It is all very obvious. If you look at gambling casinos, you see lavish buildings, lights, and luxury, and it is clear who really gets the cash. Same thing goes for the churches.
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[churchandstate.org.uk]
You know, lately, I've really gotten into betting. It turns out that this is a really good way to make some extra money. I have made a lot of money over the past month. It seems to me that the most important thing is to be able to control your emotions. Because when the losses start, you want to win back. This should not be allowed! For a long time, I tried to find a convenient betting site and then my friend told me about 百家樂 教學. This is a really user-friendly and beautiful site. Do you think it is possible to make money with betting all the time?
You should read A THEORY OF THE LEISURE CLASS by Thorsein Veblen, published in 1899. It is one of those very important forgotten books. Veblen notes the same kind of things about religion. He also has important observations about the super-wealthy, and about glass-bead playing academia.
Being a Scot, it goes against the grain to waste anything , money especially, so I’ve never been attracted to gambling in any form. The only time I’ve ever been in a casino was in Macao which is an island where the Chinese from Hong Kong travel by hydrofoil to gamble, as Casinos are not permitted in HK. The Chinese are inveterate gamblers and the former Portuguese colony of Macao is awash with casinos. The hydrofoils which ferry passengers constantly back and forward, do great business too. All the gambling in HK is controlled by the HK Jockey Club which holds the license for all gambling on horse racing, football matches and lotteries. At Happy Valley, the racetrack rakes in colossal revenues.
Is there a similarity between gambling establishments and churches? In the respect that they are both addictive and both hold out promises of great rewards if you invest in them...then yes! The only real difference I see is that in the case of gambling there is a possibility of receiving an immediate reward in the form of winnings in the here and now, whereas with religion it’s more like you buy the chips, but you can’t cash in your winnings until the hereafter!
Several years ago there was a big story in the National Geographic about this place. Many of us have never heard of it but it is equivalent to 'Lost' Vegas.
As far as immediate reward ever hear of the "Prosperity Gospel?" [thegospelcoalition.org]
@JackPedigo Interesting...more so to Americans as I’ve never heard of this Prosperity Gospel or any of the named preachers...tele evangelists I presume. They are not really a British thing! Thankfully!
One diff is that churches have clocks in them and casinos don't because they want you to lose track of time while you are losing your money...
I so wish this easy-to-understand link could get to high school kids, that the books listed right at the bottom makes it to their school libraries, in the hope that it would encourage good debate at school level. ...so they, the future generation, would continue to raise eye opener topics such as these and eventually rid the world from all these fairytale gods and stories which continue to hold the majority of our current world hostage (in bondage).
I can agree. I always avoid women in the St. Louis area who claim they like to go to "the boat." It's a riverside gambling boat. Easy to see who really has your money. I do confess that I play the lottery but this is the same thing. They win and usually you do not, but if you have no ticket then you will not win either. I gamble with lottery but never very much.
I was just thinking I hate all casinos but "The Boat" is the only casino bit I do kind of like.
There is one in Savannah where they give you a great steak dinner or equivalent, credit in gambling money equal to the ticket and then breakfast.
I would eat play their money until gone and then go up to the top deck where there was no one and watch the dolphins and snooze until breakfast.
Yes, to borrow a phrase , you're preaching to the choir . We know this . We're atheists , aren't we ?
I do not post this to convince anyone here, however, I DO post it so other people can post it if they choose.
Also . . . we are not all Atheists here. I am an Agnostic.
If we are all the same, I guess anything is preaching to the choir. But we are not about preaching. This site is about discussion.