5 ms·

evil (n.) - 1. Killin folks, usually. 2. Preying on human weakness for your own personal gain at others' expense. Seriously, if you don't think of this as evi

evil (n.) - 1. Killin folks, usually. 2. Preying on human weakness for your own personal gain at others' expense. Seriously, if you don't think of this as evil, what's your definition of evil? gambling's existence is something that few outside government seem to have a problem with Um, what planet are you from? At least 3 major world religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) regard gambling as evil.

gort 17y ago
There are a couple of explicit condemnations of gambling in the Qur'an, but not in the Bible [as far as I know, corrections welcome] - though things like condemnations of "love of money" might count as indirect condemnations of gambling, I suppose. I recognise that some religious traditions take guidance from more than just the official holy books, but even the official Catholic view seems fairly neutral: that gambling is not immoral in itself, as long as certain conditions are met: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06375b.htm http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06375b.htm
- Dove 17y ago
  There are none in the Bible. The closest you get are exhortations about work, or warnings about pursuing money. Some folks extrapolate from there, but the arguments against it are always indirect. More often than not, they're not scriptural at all, but are based on practical wisdom ("It destroys lives! It's unproductive!") that doesn't have a lot of basis in actual practice. It's not anything like widespread enough that you could say it was a "Christian teaching," though. While you can still find people who say it's sinful (and you will always be able to), it's getting so that standard Southern Baptist Sunday School materials say, "Is Gambling a Sin? Well . . . not reeeeeaaallly . . . but we don't think it's a good idea." And I think those guys are usually just about the last to let go of issues like that.
- arakyd 17y ago
  All religious traditions take guidance from more than just holy books (many religions do not even have holy books), and the idea (or assumption) that laypeople can determine religious truth by reading the holy book themselves is pretty much restricted to Protestant Christianity. The fact that Swoopo promotes itself as an auction/shopping site and lists "strategy" as part of the experience skates uncomfortably close to the "no fraud" clause listed in that link, although offering discounts to losing bidders would seem to give them a solid "it's only gambling if you choose to treat it that way" out.
- ars 17y ago
  Not in the bible, but the talmud says that someone who "plays with doves [i.e. gambles on pigeon races]" is disqualified from being a witness (i.e. their moral character is suspect). Gambling is considered a form a stealing since the person who lost doesn't actually want to give their money to you, they are forced to by the roll of the dice. In normal commerce you get something when you pay. (And don't say people enjoy playing, no one enjoys playing, people enjoy winning.) I believe, but am not sure, that lotteries are not considered as bad though.
cellis 17y ago
"Evil: preying on human weakness for your own personal gain at others' expense". I could easily make a dozen arguments where respectable companies do exactly that. For instance, is Starbucks preying on the "weakness" of humans that desire caffeine? Is EA preying on the weakness of humans that desire an escape via gaming? By your definition of evil, everyone and everything participating in a capitalist economy is evil. Frankly i see nothing wrong with Swoopo, even if some end up worse off than they would have been had they not participated. This is because i place the burden of responsibility on the actor, not the facilitator. Caveat Emptor.
- arakyd 17y ago
  What about if nearly everyone is worse off? Putting the burden of responsibility on the actor is fine, but Swoopo is not in the same category as Starbucks and EA, and claiming that everyone participating in a capitalist economy does so at the expense of others is pretty disingenuous.
  - cellis 17y ago
    Claiming that everyone participating in a capitalist economy does so at the expense of others is pretty disingenuous. Perhaps not everyone, but it seems to me that a large portion of firms in a capitalist economy prey on some human weakness or another, to varying degrees.
    - DanielBMarkham 17y ago
      * it seems to me that a large portion of firms in a capitalist economy prey on some human weakness or another, to varying degrees.* Wow. I take it you have a really, really broad definition of "human weakness" for this belief system to continue working for you. Car broken and I can fix it for 20 bucks? You have a weakness for not knowing how to do auto repair. Need a good resume and come to my resume service? You have an inability to write and a lack of work, due to a weakness of the system. Need a program to balance your checkbook? You obviously have a problem with math, could be lazy in your account habits, etc. This kind of definition will work anywhere -- suggesting that perhaps a new one would be better.
brm 17y ago
funny thing about the internet, virtually everyone mistakes discussion for argument. Very little of what I said was a statement of belief. I should perhaps have said that I was simply looking for someone to explain the sides so I can make a better decision about how I view it rather than just taking the viewpoint of an article in slate as certainty
tedunangst 17y ago
"Um, what planet are you from? At least 3 major world religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) regard gambling as evil." They also regard all manner of activity evil that most people (and even adherents) find perfectly acceptable and engage in every day. Bacon, beer, and shamefully clad women come to mind. So let me ask what planet you are from. Have you ever gone to a casino and asked the gamblers what their religion was?
- calambrac 17y ago
  Wait, what? Pointing out that there exist institutions that aren't the government that regard gambling as evil somehow means I think people don't gamble, or that I think those beliefs are valid? That makes no sense.
  - tedunangst 17y ago
    I guess I don't understand the point of your post. Are you trying to say gambling is evil or not?
    - calambrac 17y ago
      Neither. I was pointing out that plenty of other people think it is, in response to GP's statement that "gambling's existence is something that few outside government seem to have a problem with".

