Relief Society · Elders Quorum · 25 minutes
President D. Todd Christofferson · Second Counselor in the First Presidency · Saturday Morning Session
Recommended path
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This class in one line
Gambling is wrong because it takes from others without giving anything back, which pulls us off the giving path of Christ; so we turn away from it and use that time and money to do good.
Skip walking through the statistics, the three kinds of online gambling, and the Atlantic journalist's account; mention in one sentence that gambling is now on every phone, then move on to the moral reasons.
Before Sunday
Sunday: President Christofferson's "O Be Wise"
This Sunday we'll discuss President D. Todd Christofferson's conference talk "O Be Wise," about gambling. He asks us to do more than stay away from it: he asks us to use the time and money we save to do good. If you can, read or listen to the talk on the Gospel Library app. As you read, think about this: what does a person give up when they spend time and money on something that builds nothing?
Pick one opening
President Christofferson says gambling used to mean a trip to a casino or a racetrack, and now people can do it almost anywhere, privately, on a phone. Ask: When something like that is right there in your pocket all day, what makes it harder to resist? Let two or three people answer, then say: today we'll talk about why the Lord's people stay away from it, and what to do with the time and money that frees up.
President Christofferson says gambling used to mean a trip to a casino or a racetrack, and now people can do it almost anywhere, privately, on a phone. Ask: When something like that is right there in your pocket all day, what makes it harder to resist? Let two or three people answer, then say: today we'll talk about why the Lord's people stay away from it, and what to do with the time and money that frees up.
Retell the story President Christofferson borrowed from President Hinckley. President Calvin Coolidge came home from church, and his wife asked what the preacher spoke about. "Sin," he said. "Well, what did he say?" "He was against it." President Hinckley said the Church's answer on gambling could be just as short: we are against it. Then say: today we'll look at why, and at what President Christofferson asks us to do instead.
President Christofferson quotes President Oaks on "opportunity cost": if we spend time doing one thing, we lose the chance to do another. Ask: Think of an ordinary week. What are some good things that quietly get crowded out when our time and money drift toward things that don't build anything?
Teach this first
President Christofferson teaches that gambling is morally wrong because it is built on wanting something for nothing, and any gain comes at someone else's expense. That is hard to square with the commandment to love our neighbor as ourselves. Because our time and money are stewardships from God, the question is not only whether something is legal but whether it builds anything in us, our families, or the people around us.
President Christofferson quotes President Dallin H. Oaks: taking from someone else to improve our own position "leads us away from the giving path of Christ and toward the taking path of the adversary."
Ask the class
If time remains
Even if someone feels strong enough that a little betting would stay casual, President Christofferson asks us to consider the people who look to us, including our children and people newer in the faith. Paul taught the Corinthians to give up a freedom so it would not become a stumbling block to a weaker brother or sister, "for whom Christ died" (1 Corinthians 8:9–11).
Ask the class
Counsel together
Last 3–5 minutes
This week, pick one specific good cause, such as a person to serve, a family project, or a gift to the fast offering or another fund, and give it time or money you might otherwise have spent on something that builds nothing.
The talk quotes the Lord: those who hunger and thirst after righteousness will be filled with the Holy Ghost (3 Nephi 12:6).
Your witness: Share a time when giving up something small to serve someone else, or to be a better example, brought you closer to the Savior, and tell the class what you know about the giving path of Christ.