A few times I have played poker with some LDS friends, we never gamble any money, and either use match sticks or poker chips.
We basically get 20 chips each and play the game, if you lose, your not really losing anything, and if you win, your not really winning anything.
Someone at Church said that I shouldn't have done this, and it was equally as bad as viewing pornography?
What do you think? Is playing poker alright if you aren't actually gambling anything? Or should it be avoided altogether?
Sam, keep in mind that well intentioned members most of the time speak their personal opinion (just like here and anywhere else). I never heard the comparison about playing poker and porn though. Seems a bit extreme in my view. This is what I found about the topic:
QUOTE |
One type of gambling that has been vigorously criticized by our leaders is card playing. Cards may, of course, be played without playing for money, but the relationship between card playing and gambling is so close and the practice of card playing itself partakes of so many of the disadvantages of gambling that card playing has come under condemnation regardless of whether or not gambling is involved. Elder Widtsoe criticized card playing on the grounds that it was habit forming and a waste of time. He declared: "It has been observed through centuries of experience that the habit of card playing becomes fixed upon a person and increases until he feels that a day without a game of cards is incomplete. "After an afternoon or evening at card-playing, nothing has been changed, no new knowledge, thoughts, or visions have come, no new hopes or aspirations have been generated, except for another opportunity to waste precious hours. It leads nowhere; it is a dead-end road. "¦ Dull and deadly is a life which does not seek to immerse itself in the rapidly moving stream of new and increasing knowledge and power. Time is required to "keep up with the times." We dare not waste time on pastimes that starve the soul." |
My hobby used to be solving the rubiks cube, I solved it hundreds of times, each time getting faster, I enjoyed it, but I'm not really getting anything out of it.
I do agree playing poker all day isn't very constructive, but neither is watching movies, playing computer/console games, skydiving, listening to music and loads of other things, they are more for personal enjoyment than actually being constructive.
Sam, you are forgetting or maybe ignoring? (not sure) that poker cards are associated with gambling and that's another reason for the recommendation. You're even using chips like the real thing. We were advised to avoid even the appearance of "evil".
BUT, despite all that, it is true that there are hobbies that are NOT constructive in nature and when a person wastes too much time doing these things is not good . But I am curious...you seem to know these things then what is the purpose of your thread really?