Going out for lunch...

[Salty]

I saw a pastor friend of mine today. I wanted to invite him and his wife out to
lunch next Sunday at Turning Stone.
TS is owned by the Oneida Indians - a large portion of TS is a Casino.
though they have many other activities there as well.

Pastor A state he does not go to TS because of the gambling.
Personally, I do not see a problem
Should I not go to a grocery store if they sell lottery tickets?
I see it as the same thing.

Here is the map of TS


I told Pastor A that there are hallways to take us to the restaurant, and that
we would not be going directly past any gaming.

So would you go to TS for a Good meal?

PS Mrs Salty and I are planning on going to the Steakhouse for our 20th in 2023!

 

[alexander284]

I saw a pastor friend of mine today. I wanted to invite him and his wife out to
lunch next Sunday at Turning Stone.
TS is owned by the Oneida Indians - a large portion of TS is a Casino.
though they have many other activities there as well.

Pastor A state he does not go to TS because of the gambling.
Personally, I do not see a problem
Should I not go to a grocery store if they sell lottery tickets?
I see it as the same thing.

Here is the map of TS
View attachment 6015

I told Pastor A that there are hallways to take us to the restaurant, and that
we would not be going directly past any gaming.

So would you go to TS for a Good meal?

PS Mrs Salty and I are planning on going to the Steakhouse for our 20th in 2023!

I can see things from the Pastor's perspective.

Our Pastor once purchased a bottle of apple cider from the supermarket that looked like a champagne bottle. (It was just before New Year's Eve.)

And, sure enough, someone who attended our church started a rumor that he saw our Pastor purchasing a bottle of champagne one night at the local supermarket.

Therefore, I can see where a Pastor might choose to decline such an invitation, in order to avoid even the appearance of any wrongdoing or hypocrisy.

I don't know if his reasoning is along those lines, but I thought it would be helpful to share this story with you.

In addition, I have learned to adopt a policy not to ask any fellow believer to do anything that might put them in jeopardy of violating their conscience.

I base this on the Apostle Paul's first letter to the church in Corinth, regarding the consumption of meat sacriced to idols.

I am in no way implying that the Pastor's conscience is weak (far from it) but I believe the same general principle may apply in this situation.

 

[Reynolds]

I saw a pastor friend of mine today. I wanted to invite him and his wife out to
lunch next Sunday at Turning Stone.
TS is owned by the Oneida Indians - a large portion of TS is a Casino.
though they have many other activities there as well.

Pastor A state he does not go to TS because of the gambling.
Personally, I do not see a problem
Should I not go to a grocery store if they sell lottery tickets?
I see it as the same thing.

Here is the map of TS
View attachment 6015

I told Pastor A that there are hallways to take us to the restaurant, and that
we would not be going directly past any gaming.

So would you go to TS for a Good meal?

PS Mrs Salty and I are planning on going to the Steakhouse for our 20th in 2023!

I think it could definitely fall in the stumbling block category Paul warned about. I see the grocery store, lottery ticket comparison as a pure straw man.

 

[alexander284]

I think it could definitely fall in the stumbling block category Paul warned about. I see the grocery store, lottery ticket comparison as a pure straw man.

Another aspect of this that bothers me is the knowledge that the profits from the restaurant go directly to the operators of the casino.

Now, I freely admit that I may be guilty of having a "weak conscience." Nevertheless, this is my (personal) point of view.

 

[Salty]

I think it could definitely fall in the stumbling block category Paul warned about. I see the grocery store, lottery ticket comparison as a pure straw man.

I remember the days when pastors and others would never got to a grocery store that sold booze - until all grocery stores sold said "beverage".

When I asked Pastor A - he stated "I dont go to TS because I am a pastor"

 

[Salty]

Another aspect of this that bothers me is the knowledge that the profits from the restaurant go directly to the operators of the casino.

Now, I freely admit that I may be guilty of having a "weak conscience." Nevertheless, this is my (personal) point of view.

and a good portion of the profits go to help the Oneida Indians.

 

[alexander284]

I remember the days when pastors and others would never got to a grocery store that sold booze - until all grocery stores sold said "beverage".

When I asked Pastor A - he stated "I dont go to TS because I am a pastor"

That would be incredibly difficult to do now, wouldn't it?

For example, this would mean not patronizing Walmart.

 

[alexander284]

and a good portion of the profits go to help the Oneida Indians.

Well ... if I won the lottery, and I offered a tithe from my winnings to the local Baptist church, should the church accept my donation? Even if it would help with their ministries?

 

[KenH]

Would I go? Absolutely.

 

[Reynolds]

and a good portion of the profits go to help the Oneida Indians.

"Help" is subjective. The eastern band of Cherokee are far worse now that they have casino money.

 

[canadyjd]

I saw a pastor friend of mine today. I wanted to invite him and his wife out to
lunch next Sunday at Turning Stone.
TS is owned by the Oneida Indians - a large portion of TS is a Casino.
though they have many other activities there as well.

Pastor A state he does not go to TS because of the gambling.
Personally, I do not see a problem
Should I not go to a grocery store if they sell lottery tickets?
I see it as the same thing.

Here is the map of TS
View attachment 6015

I told Pastor A that there are hallways to take us to the restaurant, and that
we would not be going directly past any gaming.

So would you go to TS for a Good meal?

PS Mrs Salty and I are planning on going to the Steakhouse for our 20th in 2023!

This is clearly a matter of conscience. He believes, as a pastor, he would be compromising his position and the cause of Christ. Let each be convinced in their own mind.

Personally, I think you should have offered to go to a different restaurant to accommodate him. I don’t think you should have attempted to convince him it was OK.

peace to you

 

[alexander284]

"Help" is subjective. The eastern band of Cherokee are far worse now that they have casino money.

Yes, and another thing to consider: how much of the profits from the restaurant actually go to the members of the tribe?

Isn't it more likely that the bulk of the profits, in reality, go toward expanding casino operations?

 

[Salty]

This is clearly a matter of conscience. He believes, as a pastor, he would be compromising his position and the cause of Christ. Let each be convinced in their own mind.

Personally, I think you should have offered to go to a different restaurant to accommodate him. I don’t think you should have attempted to convince him it was OK.

Actually, I did - he is going to check with his wife - and see what we come up with

In part, I just wanted to get an ideal of how many here would consider going or not going.

Appreciate all your input

 

[Bible Thumpin n Gun Totin]

Where I live at, we have 1 gas station within 10 miles of where I live. We got all excited last year when they upgraded from analog number cards flipping to an electronic screen on both pumps.
Google Maps

Inside the gas station, there are video game machines where folks can gamble on them.

In my case, and in yours @Salty I'd say it fits the "meat tainted with idols" idea. If folks don't like it then fine, but there's nothing wrong with "eating" it yourself if it was tainted by other's actions.

 

[Salty]

Nice truck you got there Bible T!

BTW, I used to work at the Oneida Indian Nation
at their convenience stores - Some of them now have gambling machines on premise.

 

[alexander284]

Actually, I did - he is going to check with his wife - and see what we come up with

In part, I just wanted to get an ideal of how many here would consider going or not going.

Appreciate all your input

That's awesome! I was secretly afraid that my comments might, in some way, offend, but something told me that wasn't going to be the case. Thank you for confirming that.

 

[Salty]

just closed -
I posted a new thread - had forgotton about this one

New thread on this