A few reasons why gambling dishonors God...
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We got some new books for the Theological College of Central Africa library, recently. Now they are being processed to go into the collection and I was reading one of them this morning. The book is, John H. Leith, 2001, Pilgrimage of a Presbyterian: Collected Shorter Writings
, ed Charles E. Raynal, Louisville: Geneva Press. On pages 208-13, there's a short article he wrote in 1956 titled, "Gambling--What's Wrong with It?." Here's a summary:1. "Gambling encourages the belief that a man can enjoy the advantages of a prosperous society without making a significant contribution to that society."
2. "Gambling arouses false hopes and gives little in return."
3. "Gambling is parasitic by nature. It creates no new wealth and performs no useful service. At best, it merely redistributes wealth from ... the many ... to the few."
4. Gambling is an attempt "to escape responsible work..."
5. Gambling contributes to the breakdown of society. Gambling is associated with political corruption, bribery, violence and murder. "Gambling contributes to dishonesty." Many companies blame gambling for staggering percentages of losses of the company. It leads to "unpaid debts," and it has "corrupted sports."
6. Gambling may become an addiction and has done so to many people to the ruin of their lives.
7. Gambling is poor stewardship of the resources God has entrusted to you.
8. Community life is possible only when each person attempts to make a contribution to the general welfare. Gambling is an attempt "to take from the community while refusing to give anything in return."
9. We are our brother's keeper. Since gambling causes some to fall, we may not engage in it.
10. "Gambling does not help men become more Christlike. It aggravates human weakness. It stimulates greed and breeds covetousness."
An unknown early Christian wrote: "Do not be a dice-thrower but a Christian: cast your money on the table of the Lord at which Christ presides and the spectators are angels and the martyrs are present; and the patrimony which you are about to squander with that ruinous passion divide instead among the poor: lose your wealth to Christ."
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I developed a gambling addiction in 2004, and I can attest to the fact that it is absolutely poisonous.
Putting the central issue aside for a moment, some of these reasons are less than convincing.
A couple examples:
6. Almost anything can become an addiction, that doesn't mean that non-addictive behavior is sinful.
9. Basically the same problem as 6. You could apply this same argument to almost anything. Taking it to its logical conclusion would prohibit us from doing anything.
Timothy, your opening sentence seems to imply that the stock market is gambling. Help me see that connection, since I don't think it's the same thing.
Somewhere back in our Wisconsin days when they were considering the lottery I heard a definition of gambling as having three elements:
1.There must be a material prize of some monetary value (more than a blue ribbon.)
2.There must be an element of chance or luck.
3.There must be a pool or ante involving the forfeiture of funds.
The stock market involves risk, but then so do lots of things in life. Risk and gambling aren’t the same thing. Investing usually involves research and work, with a goal to minimizing risk. Furthermore, investments generally benefit the marketplace. Gambling creates an artificial risk and a high one at that, with very little long-term net benefit to society.
Matthew 25:14-30, the Parables of the Talents, implies that it is okay to invest, to make your money work and to seek a return. One day when we are all called to account, we will have to show whether we have been a good steward of all God has given us. Gambling clearly is very poor stewardship.
Thank you for the great post.
Gambling presupposes a chance-oriented worldview. Those that gamble are bowing to chance and not King Jesus.
"lose your wealth to Christ." What a great quote. Thanks for the admonition.
Robert,
Some trading is no different than a crap shoot. The risk is ridiculously high and the evidence used to justify the risk is no more than really "a gut feeling" on where the market--or might way just call it the roulette wheel--will land. The men that trade that way aren't investors because they aren't in it for the long haul. They are trying to "play the market" and make some quick money off a good tip. That is gambling. A high risk taken based off a gut feeling or tip (aka luck) in the hopes of getting a material prize. Of course, not all trading is done that way.
The problem with the stock market isn't gambling. It's a problem that I've never heard another Christian address. Ever.
Christians are warned constantly in books and from the pulpit that the scriptural ban on unequal yokes bars us from marrying an unbeliever, or forming a business with an unbelieving partner.
But when you become unequally yoked with thousands and even millions of unbelievers by buying ownership shares in a publicly traded company, somehow it becomes alright.
How do Christians justify this?
The stock market can be an investment. You buy part of a company, and they use that to become more profitable. If buying stocks is gambling, then so is pretty much all of capitalism.
Now, short term trading on the other hand...
Tim,
Great post. Here in Michigan we have several casinos on Indian reservations. I've often thought of the many reasons why this is bad and wasn't able to condense them as ably as this author.
A few years ago a friend tried to argue that gambling was no different than investing money in the stock market. I countered saying that investors don't buy stocks without doing some research. They are primarily interested in a good return and don't want to lose their principal. So, they invest with their eyes wide open to the risks.
