I am a Christian of non-denominational variety. I have also been a part (briefly) of a fundamental Bible cult (got in, got out in less than 4 months because I didn't like what they were preaching about money and dating). Pastors of many of the churches I have attended have preached that gambling and the lottery are sinful acts, but when I ask where in the Bible does it say that, they point to scriptures talking about the good of earning wages or the ones about the prodigal son. But some would accept lottery winnings as tithes and offerings. These very same churches harp about tithing as a necessity to receive God's blessings...the only ones I see getting blessed are the pastors that preach tithing as a requirement for Christians.
I will happily purchase my lottery tickets, and when I do win, I will decide if I want to be like Abraham and give churches a tenth of the spoils of my win, after all, Abraham did that of his own volution and the Bible never says he ever tithed before or after that event from his own production. Those who I get in debates about tithing will often resort to saying one's willingness to tithe is a indication of your heart toward God...again, nice religious rhetoric, but not founded in scripture. Or I like the one where they say that the people in the Bible tithed livestock and crops because they didn't have money in those days. This is scary to think these people are supposed to be leading sinners to Christ, and obviously have not read the Bible through and through to know that the first mention of money comes in Genesis 17 (and Genesis is the first book of the OT) and occurs at least 133 times throughout the Bible. But enough about the religious scammers who look down on those who win the lottery, but take scripture out of context to guilt trip people into paying them a tenth of their gross income. For those who believe that is good, please read Deuteronomy Chapters 12 and 14 in their entirely as well as the entire book of Malachi (it is only 3 chapters; please note who those scriptures are directed at...I will be a spoiler and let you know it was the Levites those scriptures were directed at).
Powerball...Mega Millions...and any state lottery with a cash value jackpot of at least 5 million are fair game for me to play.
