Ardis, I certainly agree that many of the trappings that accompany gambling and that kowtowing to gaming establishments at the expense of worthy causes like schools and motor safety are undesirable (to put it mildly). Maybe it’s all those trappings that led George Q. or whoever it was who answered the questions to essentially take it for granted that gambling and anything resembling it was bad. Also, maybe I shouldn’t have participated in the charity raffle at my High School reunion last year.

Good luck not being affected by the gaming industry, no matter how far away from it you tried to live.

So you push my limits, but only because the sophistry it takes to distinguish between gambling-that-is-sordid and gambling-that-is-a-public-service is something I’ve lived with most of my life, and long ago learned was not wise or good or safe or enlightening, but something to be avoided. I’m all for temperance and nuance and examining shades of gray … except this is one shade of gray, one nuance, that I see as a creeping fog that eventually obscures the light for too many people.

But there’s your view, and there’s my view. Peace. I want only to add that long-time Keepa readers are aware that I often post question-and-answer columns, as well as other materials, from the Mormon past that may or may not reflect current understanding. I invited you to explain your position because of my own strong feelings on the subject — ordinarily, though, we don’t usually debate the truth of these old questions, but merely note what’s the same and what’s different about the past.

There is not a single model for valuating the price of a company’s share of stock that heavily relies on “luck”. Most rely on dividends, growth potential, future cash flows, interest rates, and the Weighted Average Cost Of Capital.

To an uninformed person who just sees prices go up and down as a result of market demand from day trading, it may look like “luck”. But you can use various formulas for stock price valuation and get pretty dang close to the current selling price without pricing in “luck”.

In all fairness, what you’re referring to generally is pricing in “risk” and that risk factor can destroy an investment just as easily as it can a crop of carrots or end your life with a trip to the store.

Just because I might die on the way to go buy milk doesn’t mean everything is similar to gambling. Of course, that doesn’t mean there aren’t many who are in fact gambling by proxy when they use the stock market, or increasingly in Utah (for some reason) forex currency markets.

Also, regarding the last question of the post. It is hard to imagine a man by all means worthy to teach a Sunday School class because he does not hold the Priesthood. However, I am aware of a couple of instances myself, both regarding rebaptized men who had not yet received a Restoration of Blessings. Both men had been excommunicated (unbeknownst to most in their units) and rebaptized into their respective congregations. One man was called a Sunday School teacher to the youth the very day after he was rebaptized, only later to be released immediately upon having a change in unit leadership six months later. He was not yet “worthy” to teach the Saints (in his new leader’s opinion). The other rebaptized man taught Gospel Doctrine from the time shortly after his baptism until the current day (since receiving his Priesthood and temple blessings back). – An interesting example of the differences in leadership.

I didn’t mean to hijack the post by any means Ardis. However, there is always some odd exception to the rule in every case. kevinf is correct though in the lack of policy in the handbook. I think that’s why individual leaders are open to do as they see fit in each situation. I only worry about the lack in consistency across the board for these few men in odd circumstances who do not hold the Priesthood.

Thank you for the post though. It is excellent.

I do credit it to George Q likely being pretty tired of answering the same questions over and over, which is somewhat implied by the pairing of the first and second questions, which do seem to answer each other.

I also tried to find in Handbook 2 if the policy in the question about male Sunday School teachers and the priesthood has been formalized, but could not find it there. The logic behind this answer does seem consistent with current practice for just about any calling for male members in the church at this point.