Christians and the state lottery

[Guest LadyC]

While I understand the correlation you and others are drawing between casino gambling and the state lottery, the player in the latter overwhelmingly is looking to get rich. That is what the billboard on the highway told him with its growing toke.

maybe so, for the lottery winners that do the pick five, or pick six, or pick however many numbers that state has. the scratch off tickets though, are a different story. not many people expect to win big on scratch off's. the average "win" is anywhere from $2-20.

same pool hall, different story. sometimes the employees would all pitch in $5, and a designated person would go buy all the scratch off tickets they could get with what was pitched in. they'd bring them back, and we'd all get our five tickets and scratch them. whoever had the highest total of winnings got EVERYbody's winnings.

now that was fun! (even though i was never the winner!)

[bison.78]

To be a christian means to be christ-like.

Ask yourself this question: would Jesus Christ play the lottery?

Most people, like me, believe he wouldn't. That is why when your a professing Christian and you are doing something (like gambling) that is worldly, someone will say to you " I thought you were a Christian!"....so much for your witness....enough said.

[Guest Biblicist]

I wonder if this is why Christians don't play games much at all. The idea of winning, even if it is for money, is considered wrong. The games played are supposed to be fun, throw a little money in there, and some people who want to play to win, and we have sin.

Obsession for money is a sin.

Obsession with winning is a sin.

NOT playing a game.

When they cast lots for Jesus' clothes, was that considered sinful, or spoken of at all as a sinful practice? Does it make it bad since the Roman soldiers were doing it? They cast lots to replace Judas, is that the same thing?

[Smalcald]

I think I am probably joining two issues or conflating them.

1) Is gambling of any sort always per-se a sin for an individual?

2) Are big time casino gambling and large state run lotteries what a Christian culture would want and do they in general promote sin?

For me number 1 is that no, gambling is not always a sin, putting a nickel in a slot machine is not sin and I don't judge anyone for that, indeed I have tried a slot machine or two myself. However it can be sinful, just as drinking alcohol can be sinful.

But number two I would answer yes. Big time lotteries and gambling promote a culture of sloth, something for nothing, hurt the poor, promote greed and materialism as a good thing, and involve our government in promoting something which on the whole is harmful for society. For example do you want liquor stores and bars every other block in your community? Is that a good thing? No in general when you see that you see a debauched culture, the same would go for gambling offered on every other street corner.

There was very good reasons that for many generations all gambling was illegal in the US, those were much better times for our culture however.

[Vickilynn]

Oh if that is the question than we totally disagree.

Shalom Smalcald,

I guess we do then.

Yes state lotteries themselves do violate Christian ethics on many fronts. They promote laziness, sloth, greed, a something for nothing ethic, they desensitize the entire culture and society to gambling itself and all of the attendant problems that go with gambling.

WOW. that's a ALOT of judgment of people you don't know and couldn't possibly know their heart.

And, for the record, I KNOW very hard-working, balanced Christians, like this lady I mentioned, who plays the State Lottery every week ($2.00) and considers it the same as a church raffle. And the proceeds go to HELP people. And the winnings would go to BLESS people, including the church.

Sorry you disagree, but you are incapable of judging people's heart and thus your blanket statements are inaccurate.

[jackie d]

I think I am probably joining two issues or conflating them.

1) Is gambling of any sort always per-se a sin for an individual?

2) Are big time casino gambling and large state run lotteries what a Christian culture would want and do they in general promote sin?

For me number 1 is that no, gambling is not always a sin, putting a nickel in a slot machine is not sin and I don't judge anyone for that, indeed I have tried a slot machine or two myself. However it can be sinful, just as drinking alcohol can be sinful.

But number two I would answer yes. Big time lotteries and gambling promote a culture of sloth, something for nothing, hurt the poor, promote greed and materialism as a good thing, and involve our government in promoting something which on the whole is harmful for society. For example do you want liquor stores and bars every other block in your community? Is that a good thing? No in general when you see that you see a debauched culture, the same would go for gambling offered on every other street corner.

There was very good reasons that for many generations all gambling was illegal in the US, those were much better times for our culture however.

I do agree with you Smalcald in every aspect and it has nothing to do with judging the heart of others it has everything to do with seeing what gambling does to people's lives who do it. Not only can gambling become very harmful addiction to the ones who have the problem it ruins entire families and leaves people destitute....

Personally I hate gambling facilities, lotteries and scratch tickets. I live in an area where there are many casinos, nearly every convenient store sells lottery tickets and scratch tickets. The casinos advertise by television showing how they will get rich quick and give the message that the love of money is a good thing. I have seen many people go from doing alright financially to completely broke including having a broken family. A few of my own family members find themselves drawn to the activity of the casinos, I have gone a few times but loathe the places...a couple of these family members beat themselves everytime they return home because they spent too much money are no longer able to pay their bills the way the could have before they went to the den's of iniquity.

