Cigarette, Alcohol Not Sin – Pastor Damina

The founder of Abel Damina Ministries and Power City International, Pastor Abel Damina, has sparked intense debate with his assertion that smoking cigarettes and consuming alcohol are not inherently sinful.

During his New Year’s Eve sermon on Tuesday, Pastor Damina emphasized that these actions are often misconstrued as sinful.

“I’ve told you alcohol is not a sin. I’ve told you cigar is not a sin. If you like, put it on newspaper headline, I said it,” he stated.

However, Damina clarified that he was not endorsing these behaviors. Instead, he cautioned his audience to exercise wisdom, saying:

“Am I saying you should smoke? You should have sense from your father’s house to know that cigar will cut short your life. Am I saying you should drink alcohol? You should know that if you drink alcohol, you will lie down inside a gutter. Your shirt and trousers will disappear. You should have the sense to know that.”

Damina also delved into the theological basis for his views, challenging traditional interpretations of sin and morality. Referencing the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, he questioned the conventional belief that their sin resulted from eating the forbidden fruit.

“Adam and Eve ate nothing,” Damina said. “Adam and Eve didn’t eat anything. Were you there? You were not there. So how do we know whether they ate something or not? Jesus was there. Was Jesus there in the Garden of Eden? Yes. Can Jesus explain to us what happened? Yes.”

Citing Mark 7:18-21, Damina argued that sin is rooted in the condition of the heart, rather than in one’s consumption. He explained:

“If they (Adam and Eve) ate, it’ll go to their stomach. It’ll digest and go to toilet. They’ll be free. There’s nothing a man eats that enters his heart. It’ll go to the digestive system, and it’ll go out somehow. It is what comes out of a man that defiles a man, not what goes in. What makes you a sinner is what you’re thinking, not what you’re eating.”