I was standing on a street corner across from Caesar's Palace holding a sign that said, "God knows what happens in Vegas."
A guy, waiting at a crosswalk, leaned toward me.
"So, I guess you think gambling is wrong, huh?"
I smiled, which is always a good start.
"I definitely don't think it's God's best," I said. "Because God's best is love and gambling destroys lives. I don't see how you can support it and be loving."
He thought about it for a second.
"I guess I can see that. But, we're just here having a good time."
He was a not-so-practicing Catholic in Vegas for the weekend and we had a couple more minutes to talk while he waited.
But, what's the right answer when someone says, "Is X sin?" Where "X" is anything from smoking to drinking alcohol or listening to certain kinds of music or even drinking caffeine? They're all issues that get brought up.
I believe the answer can almost always be found in, "Is the behavior destructive?" Does it add to real joy-filled living, or take it away? Ultimately, does it draw us closer to God and others, or further apart?
Let's take gambling for example:
When we were in Vegas, my wife and I would leave the hotel room about 7AM for breakfast - fried chicken over bacon stuffed waffles.
Walking through the casino we encountered the slot zombies.
The slot zombies are drones that have been sitting in front of the same machine pushing the same button all night. Gin and tonic flows and dark rings expand under bloodshot eyes.
It's a good time.
But to understand the slots I want to offer an over-head view of the casino.
Imagine you're looking at all the slot machines from fifty feet above the room. Let's assume there's five hundred individual slots and throughout the day, zombies shamble in, slide their cards, and push buttons.
Now, view the machines for what they really are - one huge mechanical organism designed to collect and redistribute money - The Machine.
See, over the course of a year, the zombies (or, dumb people, if you prefer) will hand over about 34 gazillion dollars to The Machine - and, happy day, in modern times The Machine takes plastic.
Then the owners, or zombie masters, will take the money, keep about .02% for themselves, and redistribute what's left. But of course, we all know .02% of 34 gazillion is about 288 million bucks.
So, after the commission, Joe, the zombie seated at slot #337, goes home with $140,000. Sue, at#49, wins $25,000 and Dave, at #401, hits the major jackpot - 5.5 million bucks.
Livin' large, baby.
But what Dave doesn't know or doesn't think about is, Terri, at #56, lost two hundred dollars, and Frank, at #2, went home and blew his brains out after losing his kid's college savings - money that, after the zombie masters sorted it, ended up in Dave's pocket.
The money that goes to the winners was taken from the losers and handed out, minus a fee - and it happens all day, every day.
But wait a second. Why should Dave think about, or care about Frank?
Isn't Frank an adult that can think for himself?
Didn't the poor sap make his own decisions that have nothing to do with Dave?
And there's the rub. In order to play the slots, Dave either doesn't think (ignorance) about Frank, or he doesn't care (unloving) about Frank and all the thousands of similar undead that sit at the slots each day.
And God condones neither ignorance or a lack of love.
The moment Dave says, "Why should I care about Frank?" is a moment he has departed from the life and truth of God. How can a loving person also love The Machine?
A lot of times, "Is it sin?" is the wrong question. "Is it loving?" is better. The truth about love reveals the truth about sin.
Most often, when confronted with "Is X Sin?" and the behavior is destructive, a good answer is "It's not God's best. God's best is love and X destroys lives."
Brilliant article.
You need to get with my husband, H.L. He has a rousing spiel for the kids about why the claw machine is the beginning of gambling. :O)
--Krista
Truly excellent. One of your best. "The truth about love reveals the truth about sin." I love it.
I never saw the slots like that! Thanks for the great way to answer "Is X Sin?"