Posted by Stuart (67.68.71.16) on November 23, 2002 at 07:18:21:

In Reply to: Re: When is a lotto purchase gambling? posted by PatK on November 22, 2002 at 20:08:32:

I hope anon will allow me to re-state that we are supposed to live our lives with God in mind all the time. Much of the Law issues from this. Music is permitted when it glorifies or is explicitly spiritual. Gangster Rap, as I see it, would not be acceptable. Entertainment this is devoid of any relation to Faith or condones murder, violence, promiscuity, homosexuality etc ... would be generally disallowed, but there could be moral tales that show the error of, for example, violence and murder, and which, at the same time, using Hollywood cinematics, celebrate the murder and the violence even though justice is done at some point.

What does one dream about when buying a single lotto ticket and the prize is in the many millions of dollars? Everyone I know who buys lotto tickets always says, first thing is charity. Nonsense. This is like saying that I would play God if God allowed me to win 20 million dollars. God does not need my help. In fact, we dream of selfish attritions. Not that this is itself sinful. It cannot be sinful to dream of wanting a new car or a new home or a better bed and bathroom. The difficulty is that those who buy the lotto do not simply buy the lotto in one second. Their minds have already spent hundreds of hours (over the years since they never won) and they wait the results of the lotto with tension and review their numbers with intensity and despair (having not won.) None of this elevates the person, the soul, the Faith. And all of it creates and defines a greater distance from God.

A single lotto ticket is gambling and unacceptable. This does not make anyone superior to another. Baha allows our imperfections. But the ideals should always be clear.

Stuart Gilman

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