Okay so we know the scriptures say alot about "love of money" "greed" and so on...but not one verse says "thou shalt not gamble thy money." So if it's about greed and the love of money I know many Brothers who work 60 hours a week making big bucks even though they live comfortably. $$$$ If a brother has a bet now and then why is this a disfellowshiping "Greedy" sin.
The bible does not ban Gambling =Disfellowship those who work extra $$$$
by Witness 007 21 Replies latest watchtower bible
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WTWizard
Nowhere in the Bible, or in real life, is moderate gambling equated with greed. People can and do play Bingo just for fun (more so, now that most Bingo halls in many parts of the country are now smoke free). The excitement of winning a little money just adds to it. And, one can bet at the races sensibly (since when does a $2 or $5 bet on a horse going to kill you?).
Even casino gambling, done sensibly, is fine. You can just enjoy playing dice or card games, knowing you are going to spend some money doing so. Even a game of slots can be exciting and entertaining, as long as you do not gamble beyond your means. The only point is to realize that gambling, like any other entertainment, has its expense and you are paying for that entertainment when you lose. You realistically win about 80% of the money back in the end; even if not, you can play a game of poker and spend around $2 or $5 a hand. The money will be about what a dinner and movie would have been, and you could come out a winner.
However, if you are prone to going beyond your means, you could have an addiction. This can be financially harmful and can even lead to sleep deprivation (sounds like another familiar activity?). Such people borrow, and even steal, to gamble. That is when you have a problem and need to quit gambling (if you cannot bring it back within your means).
I might add that even a compulsive gambling habit is no worse than spending the same amount of time and money pursuing Kingdumb interests. And I would rather lose all my money to a casino or the lottery than put it all into the Worldwide Pedophile Defense Fund.
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hamsterbait
There was a comment in a fairly recent magazine that implied playing for small amounts that don't endanger your well being is not wrong.
Like the blood fractions thing - a little bit is okay.
HB
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isaacaustin
hamsterbait,
Do you have the article? Can someone pls post this?
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BurnTheShips
There was a comment in a fairly recent magazine that implied playing for small amounts that don't endanger your well being is not wrong.
No way. I don't believe it.
BTS
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undercover
There was a comment in a fairly recent magazine that implied playing for small amounts that don't endanger your well being is not wrong.
I'd like to see a scan of that. According to the "Pay Attention to Yourselves and to All the Flock" book for elders, gambling is a DFing offense. It equates gambling with greed and lists the scriptures condemning greed. In view of that, how can one view just a small amount of greed as not wrong? I've never seen or heard where a small amount of gambling was okay per the Watchtower Society. Of course this comes from the same organization that has redefined blood transfusion and how one way is wrong but another way is okay, so go figure...
Gambling was one of the things that I never understood as a DFing offense when there is nothing in the Bible that condemns gambling in and of itself. Sure...if someone gambled to the point of not providing for his family, then you've got a problem but for the guy that plays poker with the guys once in a while and doesn't lose more than he would have spent out bowling or at a bar, how is that a sin?
The same goes for anyone who goes to the casinos and plays for a few hours and loses some or makes some? I see losing a modest amount of money at the casino as paying for the entertainment. No different than if I went out to eat, took in a movie and had a drink afterwards.
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hamsterbait
It was in an item discussing gambling and luck. (Maybe in the Pubic edition)
Once I read that I decided having a flutter cannot be wrong as God has made this light flash up to guide me.
Believing the WT is so totally a gamble, I am surprised they don't ban reading it....
Nowadays I don't hang on to litterature, so maybe Blondie can help.
it is strange though that they qlways quote the scripture about the "god of good luck", as if anybody believes in that nowadays. Buying a lottery ticket is not an act of worship, except in the eyes of diehard fanatics.
Along the lines of pinyadas and wedding rings, if it has no religious significance, why condemn it? Why not just apply Romans 14 and leave my conscience to myself?
HB
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undercover
Article on gambling at the official watchtower.org site. It doesn't leave any wiggle room...
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civicsi00
The WT doesn't condemn small-time gambling... As long as you donate the winnings to the WT!!
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blondie
*** w02 11/1 p. 31 Questions From Readers ***
Is it wrong to bet if only small amounts of money are involved?
God’s Word does not discuss gambling in detail, but it does say enough to show that all gambling is incompatible with Bible principles. For instance, it is widely acknowledged that gambling incites greed. That fact alone is an important consideration for Christians, since the Bible states that "greedy persons" will not inherit God’s Kingdom and classes covetousness with idolatry.—1 Corinthians 6:9, 10; Colossians 3:5.
Gambling also incites egotism and an unhealthy competitive spirit, a strong desire to win. The apostle Paul warned against such things when he wrote: "Let us not become egotistical, stirring up competition with one another, envying one another." (Galatians 5:26) Further, gambling encourages in some a superstitious reliance on good luck. Gamblers develop all kinds of superstitions, hoping to influence luck in their favor. They remind us of the unfaithful Israelites who were "setting in order a table for the god of Good Luck and those filling up mixed wine for the god of Destiny."—Isaiah 65:11.
Some might reason that betting small amounts of money while playing a friendly card or board game with relatives or close friends is no more than innocent entertainment. True, someone who bets a small amount of money may not view himself as greedy, egotistical, competitive, or superstitious. Still, what effect could his gambling have on the ones he is gambling with? Many compulsive gamblers began by making petty bets ‘just for fun.’ (Luke 16:10) A seemingly innocent diversion turned out to be something far more sinister in their case.
That is especially true where children are concerned. Many children have felt the excitement of winning a small bet and have been tempted to go for larger sums. (1 Timothy 6:10) A long-term study published in the United States by the Arizona Council on Compulsive Gambling confirms that many gambling addicts began at an early age "by placing small bets on sporting events or playing cards with friends or relatives." Another report says that "children start gambling at home, usually at card games with family and friends." The report adds that "thirty percent of children who gambled started doing so before their eleventh birthday." Many teenage gamblers finance their addiction with crime or immorality, according to the study WhyDoPeopleGambleTooMuch—PathologicalandProblemGambling. What a tragic consequence of something that may have seemed at first to be harmless!
Since we are living in a world that already has too many snares and temptations, why unnecessarily expose ourselves to yet another? (Proverbs 27:12) Gambling—with or without children present, for small or for large sums—endangers spirituality and should be avoided. Christians who enjoy board or card games as recreation would be better advised to keep a penciled score or to play the game simply for fun without keeping score. Wise Christians who care about their own spirituality as well as that of their friends and family avoid the practice of gambling—even for small sums of money.
[Footnote]
The WorldBookEncyclopedia defines gambling as "betting on the outcome of a game, event, or chance happening." It further states that "gamblers or players usually bet money on . . . such games of chance as lotteries, card games, and dice."