Gambling...

[Guest]

Re: Gambling...

The Secretary just sent me this link that is worth looking at.

1. It's against the golden rule.

Jesus teaches us to "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Gambling perverts this law by wording the golden rule this way: "Do unto others before they do it unto you." No gambler is desiring the best for his fellow man. Instead, he wants his fellow gamblers to lose so that he could win. This is selfishness.

A man asked the Lord if gambling was right or wrong. The Lord answered him, "Son, I want everyone to win, and in gambling some have to lose so others can win." We are to pray for others, not prey on them.

2. It's against the work ethic.

Ephesians 4:28 says:

He...must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.

Gambling does not produce anything useful or profitable. Gambling does not increase our gross national product; it only causes money to change hands.

3. It's against godly prosperity.

Proverbs 13:11 says:

Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow.

God's plan for prosperity is simple: Make all you can, save all you can, and give all you can. Notice that this scripture proves that prosperity comes when you allow it to gradually grow. In gambling, people are looking for the big-pie-in-the-sky. They're wanting to hit it big RIGHT AWAY.

The only ones making money in gambling are the casinos and bookies. And how do they get rich? Little by little. Bookies are satisfied with simply a small percentage of everyone's bets. In time they become rich.

4. It's against the command not to covet.

The tenth commandment says, "You shall not covet...You shall not set your desire on your neighbor's house or land...or anything that belongs to your neighbor." Gambling is based totally on coveting what belongs to others.

5. It's against wisdom.

And finally, it's plain stupid to gamble. The odds are always against you when betting against organized gambling—casinos, race tracks, bookies, lotteries, bingo halls, etc. Organized gambling will prance the few gamblers who got lucky in order to entice others into stupidity. Don't be fooled into thinking that you're going to get rich by gambling. You won't.

[bigbooie]

Re: Gambling...

sop is it gambling when you put up money that can be lost? what about playing a game show to win money how is that? is it different from working for money? what about it takes money to make money? Some ppl might think or look at gambling as a job. hummmmmmmmmmmm

[WorshipRaiser]

Re: Gambling...

Originally posted by Ivory:
[qb]

Originally posted by WorshiPRaiser:
[qb] U no know me eno?? Ohh! U stay deh - nevva underestimate a Saved Jamaican. By de way - Is dat US$100.00 or wah? [/qb]

100.00 CAD = 74.3860 USD - 1 USD = 1.34434 CAD

You can always send it USD's ... won't turn it away [/qb]

U no easy - today is mi laas day fi a while, an who tell u seh u go win?

In de meantime try fine Boricua Papi - Google 'im!

[Diplomat]

Re: Gambling...

From the article Compry posted:

We are to pray for others, not prey on them.

Great line...

[Diplomat]

Re: Gambling...

Some people are familiar with the late Larry Burkett. Here is what he had to say on the subject:

Is Gambling Wrong?

Most Christians would respond with a hearty "yes." But is gambling spiritually wrong?
In Acts 1:26, we read the apostles gambled when they drew lots to determine who was to replace Judas Iscariot. You might say, "But they didn't risk any money." The issue is not the risk or reward, but the action.

Does the secular world's abuse of a concept such as gambling necessarily make that activity wrong? If so, that would make sex, money, education and other aspects of life that secular society abuses equally wrong. We're on shaky ground, spiritually, to exclude an activity on the basis of misuse in society.

What about the harm gambling causes? It attracts a greedy element of society and robs families of needed resources. But couldn't we say the same thing about credit? It robs more families of needed resources than gambling does and has frequently been associated with organized crime.

* WHY GAMBLE?
Let's look at why people gamble. Many of them gamble because of needs that can't be met through earned income. They see gambling as their "opportunity" to acquire material comfort. Years ago, these people assembled at the $2 window at the racetrack. Today, they buy state lottery tickets.

Another group gambles for "fun." These "social gamblers" convene at Las Vegas or Atlantic City, arriving with a set amount of money and leaving once the money is gone. Back home, they often live conservatively, maintaining tight budgets.

