I went to this site www.20dollarhouses.com and wanted to purchase a raffle ticket to win a home for only $20. Could this be looked down upon as gambling? If I win, GREAT! If I don't, it's $20 I didn't mind losing since proceeds would go to a non-profit organization anyways.
Is this a SIN?
- Thread starter lydeanphoenix
- Start date
Elijah2
No weapons formed against me will prosper.
Mate, don't berate yourself or badger yourself about buying a raffle ticket to help a non-profit organisation.
I believe there are many small rules in the Bible, and most of the time the exact meaning is lost by not finding a comparable word to suit this modern world.
Now if you continue buying tickets and it becomes a habit, then I would be concerned.
You are human, and need a new house to live in. And I'm sure our Lord Jesus Christ would love to see you have a new house.
Take care, and be blessed in Jesus' Name.
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It sounds like people who invested in real estate foreclosures couldn't sell the properties, and didn't think a flip was worth the investment... so came up with a new brilliant plan. (It is a good plan to unload real estate in this economy, I think.)
But since gambling is not approved in every state or region, I think that they are required to file for approval. There is no address on the site, showing no jurisdiction and no way to trace them. "Let me sell you some swampland...".
They post no information on site security or privacy of personal information... no way of getting a hold of them... no financial guarantors (like FDIC... or like Publishers' Clearinghouse states who backs their funds).
After all this... it looks like God's protection was the heart of the law on gambling.
But since gambling is not approved in every state or region, I think that they are required to file for approval. There is no address on the site, showing no jurisdiction and no way to trace them. "Let me sell you some swampland...".
They post no information on site security or privacy of personal information... no way of getting a hold of them... no financial guarantors (like FDIC... or like Publishers' Clearinghouse states who backs their funds).
After all this... it looks like God's protection was the heart of the law on gambling.
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Make sure you know that they are giving to a nonprofit organization and its not a scam - and research that organization. Otherwise, keep the 20.00 and give it to the poor.
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Elijah2
No weapons formed against me will prosper.
IS ALL GAMBLING A SIN?
Here I'm indebted to Lutheran Professor John Brug for the main drift of the following (see: http://netnet.net/~messiah/gambling.html )
Risk and Chance
People often try to justify the element of risk involved in gambling by saying that all of life is risky. It certainly is true that every venture in life involves a type of risk doing business, investing in the stock market, crossing the street, riding in an airplane, falling in love, getting married, even doing church work. But just as there is a legitimate and necessary distinction between the kind of risk which Satan asked Jesus to take by jumping off the Temple and the necessary "risks" which Jesus took in entrusting His life to his Father, so we may legitimately distinguish between the risks and hazards which we face in the course of a life entrusted to God and the risks and hazards to which we unnecessarily expose ourselves for thrills or profit. Strictly speaking, we should not say that the "risks" we face in our daily business and travels or the dangers we face due to faithfulness to God are risks at all, for when we trust our entire life into God's hands and are willing to accept his will, no matter what it may be, we can never suffer true loss.
People occasionally try to justify gambling by claiming that the element of chance was involved in the Old Testament use of lots or the Urim and Thummim and in the method of choosing Judas' successor. However, there is no legitimate point of comparison between the type of chance involved in these Scriptural practices and the type of chance involved in gambling. the Old Testament lots were specifically sanctioned and commanded by God (Lev. 1 :8, Josh. 14:2, Ex. 28:30, Num. 27:21, Dt. 33:8). Let gamblers produce such commands of God for the lots they cast! Likewise, in the choice of Matthias to succeed Judas no real risk was involved, Both candidates, Justus and Matthias, were fully qualified for the position, so the final choice was entrusted to the Lord in prayer.
We would conclude then that risk and chance are not wrong when they are only the normal uncertainties which God expects us to face in life. They, however, become wrong when we expose ourselves and what God has given us to unnecessary, uncalled for risks. "Taking risks" with our possessions must be determined on the basis of good Christian stewardship.
However, the real crux of the problem of gambling is not the element of risk or chance, but the question of motivation. This is the real heart of the problem, for if the motivation involved is wrong, gambling is wrong even when the element of skill predominates over simple chance.
Motivation and Purpose
The basic purpose of most gambling is not to help and serve others, but to help ourselves at their expense. Luther observed: No one gambles with another in order to give away to the other what is his own (for he could do that without gambling), nor in order to lose what is his own, nor in order to seek the gain of the other man as though it were his own. This is why gambling is always contrary to love and is motivated by greed because a man seeks, to the harm of another, what does not belong to him. (What Luther Says p.1343.)
