Yeah, I took some down time from blogs because life was crazy.
Plus there's something about studying that makes me think less deeply.
Maybe that's bad.
Paper writing is very thought provoking, though, as it should be.
So, today I wonder about gambling.
I can't decide if I think it's a sin or not.
I went to Las Vegas once, and I think the most depressing thing I have ever seen was a woman in a wheelchair and on a respirator gambling what was probably insurance money for her healthcare at a slot machine. Gambling in this sense is very sinful because you are wasting your resources on an addictive and completely non-productive habit.
On the other hand, people do gamble for a living, and do so productively. Especially in like World Poker Tour and stuff like that, because those do, to an extent, require skill and hard work.
Obviously, things like this are not the most admirable jobs in the world, but being uninspiring is hardly a sin.
Gambling as a whole though is very destructive.
It results from a corrupted desire for money, and money that you "earn" from gambling is not exactly something you worked for.
The problem with this is that it gives money a value that it just doesn't deserve.
Money was originally created in order for people to specialize in certain things like making shoes or sewing and still have necessities such as food. One person provides something valuable at an efficient rate because they specialize in making that thing, then they supply that one thing for a large group of people. Therefore more things total are produced and produced better.
Money is used as a way to establish how much they deserve in return for their specialized contribution; in other words, money is a representation of the value of one person's contribution to society.
So, when gambling, either the casino or the gambler acquires more money.
Did either of them contribute something valuable to society?
No.
I mean, maybe entertainment. I certainly don't find gambling that entertaining, though.
So, it is a sin?
Ummm.... sort of.
People who gamble do so either because it's fun, or because they want to acquire money that they have not earned. In either case, it's selfish and destructive.
The greed and desire for money that must come before gambling is absolutely a sin.
Gambling itself might not be.
Sort of in the same way that sex can be good or sinful, depending on the context - marriage or not.
It's just that there are far less instances in which gambling is good and entertaining in a pure way.
BIG P.S. - Go check out the random link for this week. It's absolutely amazing.
12.12.2008
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2 comments:
Honestly, I think gambling is a sin. I think calling it a sin crosses the line when you condemn the games. I don't have any problem with playing poker, but only if it's just with the chips or for candy or something dumb. Then I know that there isn't a waste involved it is simply for the entertainment.
However, gambling (and ESPECIALLY slot machines) I would think are a sin because it shows poor stewardship. Whatever entertainment one could derive from throwing one's money away on no valuable product cannot be worth the opportunity cost. If one has that much money to throw around they ought to be using it for the benefit of others... and by that I do not mean the casino industry.
Very good, thought provoking post.
amazing link,
good call on the gambling.
The whole idea of wasting money like that really only makes me nervous and never plan on partaking of the so called "entertainment".
I also think casinos on the whole are crass.
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