Pastor warns Christians not to play Mega Millions lotto

[Arbo]

Stop the bully tactics

Maybe he's ex military, and that's what he's been trained to do.:sleep:

 

[Alive in Christ]

DHK posted...

There are two types of "casting lots." One is preceded by prayer and divinely ordained by prayer.

Oh, I have no dought there are MILLIONS of people tonight, saved and lost, who are (((praying))) like thet have never prayed in their lives!! :thumbs::laugh:

(As for me, I have never purchrchased a lottety ticket, and didnt for this one.)

 

[jbh28]

The Bible teaches us to be good stewards of our money. Jesus spoke specifically on this in Matthew 25. So the question, is playing the Mega Millions lotto being a good Stewart of our money?

A number of good points have been brought up. The Bible doesn't have a specific answer. We do have good principles. Is somebody buying a movie ticket for $10 really being a better than buying a $10 lottery ticket? Well, it could be argued that the guy buying the movie ticket has a 100% percent chance of seeing the movie, where as the buyers of the lottery ticket...well a lot less. If it's done out of fun, in and of itself it's not bad. However, as DHK mentioned, there can be problems that arise from this. Many people have been addicted to gambling. I personlly don't buy lottery tickets(though the 640 million makes it tempting. :saint

It's interesting all the off topic posts about.....people being off topic. Pot meet kettle.

 

[Alive in Christ]

Jbh28 posted...

If it's done out of fun, in and of itself it's not bad.

My X- father in law used to buy 2 lottery tickets every friday after the work week was over. they were "scratch off" tickets.

He would sit down next to his wife and they would scratch them off.

If they won something, they got a little laugh out of it.

It they didnt win anything, they still got a laugh out of it.

My wife and I never bought lottery tickets, but we never said anything to her parents.

 

[saturneptune]

No worries here, I've got something "Mega Millions" can't buy. :godisgood:

Paul Williams & The Victory Trio - I Went Down A Beggar But I Came Up A Millionaire http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgseijhq8QM

Ephesians 2:1-10
2 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Wrong again, Baptist breath. You could have bought the qualities in those ten verses from the Pope for $239.50. In fact, if you will add two gallons of holy water to the order, shipping and handling are free.

 

[gb93433]

Christians do gamble. And that is sad. But it is very addicted. And that means lottery. Unfortunately this is get rich quick nation. As people will do anything and sadly go to lengths, to get a lottery ticket and win, any lottery ticket. One out of a trillion chances you would win.

Who does not play the stock market? It was once treated as gambling was too. The number one major in college is accounting. Construction management is one of the highest paying but not many want to be in that environment.

 

[mandym]

1. Do you believe it is right for a Christian to gamble? (that is what it is).
2. Do you believe it is right to believe in the principle of "getting something for nothing," when the Bible teaches against laziness, and teaches a work ethic, and providing for one's own.
3. Do you believe it is right to waste your money on such a godless institution when you could be giving it to your own local church for a better cause such as missions, since the odds of getting hit by an asteroid are more likely than winning that lottery?

A very reasonable response to the op. There is no scripture that speaks to gambling. So long as one is not spending money on it when they have other responsibilities there is no real problem.

Getting something for nothing and laziness are not automatically tied together. I understand the fear of the attitude of some who want to get a huge pay day so they do not have to work but this should not be used in a broad brush sense. I know a great many people who play the lottery who are hard working individuals and have an outstanding work ethic.

To be consistent with number 3 you should not ever spend money on any form of entertainment but instead give any such money to missions. I found your position here to be very legalistic.

Gambling can be problematic just like everything else. The casino's are not a good environment for Christians but that is because of the over indulgence involved. But those who may gamble or play the lottery with no over indulgence are not in error.

 

[saturneptune]

Option one, a form of gambling is a vice which many become addicted to. Look up the history. It has been the ruin of many a family. The result: poverty, broken homes, needless addiction, etc. For that reason it, in and of itself, is evil.

Ten to one says you are wrong.

 

[DHK]

A very reasonable response to the op. There is no scripture that speaks to gambling. So long as one is not spending money on it when they have other responsibilities there is no real problem.

