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Should Christians gamble?

People buy insurance....for cars, homes, health, airplanes.

Buying insurance is a form of gambling ... gambling that you'll have an accident in your vehicle.... gambling that something will happen in or around your home....

You get the idea.

Since it's mandated that we have to buy health insurance (and in my state, we have to have auto insurance), then it can be viewed that gambling is mandated by the government.

Or is this too much information??
 
I'm not sure that scripture prohibits it, I guess the problem is in how many people are addicted to it? If it were just once or twice it wouldn't be a big deal, but losing all your finances on it and especially going back and continuing to gamble despite the consequences (which is a symptom of addiction) is a pretty big deal.
 
Gambling is evil. First its to make someone rich as house(whoever runs the show) steals from there neighbour to make profit, so gambling is first of all feeding thieves.

Second, the only reason someone gambles is to become rich, make money, you dont play to lose, you play to make money, you now put yourself in house status trying to thieve off them.

Two thieves fighting for money,this is evil in the Most Highs eyes.

And yea, house always wins cause it has advantage and is rigged so dont waste your time.
 
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It's in a way kind of like drinking isn't it. Some people play cards with a small group of friends, and it doesn't get out of hand. But perhaps it's wrong regardless if it doesn't get out of hand, like adultery. Other people go to Las Vagus, or a casino closer to travel to and go to have a good time, with an allotted amount of money they expect to lose and not get back. In that aspect they are planned vacations, not much more, so not really based on greed, but on entertainment.

Like drinking some people can drink and not have an addiction, or be horrible drunks. Other people are addicted, or violent when they drink. Unlike drinking though, I don't know any numbers of gambling. So it's hard to compare when it's ok verses when it's a problem.

Overall though there are a lot of easy pitholes, selfish deeds, and sins in the enviornments that have gambling in them. I don't know if we should say never should it be done, because it's a sin, because I don't think the bible says that. But if it causes you or another to sin, it should be avoided for your benifit or theirs.
 
Not_Now.Soon said:
It's in a way kind of like drinking isn't it. Some people play cards with a small group of friends, and it doesn't get out of hand. But perhaps it's wrong regardless if it doesn't get out of hand, like adultery. Other people go to Las Vagus, or a casino closer to travel to and go to have a good time, with an allotted amount of money they expect to lose and not get back. In that aspect they are planned vacations, not much more, so not really based on greed, but on entertainment.

Like drinking some people can drink and not have an addiction, or be horrible drunks. Other people are addicted, or violent when they drink. Unlike drinking though, I don't know any numbers of gambling. So it's hard to compare when it's ok verses when it's a problem.

Overall though there are a lot of easy pitholes, selfish deeds, and sins in the enviornments that have gambling in them. I don't know if we should say never should it be done, because it's a sin, because I don't think the bible says that. But if it causes you or another to sin, it should be avoided for your benifit or theirs.
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Gambling is greed. You say some people it can be for entertaining and expecting to lose or as some might say 'they can afford to lose it in fun'. No gambler can sit there having a good time wishing to lose. It does not happen. I have never known gambling to be for fun anyone wishing to lose. You dont earn money to purpously gamble just to lose it for entertainment.
 
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Maybe they should go to Peter Piper Pizza and play arcade games with tokens. You always win that way, and you can exchange tickets for toys!
 
kiwidan said:
Gambling is greed. You say it can be entertaining and expecting to lose or as some might say 'they can afford to lose it in fun'. No gambler can sit there having a good time wishing to lose. It does not happen. I have never known gambling to be for fun anyone wishing to lose. You dont earn money to purpously gamble just to lose it for entertainment.
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I know of a few people who wanted to go to a casino for the fun of it. They didn't expect to come back with a profit, but between their winnings and losses, they set a limit. Only brought so much money, that way if they lost it all, (eventually, I think they expected the house to win most of it,) they wouldn't be at a loss any more then they planned on a different vacation. But no, people don't play to lose. They play for the excitement, and to win.
 
Eh, about a year ago elsewhere on the internet I offered to make a low-stakes wager with the other side of a fandom I was in--see, they thought this would happen and we thought something else would happen. And there was a lot of fighting in the fandom. So I put a post out there being like "I will bet $1 on this. That way the winning side gets a little money to buy a soda or something as celebration if they are right." I intended it as a token of good will--if I lost, I would only be out one dollar that someone else could enjoy, and if they lost I would gain a little something too. There was a lot of fighting and bitterness in the fandom, so I was only attempting to be friendly. No one ever took me up on it, but eh.
I don't think that was wrong of me to do. *shrug*
 
Angel said:
Maybe they should go to Peter Piper Pizza and play arcade games with tokens. You always win that way, and you can exchange tickets for toys!
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I think I should add the other aspect of gambling. Casinos is one thing, Wall Street is another. One is playing with your money, another is trying to play the economy. Both are gambling. But even in a parable (Mathew 25:14-30) there is the aspect of investments. The parable of the three servents that were given a sum of money based on their wisdom to handle it from their master as he went away. Two of the servents invested the money well and soon doubled what they were given, while one did what I would do, and hide the money until the master got home. That way it wouldn't be lost. The last servent was the one who got rebuked. Though the parable I doubt is about money but about using what we've been given, it doesn't speak against investing money.
 
