Brother Wolf, can we see you in the back room?
Spank - Spank - SPANK!
I'll bet you thought JWs would be a hardliner on gambling...
by ezekiel3 25 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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Flash
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prophecor
Ahh, but you forget, JWs use a stake, no nails needed!
Guess I've been outta da' loop for so long that... oy, yoy yoy...I stand corrected there, Zeke!!! -
David2002
I read that article from my daily Yahoo! news alert. However, I did not conclude that by saying it was part of an individual "personal conscience", that he intended to say gambling was OK. You'll notice that in the beginning of the article he said Christians visiting sin city must keep out of "harm's way". That apparently includes gambling since Witnesses do not generally gamble. There are lots of Witnesses that visit Las Vegas every year, but do not gamble. I heard it was a fun city with lots to do and a lot to see. But as Christians we must keep away from certain of the city's activities.
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mrsjones5
hm i'll be sure to tell my jw parents that the next time they go to Reno to play that slots. No lie, my parents who are jws gamble and my mother plays the California Lotto, has been playing it since it started - every Wednesday and Saturday.
Josie
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freedom96
Going to Vegas may be a personal matter, but gambling, come on, we all know that is wrong in the eyes of the WTS. That elder has some explaining to do when he gets home.
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rebel8
Am I the only person who realizes a visit to the strip does not require gambling? I don't see in the article where the JW interviewed is admitting to gambling or saying it is ok to gamble.
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undercover
Cleverly worded. Personal conscience to visit the city. No mention of gambling by the JW elder.
There are two sets of JWspeak: One for the followers and one for the masses.
This elder's quote in the newspaper is a classic example of what the WTS wants the world to think of JWs. Moderate sensible people. No hard, fast rules are made, but (Christian) principles should be maintained.
Now what is spoken to JWs at meetings and assemblies will be completely different. While no mention of visiting a city will ever be mentioned, the evils of gambling and associating with worldly people will be drummed into their heads over and over. Those who are faithful to the WTS will read into such admonition that to even visit a city known for its "sin" should be avoided.
To a JW what's the difference between visiting Las Vegas, Amsterdam or Shanghai and visiting New York, London or Paris? They are all part of Satan's world, doomed for destruction. As one elder said to me many years ago, 'why bother going on vacation to other places? Why not use that time to share in the preaching work? You'll have more fun and be more spirtually fulfilled than if you went on vacation.'
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minimus
Going to the strip is certainly not wrong. If a JW wanted to see a headliner at a show, that's acceptable. Eat at a $14 buffet? It's ok. Go to the casino's adjoining stores? It's ok.
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willyloman
No one's mentioned the two most interesting things about the article:
In a story about how clergymen view gambling and visiting Las Vegas, the reported LEADS with a JW elder! How many news stories have you seen in which various clergy are polled on their thinking about some issue that even INCLUDED the JW point of view? Most reporters don't even know who JWs are, or at least they are not at the top of their list of religious denominations. The reporter may have some link to dub-ism.
Secondly, the LDS church is quoted -- as you would expect from the leading newspaper in Salt Lake City -- but there is no mention of the fact that if you look at Las Vegas hotel-casino management, you find a bunch of Mormons in executive positions, including CEOs. There are a lot of hotel executives who are BYU grads, or UNLV grads. They earn their living promoting gambling, smoking and drinking, all "sins" in the LDS book. In a story on this in a Vegas paper, the CEO of one of the giants on the Strip (a devout Mormon) was quoted as saying, "We're pretty good at rationalizing it." Southern Nevada is a hotbed of Mormonism and they are well represented as employees in various hotels & casinos, where they view their jobs as providing entertainment to the masses.
Having lived in Nevada, I can assure you that many residents of the state don't gamble at all, even if they frequent the clubs for food and entertainment. For many people, the games of chance lose their allure after the initital excitement wears off, once the reality sets in that they didn't build these marble palaces by giving money away.
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undercover
Going to the strip is certainly not wrong. If a JW wanted to see a headliner at a show, that's acceptable. Eat at a $14 buffet? It's ok. Go to the casino's adjoining stores? It's ok.
Why is it okay for a JW to go to a show at a casino, eat at a casino buffet or go to a casino shopping mall but not work for a casino?