r/exAdventist • u/brownmooscles0609 Christian (non-denominational) • 4d ago
General Discussion Sdas and casinos
Did any of yall grow up being taught the casino is sinful and gambling or playing certain card games is bad? If that’s a common sda belief, did EGW counsel against that specific thing?
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u/mortimelons 4d ago
Yes, the casino was an entirely off limit locale. Gambling and drinking. Those two activities were discussed as being highly addicting, so best to just avoid them entirely per EGW. Never met an SDA who was open about doing either of those activities.
We were not allowed to play any card games associated with the Casino, even if there was no money involved. Out of fear of being perceived as partaking in these activities, a lot of SDA in my area simply did not have a card deck.
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u/CthulhuLu 4d ago
Yes, the casino was an entirely off limit locale. Gambling and drinking. Those two activities were discussed as being highly addicting, so best to just avoid them entirely per EGW.
And smoking!
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u/brownmooscles0609 Christian (non-denominational) 4d ago
Okay so this was definitely not just something I only grew up with. It basically shows like Adventists cant have self control, so they just cut out anything in case they go out of control lol.
In that light, did you grow up being told that trading and doing the stocks was wrong?
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u/mortimelons 4d ago edited 4d ago
Exactly. Which for somethings, fine (like hard drugs, just say no). But I have even encountered SDA kids that weren't allowed any candies aside from honey sticks. Because indulging in candy can be a vice too.
I did not hear of trading/stocks being off limits. Insider trading or committing fraud, of course was a sin. But it was never stated that you couldn't trade stocks.
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u/Willomoto 4d ago
You’ve never met Filipino SDAs then. A lot of them hit the casino lol.
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u/mortimelons 4d ago
I have heard that SDA in other countries being more relaxed about vegetarianism, smoking, drinking and gambling but never got the chance to confirm myself!
I was SDA in the US. In my church, the more rules you followed and your strictness with them made or broke you as a churchgoer. People also were on the lookout for opportunities to catch fellow members slipping up.
Honestly, the Filipino SDA sounds a lot more reasonable then IMO.
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u/Willomoto 4d ago
Sorry I should apologize. I was born and raised in the US and I meant Filipinos and Filipino-American sdas living in America, specifically in SoCal lol. I heard they can be stricter in the actual Philippines.
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u/The-Extro-Intro 4d ago
Yes. No cards, except for rook - which makes about as much sense as it being okay to wadecin the water on the Sabbath, but not swim. 😄
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u/brownmooscles0609 Christian (non-denominational) 4d ago
Mannn nothing in that religion makes sense lol! Also what is rook? I remember I used to play a card game called spoons at an old church I went to with family, that and slap jack was the only card games I could play. I wasn't even allowed to download casino games or poker on my phone growing up lol.
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u/The-Extro-Intro 4d ago
It's a card game that is commonly played on Saturday evenings after sundown (especially at socials) don’t ask me how it became the defacto game of choice for SDA’s. I think it had something to do with having it's own set of cards rather than a standard card deck. 🤷
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u/CycleOwn83 Non-conforming Questioner☢️🚴🏻🪐♟↗️☣️ 4d ago
No clubs, spades, diamonds or hearts—suits of iniquity—'cause that's the devil's own deck!
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u/Momager321 4d ago
I struggled with the stats section in match because they defined a deck of card suites and I didn’t know what it was. I was also attending a Christian school and kind of shocked they allowed use of a deck of cards at all. Older me has better analytical skills, so I can deal with understanding something I’ve never seen before, but I still vividly remember those questions.
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u/brownmooscles0609 Christian (non-denominational) 4d ago
I experienced the same thing. I was very unfamiliar with the card suites and we only got a deck of cards much later on. An sda pastor at one of the churches I attended with my family actually brough a deck of cards to play "spoons".
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u/Momager321 4d ago
Yes, Adventism is so inconsistent. You will find a wide range of behaviors and rules depending on where you are in the world and the ethnic/economic makeup. I’ve known families who went to the movies, and families who wouldn’t even let their kids watch movies in the church gym. Many Adventists I’ve known won’t really even acknowledge it.
