Christians Playing Poker - Acceptable?

[Aloysius]

This is a question directed mainly to those of Christian faith, but would be interested to hear anyone's take on this.

Recently - I've been studying different religions as I am attempting to explore my understanding of the metaphysical state (I believe there is one).

Playing poker seems to fly in the face of traditional Christian thought - and directly flouts basic tenet to me.

I read a thread once about whether it was possible for Christians to be *good* poker players.

Really, should they be playing at all? And - side question - on principle, is there a difference between tournament and cash game play? (Likely - no - but thoughts on this would be appreciated.)

Thanks in advance.

-Al

[Aloysius]

If anyone is interested - I found this random guy's blog page which attempts to cover alot of the points I'm interested in (is poker gambling, as that is a sin... is it competition?)

Maybe he provides the simple, obvious answer here -

Poker And The Christian - Some Guy's Blog

But if anyone has any comments love to hear them. Thanks.

[BluffTHIS!]

Use the search engine and in the archives as well for this. There have been 2 or 3 threads on it already.

[Aloysius]

[ QUOTE ]
Use the search engine and in the archives as well for this. There have been 2 or 3 threads on it already.

[/ QUOTE ]

OK - will do. My bad (lazy sometimes... [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img])

What's amazing is how self centred his analysis is. He only talks about the effects that gambling have on HIM. It's a very poor analysis because it misses out on why gambling is wrong:

- You're using your God given talents to take money directly off others. If you want to play poker for fun, there are plenty of play money tables.

- You produce nothing. The bible talks frequently about doing an honest day's work, working for a living, etc. This is in violation of that if the only thing you do with your talents is play poker.

- Poker IS gambling. You're wagering your money against other people's of the turn of several cards. Just because you can gamble where the odds are often in your favor, doesn't mean it isn't gambling.

- Gambling, especially online gambling, has a recognised negative impact on societies and families which Christians SHOULD care about if they wish to be good Christians.

[Aloysius]

[ QUOTE ]
What's amazing is how self centred his analysis is. He only talks about the effects that gambling have on HIM. It's a very poor analysis because it misses out on why gambling is wrong:

- You're using your God given talents to take money directly off others. If you want to play poker for fun, there are plenty of play money tables.

- You produce nothing. The bible talks frequently about doing an honest day's work, working for a living, etc. This is in violation of that if the only thing you do with your talents is play poker.

- Poker IS gambling. You're wagering your money against other people's of the turn of several cards. Just because you can gamble where the odds are often in your favor, doesn't mean it isn't gambling.

- Gambling, especially online gambling, has a recognised negative impact on societies and families which Christians SHOULD care about if they wish to be good Christians.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thank you for the response. I actually (man I'm bored at work today) e-mailed him something similar to what you wrote above. I wonder if this random blog guy will respond...

OK I'm done will search archives now.

[ QUOTE ]
I found this random guy's blog...

[/ QUOTE ]

He is not some "random guy." He is a person with feelings, and a 36" inseam.

-----------
Vital Stats

* Age: 36
* Height: 6' 1"
* Shirt Size: 16 1/2" 35/36
* Pant Size: Inseam-36, Waist-36
* IQ: 200 (primarily because I'm Chinese)
* Weight: 200lbs (fat is in the eye of the beholder...and in my gut).
* Turn-Ons: Fluffy Bunnies, World Peace, Neatly Trimmed Armpits.
* Turn-Offs: Ingrown Toenails, Ebola, People with Eleven Fingers.
* Occupation: Marketing Department of Evangelical Christian Credit Union. I take care of (actually spend) God's money. Professional Comedian at the National Comedy Theatre in San Diego.
* Marital Status: Married to the most wonderful person in the world. Sorry ladies, I've retired from my swingin' single life!
* Children: A Wonderful Daughter Lexy (OK, I'm a sap)

[BigSoonerFan]

[ QUOTE ]
What's amazing is how self centred his analysis is. He only talks about the effects that gambling have on HIM. It's a very poor analysis because it misses out on why gambling is wrong:

- You're using your God given talents to take money directly off others. If you want to play poker for fun, there are plenty of play money tables.

- You produce nothing. The bible talks frequently about doing an honest day's work, working for a living, etc. This is in violation of that if the only thing you do with your talents is play poker.

- Poker IS gambling. You're wagering your money against other people's of the turn of several cards. Just because you can gamble where the odds are often in your favor, doesn't mean it isn't gambling.

- Gambling, especially online gambling, has a recognised negative impact on societies and families which Christians SHOULD care about if they wish to be good Christians.

[/ QUOTE ]

All examples that can be applied to the stock market.

[NotReady]

# 1

# 2

# 3

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
What's amazing is how self centred his analysis is. He only talks about the effects that gambling have on HIM. It's a very poor analysis because it misses out on why gambling is wrong:

- You're using your God given talents to take money directly off others. If you want to play poker for fun, there are plenty of play money tables.

- You produce nothing. The bible talks frequently about doing an honest day's work, working for a living, etc. This is in violation of that if the only thing you do with your talents is play poker.

- Poker IS gambling. You're wagering your money against other people's of the turn of several cards. Just because you can gamble where the odds are often in your favor, doesn't mean it isn't gambling.

- Gambling, especially online gambling, has a recognised negative impact on societies and families which Christians SHOULD care about if they wish to be good Christians.

[/ QUOTE ]

All examples that can be applied to the stock market.

[/ QUOTE ]

The stock market is not a zero-sum game.