"What's Wrong With The Lottery?"
By James Merritt
Matthew 27:35
INTRODUCTION
1. I thought that I had seen it all, heard it all, and read it all, until I read this piece from USA Today.
Marvin and Emily Davidheiser stacked forty Florida Lotto tickets atop a Bible
August 6, turned on the TV, and prayed.
Tuesday, the Branden, Florida couple claimed $26 million--the USA's thirteenth largest prize.
"I'd advise everybody to say your prayers," said Marvin Davidheiser." You don't win it just on picking the numbers."
They sorted through the whole stack,but the winner "was the last ticket I read,next to the Bible," he said.1
2. Can you imagine a supposedly religious man having the audacity to try to pin the tail of his winning the lottery on God. Surely, a religious man knows better than to try to tie God into gambling, much less approve of gambling himself.
3. But then, I came across these facts: Pollsters tell us that eight out of ten Roman Catholics classify themselves as gamblers. Gambling participation among Jews is 77%. Presbyterians and Episcopalians tie at 74%, while 63% of Methodists admit to gambling tendencies.
4. I thought surely it would be better with Baptists, and it is slightly. Only 43% of Baptists surveyed say they gamble, while 33% of the members of non- denominational groups, including the traditionally conservative Bible churches, admit they do a little betting now and then. Now that figure sounds low when compared to the denominations, but it means that one out of every three conservative Christians, may have no scruples against gambling.2
5. Whether it's betting at the race track, bingo at the church, pulling a lever, rolling the dice, shuffling cards, or buying a lottery ticket, gambling has now become the national pastime.
6. Newsweek magazine commented, "The explosive growth of legal gambling may be one of the most significant social developments of the 1980s.3 ...
By James Merritt
Matthew 27:35
INTRODUCTION
1. I thought that I had seen it all, heard it all, and read it all, until I read this piece from USA Today.
Marvin and Emily Davidheiser stacked forty Florida Lotto tickets atop a Bible
August 6, turned on the TV, and prayed.
Tuesday, the Branden, Florida couple claimed $26 million--the USA's thirteenth largest prize.
"I'd advise everybody to say your prayers," said Marvin Davidheiser." You don't win it just on picking the numbers."
They sorted through the whole stack,but the winner "was the last ticket I read,next to the Bible," he said.1
2. Can you imagine a supposedly religious man having the audacity to try to pin the tail of his winning the lottery on God. Surely, a religious man knows better than to try to tie God into gambling, much less approve of gambling himself.
3. But then, I came across these facts: Pollsters tell us that eight out of ten Roman Catholics classify themselves as gamblers. Gambling participation among Jews is 77%. Presbyterians and Episcopalians tie at 74%, while 63% of Methodists admit to gambling tendencies.
4. I thought surely it would be better with Baptists, and it is slightly. Only 43% of Baptists surveyed say they gamble, while 33% of the members of non- denominational groups, including the traditionally conservative Bible churches, admit they do a little betting now and then. Now that figure sounds low when compared to the denominations, but it means that one out of every three conservative Christians, may have no scruples against gambling.2
5. Whether it's betting at the race track, bingo at the church, pulling a lever, rolling the dice, shuffling cards, or buying a lottery ticket, gambling has now become the national pastime.
6. Newsweek magazine commented, "The explosive growth of legal gambling may be one of the most significant social developments of the 1980s.3 ...
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