Most people belong to some form of religion while some people belong nowhere. This article is for those who belong to some form of religion, as those who belong nowhere, who are free spirits wandering the earth, are not affected by gambling in the same sense those who belong to some form of religion would. If you are a Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, Jehovah Witness, Christian, or whatever religion, chances are that you may be concerned about what your religion states as far as gambling is concerned. I just want to give my two cents to help make things clear for you.
Ever wondered why there is an entire state in the U.S dedicated to gambling? China is one of the world’s largest economy and a good portion of its revenue comes from gambling. China makes more than 1 trillion Yuen from gambling alone. Ever heard of Macau? It is a state in China that is the equivalent of Nevada in the U.S. Europe has some of the most lenient gambling laws in the world; Why is that?
The reason I’m bringing these facts up is that gambling is something that is legalized in major nations across the globe. That means that human beings, sat down and reasoned together, and determined that gambling is beneficial for the general population. Most of the Chinse people among other Asians are Buddhists and China is one of the nations that are known to gamble like it’s nobody’s business. What does that tell you? As far as Buddhist’s are concerned, gambling is not all that bad, as long as you don’t hurt anyone else in the process, including yourself.
The United States of America was essentially founded by Christians as every document that was created around the time the country gained independence has the Christian God written all over it. Nonetheless, the country is home to the world’s largest gambling destination; Las Vegas, Nevada. By the way, you can even get legally married there (sober or not). Why would such a Christian nation allow gambling? The reason is that the Bible does not condemn gambling anywhere. Even if you came across a Christian who attempts to tell you that gambling is wrong, the only evidence they’ll use from the Bible will probably be a verse that’s being quoted out of context or being twisted and turned to make it seem so. With that in mind, is gambling a sin?
If you snoop around online but more importantly, if you investigate whatever religion you come from, chances are that you won’t find anything that directly establishes gambling as a sin. Regardless of your religion, let’s look at this objectively.
For any religion to regard something as immoral; therefore a sin, that thing has to offend God in one way or another. It is also believed that harming oneself or others is not godly; hence, it is sinful. Gambling involves risk, which is known to all parties involved. All parties are aware that the price may or may not be won. The party that’s taking the risk is aware that he or she will lose money or whatever is at stake if luck is not on his or her side. In a nutshell, all parties are aware of what is at stake whenever a game is taking place.
If you want to talk of stealing or cheating, how is it stealing or cheating when all parties who are taking part in the game know what is going on and agreed to it? We all know what happens when one is caught cheating or trying to beat the house in Las Vegas!
In essence, gambling involves making a deal that all parties agree to. How on earth is that wrong? If two people agree to spit on their hands and perform a handshake involving the spit, no matter how disgusting that is, will you say one of them offended the other? But if only one of them spat on their hand and attempted to make a handshake with another who witnessed the whole thing, won’t the non-spitting party feel offended and disgusted by the action? It is not necessarily a solid example but I hope you get the point.
Does gambling lead to addiction? Yes. Always? No. Is any gambler likely to become an addict? Definitely No! Can gambling be unhealthy? Yes. Can it also be a nice source of income? To those who know how to play the game, definitely yes!
Gambling per se is not dangerous in any way, manner, or form. As explained in an article from the huffingtonpost.com, it is just a fun activity where you stand to win a fortune or lose a fortune. It is a game for the mature in spirit and mind, especially those who have been kissed by lady luck.
According to a study done by Sallaz and Beyerlein, those who are strictly religious are the ones who tend to feel that gambling is wrong, and it is mostly due to the sense of feeling like it is wrong to have or seek wealth. I don’t know about other religions but the Bible says that the “love” for money is the root of all evil. Please note that it doesn’t say “money” is the root of all evil but the “love” of it. In other words, it boils down to the old sin greed or avarice. But gambling is not about greed or avarice, it is about gaming. It is simply a game. Albeit it can sometimes be dangerous, but only to those who make it so, or those who get themselves involved in illegal gambling.
