Countless people have predicted that a national lottery will have an enormous impact on the country in terms of generating revenue. And unlike taxes a national lottery will be completely voluntary. With these benefits many of us are perplexed as to why a national lottery has not come into fruition. There is obviously only one answer to that question. The religious leaders of this country are the biggest obstacles to the development of a national lottery.

Many church leaders have given reasons for their opposition to a national lottery. However many of these reasons appear to lack strong foundation. Some religious leaders suggest that it will cause many to spend more if not all of their spendable income with the hope of obtaining wealth. Well we all would agree that there are compulsive gamblers out there. But there are also compulsive eaters and drinkers as well.

It really comes down to one word. That word is Discipline. It is simply not possible for church leaders to make everything we might become addicted to illegal. Disciplining yourself is the only solution to compulsive behaviour. Some people are compulsive shoppers. In fact you can lose just as much money from compulsive shopping as you could compulsive gambling. The only real difference is if you lose money in gambling, there is no material gain. