At 07:17 PM 4/8/1999 -0800, John I Evans wrote:
>What about if you win some money on Bingo? That
>
>is how it is. All you have to do is resigester to play.
>
>No buying boards or whatever it is called.
Where does the money come from? Advertising? If so, then it is a
"sweepstakes" game, not unlike a door prize or the games publishers play to
get people to send in magazine subscription forms. It can be gambling if it
becomes addictive or it starts costing you something you shouldn't be
spending. Actually, playing that game does cost you something: time. Time
is money in that you could be working and earning money in that time. Time
is a precious resource that God gives us, and if we use too much of it on
trivia, then we tend to neglect the important things like Bible reading,
prayer, and telling people the Good News about Jesus Christ. The banner on
the site you reference brags about wasting time. You need to seriously
consider that as a possible problem.
I don't want to condemn anyone for playing at that site, but please
consider the hidden costs, and realize that it is close enough to gambling
that I'm not interested in playing it. I don't think I'm overly strict.
Indeed, I've won some stuff from door prizes and drawings, before, but I
usually won't even spend the money for a stamp to send in a sweepstakes
registration.
Benjamin Franklin said "Never squander time. It is the stuff life is made of."
>>POSITION PAPERS of The GENERAL COUNCIL of the ASSEMBLIES of GOD (USA)
...
>> 1. Gambling is wrong because it is a disregard of responsible
>> stewardship.
...
>> 2. Gambling is wrong because it involves a chance of gain at the
>> expense and suffering of others.
...
>> 3. Gambling is wrong because it is inconsistent with the work
>> ethic of Scripture.
...
>> 4. Gambling is wrong because it tends to be habit-forming
...
>> When the Bible instructs believers, "Whatsoever ye do, do all to the
>> glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31), it certainly precludes gambling.
>> God is not glorified when people put their trust in chance rather
>> than in the Lord.
>>
>> When God's Word teaches that we should "abstain from all appearance
>> of evil" (1 Thessalonians 5:22) it precludes gambling. There is no
>> way in which a practice can be considered anything other than evil
>> when it violates principles of God's Word concerning stewardship,
>> consideration of others and the dignity of honest labor.
>>
>> Those who want to live according to Scripture will refrain from
>> participation in any form of gambling. As the salt of the earth
>> (Matthew 5:13) they will also do all within their power to discourage
>> the legalization of gambling, whether to raise money for charity,
>> church, or state.
...
Michael Paul Johnson
aka Soaring Golden Eagle
PO Box 1151, Longmont CO 80502-1151, USA
Rocky Mountain outpost 207, New Creation Church
Jesus Christ is Lord!
_______
To unsubscribe, send "unsubscribe rangernet" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
"Eat the hay & spit out the sticks!" RTKB&G4JC!
Autoresponder: [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://rangernet.org
