lottery scholarships

My pastor is adamantly opposed to the lottery; however, if someone wins, he encourages us to not to forget to tithe.

 

I am not a lottery supporter. I do not fund the lottery.

But if a scholarship were available to me funded by it, I would probably accept it.

 

You seem to have great respect for the Word of God; please show me where gambling is prohibited.

 

There are no Bible passages that say "don't gamble," but we don't have to have specific prohibitions for everything. There is a general biblical principle of stewardship. After all, "our" money is not really ours -- it belongs to God, because the money we have as a believer is from Him.

Not only that, but gambling breeds crime, creates more gambling addicts, and is based on a belief in luck or fate. None of these things are compatible with Jesus Christ.

The people who suffer the most are the working poor. Sure, they are accountable for their gambling, but why contribute to an institution (which is what state lotteries bascially are) that is part of that?

As Christians, our lives should reflect Christ, and somehow, gambling strikes me as something that would smear that.

 

I see no scripture that forbids gambling. I see plenty of scripture that speaks against being wreckless with finances. I do not know anyone who isn't in the gambling business who would want to encourage fathers to spend their children's milk money and the rent on gambling.

On the other hand, if someone wants to pay the 'voluntary tax' or the 'tax for people who are bad at math' to voluntarily pay for a scholarship, what is wrong with receiving the money? Scripture please?