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Featured If you won a $1,000,000 lottery.............

Discussion in 'General Baptist Discussions' started by saturneptune, Oct 26, 2013.

  1. saturneptune

    saturneptune New Member

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    ..............would your local church accept a $100,000 tithe from it?
     
  2. go2church

    go2church Active Member
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    Uh, short answer...yes.

    It would be difficult for such a thing to happen as I don't play the lottery, though it was effective for partially funding this countries revolution.
     
  3. padredurand

    padredurand Well-Known Member
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    Or a weekly offering from a grocery store owner who sells beer and tobacco, or a restaurant owner that has a wine list, magazine stand owner that sold the winning ticket or ......
     
  4. Inspector Javert

    Inspector Javert Active Member

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    :laugh:.....WOW!!!! You can open up a can-o-worms cain't-cha'? :laugh:
     
  5. Inspector Javert

    Inspector Javert Active Member

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    Would they take it?...........yes.......would I offer it?....no. I doubt it.

    Too much opportunity for corruption. I'd continue to bank-roll needs (my present congregation is seeking to start a Bus-ministry which they've been madly successful with before)...so, I'd simply buy the Church $75,000.00-worth of buses. But would I cut them an open check??? Heck no.
     
    #5 Inspector Javert, Oct 26, 2013
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 26, 2013
  6. pinoybaptist

    pinoybaptist Active Member
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    no, we don't practice tithing. but I'd give happily more than a tithe. and, my church doesn't have to know it was from me. we don't have the practice of weekly envelopes with your name on it, either.
    and before anyone starts slinging mud, please remember the question supposes you already won, which means there is the presupposition that you play, the lottery.
     
  7. Inspector Javert

    Inspector Javert Active Member

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    ...Interestingly, a local lady in my neck-o'-da woods inherited roughly $10 million Dollas!....I believe she donated at least $5-million to her local (and highly respected) congregation there....

    I think over the last decade they've spent about $250,000 k on varying projects...but to my knowledge.......they literally have about 4.5 mil that they've simply stored in da' bank!!.........while also donating tens of thousands to the Cooperative Program etc... Apparently, they've been rather wise as far as their stewardship is concerned to date.
     
  8. go2church

    go2church Active Member
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    I don't know if I'd call stacking money in the bank good stewardship
     
  9. SaggyWoman

    SaggyWoman Active Member

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    Sure. Why not?
     
  10. SolaSaint

    SolaSaint Well-Known Member

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    We were members of a church 20 years ago when a man won a sizable amount playing the lottery and everyone knew it. The Pastor the next Sunday said from the pulpit that our church will not accept any winnings off of gambling. You could have heard a pin drop.
     
  11. Earth Wind and Fire

    Earth Wind and Fire Well-Known Member
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    Ohhhhhhh.... and Davis blood will out:thumbs:
     
  12. Earth Wind and Fire

    Earth Wind and Fire Well-Known Member
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    Do they feed the poor and destitute?
     
  13. Earth Wind and Fire

    Earth Wind and Fire Well-Known Member
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    Wow...wasn't that man relieved!
     
  14. HAMel

    HAMel Well-Known Member
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    What would you do if you found a million bucks in a suitcase some morning laying in your back yard? Money that fell from a drug trafficker's air plane? Would you call the authorities? No one would ever know and the druggie certainly isn't coming back to look for it.

    I don't consider buying a lottery ticket to be gambling.
    (my personal opinion)

    Over the many years I've purchased perhaps no more than five or six tickets and have won a total of $5.00. I've even been to Las Vegas and sat in front of a one armed bandit on a few occasions.

    Could our Lord provide through a lottery ticket? Of course He could and why not? Is investing in the Stock Market considered gambling? Would a church accept tithes originating from the Stock Market?

    Gambling against each other is foolish and I believe to be wrong. Buying a lottery ticket is another matter. (my personal opinion)
     
  15. Earth Wind and Fire

    Earth Wind and Fire Well-Known Member
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    My friend is a pastor for an Old Regular Baptist Church in Pikesville Kentucky. That man has a operating budget of $10000.00 per year. When they needed a larger church building, they built it with their own hands. I wonder if they would question any contribution a bad thing.

    GOD bless you Elder Jeff & Pastor Durant.:godisgood:
     
  16. Luke2427

    Luke2427 Active Member

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    Certainly. Why not?

    I don't play the lottery for the same reason I don't enjoy many liberties, but I frankly don't see anything wrong with it so long as it is done in moderation.

    Obviously, if someone is addicted and blowing family grocery money, its a problem.

    If someone buys a ticket or two a week, what's the big deal?
     
  17. HankD

    HankD Well-Known Member
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    In most States the Lotto is often called a "voluntary tax" as the proceeds go to the State for Education, etc...

    HankD
     
  18. Gina B

    Gina B Active Member

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    I'd think about it a lot, then probably call. Since the authorities are contacted if you spend over x amount of money anywhere, people WOULD know, so spending it would be a problem. Then there's the issue of it likely being tainted with traces of drugs, so testing the money would end up showing drugs on the money, on top of not knowing if any of it was counterfeit or recorded serial numbers as stolen, so there would be all kinds of concerns with keeping it.
    But I'd be SO tempted to keep it and spend it in small amounts. Red Lobster dinner here, new wardrobe for my daughter there, little stuff so she could put more money towards college. Yep, it would be tempting as heck, but I would end up not doing it, but would be really mad at the temptation.

    I don't see the difference between buying a lottery ticket and hoping for a cash prize and buying a raffle ticket and hoping to win a quilt.

    I've heard congregations say they won't take money for that based on the idea that it's money from gambling. I never asked mine. Guess because I never won. I can count on one hand how many times I've actually bought a ticket though. LOL One church I was in, someone won and the church refused to take any of the money. He was in a group in a factory he worked in and the group won. That was a long time ago. I thought it was silly, more a display of "look how holy we are, despite that we've been praying for this need, we're going to refuse this." It seemed an obvious answer to prayer in our tiny place. Stubborn little guy, that pastor was.

    I suppose if one really thought about it, they could knock out a lot of money a church accepts. Does the person giving get money from working in a place that sells things the church disagrees with? Do they make money selling lottery tickets? Does the worker work in a casino? A restaurant that serves alcohol? Own questionable stock? Work for a government agency that is corrupt? Did the money inherited in the family come from a pure source? What if a drug dealer changes his ways and has a fortune, can that money be accepted?
    How about an anonymous amount dropped in by a guilty soul? Does it get refused because a large anonymous amount may come from someone trying to assuage guilt from robbing a bank or committing a murder or trying to soothe their tormented soul of wrong?

    Just wondering. Mean questions, I know!
     
  19. Salty

    Salty 20,000 Posts Club
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    It's up to the pastor to decide who can give what?
     
  20. annsni

    annsni Well-Known Member
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    I would have then happily blessed some other vital ministries in our community that are faith-based. One is a crisis pregnancy center (I'd love to buy a few ultrasound machines for them), a homeless/poor ministry near our campus (I'd fill their pantry to the brim!!!) and our local missions organization run by our former missions pastor. Man, THAT would be fun!!!!
     
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