That is the same argument that is used in favor of social drinking.
The same could be used for an occasional "smoker,"
The same could be used then for an occasional "user" of marijuana.
And then why not take one more step and say "user of cocaine," recreational of course.

All of the above are addictions. They all start somewhere. I believe that Scripture has much to say about gambling in that it has much to say about addictions, money, the family, our relationships with others, the value of our time and money, etc. There are many established principles that speak to the evil of gambling.

Do you remember the Ad for Lay's Potato Chips?
"Bettcha' can't eat just one"?
--Just one potato chip? No, you have to have another, and another...

1 Corinthians 6:12 All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.
1. A lotto ticket is lawful.
2. But it is not necessarily the expedient thing to do.
3. It can be habit forming from week to week. (I will not be brought under the power of any--an addiction)

Getting something for nothing and laziness are not automatically tied together. I understand the fear of the attitude of some who want to get a huge pay day so they do not have to work but this should not be used in a broad brush sense. I know a great many people who play the lottery who are hard working individuals and have an outstanding work ethic.

This particular payout was $174 million, if I read correctly. For most the goal was to win the huge amount of money so they could stop working; take retirement early, live out their lifelong dream, spend money on whatever they want, etc. After all what would you do with $174 million dollars, and why would you continue working?

To be consistent with number 3 you should not ever spend money on any form of entertainment but instead give any such money to missions. I found your position here to be very legalistic.

I cannot rightly call buying a lotto ticket a form of entertainment. Therefore it is not in the same category as any kind of entertainment. Apples and oranges. Gambling will break up a family. Wholesome entertainment can keep a family together. There is a big difference.

Gambling can be problematic just like everything else. The casino's are not a good environment for Christians but that is because of the over indulgence involved. But those who may gamble or play the lottery with no over indulgence are not in error.

I already addressed that. Just like those ones who never take that second or third or fourth or fifth drink. If only they had never taken the first. Many of them would still be alive today. But instead they got behind the wheel of a car and drove away half drunk and met their demise. "Yea, I know when to stop." Right.

 

[mandym]

That is the same argument that is used in favor of social drinking.
The same could be used for an occasional "smoker,"
The same could be used then for an occasional "user" of marijuana.
And then why not take one more step and say "user of cocaine," recreational of course.

All of the above are addictions. They all start somewhere. I believe that Scripture has much to say about gambling in that it has much to say about addictions, money, the family, our relationships with others, the value of our time and money, etc. There are many established principles that speak to the evil of gambling.

You cannot begin with the notion that the use of alcohol or gambling is an automatic addiction. That is just not honest and is usually based out of fear. We need integrity on these issues so as to be credible. Marijuana is not the same thing as it automatically get one high. That automatically causes one to sin. The others do not.

 

[DHK]

You cannot begin with the notion that the use of alcohol or gambling is an automatic addiction. That is just not honest and is usually based out of fear. We need integrity on these issues so as to be credible. Marijuana is not the same thing as it automatically get one high. That automatically causes one to sin. The others do not.

They can become very addictive and they are, especially in our society:

Problem gambling affects people from all walks of life. Whether you bet on sports, buy lottery tickets or scratch cards, play roulette, poker, or slots, in a casino or online, problem gambling can strain your relationships, interfere with home and work, and lead to financial catastrophe. For those considered severe problem gamblers, otherwise known as gambling addicts or pathological gamblers, you may even do things you never thought possible, like stealing money to gamble or taking money meant for your children. Gambling addiction can even lead to an increased risk of suicide.
You may think you can’t stop, but problem gambling and gambling addiction are treatable. If you’re ready to admit you have a problem and seek help, you can overcome your gambling problem and regain control of your life.

http://helpguide.org/mental/gambling_addiction.htm

 

[saturneptune]

Just like those ones who never take that second or third or fourth or fifth drink. If only they had never taken the first. Many of them would still be alive today. But instead they got behind the wheel of a car and drove away half drunk and met their demise. "Yea, I know when to stop." Right.

I do not drink because when I served in the Navy and drank, it was obvious I was not able to drink in a moderate, mature fashion, so I stopped. After getting married and having kids, the reasons not to drink became more compelling. It had nothing to do with Baptist doctrine.

I do not dance because I am the biggest clutz to ever grace the dance floor. It has nothing to do with Baptist doctrine.