A third group gambles compulsively -- they suffer from a disease that wrecks finances, families and futures. Compulsive gamblers will lie, steal, cheat and use people. For them, a game of chance is what alcohol is to an alcoholic. One compulsive gambler I counseled maintained a successful career for several years while flying to Las Vegas twice a month without his wife knowing about it. His dual life resulted in more than $200, 000 in gambling debts to underworld lenders and his embezzling over $100, 000 in trust funds in his care.These three types of gamblers share the same problem: materialism. The Bible describes the "symptom" well. "What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members?" (James 4:1).

* WHAT IS GAMBLING?
To evaluate gambling scripturally, we first must define it. Is it labor? "In all labor there is profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty" (Prov. 14:23). Gambling may be labor to the casino boss in Vegas, but for gamblers, it's usually a tactic to escape labor.

It is perhaps the ultimate in "get-rich-quick" schemes since it fits all the criteria: Participants are encouraged to risk money they usually can't afford to lose; they know little or nothing about what they are doing; they're forced to make hasty decisions; and the idea operates on the "greater sucker" theory. (That is, when you dump money into a slot machine, you believe there was a greater sucker who risked money and then quit just before the big jackpot.)

Gambling can be irresistible to someone who wishes he could meet his family's wants and needs. That's why state lotteries are so popular. When governments resort to enticing citizens to gamble to raise funds, we know the state of our society. "Even so, every good tree bears good fruit; but the rotten tree bears bad fruit" (Matt. 7:17).

* BUT IS GAMBLING A SIN?
In the strictest sense, gambling is a sin as much as false weights and measures. Enticing someone to gain money at the certain loss of another violates virtually every principle Christ taught. It not only breeds selfishness, greed and covetousness, but, in fact, promotes them: "For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things" (Phil. 3:18, 19).

Regardless of how socially acceptable gambling has become, it is still preying on the weaknesses of others. It does not help in spreading the gospel and, therefore, is a sin to a follower of Jesus Christ. "So that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God" (Col. 1:10).

Many Christians are guilty of supporting lotteries, bingo and racing, believing gambling really doesn't hurt anyone. That's exactly what Satan wants us to believe. Our value system is passed on to others -- our families, friends and neighbors. If our value system is no better than that of the world, we have truly conformed to the "image" of the world.

Is Gambling Wrong?

[Diplomat]

Re: Gambling...

Another POV..

Gambling Is A Vice
by Crown Financial Ministries. 05-19-2003.

One fourth of all family disruptions caused by gambling

According to a recent report by the Employee Assistance Program at the University of Texas at Austin, since 1997 billions of dollars (approximately 14 billion per year) worth of productivity was lost by business and industry through absenteeism, wasted time, poor work performance, loss of income, criminal acts such as theft, accident, rehabilitation and recovery, and medical treatment, due to gambling and gambling related problems.

In addition to this and unseen to most, at least a quarter and maybe more of all family disruptions, neglected or abused children, divorces, impoverishment, mental breakdowns, and suicides were able to be traced back to the negative affects of gambling.

In light of these statistics, why have so many bought into the notion that gambling is nothing more than harmless entertainment? What is gambling and why do people gamble?

What is gambling?
Gambling, in the strictest sense, is a method by which a person can get rich quick without having to earn the wealth by labor. Solomon said in Proverbs 14:23, “In all labor there is profit, but mere talk leads to poverty.”

Whereas attaining wealth by working is scriptural, attaining wealth by enticing someone to gain money at the certain loss of another violates every principle taught by Jesus.

In short, it is deceptive and sinful. It breeds selfishness, greed, and covetousness and, in fact, promotes them.

Regardless of how socially acceptable the practice of gambling has become, it is still preying on the weaknesses of others, contrary to the instruction of Paul recorded in 1 Thessalonians 5:14-15.

Why gamble?
Many people gamble because they feel that they have needs that cannot be met through earned income. Gambling to them is their “opportunity” to acquire material wealth and comforts.