And I'll contnue to speak out against gambling and it's evils as being a very real stumbling block for the mature and the babe as Christians are not exempt from falling into these traps of the enemy....

[Vickilynn]

Shalom Y'all,

You know something funny?

We have NEVER been interested in playing the State Lottery. But, after talking to my friend who plays every week and after reading some of the mature, balanced posts here, I'm gonna ask my hubby if WE can start playing weekly! Yeah! As we saw on a TV commercial last night, over $540 MILLION dollars has already been donated to our state's schools from the lottery! WOW, that's great!!

And if a Christian wins, just think of the churches, ministries and needy people they could help!!

G-d blesses those Whom He chooses. And He uses many means to bless. I'm praying He will bless us so we can bless others!

Thanks y'all for helping me see that this is certainly a GOOD thing in the right hands!! Why should the world get all the blessings when a Christian can do so much GOOD with it??

It's like Larry Norman's song:

Why Should The Devil Have All The Good Music!!??

[Smalcald]

You are confusing a couple of things. When I say that organized big time gambling is on the whole sinful I am not saying or judging anybody nor do I mean to do so. For example I can think of no better example of a modern Sodom than Las Vegas NV. A city dedicated to sins of the flesh, now does that mean that everyone who lives in Las Vegas is sinful? No certainly not, just as not everyone was sinful in Sodom; a horribly sinful place. Playing a game of chance is not in and of itself sinful and even if it were I would still not judge anyone individually. Saying something is sinful does not mean you are judging anybody one way or the other.

But Christians should always oppose our continual cultural decline, big time organized gambling and lotteries are part of that decline that was my only point; they create a culture of sin.

Look at how desensitized you have become to something that was once the total domain of organized crime. They can buy us of by claiming to pay for our schools. Did God bless Sodom which was also very rich in material things? Does God bless the dope dealer who gives to charity?

[Smalcald]

I think I am probably joining two issues or conflating them.

1) Is gambling of any sort always per-se a sin for an individual?

2) Are big time casino gambling and large state run lotteries what a Christian culture would want and do they in general promote sin?

For me number 1 is that no, gambling is not always a sin, putting a nickel in a slot machine is not sin and I don't judge anyone for that, indeed I have tried a slot machine or two myself. However it can be sinful, just as drinking alcohol can be sinful.

But number two I would answer yes. Big time lotteries and gambling promote a culture of sloth, something for nothing, hurt the poor, promote greed and materialism as a good thing, and involve our government in promoting something which on the whole is harmful for society. For example do you want liquor stores and bars every other block in your community? Is that a good thing? No in general when you see that you see a debauched culture, the same would go for gambling offered on every other street corner.

There was very good reasons that for many generations all gambling was illegal in the US, those were much better times for our culture however.

I do agree with you Smalcald in every aspect and it has nothing to do with judging the heart of others it has everything to do with seeing what gambling does to people's lives who do it. Not only can gambling become very harmful addiction to the ones who have the problem it ruins entire families and leaves people destitute....

Personally I hate gambling facilities, lotteries and scratch tickets. I live in an area where there are many casinos, nearly every convenient store sells lottery tickets and scratch tickets. The casinos advertise by television showing how they will get rich quick and give the message that the love of money is a good thing. I have seen many people go from doing alright financially to completely broke including having a broken family. A few of my own family members find themselves drawn to the activity of the casinos, I have gone a few times but loathe the places...a couple of these family members beat themselves everytime they return home because they spent too much money are no longer able to pay their bills the way the could have before they went to the den's of iniquity.

And I'll contnue to speak out against gambling and it's evils as being a very real stumbling block for the mature and the babe as Christians are not exempt from falling into these traps of the enemy....

Yeah I am not trying to judge anyone who happens to play the slots a little or buys a lottery ticket, I have done both of those things and really don't think I sinned in doing so.

But like you have seen the very negative things which the acceptance of big time gambling brings, that effect that impact in my mind is sinful

[Vickilynn]

Yeah I am not trying to judge anyone who happens to play the slots a little or buys a lottery ticket, I have done both of those things and really don't think I sinned in doing so.

Shalom Smalcald,

On THAT we do agree. That's all I've been saying. The thread is about STATE lottery, not big-time gambling. And State Lottery is not a sin. I haven't done either up 'til now, but hey, I'm gonna see if hubby will let us play the lottery. Sounds like fun!