Gambling

[Roguelet]

Quote ~ The Bible also tells us that we are not to give our money to strangers----and that "House Dealer" is about as "strange" as they come!!!!


Where is this in the bible ?

Again how do you work this quote thing ?

 

[slow to learn]

to me it is a matter on conscience. i am not going to gain something at the expense of someone else. i do not know what the other people spent or if they could afford it. going to a movie or buying a pizza or driving to work does not require someone else to lose money. also i am very against a state run lottery or gaming place. this says we know there are people who will become addicted and we will set aside some money to help them, but it is such a good way to make money we don't care. in other words it is something that was once illegal, yet because people will do it and the state can make money off of it they go for it. the same could be done for many other illegal or immoral activities. let's legalize so we can make money. in oklahoma, liquor by the drink was going to save the state... it didn't. race track gambling was going to save the state and the schools... it didn't, the state had to suppliment the track. now the lottery will save our schools, hallaleua sp?.... guess what, i don't believe it and i don't want the even one person who will become addicted to gambling to have to suffer because of a state run money scheme.

 

[Artimaeus]

Originally posted by Roguelet:
Again how do you work this quote thing ?

Across the top of each persons posts you will see a row of icons with the words profile, email, pm, edit, and quote. If you click on "quote" you will be taken to a page with a window which looks something like this:

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[Q UOTE]Originally posted by Roguelet:
[Q B] Quote ~ The Bible also tells us that we are not to give our money to strangers----and that "House Dealer" is about as "strange" as they come!!!!


Where is this in the bible ?

Again how do you work this quote thing ? [/Q B][/Q UOTE]
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(I put a space after each "Q" so that it would look like the window you would see. The space is not used when you quote for real.

You can then highlight and delete any part of the quote that you are NOT responding to. The word "QUOTE" inside brackets [ ] will make it start a quote and "/QUOTE" inside brackets will make it end a quote. Does this help?

 

[Pastor Larry]

Originally posted by Roguelet:
By the way isn't gluttoning a sin. I don't find to many Christians who talk much about that.

I don't know what "gluttoning" is. But gluttony is a sin, and yes, we should talk about it.

I do not see why $10.00 and $60.00 makes any difference.

I am not sure why the numbers 10 and 60 were picked. The point of 10 came from the above illustration of stock, that I reject. The number 60 comes from what it would take to take a family of four to a baseball game. If someone makes 300 a week, 60 to go to a baseball game may not be good stewardship. Notice I didn't say it wasn't good stewardship; I said it might not be.

If you made a lot of money or didn't have a family to support $60.00 wouldn't be that much to you. I don't know anyone who doesn't splerge on something.

I don't either. Splurging wasn't the issue under discussion. Perhaps you can start a thread on that.

Kids ~ video games, cell phones, toys. designer shoes and cloths.

Most are things that kids would be better off without.

Women ~ cloths, shoes, makeup, starbucks coffee, jewlery.

Some necessary; some not.

Men ~ Sporting events and golf, movies, huge tv's, electronic gadgets, cars.

Some fine, some not. But none of this is the point of this thread. Don't confuse the issue.

Lets not forget the huge houses many Christians have but don't need. and thier huge cars.

Again, totally off topic. This is completely irrelevant.

The issue here is not what we do with money, but now we get money. Is it right to play games of chance for money? The answer is No, biblically. It is not how God designed us to get money. He commanded work for money; not chance.

 

[Roguelet]

Thank you Artimaeus

 

[Roguelet]

Since the bible doesn't talk about gambling, but talks about how we handle our money. Being good stewards of Gods money is the main focus. It doesn't matter if the catagory is spending to have fun or make a profit it is all the same.

How many christians venture into job markets hoping to make money ? Lots do, if everyone sat back and didn't take " risk " ( risk is the key word in all this ) to start a business where would we all be ? walmart for example. I'm sorry pastor larry but trying to say that spending a few bucks here and there to have fun or make a profit on gambling or the stock market, is way different than spening lots of money on all the luxuries I mentioned above. I can't agree, I think God is more grieved with wasteful spending on the above that could be put to better use. Than a few bucks at the race track, slot machine or stock market.

 

[AresMan]

I would say that some people do gamble in the stock market. NYSE anyone? A bunch of clean-cut suit-wearing biz-types running around frantically like animals buying and selling stocks at a rate of 50 shares per minute, hoping to cash in right when the clock stops. Sounds like a good example of gambling to me. It doesn't have to be under a roof marked "casino" or in the form of a lottery ticket to be gambling.

Let it be known that I am not against the stock market. I just think that it can be quite clearly obvious that quite a few people gamble under the guise of "investment".

 

[Artimaeus]

It is pure rationalization for a Christian to say that gambling is all right under ANY circumstances. It IS poor stewardship. It IS not wise.

Phi 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Do the words true, honest, just, pure, lovely, good report, any virtue, and any praise describe gambling? I think not.

 

[DeeJay]

Originally posted by Artimaeus:

Do the words true, honest, just, pure, lovely, good report, any virtue, and any praise describe gambling? I think not.

Those words do not describe alot of things that nobody thinks of as sin. I enjoyed watching half of a football game before I came to work tonight. And those words defenantly did not describe the activity that I was watching. And I guess I was a poor steward of time. I could have been helping to poor.

Since I have not seen any real evidence that all gambeling is a sin. I must conclude that this is a religious tradition. Thats not a bad thing, in fact not gambling will never hurt anybody where gambling can become out of control in people who let it. But lets not pass off religious tradition as Gods word.

I am not a leagilist that needs to make rules and insist everybody follow them. Somethings the Bible says are a sin are very clear, there is no excuse for them. Somethings are a matter of consious (sp). I think gambeling is one of these things, unless it is being abused.

 

[Roguelet]

DeeJay my thoughts exactly.

Let the record show I do not gamble. I have never bought a lottery ticket, never owned stocks, do not go to the race track or ever been in a gambling casino. I just think to say it is wrong when the bible doesn't say it is, is wrong.

Overeating ( Don't do that either ) is wrong and no one talks about that. Funny how we can justify what we want for ourselves and others on what is right or wrong

 

[Johnv]

Originally posted by vermae:
Will someone please tell me if gambling is a sin.

Isn't this the 30th or so thread this year on the topic?

Gambling can be a sin, and it often is, but it is not always a sin.

If you have saved a portion of your income for liesure/vacationing, and part of that includes gambling, then it is probably not a sin. If you are gambling for primarily liesure, and not for the primary purpose of financial gain, then it is probably not a sin.

If, however, you are gambling primarily for financial gain, then is a sin. If gambling results in your financial responsibilities not being met, then it's a sin. If you are preoccupied with the thought of winning at gambling, it's probably a sin.

Each person needs to be honest with him/herself about it. We sometimes get in trouble with things like gambling, eating, drinking entertaining, etc, because we're not honest with ourselves. As soon as something is abused, it becomes a sin.

That said, the Mrs and I plan on going to Vegas this November, and hitting up the Las Vegas Hilton's Star Trek: The Experience (they have added a backstage tour that we'll be going on). While I'm there, I'll probably play some $2 blackjack. I'll probably spend $20 and call it quits ($20 can last two hours or more). I don't play for the gain, I play because it's an enjoyable card game.

 

[Roguelet]

Very well said John