Could Idaho Legalize Drugs and Gambling and Remain Good?

Just how much sin should the government allow?  I had a conversation over text messaging with a member of my radio audience.  It was a follow-up to a couple of stories I wrote about the harm repeated marijuana smoking costs.  Not to rehash, but I usually write these stories after seeing peer-reviewed research.

It's None of My Business

A member of the audience told me it really wasn’t our business if a neighbor wants to smoke marijuana at home and doesn’t bother anyone else.  I generally favor a similar libertarian approach, however.  As I grow older I increasingly become more of a social conservative and a public scold.  I don’t consider the latter to be pejorative.

We live in a country where alcohol and tobacco are legal.  Both cause terrible harm to millions of people.  The arguments I hear for legalized drugs, gambling, and prostitution follow the same line of thinking.  Bad things happen but why do we allow some sins while being discriminatory toward others?  So, a question.  How many sins should the government sanction?

Several years ago I was interviewing the pastor of a large church.  The subject of casino gambling came around.  We lived near some of the largest casinos in the country.  He pointed out you could see casino billboards within a mile of signs reaching out to people with gambling addictions.  I saw a story at this link and it explains that in a very similar country the promotion of sin for revenue has become predatory and destroys families.

Can We Remain Godly People?

The pastor was a realist.  He explained that once we established state lotteries, we opened the door to eventually legalizing drugs and whorehouses.  The pressure for revenue in a bankrupt country is simply too great.

The thing is, most people in America still consider themselves Christians.  Does promoting sin please the Almighty?  If not, then what can we expect with that relationship?