Answer: To answer this question,
first we would need a definition of sin. In the Abrahamic religions
(Judaism, Christianity, Islam and the Baha’i Faith), sin is usually
considered to be the breaking of a divine command. In the religions of
South Asia, the karmic equivalent of sin would be the violation
of a moral or ethical code. In the Bahá’í Faith, the teaching
of “original sin” is rejected. God has created the human soul in the
utmost purity to reflect His divine attributes. There is no
stain of original sin requiring salvation to save the soul from
spiritual death. The soul becomes sinful through its actions—by
ignoring or turning away from divine guidance. More generally,
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the son of the Prophet-Founder Bahá’u’lláh, his successor
and the authorised interpreter of his teachings, defined sin as
“attachment of the spirit and soul to this world.”
Playing the slot machines is gambling. Bahá’ís do not have to
wonder about the appropriateness of gambling. In his book of laws, the
Kitáb-í-Aqdas (Most Holy Book), Bahá’u’lláh has revealed: “Gambling and
the use of opium have been forbidden unto you. Eschew them both, O
people, and be not of those who transgress.”
The slot machine has been well-named—“the one eyed bandit.”
It steals money. The problem with the seeming innocuous slot machine is
the slippery slope. The temptation is, of course, to spend more money
and to play at other tables. Most gamblers lose their money.
“The house always wins.”
Further down the slippery slope, addiction to gambling is a serious
disease with dire social consequences. Some addicts suffer bankruptcy.
Although it is tragic enough that gambling addicts destroy their own
lives, they also cause the ruination of the family or the alienation
of friends and loved ones. A desperate few seek a way out in
suicide.
Some experts have estimated that approximately 35 per cent of all
gambling revenue in Ontario comes from 340,000 problem gamblers. The
fact of the matter is that the casino owners are the really big
winners. Compared to them, government revenue from gambling, although
significant, is way down the line. -
Jack
McLean