gort 17y ago

There are a couple of explicit condemnations of gambling in the Qur'an, but not in the Bible [as far as I know, corrections welcome] - though things like condemnations of "love of money" might count as indirect condemnations of gambling, I suppose. I recognise that some religious traditions take guidance from more than just the official holy books, but even the official Catholic view seems fairly neutral: that gambling is not immoral in itself, as long as certain conditions are met: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06375b.htm http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06375b.htm

Dove 17y ago
There are none in the Bible. The closest you get are exhortations about work, or warnings about pursuing money. Some folks extrapolate from there, but the arguments against it are always indirect. More often than not, they're not scriptural at all, but are based on practical wisdom ("It destroys lives! It's unproductive!") that doesn't have a lot of basis in actual practice. It's not anything like widespread enough that you could say it was a "Christian teaching," though. While you can still find people who say it's sinful (and you will always be able to), it's getting so that standard Southern Baptist Sunday School materials say, "Is Gambling a Sin? Well . . . not reeeeeaaallly . . . but we don't think it's a good idea." And I think those guys are usually just about the last to let go of issues like that.
arakyd 17y ago
All religious traditions take guidance from more than just holy books (many religions do not even have holy books), and the idea (or assumption) that laypeople can determine religious truth by reading the holy book themselves is pretty much restricted to Protestant Christianity. The fact that Swoopo promotes itself as an auction/shopping site and lists "strategy" as part of the experience skates uncomfortably close to the "no fraud" clause listed in that link, although offering discounts to losing bidders would seem to give them a solid "it's only gambling if you choose to treat it that way" out.
ars 17y ago
Not in the bible, but the talmud says that someone who "plays with doves [i.e. gambles on pigeon races]" is disqualified from being a witness (i.e. their moral character is suspect). Gambling is considered a form a stealing since the person who lost doesn't actually want to give their money to you, they are forced to by the roll of the dice. In normal commerce you get something when you pay. (And don't say people enjoy playing, no one enjoys playing, people enjoy winning.) I believe, but am not sure, that lotteries are not considered as bad though.

cellis 17y ago

"Evil: preying on human weakness for your own personal gain at others' expense". I could easily make a dozen arguments where respectable companies do exactly that. For instance, is Starbucks preying on the "weakness" of humans that desire caffeine? Is EA preying on the weakness of humans that desire an escape via gaming? By your definition of evil, everyone and everything participating in a capitalist economy is evil. Frankly i see nothing wrong with Swoopo, even if some end up worse off than they would have been had they not participated. This is because i place the burden of responsibility on the actor, not the facilitator. Caveat Emptor.

arakyd 17y ago
What about if nearly everyone is worse off? Putting the burden of responsibility on the actor is fine, but Swoopo is not in the same category as Starbucks and EA, and claiming that everyone participating in a capitalist economy does so at the expense of others is pretty disingenuous.
- cellis 17y ago
  Claiming that everyone participating in a capitalist economy does so at the expense of others is pretty disingenuous. Perhaps not everyone, but it seems to me that a large portion of firms in a capitalist economy prey on some human weakness or another, to varying degrees.
  - DanielBMarkham 17y ago
    * it seems to me that a large portion of firms in a capitalist economy prey on some human weakness or another, to varying degrees.* Wow. I take it you have a really, really broad definition of "human weakness" for this belief system to continue working for you. Car broken and I can fix it for 20 bucks? You have a weakness for not knowing how to do auto repair. Need a good resume and come to my resume service? You have an inability to write and a lack of work, due to a weakness of the system. Need a program to balance your checkbook? You obviously have a problem with math, could be lazy in your account habits, etc. This kind of definition will work anywhere -- suggesting that perhaps a new one would be better.

brm 17y ago

funny thing about the internet, virtually everyone mistakes discussion for argument. Very little of what I said was a statement of belief. I should perhaps have said that I was simply looking for someone to explain the sides so I can make a better decision about how I view it rather than just taking the viewpoint of an article in slate as certainty

tedunangst 17y ago

"Um, what planet are you from? At least 3 major world religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) regard gambling as evil." They also regard all manner of activity evil that most people (and even adherents) find perfectly acceptable and engage in every day. Bacon, beer, and shamefully clad women come to mind. So let me ask what planet you are from. Have you ever gone to a casino and asked the gamblers what their religion was?

calambrac 17y ago
Wait, what? Pointing out that there exist institutions that aren't the government that regard gambling as evil somehow means I think people don't gamble, or that I think those beliefs are valid? That makes no sense.
- tedunangst 17y ago
  I guess I don't understand the point of your post. Are you trying to say gambling is evil or not?
  - calambrac 17y ago
    Neither. I was pointing out that plenty of other people think it is, in response to GP's statement that "gambling's existence is something that few outside government seem to have a problem with".