...but I thought the above link made for fun reading.
For a good demonstration of proper hat etiquette, watch To Kill a Mockingbird. Atticus is a true gentleman, even taking his hat off when talking to the ladies.
People talk, boy, but they seldom listen. She's only seventeen, but she knows talk is cheap.
Another interesting article: this one against gambling. C.S. Lewis once remarked about gambling [and pederasty] that it wasn't a sin he spoke much against because he had never been tempted by it. That, however, doesn't prevent me from pointing to articles about the grave evil of the practice, like that unto dancing and the theater [just kidding, gambling is intrinsically evil while dancing is evil for its effects, making the unholy trinity of "cards, dancing, and the theater" a bit lopsided].
2 comments:
Meh. That article doesn't actually contain an argument, philosophical or Scriptural, against gambling. He just throws out some words like "poor steward", talks about opinion polls, and baldly asserts that spending a moderate sum on gambling is morally different from spending it on other recreation. Colour me unimpressed.
Everybody's aware that gambling, like alcohol, can ruin lives when not in moderation. But if one's going to call gambling a sin in general, one needs an actual reason beyond effects of immoderate behavior. I think one can make a case that the gambling industry as it stands preys on the weak, but not against gambling itself.
Ultimately, the only difference I see between a game of poker and a game of Scrabble (another combination of skill and luck) is that certain amounts of money add motivation, an edge, to the proceedings. As long as that's in moderation, I can't see a clear case for its immorality.
Of course, I've had a little Merlot tonight, so this isn't the best argument ever.
You're quite right that it doesn't contain an argument against the intrinsic evil of gambling, it only mentions that it is evil in its essence and points out some ill effects apart from its intrinsic evil. I admit there may be a difference between somebody who says, "Today is a good day I think to spend five dollars on recreation and I shall spend it playing poker, though I may get it back and then some," and somebody who is truly gambling.
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