Todd forgive me if this in inappropriate. Church and lottery

Reply #56

jrosina — Fri, 14 May 2010 02:31:49 GMT

HA!...rd, you are a special kind of earthling

Reply #55

rdgrnr — Fri, 14 May 2010 02:25:47 GMT

Watch it Hermanus. I knowed you wudn't from down here when you said plate. Down here a plate is somethin you eat off of. You mean a tag.

And the guy with the tag buying a lottery ticket? He might build a church with his winnings. You bought a soda though. That's gonna rot your teeth out requiring drilling out the teeth using up electricity which is depleting our fossil fuels for future generations, necessitating more nuclear power plants which could explode sending the earth into a nightmaris... [ More ]

Reply #54

Hermanus104 — Fri, 14 May 2010 02:04:22 GMT

You can glean from this whatever you want.

I went to the gas station outside of my apartment to buy a soda. I saw a man getting out of a car, and the place where the front plate would be says, Jesus is the Answer in Spanish. (In Georgia only a back plate is required). After I checked out I saw why he had come: to buy some scratch-off tickets.

Reply #53

Hermanus104 — Thu, 13 May 2010 02:37:11 GMT

If I do win the lottery I plan to tithe my winnings. I would have never thought of asking for a charitable receipt from the church, mostly because it would never have occurred to me. Then again, I've played the lottery only twice this year and both times were Pick-3, so I would be donating only $50.

Reply #52

joker17 — Thu, 13 May 2010 01:28:45 GMT

I'm not religious, but spiritual to an extent.

It's my opinion that because it's not affecting your daily life, like eating away at your mortgage, bills..etc, doesn't mean it's not a problem.

Correct me If I'm wrong, but based on what I've learned concerning the Bible, the act itself is destructive to the fabric of the being involved. I recall the temple being the body, and how it can become corrupt. It may not show right away but eventually, that lifestyle will fail.

The seed is also m... [ More ]

Reply #51

jarasan — Thu, 13 May 2010 01:26:11 GMT

CT:

That scam is well thought out, but....................................I think I'll join! Universal religion is good for your wallet and meditation in the clinky.

There is an underground economy in the US that laughs at the IRS. You have the IRS chasing $10 contributions by small time cheats or whatever.....................next it could be: you ain't buying healthcare..................or you claimed used underwear. They don't see the forest thru the trees. While there is literally billi... [ More ]

Reply #50

jrosina — Thu, 13 May 2010 01:01:32 GMT

You nailed it dr, as far as I am concern, never believed it to be a sin! I agree that one must never take funds from the family well being to play the lottery, That's a big no-no! Food, light bill, Telephone bill, mortgage, Car paymets! No

Reply #49

pepper1 — Wed, 12 May 2010 19:11:17 GMT

Most of the old farts from my church are in the store playing with me. The pastor keep telling us to not play, but when

we do our meet and greet they alway want to know did you get that number last night. First Sunday one approach

to tell me she forgot to play her number on the way to church. The preacher favorites girl buy tickets If anybody

won the jackpot he wouldn't turn it down. I just told him I gambling he said I go to the casnio just for those

little sauage(yeah right

Reply #48

sully16 — Tue, 11 May 2010 18:55:01 GMT

a lot of those old farts go home with each other (wink wink

Reply #47

PackMan — Tue, 11 May 2010 18:25:30 GMT

if gambling is a sin then what about all those old farts playing bingo at the local church

Reply #46

mjwinsmith — Tue, 11 May 2010 15:12:12 GMT

Amen Todd............

Thank you

Michael

Reply #45

luckyshoes — Tue, 11 May 2010 14:39:22 GMT

Well said , DR65

Reply #44

Coin Toss — Tue, 11 May 2010 14:04:52 GMT

From the link in BobP's post above, the end of the article:

Wait a minute: the person, who thought it might be a bomb, picked it up and put it in their car

Reply #43

BobP — Tue, 11 May 2010 06:20:01 GMT

Just don't make your donation like this guy . . .

Ooops: Bomb Squad Blows Up Suspicious Donation

http://www.nationalreview.com/the-feed/47239/ooops-bomb-squad-blows-suspicious-donation-church-destroys-2500-cash

BobP

Reply #42

Coin Toss — Tue, 11 May 2010 04:03:46 GMT

jarasan,

Not too fond of the system either, but back in the 1970s and 1980s there were so many scams going on under the auspices of giving that it brought the heat on a lot of people.