The basic Christian objection to gambling is that it is an attempt to gain something from our neighbor without giving a fair service in return. If we really love our neighbor, will we wish to win at his expense? In gambling are we heeding the admonition of Scripture, "Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others". Phil. 2:4 NASV. Christians must keep two facts in mind when seeking gain or profit from their activities. They must give fair labor or exchange for what they receive. They seek to earn for themselves, not from selfish motivation, but in order to be of service to others. "Let those who steal steal no longer, but rather let them labor, performing with their own hands what is good, in order that they may have something to share with those i n need." (Eph. 4:28)
A Christian's life is to be devoted to serving others, not to being served. In most gambling part of the enjoyment is taking advantage of someone else's loss. Gambling is nonproductive, and can be justified only by arguing its entertainment value or the good use made of a portion of the revenue. Since the end never justifies the means, gambling cannot be justified on these grounds if greed is involved. The fact that dishonesty and selfish motivation can be practiced in any form of business cannot be used as an excuse to justify gambling, if gain at the expense of another is part of the very nature of gambling. The common consent involved in gambling does not excuse the stealing involved in gambling anymore than common consent excuses the murder involved in dueling.
Bringing together the main points which we have discussed, I would define gambling as "unnecessarily risking the possessions which God has entrusted to us in games of chance or skill in the hope of gaining something from our neighbor without giving him a fair service or product in return whether for the sake of profit or thrills". So defined, we must say that all gambling is a sin.
We must, however, still consider the question whether everything which is popularly considered can be categorically include in the definition just given. Can we say that every form and instance of "gambling" does indeed involve selfish hope of improper gain?
Types of Gambling
We can divide gambling into three general categories: social, professional, and governmental. Social and professional gambling can further be divided into legal and illegal gambling.
We can immediately dispose of all forms of illegal gambling. They are offlimits for a Christian because the Scriptural command, "Submit yourself to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake" (I Peter 2:13) certainly includes obedience to laws restricting gambling.
The real problem is that more and more forms of gambling are not only being legalized, but they are being sponsored by governments, charities, and even churches. People are being offered an evergrowing number of choices when it comes to gambling: card and dice games, various kinds of racing, all kinds of lotteries and raffles, bingo, sports betting, personal wagers, and more.
Since Scripture does not speak directly on gambling, I believe we must beware of blanket condemnations and sweeping generalizations. We must beware of making ourselves judges of the motives of the heart. Can we make the judgment, "Such and such always involves greed and hope of unearned gain. If you do it, you must be greedy". We also must beware of letting ourselves become judges or courts of appeal to whom people come for our ruling on every specific problem that arises. We must also beware of judging by a double standard so that we can be accused of inconsistency. For example, if we oppose all gambling on the grounds that it provides strong temptations to sin, we must oppose drinking on the same grounds. If we oppose all gambling on the grounds that it is poor stewardship, don't we have to oppose smoking and many forms of luxurious entertainment on the same grounds? I think the whole history of the church's view of insurance warns us of the danger of making sweeping generalizations and judging motives, even on the basis of general Scriptural principles.
We can put gambling activities on a continuum from serious/illegal (eg. Mafia-sponsored gambling dens) where the idea is to rob suckers for the benefit of the criminally rich through casinos where the odds are stacked against ordinary people, to fun (a once-a-year sweep, perhaps Bingo). Then there's the 'guilt-by-association' extension: some Christian city missions etc. would not accept monetary gifts where gambling was involved. (By the same logic, a conscientious teetoller should not buy from supermarkets that sell liquor. We must allow one another to choose the point along this continuum consistent with principle-for-us. However we can flatly say that any gambling which is illegal, which is based on greed or a desire to profit at another's expense, or which is against one's own conscience is wrong and must be avoided. But what if a person objects that none of these applies a particular case? There are still very serious questions which a Christian must raise about participation in gambling.
Pastors/Christian leaders have a responsibility not only in advising and guiding in particular cases, but in our regular teaching of sanctification, particularly the 7th, 9th, and 10th commandments. However, I do not believe our responsibility is to be arbiters who are called upon to make a definitive ruling in every case of casuistry, but to be shepherds of the soul who provide our members with solid Scriptural guidelines on the basis of which they as Christians can reach God-pleasing decisions with regard to gambling and any involvement in it.
