Is it right for a Christian to accept lottery winnings

[MercyandFaith]

Hypothetical questions for Christian discussion:


(Obviously, I don't have a big-jackpot-winning-ticket.)


Is it right for a Christian to play the lottery?

In the extremely unlikely event that that Christian wins, would it be right to accept the winnings? (This is, of course, a bizarre question, but it's the philosophical/moral question being asked anyway.)


You could say that the lottery is financed by people who willingly, voluntarily put their money into it, and therefore there's nothing wrong with taking their money as a lottery winner, but does that make it right for a Christian?

 

[jdbear]

No MercyandFaith, it is not right for a Christian to play or collect winnings from the lottery, so if you have a winning ticket, send it to me and I'll get rid of it for you.

 

[Mcrfan343]

Well you earned it and won it fair and square, and the money is not stolen, then yes. I think the most important thing is what do you do with that money.

 

[GenetoJean]

Gambling in and of itself is not a sin. Gambling in front of someone with an addiction is where the problem could come in.

 

[Spunkn]

No MercyandFaith, it is not right for a Christian to play or collect winnings from the lottery, so if you have a winning ticket, send it to me and I'll get rid of it for you.

Joking aside, I guess if you play the lottery for fun every once in a while and you happened to win that's one thing. But if your pouring a lot of money into it, money that should go towards other things, then I'd see a problem with it.

If you did happen to win the lottery, then I would see about donating some of that to charity, or your church. You don't have to give it all away, but if God were to bless you with a lot of money, you should be responsible with it.

The more responsible we are with things, the more responsibility God will give us.

 

[Bobinator]

Pay your tithes (and offering(s)) if God put it in your heart, then accept the lottery winnings. As far as spending it, make sure you take care of things first, like bills, clothing and feeding family, etc. After that, you're free to do whatever you like with what's remaining. But JDBear may be onto something. The first century Christians in the Book of Acts made all things common. So I'd like my share as well...

 

[BFine]

I will take the money the same as I took money from my employers
who used/abused us workers.

 

[CounselorForChrist]

Gambling is a sin. Best example....Vegas. Its called sin city for a reason. God wants us to take care of our money, not blow it on lottery tickets.

Now let use me for example. At christmas my grandmother gives me scratch off lottery cards. I'd prefer she would not but she insists. One time I won $200 from one. In that its not a sin.

 

[DiscipleHeLovesToo]

Hypothetical questions for Christian discussion:


(Obviously, I don't have a big-jackpot-winning-ticket.)


Is it right for a Christian to play the lottery?

In the extremely unlikely event that that Christian wins, would it be right to accept the winnings? (This is, of course, a bizarre question, but it's the philosophical/moral question being asked anyway.)


You could say that the lottery is financed by people who willingly, voluntarily put their money into it, and therefore there's nothing wrong with taking their money as a lottery winner, but does that make it right for a Christian?

most lotteries aspire to do good things with the money they keep after payouts to the 'winners'; but it's unlikely that anyone buys a lottery ticket to donate money to the 'good cause' that it 'sponsors'...

i can't say the God would never lead someone to buy a lottery ticket; but i can say that if you're buying a lottery ticket because you don't believe God has already provided for you (even if you haven't received what He's already provided), as in you don't see that God would ever prosper you in some other way to the proportion of winning a lottery; then your faith is not in God, it is in the lottery.

if God really did lead you to buy a winning lottery ticket, He would also lead you as to whether you should accept the prize money too (as well as what to do with it). in ALL things, strive to be led by God as confirmed by His word.

 

[Life2Christ]

Remember what Jesus said about the rich man and the camel. Moral of the story: If you win the lottery, try to get rid of as much as you can for the sake of God's kingdom. I would keep some to be comfortable and then give the rest away to worthy causes.
Personally speaking, I find that when I am most fulfilled with things and emotions is when I don't pray and read the bible.

 

[Hayabusa]

There's nothing in the Bible which says gambling is sinful. It may be stupid and a poor use of money, which it is, but it's not actually wrong in the sense of being a "sin."

 

[TheyCallMeDavid]

Hypothetical questions for Christian discussion:


(Obviously, I don't have a big-jackpot-winning-ticket.)


Is it right for a Christian to play the lottery?

In the extremely unlikely event that that Christian wins, would it be right to accept the winnings? (This is, of course, a bizarre question, but it's the philosophical/moral question being asked anyway.)


You could say that the lottery is financed by people who willingly, voluntarily put their money into it, and therefore there's nothing wrong with taking their money as a lottery winner, but does that make it right for a Christian?

