Is starting a camping business wrong?
Question:
I want to start a camping business near a lakeside view in a village area where people come for tourism and sightseeing. They stay to relax and enjoy nature, and we provide tents and food.
We do not sell alcohol at our camping site. However, sometimes some customers come after drinking alcohol outside and then ask us for a tent and food. Is it right for us to provide them with these services, or would it be considered a sin?
There is also a fort nearby with beautiful nature views, and there is a temple on the fort. In fact, the fort is named after the temple. People need a guide to visit the fort, and some visitors also use our tent and food services.
So, is there any sin involved in doing this kind of business? Is it right or wrong, according to the Bible and Christian faith?
Sometimes, unmarried boys and girls come to our place just to travel and enjoy themselves. We only provide them with food and a tent to stay in. Will we commit any sin by providing these services?
Please guide me.
Answer:
These are the same issues that owners of Airbnb places, hotels, motels, and rental homes all face.
The first rule is that you are not responsible for other people's decisions. "The person who sins will die. The son will not bear the punishment for the father's iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son's iniquity; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself" (Ezekiel 18:20). You should encourage people to make good decisions and warn them against bad decisions, but ultimately, you can't make the decisions for them.
You can make a rule that there will be no alcohol or drugs in the campground. You can warn them that you'll ask violators to leave. However, someone will always try to break the rules. It is just the nature of this fallen world.
You can provide guide services to the fort, but you can't control whether someone chooses to worship at the temple. You can make it clear that you aren't connected to the temple in any way.
You can rent out tents, but you will not know whether the people staying in them are engaging in sin. However, you can make it a rule that there must not be any public indecency, or those involved will be asked to leave the camp.
