A few years ago, Arkansas voters approved the formation of a state lottery. Let me admit from the beginning that I voted against the lottery back then, and I continue to see that decision for a state-run lottery as a sad development for our great state of Arkansas.
One of the fundamental principles of life which is found in Biblical faith, is that of loving one's neighbor as oneself. This principle appears in Old Testament Scripture in Leviticus 19:18, and is lifted up by Jesus as the second great commandment of the law, second only to the commandment to love God with all one's heart, and soul, and mind and strength. Jesus said, "On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets." (See Matthew 22:34-40) From this principle of caring for neighbor as oneself, we get the similar principles that we should not steal from our neighbor, we should not covet what is rightfully our neighbor's, we should not deal unjustly or deceitfully with our neighbor, we should not cheat or defraud our neighbor, or in any way take advantage of our neighbor's misfortunes in order to gain advantages for ourselves. Would this not include refraining from looking for trivial or flimsy excuses for parting that neighbor from his money on the basis of personal bets, or according the outcome of games of chance? If we really care for the neighbor, should we be taking from his pocketbook monies that we have not earned, and for which we have not exchanged with him any real value to help him?
The lottery proposal of five years ago was combined with a plan that a portion of the lottery's "take" would go to fund college scholarships. It could have been connected to any of a number of "righteous" causes, like a food emergency fund, or to pay people's emergency medical bills, or to support utility expenses for needy persons in winter, or to fund storm disaster relief. The point is, that a basically parasitic activity, having no inherent justification for taking people's money from them, was associated with a "worthy" cause, college scholarships, so that was somehow supposed to transform the sorry thing into a good thing. The lottery, as with all betting, or game-of-chance gambling, is based on a desire to get something for nothing, to get "lucky" and to "strike it rich" by taking advantage of the losses of others.
One thing about the lottery is that there have to be lots of losers, LOTS of losers. Interestingly, the chances of winning at the lottery are tiny. It has to be that way, so the lottery can pay administrators their six-figured salaries, and still have enough scholarship money left over to justify the sorry operation. Then there is the business of having state-sponsored promotions dedicated to fanning the hopes of "strike-it-richers," many of whom are very short of financial resources, cannot afford the necessary losses, but are tantalized and tempted by a chance to win big, no matter how minuscule the chance. The newspapers for the past several days have been reporting that the lottery "take" is down and dropping. So promoters are devising new games to entice the gullible, in the effort to bring excitements back into the lottery in the face of waning interest. The latest innovation is what is being called a screen lottery. The message is not in these words, but it is that we need more losers to join in and lose more and more. The lottery needs lots more losers to keep going, and the idea is that the more you lose the more you help a good cause.
I'm convinced that there are far better, far more honest, far more efficient ways to fund college scholarships, activities far less damaging to the character and personal economic responsibility of our Arkansas citizens. Our own community supports several local organizations dedicated to providing college scholarships. These organizations do not incur the high administrative draw-offs inherent in the state lottery, they responsibly direct what is entrusted to them directly to the good cause. They do not try to take advantage of people's greed to fleece them. Our organizations seek straightforward support for a good thing, not trying to justify a bad thing by rationalizing that a portion of the "take" goes to a good cause.
Is it any better to win at the lottery, or to win at any gambling activity, than it is to lose? Is winning at the lottery consistent with a caring attitude toward the neighbors who have to lose to fund the win? Are we caring about our neighbors if we "win" their grocery money, or their rent money, or the dollars that might have clothed their children?
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Editor's note: Jerry Nichols, a native of Pea Ridge, is an award-winning columnist, a retired Methodist minister with a passion for history. He is vice president of the Pea Ridge Historical Society. He can be contacted by e-mail at [email protected], or call 621-1621.
Religion on 05/21/2014