Why don't JWs have problems with board games involving dice?

by cognisonance 7 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  cognisonance

  So I don't really care about these things anymore, but I was reading this article (and it's a very good one): Gamified Life.

  In the article it mentions (without references):

  Dice-based games of chance are thought to have originated with ancient divination practices involving thrown knucklebones.

  So it's okay to play Yahtzee but not okay to go trick-or-treat. Both are only "fun and games." Both have ancient links to superstition (although one more overtly than the other). Yet one is okay and one is not. Related to this is how can they apply pagan/superstitious origins to many things but not to others. It's all very inconsistent.
  

  These questions are more rhetorical than anything. They were an amusing thought I had when reading this sentence accompanied by relief I'm not longer in that cult.
  
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  dropoffyourkeylee

  Another common theory is that these board games all originated as wagering or gambling. Likely there is some truth in both theories.
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  OneEyedJoe

  For my thoughts on this, see my post on a similar thread:

  https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/5733471205982208/can-someone-help-me-figure-out-something-dealing-paganism

  In short, it's because they ban things that might facilitate a JW finding commonality with a non-jw. Dice don't pose much of a threat.
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  smiddy3

  Of course their against gambling that`s money that could be put in the contribution box .
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  snugglebunny

  Soldiers casting lots for Jesus clothing at the time of his crucifying - some translations say it was using dice.
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  OnTheWayOut

  Watchtower "demonized" things that encouraged interaction with outsiders. Birthday cake at school or the office led to normalized relations with worldly people. (Certainly, trick-or-treating did that, and Halloween is clearly an easy target to demonize.)

  Board games would most likely bring JW kids and family together. No need to poison the idea.
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  eyeuse2badub

  Rutherford, Franz, and Knorr were all "no fun" type guys. So anything fun or interesting was considered 'sin'. And that's the way many of us were raised!

  just saying!
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  Vidiot

  OnTheWayOut - "Watchtower 'demonized' things that encouraged interaction with outsiders. Birthday cake at school or the office led to normalized relations with worldly people. (Certainly, trick-or-treating did that, and Halloween is clearly an easy target to demonize.)"

  This.
  

  OnTheWayOut - "Board games would most likely bring JW kids and family together. No need to poison the idea."

  Agreed.

  I think they also had enough brains to realize that if you place too many prohibitions on the rank-and-file, you end up with problems.