After Robert Powell hit the Florida Lottery jackpot last month and took home more than $6 million, he thought of his church.
And he offered to drop his tithe, around $600,000, in the collection plate of First Baptist Orange Park.
But the church and Pastor David Tarkington politely declined and told Powell they will not accept the lottery winnings.
Many churches do not approve of the lottery and gambling but on the other hand Pastor Dr. Lorenzo Hall of the El-Beth-El Divine Holiness Church says $600,000 can do a lot of good.
"I'm against the lottery, but if one of my members won the lottery, I wish and I hope he would give 10% to the church, we could do a lot of things with that money," says Hall.
As a Holiness minister, Dr. Hall says he does not ask where members get the money they decide to donate.
He said he would welcome Powell's donation to his inner city church anytime.
"We are in the process now of building a youth center, and you would be surprised at the people that can be helped with $600,000," says Hall.
Bethel Baptist Church member Lottie Walker says if she won, the first thing she would do is give lottery money to her church.
"Anything extra is bonus so that would be an extra blessing of offering after that, so if I did win lotto, sweepstakes I would tithe to my church," says Walker.
First Baptist Orange Park Pastor David Tarkington would not say exactly why the church refused the money, saying only he didn't want to talk about members' gifts.
In 2003 a man on Marco Island in FL won $14.3M and the Salvation Army returned his $100,000 check. He was a retired stockbroker and said that investing in the market is just as much as a gamble, so he was puzzled by the reaction to his donation.
It always surprises me when I read stories of churches turning away lottery winners donations. The money could do so much good for a lot of people. It's not like these people are handing over money they earned from dealing drugs.
If that particular church is not willing to accept the donation, then that is their CHOISE!, There are plenty of charities that would be willing to accept that money. I am sure that he could donate that amount of money to a homeless shelter, and probally write off most off it on his taxes! To me that is a win win situation.
"I'm against the lottery, but if one of my members won the lottery, I wish and I hope he would give 10% to the church, we could do a lot of things with that money," says Hall.
I wonder if that's 10% of the annuity value before taxes or 10% of what the winner actually gets after taxes even if he accepts the cash value. Some pastors believe God shouldn't have to stand in line and wait for Uncle Sam to get his share first.
I have an interesting story to share about this as well. I was troubled with myself to know whether I was doing the right thing by playing the lottery. And had asked the elders of the church about playing the lottery. My pastor stated he believed it to be a sin. So, I prayed about it for a long time. Many days I fasted and prayed. My church had a guest speaker coming to lecture during a conference. My husband and I planned to attend for the soul purpose of seeing this speaker because I had seen him once before and I saw miracles happen before my eyes for the first time in a church., many, many years before at a different church. When we heard he was coming, I said to myself, "If it is meant for me to win the lottery, surely this annointed one will say something about it to me or to the church." Well, as it would turn out, I couldn't attend ANY of the services during the conference. The following Sunday, when we returned to church., at the end of the service, my preacher stated that the guest speaker had prophesied that "this church will be blessed through a winning lottery ticket."
"But," my pastor said, "I believe it to be a sin to buy lottery tickets. I can't stress that enough."
So my husband I agreed that if we ever won a jackpot, we could honestly say "an investment finally paid off." It's really none of his business which investment, is it?
And yes, I believe playing the lottery is exactly like working the stock market. It is all a volitile gamble.
Don't you find it odd that this story is posted at the same time this is going on in my life? Someone trying to tell me something?
I don't understand any Pastor saying that they don't want lottery money. Do they know were the money they collect ever Sunday come from. They preach that those who wlak walks of this world should change and in changing some drug dealers come in that are still selling drugs and put money in the offering , those who are still prositituding put money ing the offering thos who go to the casino and win put money in the offering and on and on. So why and how could he say that they did not want lottery money and don't know were the money he collect every Sunday come from.
A church, like anyone else, has the right to choose where they knowingly get money from. This church has chosen not to put the sparkle of the dollar ahead of their principles.
An alternative for the lottery winner is to spread the donations around to several other churches with smaller anonymous donations. Spread it around. Smaller inner city churches often need money for the basics such as building repairs and for outreach programs which help the local community.
