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"that was a crazy game of poker..."

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d0c markus

The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few
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i was playing poker on pogo.com and i got to thinking, is playing poker for cash(which me and some friends do) a sin?

"my wallets gettin thin and i just lost my watch last night
well i gotta problem, just one answer
throw it all down and kiss it good bye,
that was a crazy game of poker, i lost it all
but someday i'll be back again and I...
never will fall..."

- that was a crazy game of poker - O.A.R. -
 

adam332

Deut. 10:12 And now, Israel, what doth the LORD t
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Personally, I have not done my own Biblical research on the subject...but it is pretty much understood in Christian circles that you shouldn't. I assume that there is not much which directly forbids it. But, there is probably plenty of reasonable logic against it found in the Biblical lessons on stewardship.
 
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d0c markus

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i know islam speaks out against it. If you control your spending i dont see why its not bad. me and my friends gamble what it costs to see a movie and buy a drink. So basically its what we can handle.

i did notice that when i was in a casino in canada i kept telling myself "just one more quarter." lol i think thats when it becomes a sin.
 
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Salsa_1960

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I feel that if you are playing among friends for pennies (penny ante) and no-one is out any large amount of money, (i.e. you are playing for the fun of it, not for the money), then it is not a sin.

If, however, people are gaining or losing large amounts. Amounts that make a significant difference. Amounts that could feed a family or buy a school outfit for a needy child, etc., then I believe it becomes a sin.

I'm not so sure, though, that it is the "gambling," per se, that is what makes it a sin. I think it is more the money that is wasted the harm that it can cause between friends and families.

~Sandy
 
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d0c markus

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sandinmyears said:
I feel that if you are playing among friends for pennies (penny ante) and no-one is out any large amount of money, (i.e. you are playing for the fun of it, not for the money), then it is not a sin.

If, however, people are gaining or losing large amounts. Amounts that make a significant difference. Amounts that could feed a family or buy a school outfit for a needy child, etc., then I believe it becomes a sin.

I'm not so sure, though, that it is the "gambling," per se, that is what makes it a sin. I think it is more the money that is wasted the harm that it can cause between friends and families.

~Sandy
:) dime ante 2 dollar max bet, and you only bring 10 bucks to the table.
 
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adam332

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It could be argued that if it's bad in large amounts it's bad period. It would be like moderate adultery. moderate drinking. Moderate witchcraft. moderate homosexuality. etc.... I don't know of God having middle grounds.

Don't get me wrong...I too have the friendly game every now and then. But I would by no means claim that God approves of it in moderation or otherwise.

I often tell people that just because I'm an obsesive Bible student does not make me an angel. A hypocrite maybe...
 
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Salsa_1960

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Another thought is that what is sinful for one might not be for another. So if I have no problem playing "penny-ante poker" but you do, it would be wrong for me to encourage you to play. It would also not be wise for me to play poker in front of you if you have a problem with it.

Paul talks about this in Romans chapter 14 when he discusses eating meat that has been sacraficed to idols,

Romans 14
The Weak and the Strong

1 Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. 2 One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3 The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him. 4 Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

5 One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. 8 If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

9 For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. 10 You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. 11 It is written:

" 'As surely as I live,' says the Lord,
'every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will confess to God.' "

12 So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.
13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way. 14 As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean. 15 If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died. 16 Do not allow what you consider good to be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18 because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.

19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. 20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. 21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall.

22 So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. 23 But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.
 
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adam332

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Yes sandi, right or wrong...not everyone will hold our covictions...a stumbligblock is something which we don't want to become.

Doc Marcus,
actually he was told to abstain, that is a translational error. the original text says to stay away from it.
 
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Yitzchak

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Just an observation from my personal experience. Those who point out gambling as bad stewardship often seem to have no problems with spending literally thousands of dollars on extravagant luxeries and living selfishly with their money.

This however is not a justification for us to be bad stewards just because many others are. I just question if many are at that place of stewardship where a few dollars really matters. It just seems to me that a few dollars for gambling is probably pretty low on the list for most when it comes to spending habits which are bad stewardship.
I think the larger concern is when it becomes a lot more than just a few dollars.
 
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Salsa_1960

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Yitzchak said:
Just an observation from my personal experience. Those who point out gambling as bad stewardship often seem to have no problems with spending literally thousands of dollars on extravagant luxeries and living selfishly with their money.

This however is not a justification for us to be bad stewards just because many others are. I just question if many are at that place of stewardship where a few dollars really matters. It just seems to me that a few dolalrs for gambling is probably pretty low on the list for most when it comes to spending habits which are bad stewardship.
I think the larger concern is when it becomes a lot more than just a few dollars.
Very well said.
 
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Palatka44

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adam332 said:
Yes sandi, right or wrong...not everyone will hold our covictions...a stumbligblock is something which we don't want to become.

Doc Marcus,
actually he was told to abstain, that is a translational error. the original text says to stay away from it.
Doc Marcus said:
lol... thats not abstaining? You are right when you say we shouldnt become a stumbling block.


Just when I thought the two of you were of sound doctrine.:rolleyes: BTW I fold. ;)
 
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Salsa_1960

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All that said, I see no harm, (provided it causes no-one else to stumble), in a harmless game of penny-ante poker between friends. What's important is the attitude that is exchanged at the table-- even moreso than the money itself. No more is going to change hands at a penny-ante-poker table than would be spent going out for an evening at a restaurant or a movie theatre.

What's more important is the type of conversation/language/humor that is being exchanged during the social interaction? If the conversation is clean, I don't see the big deal. (Pardon the pun).
 
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