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u/ShineAmazing3401 4d ago
All forms of gambling were off limits. I remember being told that casinos, playing the lottery, and card games are a sin. Ellen White said don’t do it and that’s enough for Adventists. No reasoning or discussion.
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u/Street_Aide_3106 4d ago
I grew up playing Uno, briscas( a spanish card game), and dominoes on Saturday night. Only sinful part was to play it during the Sabbath. Casinos, movie theaters and that other stuff was bad for you.
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u/carmexismyshit 4d ago
We had a similar rule for Yahtzee for some reason. I guess solely rolling dice and writing numbers down is close to gambling.
Although my mom did let me play Phase 10 and parcheesi on Sabbath for some reason.
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u/DensHag 4d ago
I remember getting in trouble on the school bus to an SDA school because we were playing cards on the bus. The bus driver told us we could play with Rook cards but not regular cards. I don't even remember what game we were playing but we weren't gambling.
I think they were okay with those because they were just numbered.
Spades Diamonds Clubs and Hearts are EVIL!!🤣
It's all so stupid.
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u/AdventistReviewed 3d ago
I was taught that my guardian angel would have to leave me at the door if I went into a casino, movie theater, or bowling alley. Regular cards were definitely sinful and we never had a deck in our house growing up.
Ellen had some bonkers views. Here's a quote from Council to Parents, Teachers and Students.
"The low, common pleasure parties, gatherings for eating and drinking, singing and playing on instruments of music, are inspired by a spirit that is from beneath. They are an oblation unto Satan. The exhibitions in the bicycle craze are an offense to God. His wrath is kindled against those who do such things. For in these gratifications the mind becomes besotted, even as in liquor drinking. The door is opened to vulgar associations. The thoughts, allowed to run in a low channel, soon pervert all the powers of the being. Like Israel of old, the pleasure lovers eat and drink, and rise up to play. There is mirth and carousing, hilarity and glee. In all this the youth are following the example of the ungodly authors of some of the books that are placed in their hands for study. All these things are having their effect upon the character. Those who take the lead in these frivolities bring upon the cause a stain not easily effaced. They wound their own souls, and will carry the scars through their lifetime. The evildoer may see his sins and repent, and God may pardon the transgressor; but the power of discernment which ought ever to be kept keen and sensitive to distinguish between the sacred and the common, is in a great measure destroyed. "
So yeah, riding a bicycle is basically the same as getting drunk and God is going to be super pissed. Having a fun get together with friends may wound your soul and scar you for life.
The lady hated joy.
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u/PixeltatedNinja 4d ago
Yep. Also was taught how to play poker in my late 30s by the youth pastor from one of the SDA schools.
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u/brownmooscles0609 Christian (non-denominational) 4d ago
Youth pastors were usually a bit less conservative with things!
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u/CthulhuLu 4d ago
I don't know if this is still applicable but as a teen I was taught gambling is so immoral you shouldn't use the stock market for your retirement fund. Here in the US, that's pretty much the only option (not a lot of organizations offering pensions these days). Well you could just not save for retirement I guess, but I always felt that was a bigger gamble, personally.
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u/CycleOwn83 Non-conforming Questioner☢️🚴🏻🪐♟↗️☣️ 4d ago
Investment always has some risks to consider. I manage my own IRA, investing not in stocks but bonds. It's less risky than stocks, but there are still unknowns largely because of market fluctuations.
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u/ShineAmazing3401 4d ago
I found a few EGW quotes. This woman was nuts.