Not_Now.Soon said:
I know of a few people who wanted to go to a casino for the fun of it. They didn't expect to come back with a profit, but between their winnings and losses, they set a limit. Only brought so much money, that way if they lost it all, (eventually, I think they expected the house to win most of it,) they wouldn't be at a loss any more then they planned on a different vacation. But no, people don't play to lose. They play for the excitement, and to win.
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Exactly. They play to win. If they went the casino just for fun then what are they afraid of, why only take a limit, its only money right, who cares.

Its because of greed. Money is emotional. No person gambles with a limit expecting to lose it on entertainment. If they say that there in denial. You dont put a dollar in a slot mschine without the possible hope or chance of possibly making more otherwise there is no point in playing.
 
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kiwidan said:
Without the hope of anything in return. You play an arcade game for the game, not for the hope to win and get a bonus reward or something greater in return.

When i used to play arcades i put in 20c for entertainmant without expecting anything in return, but still pride got in the way, trying to be the best and clock the machine.

I was retarded, paying money to try beat a piece of artifical intelligence that is not even human in pride. I was pathetic. I really was.
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I don't think you were pathetic at all! Arcade games are fun! And it's pretty cool to get the highest score. I used to love playing Area 51.
 
Angel said:
I don't think you were pathetic at all! Arcade games are fun! And it's pretty cool to get the highest score. I used to love playing Area 51.
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There is nothing more pathetic than a human being challenging a robot in a game, then feeling so self proud they achieved something as pathetic as beating a robot in a game. Its just as sad as chasing the dragon.
 
I don't think that's sad. I guess we will have to disagree, friend :)
PS I am not judging you
 
kiwidan said:
Exactly. They play to win. If they went the casino just for fun then what are they afraid of, why only take a limit, its only money right, who cares.

Its because of greed. Money is emotional. No person gambles with a limit expecting to lose it on entertainment. If they say that there in denial. You dont put a dollar in a slot mschine without the possible hope or chance of possibly making more otherwise there is no point in playing.
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Kiwidan, I think your closer to the attitude I was trying to describe with your observation on arcade games. You played it for the competitive thrill. That might not be right on for all the cases, but I think it's out there. Not for the expectation to win a lot, or even win more then they lose. But for the thrill of it, of the wins, and the competitive nature of it, even among the losses.

I guess I'm not ready to write gambling off as a sin on all of it. Though I do think vey badly on the stock market being our main source of economic stability, and it's one of the worst kinds of greed and gambling combined. But on the sense of sins, I really do think it's better if we don't add to them to say what is a sin. God already made a good list for us. Gave us a good sence of wisdom with warning about the love of money. He even allowed drinking and divorce. Divorce admited because of our sinfulness, not because it was in any way good.
 
We have had large casinos in Detroit for about 10 years. I've walked thru them to get to another place, but never once played. It simply has no allure to me. That said, I'd have no spiritual conflict to play for a while, because I wouldn't be in it to score. It would be like playing a game at a carnival. I'd know the odds are stacked way against me. If I win, great. If I lose, Whateva...

I believe it's like anything else. It's a matter of the heart rather than the act itself. A Christian should be mindful of anything that crosses the line into idolatry.
 
The Rule Maker doesn't have very many blanket rules.

And I would say that this isn't one of those blanket rules.

My personal opinion is that it's stupid and a waste of resources. But "casting lots" is gambling... And many heroes of the Faith have done it for far more valuable things than money.
 
kiwidan said:
Gambling is greed. You say some people it can be for entertaining and expecting to lose or as some might say 'they can afford to lose it in fun'. No gambler can sit there having a good time wishing to lose. It does not happen. I have never known gambling to be for fun anyone wishing to lose. You dont earn money to purpously gamble just to lose it for entertainment.
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My wife gambles for fun all the time. She has a gambling app on her phone. The only thing she loses is her time and points scored. But she also likes to gamble at casinos from time to time.

I gamble every spring. I run a small hobby farm where I till about 65 acres. Every year I spend about $6,000.00 in seed, fertilizer, herbicide, pesticide, fuel, equipment maintenance, and hired harvesters in the hope that we get adequate rain, sunshine, growing season, etc. but not too much of each. Some years I am blessed with plenty and other years I wonder why I do it.

I gamble every day when I step into the shower that I won't slip and get hurt or worse.

I gamble every day when I get into my car that I will make it to my job safely and that my company does well enough that I will still have that job next week.

Life itself is a gamble.

What is sin is when gambling takes precedence over God.
 
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