Church Rejects Donation from Lottery Winner

[dragonfly]

Since it's not forbidden in Scripture, it matters not what we think. It's true we are to be good stewards, but if gambling is considered sin, any activity for fun we spend money on must also be sin, like collecting sports memorabilia, going to sporting events, playing video games, etc. No doubt these COULD be sin, but they are not sin automatically sinful as gambling is often stated as being.

Good points!

 

[Aaron]

Since it's not forbidden in Scripture, it matters not what we think.

What matters is what God thinks, and if, as you say, God has not expressed His will concerning gambling, it is grossly presumptuous on your part to assume it's His will for you to play the lottery.

 

[webdog]

What matters is what God thinks, and if, as you say, God has not expressed His will concerning gambling, it is grossly presumptuous on your part to assume it's His will for you to play the lottery.

Then kindly supply the book, chapter and verse where gambling and the lottery are deemed sin.

 

[Aaron]

I ain't gonna bottlefeed ya. I was simply pointing out that your argument from silence is a weak one. If God hasn't expressed His will, then you're being presumptuous. That's the point. It would seem to be self-contradictory for one to pray, "Thy will be done," then simply assume that where God has no will he is doing right. But maybe your prayer is, "As long as I don't see an explicit prohibition floating on the surface of the milk of the Word, my will be done." raying:

 

[superwoman8977]

I
That's because the Bible says we are to give in secret, i.e., our left hand mustn't know what our right hand is doing, and the donor identifying himself as well as the amount and where it came from is unscriptural.

I think the onus here falls more on the giver than the receiver. Of course the church in general has received millions of donations of this kind which it isn't privy to because the givers haven't disclosed any details, so they cannot be blamed for receiving "blood money" (for want of a better term).

The man was being led to pay his tithe on the money he won. I mean I play the lottery now and again and whatever I win I consider income and I also tithe it to the church. The man needs to find a new church that will love and accept him unconditionally. I cannot beleive someone would judge a tithe....oh that just steams me up!!!:BangHead:

 

[Bro. Curtis]

Well, I'm with you, but it happens, despite our steam.

Probably why Paul warned us.......

 

[superwoman8977]

According to scripture money gotten by windfall without the labour fo your own hands is vanity.



I am sure there is. But that doesn't address the lottery.



And?



And they would be just as wrong as anyone else.



This is not a lottery issue.





If you want to start another thread for this issue you are welcome. But you are not welcome to just derail this thread.



No such thing as situation ethics.




While this is irrelevent it is also untrue. You play against every person who plays. the person in the line before you and the person in the line behind you as well as every person in every lotto line in the state. States have no money except that which they collect from us.




Irrelevent but wrong.

.

I do not think anyone accused the gambling system of being dishonest.



And I disagree according to scripture rather than situation ethcs.

Okay just so I can clarify what you are saying. I am a single mom I work 40 hrs a week and come home and raise my kids. I dont work for child suppport from their fathers but I do receive it and I do tithe it and then use the rest to help support my family. In my job I do have a 401K which I am investing in so that when the time comes for me to retire I have money to live on. When I do have an extra dollar yeah sometimes I will buy a scratch off ticket like when I am paying for my gas or something and anything I win I will add 10% of that to my tithe for the week. By what you are saying my child support as well as the money I vest into my 401K are also "easy money" I dont know about you but I do claim my tithes on my taxes and then I turn around and tithe my tax return --- From the day Malachi 3:8 spoke to me like it did about Robbing God I have made sure to make sure to tithe all income. If that church wont accept that money that the man tried to give them then he needs to invest that money into like an inner city project or something like that and as for that pastor and the congregation they are very narrow-minded they dont see all the possibilities that money could have done for their church instead they had to turn away a man who heart was softened to hsi church oh wow.....I just cannot get over them doing that.

 

[donnA]

The man was being led to pay his tithe on the money he won. I mean I play the lottery now and again and whatever I win I consider income and I also tithe it to the church. The man needs to find a new church that will love and accept him unconditionally. I cannot beleive someone would judge a tithe....oh that just steams me up!!!:BangHead:

I think a good point here is, the man won a hugh amount of money so everyone knew about it, and apparently one way or another knew about the plan to tithe it. But what about people who play and win smaller amounts that don't draw as much attention, and when they tithe it it isn't so large everyone knows about it? If it is wrong to tithe this money how can you be sure your churches haven't already recieved lottery winnings as tithes?

 

[Alcott]

What matters is what God thinks,

Yes or No... Did Abraham lead a mass slaughter of a region, take the spoils, and tithe them to a local priest?

Yes or No... Is this one work of Abraham you have yet to do? and do not plan to do?

 

[Aaron]

Yes or No... Did Abraham lead a mass slaughter of a region, take the spoils, and tithe them to a local priest?

Sigh. The kindergarten class again.

No. Abraham led a campaign to rescue his nephew from an aggressor, and meted out God's justice upon them.