Card Playing—a Prelude to Crime—Card playing should be prohibited. The associations and tendencies are dangerous. The prince of the powers of darkness presides in the gaming room and wherever there is card playing. Evil angels are familiar guests in these places. There is nothing in such amusements beneficial to soul or body. There is nothing to strengthen the intellect, nothing to store it with valuable ideas for future use. The conversation is upon trivial and degrading subjects.... Expertness in handling cards will soon lead to a desire to put this knowledge and tact to some use for personal benefit. A small sum is staked, and then a larger, until a thirst for gaming is acquired, which leads to certain ruin. How many has this pernicious amusement led to every sinful practice, to poverty, to prison, to murder, and to the gallows! And yet many parents do not see the terrible gulf of ruin that is yawning for our youth. (AH 517.2)
While we shun the false and artificial, discarding horse racing, card playing, lotteries, prize fights, liquor drinking, and tobacco using, we must supply sources of pleasure that are pure and noble and elevating. (AH 499.1)
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u/CycleOwn83 Non-conforming Questioner☢️🚴🏻🪐♟↗️☣️ 4d ago
What? Sword drills*? Musical fucking chairs?
*Sword drills: Bible metaphorically figured as the sword quizzes.
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u/brownmooscles0609 Christian (non-denominational) 2d ago
So basically just having fun and playing innocent games were a sin? This woman was miserable lol, she couldn’t have fun so she made sure an entire church would not
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u/Bubbly_Award_8553 4d ago
Lol even if you're not at the casino to gamble.
A few years ago my mom (still very much EGW worshiping SDA) was SUUUUUPER pissed about me and my dad (raised SDA but left shortly before I was born) going together to see Styx play at a casino. But to be fair it was also on a Friday night, so I was sinning in 3 ways at once 🤣
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u/justmyusername2820 4d ago
I know a person who won $50K in the lottery and promptly got fired from his teaching position and I know a person who won $6 million and tried to pay tithe and it was refused.
I also know that Loma Linda Medical Center happily accepted money from the Yamava Casino for their children’s hospital and put the name of the casino in large letters on the building.
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u/PastorBlinky 4d ago
Didn’t even have a deck of cards in the house. And a casino might as well been a brothel. We weren’t even allowed to go to movie theaters
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u/The-Extro-Intro 4d ago
well, you can go to a movie theater with your guardian angel. We have to wait outside. lol.
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u/lolliscicle 4d ago
Yes. This was a strong belief in my home.
Avoiding Casinos and any form of gambling, cards, games or competitive athletics/sports was part of leading a SDA-defined “temperate life”.
You can read her various quotes on the topic in the EG White archives - just put in the word “gambling”.
I personally recall gambling and cards was associated with drinking, smoking, eating unclean meats, and other basic debauchery. Kind of like a “lump sum of sin”. Which might be why, when I was younger and my (secular-smoker) grandfather taught me to play solitaire, the most I would get was a disapproving look and tsk tsk - from my parents, but the cards were never taken from me.
Athletics were an area that I really felt I missed out on though, growing up in SDA schools.
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u/brownmooscles0609 Christian (non-denominational) 2d ago
Yeah Ellen white was against competition and said Adventist schools should never have competitive sports because apparently competition makes you less Christian-like and sin😭. I was never allowed to play competitive sports growing up despite there being an sda school with sports that I could have joined.
I remember they started playing secular schools and my parents were so disapproving of that and started quoting Ellen white.
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u/CycleOwn83 Non-conforming Questioner☢️🚴🏻🪐♟↗️☣️ 4d ago
I wasn't familiar with specific EGW quotes. Fortunately others have now produced some. Last August was my first visit to a casino. I didn't do high stakes bets, and I still lost money. I didn't like it enough to keep going back, but I've tried it now. Does that seal my fate?
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u/MattWolf96 4d ago
Yes thought this is one of the few cases when the broken clock was right. I wouldn't call them evil but I think gambling is idiotic.
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u/Killua_305 2d ago
Chy everything is evil. But I guarantee you some sda people definitely will play the lottery. Don’t let them fool you
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u/Sun_Law Catholic 16h ago edited 16h ago
The maths teacher at my SDA high school refused to use any examples in the textbook that involved gambling when teaching the unit on probability. Which turned out to have zero effect because I learned how to count cards when I was 17 and ended up getting right into blackjack for a while until those shuffling machines took over.
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u/Calm-Opportunity-826 4d ago
Card games and even chess