Gambling Christian??

I checked my bible for the words "gamble", "gambling", and "wager", and I didn't see anything. I also looked at the verses that Coop1701 put up.

Personally, I believe that the reason why Christians are discouraged from gambling is because gambling is viewed as a type of temptation, and since some people are mentally weak, you could get sucked into a situation where money becomes the sole focus of your game, or even your life, which is what Christianity preaches not to do. The bible does say that you cannot serve both God and money. Hence, I am also of the idea that gambling might not be a sin, but once you step beyond a boundary where you become addicted to it, it will be.

I am a christian, and I seldom gamble at pool for many reasons -- I'm a bad shot, I'm a student, and more often that not hustling / gambling / playing for money is a predatory activity. You'd almost never hustle a guy who's much better than you unless you think you can get a spot and win, or beat a guy even after giving him a spot. I guess this might be different on the pro level, where the skill level is somewhat homogeneous.

Sadly though, I think I will never really improve in my game all that much because it always seems like the better players always wanna play money, and I'm not that rich to throw in the dough just to get better.
 
Sweet Marissa said:
Gambling (to my knowledge) isn't even mentioned in the bible. I don't see anything wrong with it, unless it becomes an addiction. We are all sinners anyway, and shouldn't pass judgement on others or base our lives on what other people do.

And Shawn... The love sponge??? I don't think I want to know!
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OHHHHHH YESSSS YOU DOOOO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Gambling means....

....being a good steward of the blessings God has blessed you with as a Christian. You won't find the words gamble, gambling, or wager in the Bible, but you will find many references to being a good steward of God's blessings. Alot of people refer to "casting lots" in the Bible, and since the Apostles "cast lots" in determining who would replace Judas in the first chapter of Acts, they say "oh, if the Apostles gambled, then it's okay", but that's not true. There were two types of "casting lots" in the Bible, one was God-influenced, and the other was simply men gambling. The occurrence of the Roman soldiers "casting lots" for Jesus' clothing was definitely NOT God-influenced, but the Apostles "casting lots" to determine who was going to replace Judas was. See the difference? Gambling to try and take away what a person has is called covetousness, no matter how you slice it. Playing in a tournament where you pay to compete for a position is not considered gambling UNLESS a person has it in their heart that they're going to try and be greedy and do anything they can to win, up to and including cheating. There are alot of Christians who play in tournaments for the enjoyment of it alone, and that is okay. Remember, the Bible says "the LOVE of money is the root of all evil", not the money itself. Just my Biblical $.02....

Preacher
 
With that mentality, anything can be construed as sin. People are imperfect and will always feel desire. Two consenting individuals playing for money is no worse than 64 competing for a trophy or purse.
 
The one thing I haven't seen yet is the difference between hustling, gambling, and competing.

Hustling is something Jesus wouldn't do. Gambling is also something Jesus wouldn't do. Jesus would also not compete.

Hustling is thievery. It is concealing knowledge in order to deceive. Thievery is wrong.

Gambling is trying to to take a shortcut to wealth. It is an illusory dream. It does nothing productive.

Sporting competition is purely for the ego. Anything done for self-gratification only is probably a sin.

-----------------------

Now. Hustling is still thievery. Gambling is a sport. Competition is entertainment. God looks on us all and laughs at our foibles. I believe that the only thing he cares about is whether you are sincere or not. If a pool player chooses to compete for money and can do it sincerely without deception then that probably doesn't count as a sin.

Now Eve ate the apple which made us all aware of our vulnerabilities. Cain and Abel are examples of the sins of coveting and jealousy. So I guess it comes down to motivation. Is the pool player predatory or seeking to improve themselves? Seeking tough games in order to better oneself is not gambling or hustling. Seeking easy targets is husting and predatory.

So my take on this would be that competing for money is not a sin as long as both parties know the relative strength of the other and attempt to match up fairly. Hustling is a sin. Gambling is not a sin unless it harms someone else. Probably though, the Bible might say that being non-productive is in and of itself a sin. Who knows? I don't.

John
 
Walter N. said:
I remember when you came through denver looking for action a race to 7 ahead for 1000 sound familiar? :cool:
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You can't have a race to 7 ahead, the players are going in opposite directions. :-)

I think the proper terminology would be a 7 ahead set or session.

John
 
Hmmmm.....

Well that's an interesting thought. So you can't judge between what's right and what's wrong? That "mentality" is directly from God's word, so if it's not up to your standards, then you might wanna take it up with Him. As far as gambling being the same as tournament play, I'd love for you to try to attempt to explain that one to me. It'll be fun watching you struggle with a reason.



Sweet Marissa said:
With that mentality, anything can be construed as sin. People are imperfect and will always feel desire. Two consenting individuals playing for money is no worse than 64 competing for a trophy or purse.
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Be real People, are you kiddin me ?

:p I have to laugh when anyone can really think that with all the horrible things going on in the world that God cares if me and one of my equally matched buddies wager $100 on a nine ball race. Theirs child molesters out
preying on children, murders, rapists, armed robbers, white collar criminals and you really think a wager on a pool game might send you to hell. If that's the case, I know where I'll be spending eternity, but hopefully God and St. Peter will be too busy with the thugs described above. ;)
 
poolplayer1988 said:
Well that's an interesting thought. So you can't judge between what's right and what's wrong? That "mentality" is directly from God's word, so if it's not up to your standards, then you might wanna take it up with Him. As far as gambling being the same as tournament play, I'd love for you to try to attempt to explain that one to me. It'll be fun watching you struggle with a reason.
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In both cases, there is something of value at the end outcome that both or all parties covet.

