Pastor Abel Damina, founder of Abel Damina Ministries and Power City International, has sparked controversy with his recent statement declaring that smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol are not inherently sinful acts.
During his New Year’s Eve sermon, Damina challenged traditional views, urging his audience to reconsider their understanding of sin.
“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,” Damina proclaimed, adding fuel to the ongoing debate.
While making his case, the pastor emphasized that his remarks were not an endorsement of these behaviors. Instead, he advised his congregation to exercise wisdom and caution.
“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,” he explained.
Damina also delved into theological arguments to support his perspective, challenging long-held interpretations of sin and morality. Using the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden as an example, he questioned the belief that their sin stemmed from eating the forbidden fruit.
“Adam and Eve ate nothing,” he asserted. “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 not determined by what a person consumes but by the condition of their heart.
“If they [Adam and Eve] ate, it’ll go to their stomach. It’ll digest and go to the toilet. They’ll be free,” Damina stated. “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.”
Damina’s remarks have reignited discussions on the nature of sin and the role of personal responsibility in religious practice.
