JeffS, there's something I've been wondering, mostly unrelated to what's being discussed here. I hope you don't mind if I hijack this thread for the purpose of understanding it.

Let me preface this with a quote from an old 70's-era Galactica episode: "I do not question... merely ask enlightenment."

In other words, I'm not trying to ask this question because I disagree, or to cast aspersions. I honestly would like to learn something new. And it strikes me that you're a person who is in a position to answer honestly, because you've been very open about this topic in the past, and I respect your opinion and respect the way you stand by your values.

Okay, here we go: Gambling and Christianity. My understanding is that certain sects consider gambling a sin, and others don't. Being a Christian who gambles, I hope you might be able to answer the obvious questions that arise from this seeming inconsistency.

To wit: What are the parts of the Bible, if any, that say anything on the topic? If there aren't any, on what do the non-gambling sects base their belief? And if the Bible does list specific prohibitions against it, how do the gambling sects (or, for that matter, you personally) justify it?

I don't really want to spur a generalized religious debate here in this thread (although, with this group of people, such threads can be fun), I'm mostly just looking for those specific data points on this very narrow topic. I don't want to debate the correctness or morality of one side or the other, I just want to learn where the dichotomy comes from.

Oh, and if I've somehow got my facts wrong and I started this whole thing with a false premise (that some Christian sects allow gambling and others do not), then please correct me on that, too.