If worthiness was a prerequisite for God's grace, we would ALL perish. But yes, it is all His. Not just in the end, but now, yesterday, and forever. The silver is His and the gold is His.
Almost reminds me of the story of a Pastor in Chicago years ago preached against playing the lottery and his wife plays behind his back and wins right? so the pastor was asked how he felt about the lottery now that his wife had won 5mil and his reponse was IT'S NOT A SIN WHEN YOU WIN!!
I hope that they are against the stock market too because is the same crap, i hope they don't receive donation from someone in the stock market or put their money in the stock market since they want to take that route...Trading in the stock market is like giving your breathen your thrash who your breathen knows no better...I just hope they have that in mind and don't place their money in the stock market either...
I sometimes can blame them because at the current level that the lotteries is is really sickening...
but if i was to create a lottery a pick3/12 there is no way in the UNIVERSE they can't tell me i can't donate it to the church or gamble on it...YOu see there is different levels of lotteries that the church doesn't know...
Another subject is the music, certain churches don't allow certain music to be play in their church even if it was christian, yet God created music but i can understand their point because Christ said: "leave to Ceasar what is of Ceasar...
It is confusing...It all depends on the church...
anyways more important than this is gaining souls to God, creating cartoons of church, expanding Christianity teaching so that the entire world hear his word...Please believe me it is important...You may talk all you want you all are young but when you are in your last moments of your life, when you are in your death bed what goes to your head...And i am sure 1 soul is worth more than 600,000 dollars...
Please you have to believe me, this world is sickening my condition makes me see that most people despite that they may look o.k are mentally sick or need the word of the Lord...A lot of people...
Quote: Originally posted by justxploring on Aug 15, 2008
Isn't Bingo a form of gambling?
In 2003 a man on Marco Island in FL won $14.3M and the Salvation Army returned his $100,000 check. He was a retired stockbroker and said that investing in the market is just as much as a gamble, so he was puzzled by the reaction to his donation.
Are you trying to make sense of religious hypocrisy?
Quote: Originally posted by Doc Tor on Aug 15, 2008
I don't understand any Pastor saying that they don't want lottery money. Do they know were the money they collect ever Sunday come from. They preach that those who wlak walks of this world should change and in changing some drug dealers come in that are still selling drugs and put money in the offering , those who are still prositituding put money ing the offering thos who go to the casino and win put money in the offering and on and on. So why and how could he say that they did not want lottery money and don't know were the money he collect every Sunday come from.
Doc
Very good points.
More hypocrisy
Even if the prostitute or the drug dealer didn't directly donate money, it was probably handled by them indirectly.
If the premise of the church is that the money is blood money, then all money should fall in that category. Most, if not all money has probably been used for "evil" purposes too, not just monks doing transactions...lol
If that man wanted to make that donation to me the paster should have taken it. By his refusal, he has judged his pairshioner and that also is a sin. A man is not supposed to put his money in a hole in the ground..he is supposed to make his money grow. for poor folks, lottery winnings are the way that most of them do it. I hope that that man finds a church that is willing to take his tithe.
Quote: Originally posted by Littleoldlady on Aug 16, 2008
If that man wanted to make that donation to me the paster should have taken it. By his refusal, he has judged his pairshioner and that also is a sin. A man is not supposed to put his money in a hole in the ground..he is supposed to make his money grow. for poor folks, lottery winnings are the way that most of them do it. I hope that that man finds a church that is willing to take his tithe.
I hope he finds a church who would be willing to except his donation and do some good with it. I'm sure there are quite a few churches out there, that wouldn't turn him away.
He's welcome to donate to time*treat's church-of-the fire, brimstone and scratch-offs; where the comdemned spend eternity listening to people who are bad at math (attempt to) argue the tax implications of lump sum vs annuity, and each sermon ends with a lovely jaunt through the Book of Revelation ... or USC 26, depending.
This reminds me of a story my pastor told me long time ago.