On the other hand, those who gamble ought to know that the odds are stacked against them from the beginning. The reason that casinos can offer all sorts of perks is that they are making a profit by stacking the odds in their favor. Sure the casino pays out money but the operators know that they cannot be too generous otherwise they will go out of business.
I once heard someone define gambling as "legalized theft." That's what I told my friend and eventually they had a change of heart.
When I wrote "some in the stock market," the "some" was intended to cut two ways. I intended to say the stock market is one among a number of methods of gambling, but also that among believers with money in the market, some are gambling.
In other words, some are not.
Sorry I wasn't more clear.
When I wrote "some in the stock market," the "some" was intended to cut two ways. I intended to say the stock market is one among a number of methods of gambling, but also that among believers with money in the market, some are gambling.
In other words, some are not.
I didn't read it that way, so thanks for clarifying. I agree with your sentiments that gambling is a sin. However, I am not sure that it is always a sin. For example, a low stakes poker game among friends, followed by the winner buying dinner.
"When I wrote "some in the stock market," the "some" was intended to cut two ways. I intended to say the stock market is one among a number of methods of gambling, but also that among believers with money in the market, some are gambling."
"In other words, some are not."
Yes, but every single Christian who owns publicly traded stocks *is* unequally yoked with unbelievers.
Randall,
Yea, I can see what you are saying, but...
I may well be speaking out of a desire to justify my profession (I am a Certified Financial Planner and counsel people - biblically I hope - on finances constantly.) However, I do not think that you are unequally yoking yourself in the market in the way that is talked about in Scriptures. Why was this prohibition given? To prevent an unbeliever doing something with a believer's money that was dishonoring to God, correct? To keep from furthering darkness? In virtually every financial relationship in history it was very difficult to break out of this relationship or partnership. I think that this prohibition still holds in partnerships or business ventures. In fact, we were just discussing this type of thing this morning in a meeting that I was in when the issue of partners came up and I was opposing bringing someone from outside the church in for this very reason.
However, when you look at the stock market or specifically at mutual funds, how difficult is it to pull your finances from a business if the business begins using this money to fight against God? It is the work of a moment. It doesn't create enmity in the community or dishonor God or create hardship for another. You just sell it and move to something else (or go bury it in your backyard.) :)
In short, I don't think that you are "yoking" yourself at all by investing in the stock market or through mutual funds, but rather attempting to be a good steward of the "talents" that God has entrusted to you and "stor[ing] up provisions in summer" (Prov. 6:6-8) against the winter of life. If you want to make the point that investing in the stock market is in fact yoking yourself, then I am happy to continue this discussion, but I think this is the key issue that your argument hinges upon.
To address the other issue brought up here, there is a BIG difference between investing and gambling. There is certainly gambling that goes on in the stock market (as there is in real estate "investing," or putting your money into any myriad of other places.) As with most things, the key is the heart and the motivation, not the activity. Don't hear me say that there are not specific activities that are biblically wrong when it comes to investing; there absolutely are. However, do hear me say that even some that is permissible may not be wise and that the motivation of the heart must be considered. There is a spiritual aspect that is very large and very real to what we do with our mammon, and too often this is ignored completely in search of profit.
And by the way, I just saw this headline this morning.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/28690797
Teaser: "There is actually a correlation between the rise in lottery sales and the rise in the unemployment rate, John Mikesell, a professor at Indiana University, found in a 1994 study.
"When times are tough, the prospect of spending $1 on a remote chance to potentially change your life is appealing," Mikesell told the AP.
That may be bad news for your personal economy, but it's great news for states, which use that money for education, parks, recreation and other projects.
More than half of the states that have lotteries reported their sales were up in the last six months of 2008, when things really started to get ugly. "
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I have heard the lottery referred to as the "voluntary tax." Never has this been more apparent. Lotteries are, in fact, evil.
Reading the first several of these brought to mind a convicting similarity with the dangers of internet communities: vicarious living; parasitic consumption of others' lives, ideas, opinions, etc. with no real-life connection; giving up the work before me to be a spectator of work that is not mine.
"The stock market can be an investment. You buy part of a company, and they use that to become more profitable."
Uh-oh. If you think the company gets your money, you ARE gambling, Brett.
Dear Ira,
When a company issues stock, they are taking that money and investing it in the company. They do end up with the lion's share of that money. Now on the secondary market, when shares are being traded among individuals, you are correct, the seller gets the money. However, without an active and liquid secondary market, there would be no ability to issue the stock in the first place. The existence of a secondary market is part and parcel with the company raising money through the issuance of stock. So I'm not sure if the point that you are making is really contradicting Brett's point. He is correct. You are buying part of a company. They do use the money derived from the issuance of that stock to invest in the business and (hopefully) to become more profitable.
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