Flyby Stardancer Posted May 10, 2006 Share Posted May 10, 2006 Does anyone here gamble? Did you think it was wrong when you were a Christian? Have your views on it changed since deconverting? Personally, I come from a family that gambles for fun. My maternal grandparents gamble(d), both of my parents gamble, heck even I gamble. However, I know there are Christian sects that disapprove of gambling and consider it a sin, so I'm just curious to see others views on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HuaiDan Posted May 10, 2006 Share Posted May 10, 2006 I never thought gambling was wrong, per se. It's your money, do as you wish with it. But we all know what they say about a fool and their money. In other words, gambling is one of the more foolish things you can do with your money, unless, of course, you own a casino or run a numbers racket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anakin Posted May 10, 2006 Share Posted May 10, 2006 I know there are Christian sects that disapprove of gambling and consider it a sin I know some christians who won't even play state lotto or a even a scratcher because they think it is sinful. Of course when asked they cannot explain why. That's just what they were told. I don't remember anything in the bible about it. My views haven't changed since deconversion. I've never seen anything wrong with gambling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyby Stardancer Posted May 10, 2006 Author Share Posted May 10, 2006 I never thought gambling was wrong, per se. It's your money, do as you wish with it. But we all know what they say about a fool and their money. In other words, gambling is one of the more foolish things you can do with your money, unless, of course, you own a casino or run a numbers racket. I don't see it as anymore foolish than going to an arcade. In a way, it makes more sense because you're having fun and there's the off chance you can get your money back, while at an arcade you just get the fun (unless it's the type that gives out tickets and you can redeem them for prizes-I call that kiddy-gambling). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoustonHorn Posted May 10, 2006 Share Posted May 10, 2006 Reminds me of the Simpsons episode where Flanders' house burned down and he didn't have insurance because he thought it was a form of gambling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thurisaz Posted May 10, 2006 Share Posted May 10, 2006 Does anyone here gamble? Not for money. And rarely at all. Exactly once in my life I kind of "gambled" for money with a friend - and that was more like a bet he insisted on, while I was 99.9 % sure that I was right and he would lose, so... Did you think it was wrong when you were a Christian? Have your views on it changed since deconverting? No, and no. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evelyn Posted May 11, 2006 Share Posted May 11, 2006 I don't usually gamble. I might buy a lottery ticket once or twice a year. I sort of thought it was wrong, more like taboo than sin, when I was an xian. Now, I don't mind it tho I know some people get addicted to it. When I go to Reno or Las Vegas, I take $20 to play with and when it's gone, I walk away. I once played on a nickel poker machine in Reno, don't know if they still have them, and, with no idea how to play poker, kept winning and putting my winnings back into play. I must have played for a half hour on one nickel and the winnings before I lost that and zeroed out. The best advice I ever heard about money: How can you double your money? Fold it over and put it back in your pocket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lycorth Posted May 11, 2006 Share Posted May 11, 2006 I never thought gambling was a sin. Only during my hardcore fundygelical expirment did I think so, and only because a few revved-up preacher boys made some really nice-sounding, self-righteous sermons about it. During my years as a Catholic, I didn't care much. Big Momma Church doesn't teach that gambling is a sin, just that overdoing it is. I could live with that Now, I don't have a beef with gambling, and would even do it if I had the luck. But with me, I know every throw of the dice or spin of the wheel would come up bad. I'm the type of person who could know something inside and out, understand it fully, then try to perform it and it blows up in my face like magic. Part of why I don't do my own computer repairs Plus, I have depression-related issues that are tied in with financial worries, and am piss-poor on top of it. Gambling would probably trigger something bad in me if I were to lose a lot of money, and I don't even have money for the things I need, so gambling would be beyond stupid for me. But if people want to gamble, I don't care. Why should I? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astreja Posted May 11, 2006 Share Posted May 11, 2006 Some years ago, I would occasionally buy raffle tickets and $1 or $2 lottery tickets. I also volunteered at a couple of fundraising bingos. One day it occurred to me that any money that I did happen to win was, in a sense, stolen from the pockets of the other people in the game. It wasn't religion that did me in, more of a "I wouldn't want them to do that to me" sense. So I no longer gamble in any money-for-tickets scheme. (I have, however, partaken of the annual "Rrrroll up the Rim to Win" promotion at my favourite house o' donuts.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyby Stardancer Posted May 11, 2006 Author Share Posted May 11, 2006 When I go to Reno or Las Vegas, I take $20 to play with and when it's gone, I walk away. I once played on a nickel poker machine in Reno, don't know if they still have them, and, with no idea how to play poker, kept winning and putting my winnings back into play. I must have played for a half hour on one nickel and the winnings before I lost that and zeroed out. Heh. We set aside money specifically to gamble with, and I tend to be a bit more strict with how much I spend than my parents do... My mom will do that too. Drives me nuts. When I get a bunch of stuff worked up, I cash out and put another bill in. lol Keeps me from butting all my winnings back into the same machine. During my years as a Catholic, I didn't care much. Big Momma Church doesn't teach that gambling is a sin, just that overdoing it is. I could live with that Now, I don't have a beef with gambling, and would even do it if I had the luck. But with me, I know every throw of the dice or spin of the wheel would come up bad. I'm the type of person who could know something inside and out, understand it fully, then try to perform it and it blows up in my face like magic. Part of why I don't do my own computer repairs Plus, I have depression-related issues that are tied in with financial worries, and am piss-poor on top of it. Gambling would probably trigger something bad in me if I were to lose a lot of money, and I don't even have money for the things I need, so gambling would be beyond stupid for me. Heh. My mom's Catholic (one of the rare liberal ones that is pro-choice and pro-contraceptives), and she's the one I often stick closest to when I gamble, but her way drives me nuts. lol And you definately shouldn't gamble if you don't have the money to spare. That's one of the things my parents taught me and my brother when they would gamble in front of us on vacations and such. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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