I do not gamble because I would rather save my money for retirement, and right now, fund my daughter's wedding, plus the money is better used at my local church. It has nothing to do with Baptist doctrine.

I do not smoke because I had a six way bypass operation two years ago. It has nothing to do with Baptist doctrine.

I do not overeat and watch my weight for the same reason as I do not smoke.

I do not do all the drugs you mentioned because it is against the law, again, nothing to do with Baptist doctrine.

The main reason for all the above aside from common sense is that it is a bad witness. It has nothing to do with memorizing a set of rules, and trying to live up to them on my own power. That is not what the Christian walk is all about.

Again, what irks me to the nth degree, is those who sit around the pot luck table, stuffing their fat guts, and gossiping about other church members so fast their mouth is full of food. The subject is usually someone involved in one of the mentioned vices listed. Yet, the local church fails to hold such people accountable.

The Holy Spirit living in us is enough to make all the unclear vices in Scripture clear to us. The Lord has richly blessed me by not making any of those thing appealling to me. However, I am going to spend my time telling others about the Lord, not pointing fingers and being holier than thou.

 

[mandym]

They can become very addictive and they are, especially in our society:

I didn't say they weren't, but that does not make them automatically a sin or even wrong. Everything can be taken too far and be addictive. Drinking without getting drunk is not a sin. Gambling without over indulging is not a sin.

However, eating too much is a sin and many people are addicted to food. We need to be careful in how we apply things.

 

[DHK]

I do not drink because when I served in the Navy and drank, it was obvious I was not able to drink in a moderate, mature fashion, so I stopped. After getting married and having kids, the reasons not to drink became more compelling. It had nothing to do with Baptist doctrine.

I do not dance because I am the biggest clutz to ever grace the dance floor. It has nothing to do with Baptist doctrine.

I do not gamble because I would rather save my money for retirement, and right now, fund my daughter's wedding, plus the money is better used at my local church. It has nothing to do with Baptist doctrine.

I do not smoke because I had a six way bypass operation two years ago. It has nothing to do with Baptist doctrine.

I do not overeat and watch my weight for the same reason as I do not smoke.

I do not do all the drugs you mentioned because it is against the law, again, nothing to do with Baptist doctrine.

The main reason for all the above aside from common sense is that it is a bad witness. It has nothing to do with memorizing a set of rules, and trying to live up to them on my own power. That is not what the Christian walk is all about.

Again, what irks me to the nth degree, is those who sit around the pot luck table, stuffing their fat guts, and gossiping about other church members so fast their mouth is full of food. The subject is usually someone involved in one of the mentioned vices listed. Yet, the local church fails to hold such people accountable.

The Holy Spirit living in us is enough to make all the unclear vices in Scripture clear to us. The Lord has richly blessed me by not making any of those thing appealling to me. However, I am going to spend my time telling others about the Lord, not pointing fingers and being holier than thou.

I appreciate your post. I was saved as an adult. The Lord spoke to my heart about most of the same things you mentioned that they were wrong and as such a bad witness. I didn't have to be taught, even as a new Christian.

It does trouble me why there seems to be a new or another generation that have to be convinced to have a holy walk pleasing unto the Lord. Thanks for your post.

 

[Godspeaks2me]

It does trouble me why there seems to be a new or another generation that have to be convinced to have a holy walk pleasing unto the Lord. Thanks for your post.

It also troubles me that a man I am assuming pro 60 year's old needs to be reminded that he is behaving as middle schooler's do at a lunch table on these forums, as I had to do for you earlier. I have read many of your past posts and they all seem to have one thing in common, you like to belittle and use ad-hominem tactics to try and coax people into an argument with you.

Another thing that troubles me is that you would put a generation down and me ( since I bought a (1) dollar lottery ticket) by saying my holy walk with the lord is not pleasing to him, when the bible say's nothing about it (AND YOUR NOT GOD). It's merely your opinion. My walk is pleasing to the lord, regardless of what you try to convince me the bible does not say.

I can assure you if I spent a day with you in the little time I've witnessed first hand how you speak to fellow Christians that I could admonish you for MANY un-Christlike habit's that are not pleasing to God. However, It seem's to me your only desire is to tear people down and not build them up.

