Is buying shares allowed?

Gambling is not considered a way to invest money.

However "buying shares" you are investing in a business. Having a share means that you have many parterners on a very large scale business.

Most of the O.T. people where business owners and that means that they owned all of the shares in thier business (farms, vineyards, carpenter, ranches and many more).

Bottom line..........Buying shares means that you own a small part of a large company, which is very biblical............

 

xdx,

bmerr here. When I invest, I do so hoping that everyone who invested with me wins with me as the value of our shares goes up.

If I gamble, I hope that everyone else who is gambling with me loses, so that I can win.

See the difference? Investing aims for the good of all. Gambling aims for the good of me, and the bad of everyone else.

I suppose people have justified themselves in other sins as well, though. If you're dead set on gambling, go ahead. Just don't expect to go to Heaven later.

In Christ,

bmerr

 

xdx,

Your analogy is a bit flawed.

• "Gambling" is an appeal to greed...something for nothing.
• "Investing" in stocks is becoming part-owner...your money allows for development, and ultimately a return.
• The rub is this: some realms of investing are quite safe--over the last near-century, for instance, many growth-stock mutual funds have yielded 12% average...provided you leave them there for 5+years. There's other stuff--single stocks, and wild stuff like international funds & "penny stocks"--that vary wildly. We're in less of a "sin" issue, and more of a "wisdom" issue then.
• Think about what the master said to the lazy servant who risked nothing in Matthew 27:

No condemnation of investing there...In fact, the master condemns the idea of NOT taking a risk. We should be wise in our stewardship, but investing is not condemned. Gambling plays to a different set of motivations, it uses a differing MO, and it usually yields much different results (the House wins).

The key is what our friend Solomon seemed to understand...our actions should be informed by Godly wisdom.

Saving for our future...wise.
Gambling...not wise.
Putting the bulk of our savings in risky stocks/schemes/etc...not wise.
Seeking godly counsel regarding our choices...wise.
Not being hasty/not "counting the cost"...not wise.
Listening to Rbell...oh, I'll leave this one blank :laugh:

 

Of all the idiotic things I've heard on this board, this is definitely in the top 5,000.

 

I'll lay you 8 to 1 there are going to be some in heaven who did some gambling.

 

First of all, if I'm gambling with someone, I am hoping they win as well. If I gamble against them, I am hoping they lose. Tht is no different from a business.

Hypothetically, if I am the owner of a furniture store, I am hope that people will come and buy my furniture so that I, and my investors in the company, can make money. If customers buy their furniture from the store down the street, then I and my investors do not make money. Therefore, I hope that the customers will come and buy from me and that the other store will either move or go out of business so that I can make more money from their potential customers. The more competition you have, the less money you make. That's why people advertise; so others will buy furniture from them over the other company.

Another example:

My dad has owned an A/C & Heating company for over 30 years in Houston. There are hundreds and hundreds of competitors in this market. If he bids a job to put in so much A/C for a company, and 5 other companies bid the same job, I can guarantee you he is hoping those other companies lose out and he wins the bid. All companies are the same.

There is no difference between gambling and owning a business. Just the terminology used and the people who try to explain away one form of gambling while condemning another.

 

I sure hope so or else heaven is going to be very sparsely populated.

 

You seem to spend quite a bit of time asking bizzare and off-the-wall quesitons. AND I'd wager that a systematic study of the Bible would produce answers to most that would allow you a huge share of biblically based answers.

 

mc,

bmerr here. I don't know who you are, but AMEN to that! :laugh:

In Christ,

bmerr

 

Well, if anyone has some shares and feels guilty about them, please send them to me.

 

I don't put much stock in what Bro. Bob says here.
















:laugh: :thumbs:

 

I think the market just hit rock bottom for me.

 

I bet you do care in roulette if others win or not. If you bet on 18, you're hoping that all of those who bet on the other numbers lose.

If you bet on a team, you are hoping that those who bet on the other team lose.

 

Yeah, but he's also hoping that everyone else who bet on 18 wins and that everyone else who bet on his favorite team wins.

Serves the losers right for sinning!:laugh:

 

Jesus encourages people to invest in the market?

Matthew 25:14-16

14For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.


15And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.

16Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.

It's not exactly clear how the servants with five and two talents doubled their money, but it sounds to me like they took the money to some kind of investment market. Sounds like it was both an acceptable and encouraged method of making more money.

No?

 

Why invest in the stock market when you can invest in real estate (what I do). Less risk, more reward

 

There is a huge difference between investing, owning a business, and gambling.

Gambling is a game of chance, with the odds greatly stacked against you. Businesses and investments are something you control, through research and hard work.

If your approach to buying stocks is throwing a dart at the stock exhcnage page in your local paper, then yes, they are essentially the same. You should do either. But investing is a studied process, where one takes into account the history of a company, and puts their money to work. Essentially, buying stock is becoming a creditor, where you are loaning money to a company to use for their development and growth.

Gambling is just giving money away.

 

Investing

Investing your money can be very rewarding and seems to be sound biblically. Its smart to make your money earn money. But I ran into a situation years ago When I found two of the companies I was investing in was running slave labor camps. One was mining, the other textiles. I sold them as soon as I found this. I believe while my intentions were good I never realized the cause and effect of my actions. And I believe this to be a sin. Its difficult to research where the final destination of your money goes. Corporations own many different companies. Some seem acceptable but others might not be. Your money might go to completely legit operation but they might own companies that aren't. This is guilt by association. Take WalMart for example, many people have increased their wealth with this company but did you know that many of the products they stock were made in slave camps. Of course these companies stay in business because we purchase the products they make. These countries that are making these products that we use do not live by the same rules that we do. Many children are sold into these slave camps as well. These conditions are horrible and despicable. There are many stock research sites on the internet. I advise you to use them. Know where your money is going. Real estate is safe. Investing in yourself is safer. And need I say investing in God is safest.