Posted on 09/29/2005 10:14:31 AM PDT by Crackingham
Religious leaders carried signs and shouted about the evils of gambling outside the Capitol on Tuesday as hordes of casino execs, Coast leaders and lobbyists courted lawmakers inside. Hurricane Katrina is spawning a new storm, this one political, as Mississippi lawmakers in special session ponder whether to let destroyed casinos rebuild on dry land instead of the floating barges to which they were previously restricted.
"I'm here representing my lord and savior, Jesus Christ," the Rev. Kendall Boutwell of Brookhaven told the House Gaming Committee at the start of a lengthy hearing. Boutwell said gamblers are covetous, in violation of the 10th commandment, and are idolaters.
"What do you suggest we do about the thousands of people displaced, without jobs, from that industry?" Rep. Leonard Bentz, R-Biloxi, asked Boutwell.
Boutwell responded that the Coast should create more wholesome tourist attractions, like Dollywood.
I wonder what the USofA would look like if it was ruled by good Christians?
I wonder which god the gamblers pray to... ;-)
I don't know where the religious people get the anti-gambling mentality. Gambling isn't even addressed in the Bible.........
Does it follow then that fat TV preachers are gluttons, and that Sunday all-you-can-eat buffets should be abolished?
Uh, oh...I knew this was gonna happen. Of course the Reverend does have a good point. I don't think re-building the Casinos is a curse or whatever, but I do know the kind of criminal element this environment holds.
Iran........Talibanistan.......
I wonder which god listens to their prayers.
Huh? Dolly's claim to fame was her bust size. So using the reverend's logic people who go there are covetous, adulterous (at least in their hearts) and idolaters (no, that doesn't make sense, but then it didn't with gambling either).
The Governor swore that the sin of gambling would never touch the noble land of Miss.. That is why the build their casinos on barges 3 to 5 ft from shore.
It would seem that the casino folk used the "riverboat gambling" loop-hole to build casinos. Now that they casinos have been wrecked by huricanes, they feel that the laws should be re-written to allow them to build on-shore in order to minimize their losses. Perhaps they should asked the voters if they truly want more and bigger casinos.
I would point out that the NV gaming board is as close to Deity as you are going to get in Las Vegas, at least as far as the casino owners are concerned.
I hope the folks in the gulf coast area keep an eye out for organized crime types.
It should follow that their preachers give up their loaded Lincolns, their Leer jets, their palatial earthly mansions and preach the Gospel for free like Christ said.
These preachers of eearthly riches only condemn themselves. Their actions like much the pharisees at the time of Christ.
If tax exemption were removed from Churches, and ministries -- things would be quite a bit different.
If Church contributions were made illegal -- I dare say the majority of those who are in the "Lords Business"(The Religious profiteering business) would not be.
One of the oddities down here on the Gulf Coast, since Katrina, we have been indundated with senior citizens rolling through the neighborhoods giving out water and "words of sympathy and encouragement". Not one of them healthy enough to lift an empty shovel, they proudly wear T-shirts or emblems from variuos out-of-state churches. I do not really understand what their motives are, but I did hear on the news some churches were billing FEMA for the care and feeding of these "crisis responders". The reality seems to be they are being used as a means of billing FEMA for whatever "services" they perform. It is very difficult for work crews to find a place to live within 100 miles. It would be nice if they would give up their living space for a worker and heaad back to podunk.
I have heard this argument before. It was reported as matter-of-fact, because that's what Roman soldiers did at the time to everyone's garments that were crucified. Jesus robe was supposedly special because it was woven complete and without a seam, so was very valuable. Instead of tearing it apart and sharing the parts with each man, they decided to roll the dice for it. This, in and of itself is not a condemnation of gambling. The crew of the Phoenecian cargo ship that Jonah was on cast lots to see which person hand angered their god, and of course the lot fell on Jonah. This, too is not a condemnation of gambling. There are many instances of "casting lots" in the Bible, but they are mostly used for decision making and random allotments. The APOSTLES themselves cast lots to see who would replace Judas in their own ranks. This, surely isn't a condemnation of gambling. Nowhere in the Bible is there an explicit condemnation of gambling.................
Probably the only one there is...the one that created gamblers, and non-gamblers.
The Bible says that the disciples fell into arguing as to who replace Judas Iscariot....in the end they cast lots to choose for them!
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