Hi,
Is playing the lottery wrong? If so, why then have a Church Tombola? Our Church used to have one every year.
This is the way I see it:
1 euro for a lottery ticket is broken down as follows:
80 % for good causes, and 20%for Running of Lottery & profit
1 euro for Church Tomboa is broken down as follows:
50 % for the assistance of the illegal egyptian immigrants living in France,
50 % for the Church that serves the illegal immigrants living in France.
Is playing the lottery wrong if u buy ONE ticket a month!?
Thanks
Comments
By the way, I don't see how it is good that someone who hasn't worked for the money get it, while others have to struggle for it. I don't see the justice in that.
An interesting question. Since there is an element of gambling involved I have my doubts about this one - but then perhaps I am simply against gambling and think that one should not encourage it - especially in Church functions. If people want to give things (including money) to the Church, let them do so selflessly.
(Mind you, in a previous life as organiser of a political party locally, every event had a raffle attached to it, and that may just have made me allergic to it!).
In Christ,
Anglian
-but i think it is part donation to the church which makes it not wrong
also, part of the money the church gets from the tickets is a donation to the church, and they use some of the money to buy the gifts. or all the money not sure, but they do it for the people of the church, as gifts.
-but i think it is part donation to the church which makes it not wrong
i have to agree with He Wept
that would be the persons fault, not the churches. stealing money (or anything else like that) , and then buying the tickets for the tombola doesnt mean that the church has to stop the whole thing, it would be the person's sin, and that would be his problem
Yeah, Doubting Thomas, i agree with hewept, because the church can't except money from certain people, and not except money from someoneelse. And yes, the person that has lets say stole money and given it to the church, that person would have been accountable for the sin, not the church, because like I said, the church can't ask everyone, "whered you get this money from". Then again, it's all in God's hands. So back again, the church accepts the money. It's used for donations, etc. The fact that the person who stole donated the stolen amount of money, God doesn't accept the money from the person at all, becuase it wasn't even his. So therefore, when the money is used, it isn't blessed at all ; nor is the person that donated it blessed.
Agree?
Hi,
Is playing the lottery wrong? If so, why then have a Church Tombola? Our Church used to have one every year.
when you say USED TO have one every year, does that mean you don't have one anymore, becuase of a reason? or...
This may have sounded very extreme, but we must remember that money is the root of all evil.
Perhaps you should save it. Just put it in a bank and forget about it, I guess.
The first time that my attention is drawn to such an issue. And it is very interesting. Yeah, now I agree with QT_PA_2T about tombola for illicit (not so illegal) reasons, and agree with Anglian that it has an element of gambling, so I think this practice should stop from our churches, however the goal might be. As Doubting Thomas said the end doesn't justify the means.
The first time also to find out that incidents that mr QT_PA_2T fall in, are as funny as he exactly is. Well, burning the money, I am not sure. I would have given it to someone poor directly rather than through the church. It is not your money, and wasn't what you sought in the first place; you can't give it to the church, but you still can do something good with it. Remember "wakeel el zolm"; the prudent agent (don't know how to translate it): the one that used the money owed to his master, to make friends with other people.
God bless you all and pray for us a lot
dont complicate the situation...u won money....jus keep it and maybe use it to make sum1 else smile :)
This may have sounded very extreme, but we must remember that money is the root of all evil.
Perhaps you should save it. Just put it in a bank and forget about it, I guess.
LOL, no money is not the root of all evil God blessed us with money if not for money we'd still be trading chickens for clothes. :P
Lottery is gambling disguised in a different terminology. Abouna told us that if we entered the lottery we shouldn't accept the money and return it. I watched this think on Opera how families would literally be destroyed because of money and how it was a definite curse rather then a blessing. Simply put, it's the money of the devil. This money is not righfully your's and we oppose stealing. Just don't accept it, trust me you'll be better off.
Further, it is a federal offense to burn money (will in Australia it is). Ask Abouna, but you should probably give it to the needy- for they deserve it.
Secondly, did not the Lord ask Peter to fish to get money for the dues to the Temple? I think we should ponder this a bit. To me, the problem with Lottery is twofold
1) irresponsible use of money
2) an expression for the love of money
There may be more issues that I and others have transpired in this forum, but those I think stand. Not all things that we have not worked for we don't accept. The money we get from our parents as children, for instance. The money we get for social services, education spending etc. from the Government. Can we consider them as sinful? Gambling is unique, because it is an embrace of chance, irresponsible spending, and love of money.
But here we have a person who had not loved money, had not embraced chance winning the lottery. That is what we have. Why didn't he go buys sweets or something, I don't know.
But if we follow the spirit of the law, and not the letter we should come to a conclusion that seems more level-headed; even if it is the same one, but for better sounding reasons.
God said killing is wrong- but he also gave us an example when its ok.. but other than that example it is wrong...
so since God said gambling is wrong, and didn't give an example... than thats it... its wrong... one church has its reasons and might have taken permission- no one knows the whole situation except for God... thats it.. let it die
1.) So what about a situation like here in America, where McDonalds is having their monopoly game promotion. You just go to buy a burger and fries (not during a fast of course) and win the million dollars? The church will not accept a donation of some of that money?
2.) What about life insurance? your spouse passes away and had life insurance, you decide right off the bat to take 10% of that money and give it to the church. Will they accept it? You didn't really work for this money, right? so how does that work.
Thank you all for your answers and continued prayers,
McDonald's prizes are hardly gambling (but eating their food is probably sinful, since it is pernicious to your health), and life-insurance have been shown to be responsible to ensure the security of your family, and this should be reason to have less worldly care with such security that you pray will be honored by God, and continue to secure your spiritual security.
We didn't work for God's love, or the love of our parents, or spouses, or children, or friends; should we discard that? No- count them as a blessing, and use them for the edification of the Church. Getting money for free should make us wise spenders, rather than the opposite (unfortunately we do not see this as an opportunity to do good).
Winnings from gambling is problematic because it lulls us to a false sense of security and encourages further woeful spending. Whether it is wrong to give to the Church is something find to be inconsistent, and not on par with the price of blood. The Church may not accept it, because they do not want to espouse such reckless behaviour, but there is nothing inherently wrong with giving any money you consider from God to be given to the Church and if you repent from your embrace of chance, rather than using your God-given talents.
Good points, and I hope people see the difference between this and things like insurance. The latter is not gambling, it is providing for your dependents in case anything happens to you - and you pay for it. In that sense it is a serious and Christian act.
Gambling leads poorer people to become poorer and often leads people into sinful behaviour. The Church should not encourage it.
In Christ,
Anglian