The Lottery is legalized gambling..pure and simple . The thing with playing the Lottery (and even winning BIG) , is that it can easily cause the Player to become hungry for money to where it starts becoming an Idol ; especially after a huge win. I personally don't play the Lottery of any kind, and have grown to be content with my status and financial ... and to trust in God for all I need . Frankly, I would be concerned that becoming an instant Millionaire would change me for the worse...not to mention the hounding of people for a handout . And im not even convinced that paying off the mortgages on a few local churches would be Gods will as so many Churches mishandle the tithes which come their way on frivolous things, unneeded exploits , or to increase the comfortability of its members .

 

[BFine]

Funny you should say that David, me and my husband talked about the same
thing...not paying off mortgages for churches or relatives.

I like the idea of spreading around a certain percentage of the money to a lot
of places but not giving more than a couple hundred dollars to each place on a
monthly basis...that way you don't attract attention.
Not everyone who wins the lottery gets hounded, people who "flash their wealth"
always get noticed.

I know in just talking to folks about winning the lottery, how quickly their demeanor changes and their greedy side rears up, even when we are chatting about "imaginary money" and how would they spend it or give some of it away.

At one time the lottery here was 40 million dollars, I casually said to the girl
in front of me at the lottery kiosk-- "If you win, would you give me a million dollars?"
She balked at the idea so fast!
I said to her: "You mean you wouldn't give me one million dollars, even though
you would have 39 million left?
She said no!

I have found that a person who's greedy/stingy are that way no matter how much
or how little they have...many hide it by giving an appearance of being generous
when they are trying to gain someone's approval.

I saw this manifest in a classmate in NC, who got sentenced to 30 yrs. in prison for
his Ponzi-type investment scheme...his Ponzi-scheme went on for nearly 20 yrs.

 

[Mcrfan343]

At one time the lottery here was 40 million dollars, I casually said to the girl
in front of me at the lottery kiosk-- "If you win, would you give me a million dollars?"
She balked at the idea so fast!
I said to her: "You mean you wouldn't give me one million dollars, even though
you would have 39 million left?
She said no!

Lol.

What you should've also done was ask if you won 40 million dollars and you gave her one million dollars would she accept it. Tricky tricky.

It could also be due to her not knowing you. I mean, giving away money to complete strangers is a bit iffy.

 

[BFine]

The funny part is, this was only a "what if" situation...I've
had these conversations with friends and got the same type
of replies.

I asked a good friend if she had a 100 grand, would she share
some of it with me? her answer...no.

My best friend in NC inherited a nice chunk of money from her
dad, mind you years prior she promised she would help me get
a car when she inherited from her dad who was in poor health.

When she got her inheritance she avoided me like a plague!
I never asked her for any money.
She blew all the money on good times with "new friends"-- she
went to Puerto Rico for a month, partied and gambled with "friends" that she
met at the casinos. She also took her boyfriend and his
whole family to a theme park, gave money to a guy she had a fling with,
did all kinds of shopping etc. when the money was all gone, so were her new
friends.
She came back to me wanting to make amends and I forgave her and the
friendship resumed. It was a year of so later when she apologized about
not fulfilling her promise to help me get a car when she got the money from
her dad's estate.

As time went along, she continued not upholding her end of the friendship,
I forgave over and over again and she kept doing the same things.

I cut off the toxic relationship a couple of years ago...she still claims
to want to be friends but she's put forth zero effort to see me, even
though I was home in NC for a couple of weeks in Feb. and March of this
year...she lives like 5 miles away from my mom (where I stayed during
those visits to NC.)

 

[MercyandFaith]

At one time the lottery here was 40 million dollars, I casually said to the girl
in front of me at the lottery kiosk-- "If you win, would you give me a million dollars?"
She balked at the idea so fast!
I said to her: "You mean you wouldn't give me one million dollars, even though
you would have 39 million left?
She said no!

To be fair, why would she give 1 million dollars to a total stranger whom she doesn't know? What's in it for her?


If you won $40 million, and then forty strangers each came up to you and casually asked you for a million dollars apiece, wouldn't your $40 million be gone?

 

[BFine]

In a "what if" situation it doesn't matter...I was just
sharing what happened.

If I actually won 40 million dollars, I would have a trust set
up that would dole out a certain percentage to a whole lot of
charities, provide funds for those who are trying to go to college
but lack funds, provide medical care for poor etc.

So yeah, I would be giving away money to strangers...like I already
do, only a much smaller scale.

 

[steamforthis]

A lottery ticket is usually only $1-10 in US currency.

It's not a massive waste to buy a ticket.

Now, of course, if you always spend all your money on tickets, you have a problem.

 

[fuji]

Do you ever think Jesus just wants us to live our lives and be happy?

Like I understand gambling can be a big issue...but sometimes these threads seem to be worries about nothing.

 

[znr]

It's right. A smart Christian person would accept the money and then reinvest it, turning a million into millions and millions. Imagine how many charities and homeless people and hungry children millions into millions and millions could help.

I'll take the money. BRING IT.