There was a great storm coming and a little town was evacuating their people. A little old man refused to leave and said, "God will save me" The rains came. The old man prayed that God would rescue him. The people came back and told him he needs to get out now. He refused saying "God will save me" The water rose up as high as his porch! A boat was sent out to rescue the old man. He, again, refused saying "God will save me". It rained harder and harder. The water was in his house, now. The man climbed to his roof. A helicopter came to rescue him. He refused, AGAIN, and said "God will save me" The man drowned.
At the Pearly Gates, the old man asked God why didn't He save him? God said,
"I sent my people back for you. I sent a boat for you. I sent a helicopter for you. You refused everything I offered you, even though it was what you asked of me."
The whole point of the story is when you pray, you are to look around you and see what God is doing for you.
These pastors are asking for donations. They are asking people to help with this or that. And then when someone gives them something, like Lottery winnings, they turn their backs. God is giving it to them, but they don't want it. Did the pastor ever stop to think this might be a way for that winner to redeem himself or give back to the Church that brought him to God?
Of course Bingo is a form of gambling.. but the Church in question here is Baptist i.e. fundamentalist (Bible-based), and Bingo is usually run by Catholic churches.. and since Bingo proceeds go to the Church, I'd not see the harm. I don't even know where in the Bible it says not to wager money, but anything not to the glory of God is sin, so that could include even burping. Any sin from gambling would be what is done to get money to wager and what is done with winnings. Spending $20 of a tax refund for a night of Bingo and putting some of the winnings in the collection basket and using the rest to buy gas or other necessities vs. embezzling the money to play or spending the winnings at the nudie bar. In fact the Church should then question any money they get, if it was gotten in some "sinful" way such as by dishonest means. 600K to the Church is better than 600K to the 'Bing. Even a Church can spend the money in either a Godly or un-Godly way. Gold-plated statue of Mary (with real human hair and swiveling head) or feed the hungry and witness to them?
The best way to tithe would be to donate to a charity instead of the Church if they have a problem with it.
Food for thought: all gambling is, is a "fair" way to randomly redistribute the power to demand goods and services.
Quote: Originally posted by justxploring on Aug 15, 2008
Isn't Bingo a form of gambling?
In 2003 a man on Marco Island in FL won $14.3M and the Salvation Army returned his $100,000 check. He was a retired stockbroker and said that investing in the market is just as much as a gamble, so he was puzzled by the reaction to his donation.
Bingo is a form of gambling and some religious places have BINGO nite there. LOL
Pastor, I am not lying, I am injured - Graduate and Marine Engineer, after I was disabled. Earlier I as a Child under 6 of age for 2 years did nothing but looking and understanding the 12 pages of calender and the numbers. When disabled aged around 25, I was after Mass Service in Church-Amager-Copenhagen-Denmark was told of the lottery winning and drama an episode outside the church. I WAS TOLD NO ONE CAN PREDICT 7 LOTTERY NUMBERS FROM 35 OF THE DANISH LOTTERY, I KNEW THIS FEAT I CAN DO, AND FINALLY ENDED UP GATHERING CATHOLICS TO GIVE ME INVESTMENT TO WIN THE DANISH/SCANDINAVIAN LOTTERY AND KENO, IN 16 YEARS I HAVE WON FOR GROUPS OF PEOPLE A TOTAL OF DKK 600 MILLION OR 100 MILLION US $, FOR A TOTAL INVESTMENT OF ABOUT US $ 10MILLION. ALL THE WINNINGS WERE IN ADVANCE MORE OR LESS FOR CERTAIN ASSUMED TO WIN ALTHOUGH LOST. WITH NUMBERS IF ALL DATA AND RESEARCH IN THIS WORLD IS GIVEN NUMBERS AND ALL INCIDENTS AGAIN NUMBERED LIKE LOTTERY COMBINATIONS IT IS POSSIBLE FOR MANKING TO PREDICT THE MSOT LIKELY HAPPENINGS IN ALL WALKS OF LIFE AND LIVING INCLUDING RESEARCH AND MEDICINE. LOTTERY CAN BE WON WITH BRAINS AND I AM ONE GODS LIFE ON EARTH WHO WILL PROVE TO MAN AND CHURCH NOT TO LOOK AT IT WITH GAMBLING, AS IT IS INVESTMENT FOR GODS PLAN WITH NUMBERS THE NUMBERS SECRETS AND USES STILL REMAINS UNKNOWN TO MAN, ALTHOUGH THEORIES KNOWN TO ME. HOWEVER WHEN ALL PLAY DIFFERENT NUMBERS, ONE WILL FINALLY CATCH-THAT IS LUCK, BUT IT CAN BE CAUGHT WITH BRAINS TOO... PASTOR YOU ARE WELCOME TO SEE THE TRUTH. WHEN THE EARTH QUAKE TOOK PLACE IN PAKISTAN, WITHIN 3 MONTHS I COLLECTED FOR PAKISTANIS IN DK AND UK TOTALLY 3 MILLION US $ AND MADE HOMES FOR THE HOMELESS., WITH LOTTERY WINNINGS COMING WITH BRAIN DRAIN WORK. FROM STEVE CONSIDERED A LIVINGSAVIOUR BY 1000S.
