in his boots at home

My ex-wife's father (a dumb, flat-footed, LDS ex cop who hated my guts) kept his bottle of hooch under the seat of his pickup. He wasn't obvious with his boozing, but everyone knew it. No big deal for me. He's pushin' up daisies now!