We were given free will to make our own choices, decisions, and opinions. The bible was not written by God, it's a product of man, and either way has been translated and reworded over thousands of years. The word of God has been twisted into something of prejudice and chauvinism.
 
onepocketchump said:
You can't have a race to 7 ahead, the players are going in opposite directions. :-)

I think the proper terminology would be a 7 ahead set or session.

John
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Get off my back with your correct terminology prick! :D
 
sins ...

I won't debate it since I think it is a personal matter,
BUT it does say in the Bible that all sins are EQUAL
in the eyes of the Lord, and gossiping is a sin.
 
Well.....

You kidding yourself, my friend. Jesus says that all sin is equal, and that if a man commits one sin, then he is guilty of all sin. In God's eyes, no sin is any better or worse than another sin. Sin is sin, and those who reject Jesus, whether it be a murderer or money-coveter, will be sent to hell, point blank.

I find it kinda odd that you so nonchalantly say things about hell like it's no big deal. What do you think hell will be like when you get there?

jungledude said:
:p I have to laugh when anyone can really think that with all the horrible things going on in the world that God cares if me and one of my equally matched buddies wager $100 on a nine ball race. Theirs child molesters out
preying on children, murders, rapists, armed robbers, white collar criminals and you really think a wager on a pool game might send you to hell. If that's the case, I know where I'll be spending eternity, but hopefully God and St. Peter will be too busy with the thugs described above. ;)
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Well....

Sweet Marissa said:
In both cases, there is something of value at the end outcome that both or all parties covet.
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You're right about that, but it all depends in where your heart lies. Some players, like me, enjoy the competition and don't care about the money. I have a job where I earn an honest buck, so I'm not out there to swindle people out of their money.

We were given free will to make our own choices, decisions, and opinions.
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Amen to that!

The bible was not written by God, it's a product of man, and either way has been translated and reworded over thousands of years.
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Since you're making a claim like that, do you mind showing us the proof that it is not God's direct revelation to the inspired writers of God? If not, maybe you could reword your statement to say that in your opinion it is a product of man. If so, I can prove that it is indeed the direct revelation of God to His inspired writers.

The word of God has been twisted into something of prejudice and chauvinism.
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Again, I ask for you to show us some proof of how you came to this conclusion. I'm not sure what you're referring to?
 
Marissa, while I do a little bit of gambling on the field of green, you don't have to look much further than the 10 Commandments to see that gambling is against the teachings of the bible.

One commandment reads:
"Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant nor his maidservant, nor his cattle, nor anything that is thy neighbors."

Also the other commandment, “Thou shalt not steal”.

Both of these cover gambling IMHO. When you gamble you want what another person has. Also when you know you are going to win a match, isn't that stealing?

Warm Regards,
JoeyA (still a sinner)

Sweet Marissa said:
Gambling (to my knowledge) isn't even mentioned in the bible. I don't see anything wrong with it, unless it becomes an addiction. We are all sinners anyway, and shouldn't pass judgement on others or base our lives on what other people do.
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gambling

Personally I like BlackJack's answer above. BlackJack, I'd like to meet you some day.

Hello Hillbilly, I haven't spoken with you lately. This is Scott from Lafayette. I pray that all is well with you, Amanda, and your Mom.

I have struggled with the gambling question as well. The same question can be said of drinking. Having a glass of wine in and of itself is not a sin, unless you allow your judgement to be impaired by it. My Pastor has presented an interesting question. If he were to take his wife to dinner at a nice restaurant and order a glass of wine with his meal, undoubtably someone he knows would point him out as a hypocrit without even speaking to him, and from that point forward he would lose the ability to minister to that person to win them to Christ. He choses not to allow that to happen and therefore does not drink at all. Neither do I. The same can be said of gambling, or even being in a pool hall. Your intentions may be grand, but you would be guilty by association.

I like to think that my demeanor while in a pool hall will provide witness to others around me. Everyone in the pool hall that I frequent knows that I do not gamble, drink, or curse. I have had the opportunity to witness to others while there. One of the bartenders even came to church with me and my family, and he hadn't been in a church for months. Just my thoughts.
Scott
 
It sounds to me like we are making a reason that it is ok. Fact of it is, if your under conviction about gambling. Then you shouldn't do it. Butterflycues
 
Modern Day Jesus

If Jesus where around today he would have been playing pool most likely. In his day he hung out with Prostitutes and Tax Collectors (you go where the sinful are). I play pool and am a Christian.

I dont see anything wrong with playing pool either in tournaments or playing for money. I have heard the argument about being viewed as a hypocrit or causing another to stumble if I order a beer - come on! If I am eating dessert after dinner and a fat person in the booth next to me stumbles by seeing this am I guilty? You cant take responsibility for other people's sins.

Many churches raise money with Bingo. Is this a sin?

The sin in all this is when it is not done in moderation (like drinking).

BTW - Hey Marissa!
 
Modern day Jesus

Jesus might play pool but I doubt he would gamble. The reason he chose to associate with prostitutes and tax collectors was not to use them for his personal gain, as is the case with gambling. I did it to win their souls. I don't think any of us shoot pool for that reason.

Discipling others so that they can go and disciple others is the reason. What better witness can there be than a persons who has led a morally corrupt, sinful life who comes to Christ and turns their life around. It's hard to argue with life experience.

One interesting quote to consider in our daily lives which if find interesting:
"You're living so loud, I can't hear what you are saying?"
 
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