One was the Universal Life Church scam (the church still exists). People would send off $10 to be ordained and become a Reverend in the Universal Life Church. They would delclare their home a church, turn their entire paycheck over to the church, and pay themselves back for needed living expenses from what th... [ More ]

Reply #41

joker17 — Tue, 11 May 2010 02:47:13 GMT

I believe in Thor. That's my story and I'm sticking to it

Reply #40

sully16 — Tue, 11 May 2010 02:35:46 GMT

We donate cash once in awhile but, mostly at the holidays we donate food , mittens, hats and toys, I know it's for a good cause, so I really don't mind not getting a receipt. Alot of our church members put alot of effort into helping others and I see it ...makes you feel warm.

Reply #39

jarasan — Tue, 11 May 2010 00:49:03 GMT

A check is better than nothing. Can't blame the guy for creativity, I loath the IRS and taxes, period. I am for flat tax or consumption tax, done. The more you spend/make the more tax you pay, not this progressive POS 14000 pg code.

Reply #38

pepper1 — Tue, 11 May 2010 00:08:00 GMT

He will give an account for that. You can fool the people but you can't fool god. When you try things happen. Getting an audit out of the blue, having to spend out more money than he gave his son. He might have fool the IRS not God.

Reply #37

Coin Toss — Mon, 10 May 2010 19:05:33 GMT

pepper1, jarasan,

From a previous post of mone in this thread:

I knew a guy who would write his kid a $50 check made out to St. John'sParish and tell him to buy what he needed in the school bookstore,looseleaf paper, notebooks and such, and bring back the change. At theend of the year he would claim all those checks made out to St. John'sas charity.

The canceled check may or may not be proof enough, it depends. A lot of people try to pull stunts like the above.

Reply #36

drhymes74 — Mon, 10 May 2010 18:54:37 GMT

Many companies will match charitable contributions that you make. A company I used to work for would send out a reminder every quarter asking for you to submit your claims (a receipt) so that the company can match what you contributed up to a certain amount. A charitable organization should be able to provide you with a receipt. I find this as a win-win, double win situation.

A win for you...you are giving to a charitable organization and you can deduct from your taxes (at least you, not the

Reply #35

PERDUE — Mon, 10 May 2010 18:08:14 GMT

All ligitamate Non-Profit organizations will give you a receipt for your contributions. Keep in mind that if your pay with a check/money-order/cashier's check you can use that as a receipt.

I've contributed to a lot of church based non-profit organizations, (churches....etc) and I've always received a receipt and at the end of the year I get a statement showing what I've given for the whole year.

I know that when I give to my local church there are envelopes used to separate the regular of... [ More ]

Reply #34

jarasan — Mon, 10 May 2010 14:39:48 GMT

Keep cancelled checks those are receipts or print from on-line banking, or Quick Books Quicken etc..

Reply #33

jarasan — Mon, 10 May 2010 14:38:18 GMT

To a tee.

Reply #32

pepper1 — Mon, 10 May 2010 14:07:37 GMT

I would ask for a receipt. My church send you out something at the end of the year on how much you paid

to file your taxes. It on your tax return. You really don't need a receipt your check is your receipt.

Reply #31

Coin Toss — Mon, 10 May 2010 13:57:56 GMT

There is a short series of hilaruious books by a Quaker, can't think of his name or the book titles, sorry, but in one of them a couple in a chyrch win the lottery. At first they don't even want to claim the jackpot, but whn the lottery calls and tells them they have to take it or lose it, they take it.

Then everybody and their brother in the church has plans for the money, before thye've even given any.

Because of all the grandiose plans and everybody thinking their idea is the best what... [ More ]

Reply #30

Lucky Loser — Mon, 10 May 2010 13:38:42 GMT

'Ridge, this is what it's all about right here...a biblical answer to a biblical question. The bible does, in fact, answer all our questions in life. We only need to have a proper understanding when reading it so that it's not out of context. I really like your answer and commend you for posting it in its' Raw form.

lottogal, this ties in directly to Thrust's topic regarding Be Proud when coming into sudden wealth and not keeping quiet about it. If or when you hit it big, noone in the ch... [ More ]

Reply #29

Raven62 — Mon, 10 May 2010 12:54:26 GMT

If you would feel funny asking the Church for a Donation Receipt (written acknowledgment of something received) (You wouldn't be the first person to ask for one), then just make the Donation and Forget about the Tax Thingy.

Reply #28

lottocalgal — Mon, 10 May 2010 12:38:08 GMT

Thanks to all of you who responded seriously to my question.

I also have had the feeling of not a cheerful giver If I were to ask for a receipt. I didnt know it was a requirement for the church. So even when I give the % of a small lottery win to the church , since I give it in the form of a check during tithing , it would automatically be recognized. I guess its even more so, if (when) I give them a HUGE donation later on.

Thanks again to all of you.