Another group gambles just for the fun of it; they call themselves social gamblers.

A third group is compulsive gamblers. To them gambling is a disease that wrecks their finances, families, and careers.

At first glance, each group appears to have a different motive for gambling but, in reality, they all have the same motive: gaining materialism without labor (Proverbs 14:23)—the ultimate in get-rich-quick schemes.

Is gambling wrong?
The following principles can help Christians evaluate whether gambling is an activity with which they should be involved: (1) Many times gambling is connected with other vices, such as prostitution and drugs; (2) gambling is always associated with get-rich-quick motives (Proverbs 28:22); (3) gambling discourages work (Genesis 3:19); (4) gambling often will offend a brother or sister in Christ (1 Corinthians 8:11-12); and (5) gambling manifests a heart of greed and love of money, which Scripture says is the root of all evil. “But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction” (1 Timothy 6:9).

Many Christian leaders feel that state lotteries, operating legally in at least thirty-eight states, is a form of gambling, although some Christians do not think so.

Yet, if the above principles for evaluating gambling are considered, the state lottery is, most definitely, gambling.

The affects of state lotteries
Since 1989 Massachusetts citizens spent an average of $1.5 billion annually on lottery tickets. Instead, they could have spent that money in local businesses, placed it in investment vehicles, or deposited it in savings.

Ironically, much of those billions goes into the Massachusetts state coffers, making the state the big winner.

States generally claim from 35 to 45 percent of the money raised by lotteries.

Administration and promotion takes another 10 to 20 percent, leaving less than half of the money collected to be paid to winners.

According to the California Grocers Association, 66 percent of the food stores that sell lottery tickets reported a decline in food sales after they began to sell tickets.

It is estimated that since 1990 more than half of California’s lottery ticket sales come from customers whose income is near or below the recognized poverty level.

The poor tend to be the greater victims of the lottery simply by virtue of the fact that they have smaller incomes. “For the poor, lottery is not harmless entertainment,” says Dr. J. Emmett Henderson, head of the Georgia Council on Moral and Civic Concerns. “It is a desperate but vain attempt to survive. But odds of winning are so cruel (roughly 13 million to one is typical for state lotteries throughout America), that lottery turns out to be theft by consent. Almost all players lose money.”

Conclusion
Jesus said that all the commandments can be summed up in the first commandment (the greatest): Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind; and in the second commandment, love your neighbor as yourself.

As such, the questions must be asked: Would Jesus participate in this game of chance? Would He bet money on His chances of winning? Would His Father be pleased with His decision to bet? Would His involvement cause the other participants to accept Him as their perfect example? How a Christian answers these questions should determine their course of action.

Christians are the only Christ that many outside of Christ will ever see. Our actions and our decisions will more times than none testify of what should be the true nature of Christ. “For those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me will be lightly esteemed” (1 Samuel 2:30).

© Crown Financial Ministries, 2003

Source: The Good Steward

[Fledgist]

Re: Gambling...

Originally posted by churchgirl:
[qb] CEW, I see it as our mistrusting God; saying to God, I can't wait for You to provide for me or perhaps You're incapable of providing for me. [/qb]

That logic would make work unchristian. Interesting.

[bigbooie]

Re: Gambling...

Originally posted by Fledgist:
[qb]

Originally posted by churchgirl:
[qb] CEW, I see it as our mistrusting God; saying to God, I can't wait for You to provide for me or perhaps You're incapable of providing for me. [/qb]

That logic would make work unchristian. Interesting. [/qb]

A intresting you come up wid..mi can think of a bettah word fi dat deh God logic.

[Diplomat]

Re: Gambling...

Originally posted by Fledgist:

Originally posted by churchgirl:
CEW, I see it as our mistrusting God; saying to God, I can't wait for You to provide for me or perhaps You're incapable of providing for me.

That logic would make work unchristian. Interesting.

Not at all. There is the Biblical instruction regarding work: "For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat." Working for a living, and engaging in a game of chance in the hope of striking it rich, are two different things.