Isn't Bingo a form of gambling?
In 2003 a man on Marco Island in FL won $14.3M and the Salvation Army returned his $100,000 check. He was a retired stockbroker and said that investing in the market is just as much as a gamble, so he was puzzled by the reaction to his donation.
It always surprises me when I read stories of churches turning away lottery winners donations. The money could do so much good for a lot of people. It's not like these people are handing over money they earned from dealing drugs.
If that particular church is not willing to accept the donation, then that is their CHOISE!, There are plenty of charities that would be willing to accept that money. I am sure that he could donate that amount of money to a homeless shelter, and probally write off most off it on his taxes! To me that is a win win situation.
"I'm against the lottery, but if one of my members won the lottery, I wish and I hope he would give 10% to the church, we could do a lot of things with that money," says Hall.
I wonder if that's 10% of the annuity value before taxes or 10% of what the winner actually gets after taxes even if he accepts the cash value. Some pastors believe God shouldn't have to stand in line and wait for Uncle Sam to get his share first.
I have an interesting story to share about this as well. I was troubled with myself to know whether I was doing the right thing by playing the lottery. And had asked the elders of the church about playing the lottery. My pastor stated he believed it to be a sin. So, I prayed about it for a long time. Many days I fasted and prayed. My church had a guest speaker coming to lecture during a conference. My husband and I planned to attend for the soul purpose of seeing this speaker because I had seen him once before and I saw miracles happen before my eyes for the first time in a church., many, many years before at a different church. When we heard he was coming, I said to myself, "If it is meant for me to win the lottery, surely this annointed one will say something about it to me or to the church." Well, as it would turn out, I couldn't attend ANY of the services during the conference. The following Sunday, when we returned to church., at the end of the service, my preacher stated that the guest speaker had prophesied that "this church will be blessed through a winning lottery ticket."
"But," my pastor said, "I believe it to be a sin to buy lottery tickets. I can't stress that enough."
So my husband I agreed that if we ever won a jackpot, we could honestly say "an investment finally paid off." It's really none of his business which investment, is it?
Don't you find it odd that this story is posted at the same time this is going on in my life? Someone trying to tell me something?
I don't understand any Pastor saying that they don't want lottery money. Do they know were the money they collect ever Sunday come from. They preach that those who wlak walks of this world should change and in changing some drug dealers come in that are still selling drugs and put money in the offering , those who are still prositituding put money ing the offering thos who go to the casino and win put money in the offering and on and on. So why and how could he say that they did not want lottery money and don't know were the money he collect every Sunday come from.
Doc
A church, like anyone else, has the right to choose where they knowingly get money from. This church has chosen not to put the sparkle of the dollar ahead of their principles.
An alternative for the lottery winner is to spread the donations around to several other churches with smaller anonymous donations. Spread it around. Smaller inner city churches often need money for the basics such as building repairs and for outreach programs which help the local community.
If this Pastor thinks it's soooo bad, I don't believe he has read in his Bible where it says the "the wealth of the wicked is laid up for the just..."
