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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

ANALYSIS: The truth about gambling

By Will Hall, Baptist Message executive editor ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – Late last year, The Advocate reported John Alario, the immediate past president of the state Senate, as saying that it “would take a crowbar” to get rid of gambling in the state now. Unfortunately, he is right. Too many budgets in the state have been tied to gambling taxes as a key source of revenue –revenues that have been flagging for at least a decade (aside from the nearly billion-dollar pandemic losses in 2020), causing regular budget crises for the state, local governments, schools, and law enforcement. Furthermore, there is a whitewashing about gambling when budget notes are developed in the legislature. Potential tax revenue payouts are touted in testimony to legislators, but there is a near blackout of information about the actual costs to taxpayers on the expense side of the ledger. Importantly, public discussions and policy decisions about gambling in this state ignore the crippling human costs of gambling as well. CASINOS In general, casinos are not created for casual entertainment. Instead, they are designed to exploit the weakest among us. Most are windowless facilities that offer no clocks -- to avoid triggering a patron’s … [Read more...]

Bill would ban ‘critical race theory’ from Louisiana schools

By Will Hall, Baptist Message executive editor BATON ROUGE, La. (LBM) – Rep. Ray Garofalo has introduced H.B. 564 which would prohibit the teaching of divisive concepts relative to race and sex at publicly funded K-12 schools and postsecondary education institutions. His legislation addresses a growing push to teach radical ideologies such as the “1619 Project” as well as “critical race theory” and “intersectionality,” even on Christian school campuses: -- The 1619 Project was launched by the New York Times as an effort to redefine the birth of the United States from a fight for liberty in 1776 to an expansion of slavery in 1619 (when a British ship brought 20 Africans captive to Jamestown). -- “Critical race theory” and “intersectionality” are both rooted in Marxist thought (“dethrone God”) and argue that white supremacy is persistent in our country. The first condemns all human systems (law, education, finance) as oppressing people of color, and the second claims all human relationships (intersections of lives) discriminate against people of color, especially LGBT women. Both are used to declare all whites as racists whether they are aware of it (intentional in their actions) or not. In the abstract of the … [Read more...]