A Biblical Case Against a State Lottery
From NoLotteryArkansas
A Campaign by the Arkansas Committee for Ethics Policy,
A companion organization to the Arkansas Faith and Ethics Council
WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT LOTTERY GAMBLING
Does Lottery Gambling Violate Biblical Principles?
While the Bible contains no “Thou shalt not” in regards to lottery gambling specifically or to gambling in general, it does provide insights and precepts which strongly indicate that lottery gambling is wrong. The following is a brief summary of many of those principles.
* The Bible emphasizes the sovereignty of God in the matter of human events (Matthew 10:29-30); gambling looks to chance and luck.
* The Bible indicates that people are to work creatively and diligently and use their possessions for the greater good (Acts 20:35 -- 2 Thessalonians 3:10); gambling fosters something-for-nothing and cavalier attitudes toward money and the honest labor that should produce it.
* The Bible requires the careful stewardship and the generous sharing of our resources, particularly in the areas of family welfare and support for God’s work (1 Timothy 5:8 -- 2 Corinthians 9:6-9); gambling calls for reckless abandon, selfishness, and disregard for the well-being of others.
* The Bible warns against materialism and covetousness (Matthew 6:24-34 -- Exodus 20:17); the heart of gambling is the essence of those two conditions.
* The moral thrust of the Bible as Christ expressed when he proclaimed the two greatest commandments is paramount love for God and a deep and abiding love for other people (Matthew 22:34-40 -- Romans 13:8-10); lottery gambling makes the state and economic predator of its weakest and most vulnerable residents and is entirely antithetical to the whole love language embodied in the scriptures.
* The Bible is clear that Economic Justice, a concern for the well-being of the disadvantaged and poor, is to be a very important consideration as we make decisions and take action (Proverbs 29:7); since lottery gambling imposes a predatory tax on the poor, our failure to oppose it is a lost opportunity to protect and prevent the exploitation of the disadvantaged and vulnerable.
Email – llp@afec.org
Website – NoLotteryArkansas.com
Toll free phone – (877) NoLottery [(877) 665-6883]
ACEP, P. O. Box 25112, Little Rock, AR 72221
A Campaign by the Arkansas Committee for Ethics Policy,
A companion organization to the Arkansas Faith and Ethics Council
WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT LOTTERY GAMBLING
Does Lottery Gambling Violate Biblical Principles?
While the Bible contains no “Thou shalt not” in regards to lottery gambling specifically or to gambling in general, it does provide insights and precepts which strongly indicate that lottery gambling is wrong. The following is a brief summary of many of those principles.
* The Bible emphasizes the sovereignty of God in the matter of human events (Matthew 10:29-30); gambling looks to chance and luck.
* The Bible indicates that people are to work creatively and diligently and use their possessions for the greater good (Acts 20:35 -- 2 Thessalonians 3:10); gambling fosters something-for-nothing and cavalier attitudes toward money and the honest labor that should produce it.
* The Bible requires the careful stewardship and the generous sharing of our resources, particularly in the areas of family welfare and support for God’s work (1 Timothy 5:8 -- 2 Corinthians 9:6-9); gambling calls for reckless abandon, selfishness, and disregard for the well-being of others.
* The Bible warns against materialism and covetousness (Matthew 6:24-34 -- Exodus 20:17); the heart of gambling is the essence of those two conditions.
* The moral thrust of the Bible as Christ expressed when he proclaimed the two greatest commandments is paramount love for God and a deep and abiding love for other people (Matthew 22:34-40 -- Romans 13:8-10); lottery gambling makes the state and economic predator of its weakest and most vulnerable residents and is entirely antithetical to the whole love language embodied in the scriptures.
* The Bible is clear that Economic Justice, a concern for the well-being of the disadvantaged and poor, is to be a very important consideration as we make decisions and take action (Proverbs 29:7); since lottery gambling imposes a predatory tax on the poor, our failure to oppose it is a lost opportunity to protect and prevent the exploitation of the disadvantaged and vulnerable.
Email – llp@afec.org
Website – NoLotteryArkansas.com
Toll free phone – (877) NoLottery [(877) 665-6883]
ACEP, P. O. Box 25112, Little Rock, AR 72221
posted by Mark Moore (Moderator) at Thursday, September 04, 2008
5 Comments:
* The Bible emphasizes the sovereignty of God in the matter of human events (Matthew 10:29-30); gambling looks to chance and luck.
-chance and luck aren't bad, though they may not exist.
*...gambling calls for reckless abandon, selfishness, and disregard for the well-being of others.
-Not inherently, perhaps during it's misuse.
*...since lottery gambling imposes a predatory tax on the poor, our failure to oppose it is a lost opportunity to protect and prevent the exploitation of the disadvantaged and vulnerable.
-The poor can spend their money on what they want, and they alone are responsible for doing so. It is not a tax, not in the sense that anyone is forced to pay it.
Seriously, you may not like gambling, and the government should never run a gambling enterprise, but that doesn't mean it can be condemned biblically. See Lev 16:8-11, Joshua 18:6 for some gambling that was actually condoned in the Bible.
Posted this, but did not write it. It is from Larry Page. I basically agree with you that the government should not be in the business so that they can be an honest regulator of it.
http://www.thearkansasproject.com/arkansas-lottery-push-scores-11k/
The last line says it all. Christians complain and complain about stuff, but the love to keep the green in their pocketbook alot more than they love rigtheousness in Government.
So willing to be critical of the government, but instead should start looking in the mirror and sacrifice alittle.
I have grown weary of Christians who complain, but never do.
Yeah, I know all kinds of loaded Christian tight wads who are living the good life while Rome burns (not!).
Look, the people pushing this garbage view their expenses as an investment. For them, it's what they get if we relent and it passes.
For us, it's what we DON'T get. It's much harder to raise money to keep the status quo.
It would not have taken very many Christians giving only a dollar to Holt's campaign to have swamped Halter. Then we wouldn't even be facing this. Perhaps THAT was Holt's fault, perhaps not. But the same principle applies to this issue. It wouldn't take very many of us donating very much to really add up to an amount that could fight this.
Don't give me some oh-poor-broke-Christian whine. I see very few church parking lots that are not filled with the latest models of $40,000+ automobiles. Plenty could fork over a few bucks, and make a real difference.
It won't happen, because even among the readers of this blog... most of you are a bunch of self-righteous lovers of your bank accounts, houses, and cars.
The problems of this country is not PRIMARILY due to the liberals. The majority of the blame should be placed at the feet of self proclaimed Christians preoccupied showing the world and unrealistic facade righteousness, but never actually serve or sacrifice to impact the political system.
We clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside we are full of greed and self-indulgence.
Until we change that, America will never change.
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