I read where you told someone your 5 year old Grandchild could read and understand things better then them. It's very sad that under your administrator online title you use it for such un-Christ like antics.

My father always told me you can't teach and old dog new tricks and once a person hits a certain age they will never change. I just hope you realize one day when you wake up and look at yourself in the mirror of your error and use your abundance of online time as a born again Christian aught to.

It's amazing to me that your allowed to be a moderator on a Forum that represents christ and a voice of witnessing.

 

[mandym]

What is sad is that there are those who create their own standard for holiness much like the pharisees.

I do not play lottery nor do I drink. But I am not going to say more than scripture does. I believe purchasing alcohol can be a poor testimony. But it is incorrect to say that any and all alcohol is a sin. Gambling can be a problem for many but scripture does not say not to do it. If we want to have credibility we need to be more precise on these issues and paint with a broad brush.

 

[blackbird]

The Bible has no teachings on gambling.

The lottery is no different than the stock market or other investments in many ways. While we should be mindful and appreciative that some have serious problems with addictive qualities, most psychologists and therapists don't see addictive lottery players having the same levels of disaffection as traditional gamblers.

I don't care if someone plays the lotto. I don't care if someone from our church plays the lotto. I only ask them to tithe on their earnings... Evangelicals make too much of some of these things.

The Bible teaches that an unjust weight is an abomination unto the Lord

And how do you suppose that the lottery is no different than the stock market??

Lets just suppose that I bought 1 share of stock in Wal Mart that cost $50/share-------I will ALWAYS have that one share no matter what!! I understand that if the company does well----that one share that was worth $50 may increase in value----lets just say to $52/share---and the share is still mine

I understand, too---that the value of the share MAY decrease in value---say, to $48/share-----I still have the share---but its value has decreased

See??? I will always have that share!! It will always belong to me!!

But when you lay down $1 for a lottery ticket---its a game of chance---I choose a set of #'s----and if the #'s I choose do not match----that $1 is gone forever---its not mine anymore

Folks use the excuse of "The lottery is no different than the stock market" to justify their little corner of vise!!! However large or small that corner may be!!!

:saint::saint::type:

 

[HeirofSalvation]

The Bible teaches that an unjust weight is an abomination unto the Lord

Yes, and an unjust weight is a very straightforward method of directly stealing-it is cheating someone-it is lying It would be more akin to the use of counterfeit money-or false information on a contract or adding an extra 0 to a check. The correlation between using an unjust weight and lottery escapes me.

You are very correct, however, in your comparison between Lottery and Stock Market use. The purchase of a stock is nothing more nothing less than the purchase of a percentage of a company which is actively doing business-manufacturing a product for sale on the market-et. al. The difference between a Giant Corporation and the mom and pop store owner-is that the corpration is owned by numerous individuals all possessing a portion of that company. Justifying gambling by comparing it to the Stock Market is fallacious.
Then again, I do not have a problem with people who occasionally play the lottery, or even visit a casino (if this is money pre-designated for entertainment anyway).

 

[ChristianLady1978]

Here in Georgia, I am grateful for the lottery. I don't play it myself, but the lottery paid for my HOPE Scholarship when I was in college. It also is paying for my daughter's pre-K. So the money is being used for educational purposes and I am all for that.

 

[HankD]

Actually investments are not necessarily "something for nothing" when they turn out well.

Take the precious metal investments market for instance.

Ten years ago in 2002 Gold was around $200-300/ounce
Today its around $2000/ounce.

So, if you invested $1000 in Gold in 2002 its worth about $7000 today.

However that $7000 today has little more spending power than the $1000 in 2002 due to inflation which for the most part is due to the printing of "fiat" money.

Another 'However': The government taxes you as if you actually "made money"

So, no, IMO its not wrong - whatever you can do to preserve the gift of God and the value of the hard earned money that you made the better off you are including an investment of an occassional $1.00 in a VERY speculative endeavor.

Our government is not ashamed to reach into our pockets and take half our income (if one includes hidden taxes) and squander large portions of it due to waste, fraud and misrepresentation so don't be ashamed to try to legally retrieve said money.

BTW, the reason I personally don't buy lottery tickets is not because of conscience but because I had a math minor in college.

INCOMING!!

HankD