Here are some factors/motivations which have helped me come to a more informed position on this tricky issue (from the least to the most significant):
1. It's an inefficient way to get taxes. The chairwoman of the Australian Institute of Gambling Research at the university of Western Sydney, Jan Macmillen, says while gambling revenue is beginning to compensate governments for a decline in stamp duty and payroll tax receipts, 'it is a stunningly inefficient way to collect taxes... In bald figures the government is paying about $2 to private entrepreneurs for every $1 collected in gambling taxes... Here we have a GST that people are willing to pay. If governments had said a decade back that they were going to raise a tax by 69% they would never have been re-elected. Well, they have done it with gambling, and no one seems to mind... The concentration of poker machines in working-class clubs and hotels has imposed a regressive tax on those least able to pay.'
2. It's robbing the poor. The vice-chancellor of Melbourne's Monash University, David Robinson, an expert on forms of addiction, is blunt: 'Gambling is an almost perfect system for taking the money out of the pockets of the poor and putting it into the pockets of the rich.'
3. The gambling industry is an economic activity which produces no gain for the community at large, is destructive of retail and small business interests... and wreaks havoc on families and home.
4. Am I unnecessarily exposing myself to temptations to sin? Am I forgetting that I too still have a sinful nature subject to greed and selfishness? Am I underestimating the compulsive hold which gambling can gain over a person?
5. Am I tempting someone else with temptations which may be too strong for them? Will I be able to stand before the Lord of all and say that I served all in love?
6. Does my gambling diminish my effectiveness as a Christian witness in my community by raising doubt in the minds of the "weak" about the sincerity of my Christian faith and life? Can a responsible Christian citizen support activities which time after time have led to increased support for organized crime, corruption and bribery of public officials, and have created an atmosphere for more and more gambling and polluted the moral climate? Can churches and governments justify using gambling as a substitute for responsible stewardship and responsible taxation?
7. Will I be able to stand before God, the giver of all, and say that I have used His gifts wisely if I have used even a portion of the time, abilities, and possessions he has given me in gambling? Is it good stewardship to pour money down the drain in games which you know have the odds stacked against you? What is the connection between my act/s of gambling and a materialistic/covetous desire for improper gain?
8. The ultimate test: to what extent is my gambling activity an act of love for and service to others rather than for selfish gain?
Above all, when we discuss the problems raised by gambling, we will not want to approach the discussion with a Pharisaical attitude which delights in legalistic judging, nor will we want to be in with a belligerent attitude which says, "I dare you to try to prove to me that there is anything wrong with gambling". A Christian will begin by asking, "What would the Lord want me, his servant, to do? How can I serve him best?". We will say, "Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.". We will then genuinely seek the Lord's answer in Scripture and through prayer. We will then think about exhortations like that in Colossians 3:3ff. "You have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life, appears then you will also appear with him in glory. Put to death, therefore, what is earthly in you: immorality, impurity, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry ... What ever you do, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."
As we seek to deal honestly with the question, we will pray (to paraphrase an old hymn): Create in me a new heart Lord, that gladly I may obey your Word. And nothing but what you will do I desire. With such new life my soul inspire. Grant that I may love you and others. 'O grant me power and strength, my God, To strive against my flesh and blood.'
By Rowland Croucher
See also Tim Costello's article Casino Myths
-http://jmm.aaa.net.au/articles/607.htm
Here I'm indebted to Lutheran Professor John Brug for the main drift of the following (see: http://netnet.net/~messiah/gambling.html )
Risk and Chance
People often try to justify the element of risk involved in gambling by saying that all of life is risky. It certainly is true that every venture in life involves a type of risk doing business, investing in the stock market, crossing the street, riding in an airplane, falling in love, getting married, even doing church work. But just as there is a legitimate and necessary distinction between the kind of risk which Satan asked Jesus to take by jumping off the Temple and the necessary "risks" which Jesus took in entrusting His life to his Father, so we may legitimately distinguish between the risks and hazards which we face in the course of a life entrusted to God and the risks and hazards to which we unnecessarily expose ourselves for thrills or profit. Strictly speaking, we should not say that the "risks" we face in our daily business and travels or the dangers we face due to faithfulness to God are risks at all, for when we trust our entire life into God's hands and are willing to accept his will, no matter what it may be, we can never suffer true loss.