Reply #27

dopey7719 — Mon, 10 May 2010 12:02:57 GMT

Well, I must say...you truly do learn something new everyday. I have never heard of this Flying Spaghetti Monster thing until this morning while reading the comments. I just looked it up. Ridiculous and offensive in my opinion...but so is SouthPark, The Family Guy...etc. I guess I'm just old fashioned...if you don't have anything nice to say just don't say anything at all is my motto.

Reply #26

Todd — Mon, 10 May 2010 11:08:49 GMT

Yes, that is why I said it was disrespectful. To me, it's not an Aw shucks, no offense thing. It's directly offensive to anyone with religious beliefs -- which is most of us.

Reply #25

BobP — Mon, 10 May 2010 07:19:04 GMT

You can look it up on Wikipedia. There are those who postulate the same proof or lack there of that God exists could be used to prove the universe is actually run by a flying Spaghetti Monster or Santa as the case may be.

I have a fun little game where you are the Spaghetti Monster trying to turn people into pastafarians.

http://www.coffeebreakgames.net/playgame.php?id=3179

BobP

Reply #24

rdgrnr — Mon, 10 May 2010 04:44:16 GMT

They said taking the deduction is not cheerful giving?

I think most people would be more cheerful taking the deduction. Giving more money to the government doesn't help the church and certainly doesn't make you a cheerful giver.

It just goes to show how hard it is to get away from busy-bodies. You never have to worry about what you're doing because you can rest assured some busy-body is worrying about what you're doing for you.

Reply #23

Coin Toss — Mon, 10 May 2010 04:20:49 GMT

lottocalgal,

Many churches automatically give people quarterly statements and an end of the year statement.

There was a day when canceled checks were rproof but now they may not stand alone.

I knew a guy who would write his kid a $50 check made out to St. John's Parish and tell him to buy what he needed in the school bookstore, looseleaf paper, notebooks and such, and bring back the change. At the end of the year he would claim all those checks made out to St. John's as charity.

I al... [ More ]

Reply #22

LotteryJunkiE99 — Mon, 10 May 2010 03:20:03 GMT

I didn't think it was possible for a man my size to get scared. I was wrong.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I looked up the Macarena song just to feel better after seeing that thing. JEEZ TODD!!!!! Where'd you find that thing?!!! Under rdgnr's bed or something???!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

k i THINK I'll have Mexican tongiht instead. Burritos/Chalupas, Here I come!!!!!!

And uhm, I'll try not to think on this picture as long as I live.

Reply #21

emilyg — Mon, 10 May 2010 03:14:32 GMT

What a mean post. I like Joker's sense of humor.

Reply #20

Todd — Mon, 10 May 2010 03:12:46 GMT

Does it look anything like this

Reply #19

LotteryJunkiE99 — Mon, 10 May 2010 03:10:18 GMT

OH wow, answered right after I posted. I feel just rich.

Reply #18

LotteryJunkiE99 — Mon, 10 May 2010 03:07:50 GMT

Can someone please tell me who the Flying Spaghetti Monster is?!@!@ I love ITalian food.

Oh, and Todd you know joker is always been sardonic and a smart-a$$, it's what make his posts so great to skip over, unless of course unless you need your minimum daily dose of cynisism and transparent passive-aggressiveness. I say passively angry and sour comments like jokers are wade the Spaghetti Monster fly in the first place. Fumes out the ears of course!!!!! - - HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH... [ More ]

Reply #17

joker17 — Mon, 10 May 2010 03:06:10 GMT

I wasn't trying to be disrespectful. The spaghetti monster is referring to how many dfferent belief systems which are out there, and the myriad of outcomes on the subject of gambling. Sure I was being cute, like I sometimes am, but not deisrespectful. If I offended anyone, I appologize, and wasn't trying to change anyone's belief, but I just gave my opinion on the subject and the possible alternative ways of thinking.

If someone has a real conviction in their belief system, no amount of Joker... [ More ]

Reply #16

LuckyGa3 — Mon, 10 May 2010 03:05:13 GMT

I have to agree with you Todd. and a great big AMEN.

Reply #15

Todd — Mon, 10 May 2010 02:51:51 GMT

It's actually called the Bible.