Here endeth the lesson.

 

[Alcott]

The kindergarten class again.

Glad you showed up today, pupil.

No. Abraham led a campaign to rescue his nephew from an aggressor, and meted out God's justice upon them.

Is that the action you would take if your nephew were captured? or would you refuse to do the works of Abraham?

 

[chuck2336]

All of this cracks me up. NNE really gave Biblical backing to where the lottery is sin.

I dont play, and for a lot of the reasons mentioned here. But I can not find any backing from the Bible that says it is SIN. Is it a bad decision? Sure. Is it a wast? Sure again.

But is it a SIN?

I just dont see it.

 

[StefanM]

Is it a bad decision? Sure. Is it a wast? Sure again.

Not if you win. :laugh:

 

[chuck2336]

One other thought. What if the church member works really hard at his convience store. Where there is the sell of alcohol. Do we take his tithe? Or maybe he owns a few adult bookstores, do we take his money?

Point is we dont ask where folks make the money, we just collect the tithe. If we truly cared where the money came from we would ask for more information before accepting anything.

 

[webdog]

I ain't gonna bottlefeed ya. I was simply pointing out that your argument from silence is a weak one. If God hasn't expressed His will, then you're being presumptuous. That's the point. It would seem to be self-contradictory for one to pray, "Thy will be done," then simply assume that where God has no will he is doing right. But maybe your prayer is, "As long as I don't see an explicit prohibition floating on the surface of the milk of the Word, my will be done." raying:

Leave your condescending, rude attitude at the door.

If my argument from silence is weak...your argument is extra biblical. That's a form of legalism, making up sin where God hasn't. My argument is common sense. God condones excess of anything. That's not an argument from silence.

 

[donnA]

Sigh. The kindergarten class again.

No. Abraham led a campaign to rescue his nephew from an aggressor, and meted out God's justice upon them.

Here endeth the lesson.

I don't recall, did God actually tell him to do this?

 

[donnA]

One other thought. What if the church member works really hard at his convience store. Where there is the sell of alcohol. Do we take his tithe? Or maybe he owns a few adult bookstores, do we take his money?

Point is we dont ask where folks make the money, we just collect the tithe. If we truly cared where the money came from we would ask for more information before accepting anything.

I thyink your very right, we never seem to care where other tithers get their money from, if we did we'd make sure it was all legit, meaning not gained in a sinful fashion.
I know of a successful business man, owns a chain of convienve stores, well I don't know how chain he has now, he sold the local store. Anyway he goes to church, tithes, helps out in other ways, like 3 yrs ina row he donated those little 3/$1. bags of chips to VBS, other things. But he goes to chrch for looks. Because I know for a fact he is a drug dealer also. I know this because back when my son was in the local drug world he bought from him, and did drugs with him, before he (my son) was arrested, he's straight now with a fmaily. But fact is no one cares where that tithe comes from. And you never know what someone is doing in secret (not church knowledge)to get money.

 

[Marcia]

I have already said I do noy play lottery.
I don't approve of gambling, but no on makes people gamble or play lottery. They chose it themselves.

Yes, but with all due respect, DonnA (because I really do like you and usually am with you on most threads!), this is not the point.

As I see it, the thread discussion is not about whether people choose to gamble or not, but whether Christians should endorse the lottery through various actions.

 

[Marcia]

Since it's not forbidden in Scripture, it matters not what we think. It's true we are to be good stewards, but if gambling is considered sin, any activity for fun we spend money on must also be sin, like collecting sports memorabilia, going to sporting events, playing video games, etc. No doubt these COULD be sin, but they are not sin automatically as gambling is often stated as being.

I think Christians worry too much about whether something is technically a sin or not. Didn't Paul say that all is allowed but not all is edifying?

I don't think gambling has to technically be a sin for Christians to oppose it. We look at the fruits of gambling and that should be enough evidence right there that it is not good.

It draws crime
It gets people into debt
It causes some people to get addicted to gambling
It continues the belief in 'chance' or 'luck'
It takes away from the poorest people more than any other segment

Putting aside the fact that people are responsible for their own actions (I know they are - please don't tell me people choose to do this), can't we as believers see this is not a good thing to promote, endorse, or engage in?

The idea that people choose to do this is rather cavalier - it's like saying, "live and let live" which does not sound like a biblical principle to me. This is an attitude of the world.

State lotteries are not necessary. They did not exist a few decades ago as far as I know.

 

[Marcia]

All of this cracks me up. NNE really gave Biblical backing to where the lottery is sin.

I dont play, and for a lot of the reasons mentioned here. But I can not find any backing from the Bible that says it is SIN. Is it a bad decision? Sure. Is it a wast? Sure again.

But is it a SIN?

I just dont see it.

Please see my post above.

Is this how Christians should live? "Well, if I can't find it mentioned as a sin in the Bible, it's okay."

Please see what I posted above.