People occasionally try to justify gambling by claiming that the element of chance was involved in the Old Testament use of lots or the Urim and Thummim and in the method of choosing Judas' successor. However, there is no legitimate point of comparison between the type of chance involved in these Scriptural practices and the type of chance involved in gambling. the Old Testament lots were specifically sanctioned and commanded by God (Lev. 1 :8, Josh. 14:2, Ex. 28:30, Num. 27:21, Dt. 33:8). Let gamblers produce such commands of God for the lots they cast! Likewise, in the choice of Matthias to succeed Judas no real risk was involved, Both candidates, Justus and Matthias, were fully qualified for the position, so the final choice was entrusted to the Lord in prayer.
We would conclude then that risk and chance are not wrong when they are only the normal uncertainties which God expects us to face in life. They, however, become wrong when we expose ourselves and what God has given us to unnecessary, uncalled for risks. "Taking risks" with our possessions must be determined on the basis of good Christian stewardship.
However, the real crux of the problem of gambling is not the element of risk or chance, but the question of motivation. This is the real heart of the problem, for if the motivation involved is wrong, gambling is wrong even when the element of skill predominates over simple chance.
Motivation and Purpose
The basic purpose of most gambling is not to help and serve others, but to help ourselves at their expense. Luther observed: No one gambles with another in order to give away to the other what is his own (for he could do that without gambling), nor in order to lose what is his own, nor in order to seek the gain of the other man as though it were his own. This is why gambling is always contrary to love and is motivated by greed because a man seeks, to the harm of another, what does not belong to him. (What Luther Says p.1343.)
The basic Christian objection to gambling is that it is an attempt to gain something from our neighbor without giving a fair service in return. If we really love our neighbor, will we wish to win at his expense? In gambling are we heeding the admonition of Scripture, "Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others". Phil. 2:4 NASV. Christians must keep two facts in mind when seeking gain or profit from their activities. They must give fair labor or exchange for what they receive. They seek to earn for themselves, not from selfish motivation, but in order to be of service to others. "Let those who steal steal no longer, but rather let them labor, performing with their own hands what is good, in order that they may have something to share with those i n need." (Eph. 4:28)
A Christian's life is to be devoted to serving others, not to being served. In most gambling part of the enjoyment is taking advantage of someone else's loss. Gambling is nonproductive, and can be justified only by arguing its entertainment value or the good use made of a portion of the revenue. Since the end never justifies the means, gambling cannot be justified on these grounds if greed is involved. The fact that dishonesty and selfish motivation can be practiced in any form of business cannot be used as an excuse to justify gambling, if gain at the expense of another is part of the very nature of gambling. The common consent involved in gambling does not excuse the stealing involved in gambling anymore than common consent excuses the murder involved in dueling.
Bringing together the main points which we have discussed, I would define gambling as "unnecessarily risking the possessions which God has entrusted to us in games of chance or skill in the hope of gaining something from our neighbor without giving him a fair service or product in return whether for the sake of profit or thrills". So defined, we must say that all gambling is a sin.
We must, however, still consider the question whether everything which is popularly considered can be categorically include in the definition just given. Can we say that every form and instance of "gambling" does indeed involve selfish hope of improper gain?
Types of Gambling
We can divide gambling into three general categories: social, professional, and governmental. Social and professional gambling can further be divided into legal and illegal gambling.
We can immediately dispose of all forms of illegal gambling. They are offlimits for a Christian because the Scriptural command, "Submit yourself to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake" (I Peter 2:13) certainly includes obedience to laws restricting gambling.
The real problem is that more and more forms of gambling are not only being legalized, but they are being sponsored by governments, charities, and even churches. People are being offered an evergrowing number of choices when it comes to gambling: card and dice games, various kinds of racing, all kinds of lotteries and raffles, bingo, sports betting, personal wagers, and more.
Since Scripture does not speak directly on gambling, I believe we must beware of blanket condemnations and sweeping generalizations. We must beware of making ourselves judges of the motives of the heart. Can we make the judgment, "Such and such always involves greed and hope of unearned gain. If you do it, you must be greedy". We also must beware of letting ourselves become judges or courts of appeal to whom people come for our ruling on every specific problem that arises. We must also beware of judging by a double standard so that we can be accused of inconsistency. For example, if we oppose all gambling on the grounds that it provides strong temptations to sin, we must oppose drinking on the same grounds. If we oppose all gambling on the grounds that it is poor stewardship, don't we have to oppose smoking and many forms of luxurious entertainment on the same grounds? I think the whole history of the church's view of insurance warns us of the danger of making sweeping generalizations and judging motives, even on the basis of general Scriptural principles.
