Flee from the slots as if your life depended on it

Flee from the slots as if your life depended on it
EDITOR:
"The love of money is the root of all evil and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith, and pierced themselves with many a pang." So St. Paul warns us in 1 Tim. 6:10. He goes on to describe the condition of many a gambler. "Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. Flee from these things..." (1 Tim. 6:9-11) Many public officials have failed to follow this good advice and now find their families suffering, their careers ruined and themselves in prison.
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, told us, "You cannot serve two masters. You will love one and hate the other. You cannot serve God and money." (Mt 6:24) It appears that some who call themselves "Christian" disbelieve this and are out to prove Jesus wrong; that He didn't know what He was talking about.
An American bishop has called gambling "the Idolatry of greed." With a false promise of salvation to desperate persons, it's more than a creed of greed. It is a cult, a worship that is institutionalized with regular scheduled advertised services. It is not only the states that promote this false religion with lotteries. (Where is the ACLU?) Private operators open storefront "Instant Bingo" parlors promising a cut to a local church which is in the same business. And then there are the great pagan national shrines, temples that rival the opulence of Babylon to which regular pilgrimages are made by the faithful. Such as Las Vegas, where prostitution is legal and the suicide rate it the highest of any city in the nation.
Ohio does not need more gambling. There can be no doubt from the evidence that gambling -- as are many compulsive behaviors -- is insatiable. Indeed, St. Paul calls greed, "That Lust which is Idolatry." (Col. 3:5) It is not a solution. It is the problem! Any leader who proposes gambling as a cure for financial problems is self-deceiving others. God expects better of us! His people deserve better!
Father WILLIAM J. WITT, M.A., M. Div.
Pastor emeritus, St. Brendan Church Youngstown
YSU students were eager to learn, eager to help
EDITOR:
As an administrator with Trumbull LifeLines I had the opportunity to participate in educating and assisting students from YSU's Williamson School of Business as part of "Dare to Care" day. Hats off to the students and faculty at Williamson School of Business for their participation and promotion of "Dare to Care" day.
I found the students eager to learn and even more excited about the hands on experience. If the quality of our future business leaders is reflected in these students' attitudes and character, the United States business community will be in good hands.
It is important for our future leaders to understand those that live in the "shadow" of our society -- the mentally ill, the poor, the homeless, and the addicted. No better understanding can be obtained than spending time understanding and learning of their needs on the job!
Again, kudos to Youngstown State University School of Business and those that made "Dare to Care" day a success.
CHARLES J. HUDAK
Hubbard
Motorists beware
EDITOR:
The railroad tracks on Crestview Road just a quarter mile west of Crestview High School are now active. I came upon a train recently, and had I not been going 25 mph and heard the whistle, I would not have seen it. There is no gate, no lights, nothing.
I wonder if we are going to lose one of our students there before someone decides to install a gate. Oh, and those tracks also cross Route 517, just the same way.
PAUL SCOTT
Columbiana