It's pretty disrespectful to toss in something like Flying Spaghetti monster just because you aren't personally religious. Why are religious people expected to always be tolerant of atheist views, but it's OK for atheists to treat religious people (i.e., the majority of the population) like idiots

Reply #14

savagegoose — Mon, 10 May 2010 02:49:57 GMT

of course you can ask for a reciept. Why donations to charities is deductable is because if they wheren't less money would go to charities, and the gov would have to provide more services. the gov cant provide the work charities do at as good a price as churches.

you are actually saving taX PAYERS MONEY by donating to a charity. and if you look at it as paying your taxes to SERVICE WHERE YOU GET TO DECIDE how the money is spent , then it is just and right, that dont have to double pay th... [ More ]

Reply #13

Jack-C — Mon, 10 May 2010 02:28:47 GMT

The church is REQUIRED to give you a record of giving at the end of the calendar year. Some churches send them out quarterly. If you drop CASH into the offering, then they have no way of knowing who gave it, but if you write a check, they will send the statement to the name and address on the check. You need to keep the statement they sent you and your check (both are required now by IRS) for your tax records.

Reply #12

joker17 — Mon, 10 May 2010 02:16:36 GMT

Even if it were in the bible, doesn't make it a fact.

Personally, I don't believe everything I read. I use common sense.

You never know, the Flying Spaghetti monster may say it's OK.

Reply #11

rdgrnr — Sun, 09 May 2010 22:08:48 GMT

Hey CT,

Do we have to wait for the sequel to find out if the Pastor kept it or did like the Salvation Army and refused it

Reply #10

dopey7719 — Sun, 09 May 2010 21:54:56 GMT

I think it is just fine to do that. You could always just ask your pastor or an elder of the church.

Reply #9

rdgrnr — Sun, 09 May 2010 21:34:17 GMT

There's nothing at all wrong with asking for a receipt. Anytime you can restrict the government from confiscating more of your money you should do it without hesitation.

The church won't be concerned about giving a receipt to you. That's more money you get to keep and possibly give to them down the road which is a good thing for all.

Reply #8

lottocalgal — Sun, 09 May 2010 21:14:15 GMT

Yeah but noone really responded to my question. (well Jack kind of did)

I'm talking about asking the church for the receipt for a charitabe donation. I feel uncle Sam would care less that you SAY you gave ten thousand dollars to the church. In order to write that off as a deduction youd need proof.

Woudl you feel funny asking the church for a receipt

Reply #7

Coin Toss — Sun, 09 May 2010 18:26:49 GMT

A lot of good points are being made here. Todd is right about moderation, that's for sure. When I worked in casinos I saw a coworker crying because they had no baby food in the house and their husband had bet $5,000 on a Super Bowl (it lost).

This is a story I wrote as an assignment for a writers course. Tghose in the Bible Belt will get a real feel for this, I'm thinking espeicaaly triggs and rgdrnr. Convenience marts in Kentucky sell discoubt cigarettes, booze and lottery tickets and their... [ More ]

Reply #6

Jack-C — Sun, 09 May 2010 15:38:52 GMT

Reply #5

dr65 — Sun, 09 May 2010 15:36:01 GMT

'Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's and render unto God what is God's'.

Caesar created the deduction...use it.

Personally, I'd feel better using it after giving the full 10% to the church.

Todd, you're right. There is NO sin in gambling. The sin is excess....excess to a point where it is interfering with other priorities: Mortgage, utilities,

food, car payment, etc. etc. etc.

Reply #4

Jack-C — Sun, 09 May 2010 15:15:17 GMT

Todd is correct. Gambling is not a sin, but we are to be good stewards of the money God gives to us (all that we get, actually). And getting a deduction on your tax return for the money you give the church is not a sin, either

Reply #3

Todd — Sun, 09 May 2010 15:07:44 GMT

The topic is fine. The only thing I take issue with is your assertion that gambling is a sin. I do not believe it is. In fact, the Bible does not say that gambling is bad in any way. The Bible makes mention of Lots , which are a form of lotteries used in biblical times.

Seeing as the Bible mentions the use of lotteries in the day, and does not say anything negative about gambling in general, I believe gambling is fine. However, like anything in life, it must be done in moderation, lest it be... [ More ]

Reply #2

temptustoo — Sun, 09 May 2010 14:34:20 GMT

amen

Reply #1

rdgrnr — Sun, 09 May 2010 14:20:45 GMT

Matthew 6: 1-4

Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your father which is in heaven.

Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:

That thine alms may be in secret: and thy father w... [ More ]

Todd forgive me if this in inappropriate. Church and lottery

lottocalgal — Sun, 09 May 2010 13:52:23 GMT

Hello LP family,

I want to know your thoughts on this one. Yeah gambling is a sin and yet I play the lottery.

Okay thats over-now here's my question.

I plan to give some of the money to my church after my win, (like I do now, except the amounts are so small, its insignificant.) But since you are heavily taxed on your lottery wins and the gifts you give to others, would it be appropriate to request the charitable reciept from the church in order to write it off on taxes?

I... [ More ]