We can put gambling activities on a continuum from serious/illegal (eg. Mafia-sponsored gambling dens) where the idea is to rob suckers for the benefit of the criminally rich through casinos where the odds are stacked against ordinary people, to fun (a once-a-year sweep, perhaps Bingo). Then there's the 'guilt-by-association' extension: some Christian city missions etc. would not accept monetary gifts where gambling was involved. (By the same logic, a conscientious teetoller should not buy from supermarkets that sell liquor. We must allow one another to choose the point along this continuum consistent with principle-for-us. However we can flatly say that any gambling which is illegal, which is based on greed or a desire to profit at another's expense, or which is against one's own conscience is wrong and must be avoided. But what if a person objects that none of these applies a particular case? There are still very serious questions which a Christian must raise about participation in gambling.
Pastors/Christian leaders have a responsibility not only in advising and guiding in particular cases, but in our regular teaching of sanctification, particularly the 7th, 9th, and 10th commandments. However, I do not believe our responsibility is to be arbiters who are called upon to make a definitive ruling in every case of casuistry, but to be shepherds of the soul who provide our members with solid Scriptural guidelines on the basis of which they as Christians can reach God-pleasing decisions with regard to gambling and any involvement in it.
Here are some factors/motivations which have helped me come to a more informed position on this tricky issue (from the least to the most significant):
1. It's an inefficient way to get taxes. The chairwoman of the Australian Institute of Gambling Research at the university of Western Sydney, Jan Macmillen, says while gambling revenue is beginning to compensate governments for a decline in stamp duty and payroll tax receipts, 'it is a stunningly inefficient way to collect taxes... In bald figures the government is paying about $2 to private entrepreneurs for every $1 collected in gambling taxes... Here we have a GST that people are willing to pay. If governments had said a decade back that they were going to raise a tax by 69% they would never have been re-elected. Well, they have done it with gambling, and no one seems to mind... The concentration of poker machines in working-class clubs and hotels has imposed a regressive tax on those least able to pay.'
2. It's robbing the poor. The vice-chancellor of Melbourne's Monash University, David Robinson, an expert on forms of addiction, is blunt: 'Gambling is an almost perfect system for taking the money out of the pockets of the poor and putting it into the pockets of the rich.'
3. The gambling industry is an economic activity which produces no gain for the community at large, is destructive of retail and small business interests... and wreaks havoc on families and home.
4. Am I unnecessarily exposing myself to temptations to sin? Am I forgetting that I too still have a sinful nature subject to greed and selfishness? Am I underestimating the compulsive hold which gambling can gain over a person?
5. Am I tempting someone else with temptations which may be too strong for them? Will I be able to stand before the Lord of all and say that I served all in love?
6. Does my gambling diminish my effectiveness as a Christian witness in my community by raising doubt in the minds of the "weak" about the sincerity of my Christian faith and life? Can a responsible Christian citizen support activities which time after time have led to increased support for organized crime, corruption and bribery of public officials, and have created an atmosphere for more and more gambling and polluted the moral climate? Can churches and governments justify using gambling as a substitute for responsible stewardship and responsible taxation?
7. Will I be able to stand before God, the giver of all, and say that I have used His gifts wisely if I have used even a portion of the time, abilities, and possessions he has given me in gambling? Is it good stewardship to pour money down the drain in games which you know have the odds stacked against you? What is the connection between my act/s of gambling and a materialistic/covetous desire for improper gain?
8. The ultimate test: to what extent is my gambling activity an act of love for and service to others rather than for selfish gain?
Above all, when we discuss the problems raised by gambling, we will not want to approach the discussion with a Pharisaical attitude which delights in legalistic judging, nor will we want to be in with a belligerent attitude which says, "I dare you to try to prove to me that there is anything wrong with gambling". A Christian will begin by asking, "What would the Lord want me, his servant, to do? How can I serve him best?". We will say, "Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.". We will then genuinely seek the Lord's answer in Scripture and through prayer. We will then think about exhortations like that in Colossians 3:3ff. "You have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life, appears then you will also appear with him in glory. Put to death, therefore, what is earthly in you: immorality, impurity, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry ... What ever you do, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."
As we seek to deal honestly with the question, we will pray (to paraphrase an old hymn): Create in me a new heart Lord, that gladly I may obey your Word. And nothing but what you will do I desire. With such new life my soul inspire. Grant that I may love you and others. 'O grant me power and strength, my God, To strive against my flesh and blood.'
By Rowland Croucher
See also Tim Costello's article Casino Myths
-http://jmm.aaa.net.au/articles/607.htm
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