The church has every right to refuse any money from any source they deam unworthy of gods grace. However in the end it will all be his.
If worthiness was a prerequisite for God's grace, we would ALL perish. But yes, it is all His. Not just in the end, but now, yesterday, and forever. The silver is His and the gold is His.
Almost reminds me of the story of a Pastor in Chicago years ago preached against playing the lottery and his wife plays behind his back and wins right? so the pastor was asked how he felt about the lottery now that his wife had won 5mil and his reponse was IT'S NOT A SIN WHEN YOU WIN!!
True Story!
I hope that they are against the stock market too because is the same crap, i hope they don't receive donation from someone in the stock market or put their money in the stock market since they want to take that route...Trading in the stock market is like giving your breathen your thrash who your breathen knows no better...I just hope they have that in mind and don't place their money in the stock market either...
I sometimes can blame them because at the current level that the lotteries is is really sickening...
but if i was to create a lottery a pick3/12 there is no way in the UNIVERSE they can't tell me i can't donate it to the church or gamble on it...YOu see there is different levels of lotteries that the church doesn't know...
Another subject is the music, certain churches don't allow certain music to be play in their church even if it was christian, yet God created music but i can understand their point because Christ said: "leave to Ceasar what is of Ceasar...
It is confusing...It all depends on the church...
anyways more important than this is gaining souls to God, creating cartoons of church, expanding Christianity teaching so that the entire world hear his word...Please believe me it is important...You may talk all you want you all are young but when you are in your last moments of your life, when you are in your death bed what goes to your head...And i am sure 1 soul is worth more than 600,000 dollars...
Please you have to believe me, this world is sickening my condition makes me see that most people despite that they may look o.k are mentally sick or need the word of the Lord...A lot of people...
anyways i am not here to debate....
Are you trying to make sense of religious hypocrisy?
Good luck !
Very good points.
More hypocrisy
Even if the prostitute or the drug dealer didn't directly donate money, it was probably handled by them indirectly.
If the premise of the church is that the money is blood money, then all money should fall in that category. Most, if not all money has probably been used for "evil" purposes too, not just monks doing transactions...lol
Why do I even bother?
If that man wanted to make that donation to me the paster should have taken it. By his refusal, he has judged his pairshioner and that also is a sin. A man is not supposed to put his money in a hole in the ground..he is supposed to make his money grow. for poor folks, lottery winnings are the way that most of them do it. I hope that that man finds a church that is willing to take his tithe.
a lot of people belive in tilthing 10% to god so i don't see why they wouldn't take it, money is money
He's welcome to donate to time*treat's church-of-the fire, brimstone and scratch-offs; where the comdemned spend eternity listening to people who are bad at math (attempt to) argue the tax implications of lump sum vs annuity, and each sermon ends with a lovely jaunt through the Book of Revelation ... or USC 26, depending.
This reminds me of a story my pastor told me long time ago.
There was a great storm coming and a little town was evacuating their people. A little old man refused to leave and said, "God will save me" The rains came. The old man prayed that God would rescue him. The people came back and told him he needs to get out now. He refused saying "God will save me" The water rose up as high as his porch! A boat was sent out to rescue the old man. He, again, refused saying "God will save me". It rained harder and harder. The water was in his house, now. The man climbed to his roof. A helicopter came to rescue him. He refused, AGAIN, and said "God will save me" The man drowned.
At the Pearly Gates, the old man asked God why didn't He save him? God said,
"I sent my people back for you. I sent a boat for you. I sent a helicopter for you. You refused everything I offered you, even though it was what you asked of me."
The whole point of the story is when you pray, you are to look around you and see what God is doing for you.
These pastors are asking for donations. They are asking people to help with this or that. And then when someone gives them something, like Lottery winnings, they turn their backs. God is giving it to them, but they don't want it. Did the pastor ever stop to think this might be a way for that winner to redeem himself or give back to the Church that brought him to God?
i got a standing deal with god, when i win money i toss it into the air. whatever god catches he can keep. so far he doesnt seem to want money at all.
Of course Bingo is a form of gambling.. but the Church in question here is Baptist i.e. fundamentalist (Bible-based), and Bingo is usually run by Catholic churches.. and since Bingo proceeds go to the Church, I'd not see the harm. I don't even know where in the Bible it says not to wager money, but anything not to the glory of God is sin, so that could include even burping. Any sin from gambling would be what is done to get money to wager and what is done with winnings. Spending $20 of a tax refund for a night of Bingo and putting some of the winnings in the collection basket and using the rest to buy gas or other necessities vs. embezzling the money to play or spending the winnings at the nudie bar. In fact the Church should then question any money they get, if it was gotten in some "sinful" way such as by dishonest means. 600K to the Church is better than 600K to the 'Bing. Even a Church can spend the money in either a Godly or un-Godly way. Gold-plated statue of Mary (with real human hair and swiveling head) or feed the hungry and witness to them?
The best way to tithe would be to donate to a charity instead of the Church if they have a problem with it.
Food for thought: all gambling is, is a "fair" way to randomly redistribute the power to demand goods and services.
Every organization has its principles. If his church do not accept, he can donate to other charities.
The first time less came down than went up would be the last time you did that.
Maybe, he wants recognition(glory) if he wanted to donate that badly, he would do it anonymously...
Bingo is a form of gambling and some religious places have BINGO nite there. LOL
Pastor, I am not lying, I am injured - Graduate and Marine Engineer, after I was disabled. Earlier I as a Child under 6 of age for 2 years did nothing but looking and understanding the 12 pages of calender and the numbers. When disabled aged around 25, I was after Mass Service in Church-Amager-Copenhagen-Denmark was told of the lottery winning and drama an episode outside the church. I WAS TOLD NO ONE CAN PREDICT 7 LOTTERY NUMBERS FROM 35 OF THE DANISH LOTTERY, I KNEW THIS FEAT I CAN DO, AND FINALLY ENDED UP GATHERING CATHOLICS TO GIVE ME INVESTMENT TO WIN THE DANISH/SCANDINAVIAN LOTTERY AND KENO, IN 16 YEARS I HAVE WON FOR GROUPS OF PEOPLE A TOTAL OF DKK 600 MILLION OR 100 MILLION US $, FOR A TOTAL INVESTMENT OF ABOUT US $ 10MILLION. ALL THE WINNINGS WERE IN ADVANCE MORE OR LESS FOR CERTAIN ASSUMED TO WIN ALTHOUGH LOST. WITH NUMBERS IF ALL DATA AND RESEARCH IN THIS WORLD IS GIVEN NUMBERS AND ALL INCIDENTS AGAIN NUMBERED LIKE LOTTERY COMBINATIONS IT IS POSSIBLE FOR MANKING TO PREDICT THE MSOT LIKELY HAPPENINGS IN ALL WALKS OF LIFE AND LIVING INCLUDING RESEARCH AND MEDICINE. LOTTERY CAN BE WON WITH BRAINS AND I AM ONE GODS LIFE ON EARTH WHO WILL PROVE TO MAN AND CHURCH NOT TO LOOK AT IT WITH GAMBLING, AS IT IS INVESTMENT FOR GODS PLAN WITH NUMBERS THE NUMBERS SECRETS AND USES STILL REMAINS UNKNOWN TO MAN, ALTHOUGH THEORIES KNOWN TO ME. HOWEVER WHEN ALL PLAY DIFFERENT NUMBERS, ONE WILL FINALLY CATCH-THAT IS LUCK, BUT IT CAN BE CAUGHT WITH BRAINS TOO... PASTOR YOU ARE WELCOME TO SEE THE TRUTH. WHEN THE EARTH QUAKE TOOK PLACE IN PAKISTAN, WITHIN 3 MONTHS I COLLECTED FOR PAKISTANIS IN DK AND UK TOTALLY 3 MILLION US $ AND MADE HOMES FOR THE HOMELESS., WITH LOTTERY WINNINGS COMING WITH BRAIN DRAIN WORK. FROM STEVE CONSIDERED A LIVINGSAVIOUR BY 1000S.
Maybe the donation wasn't big enough?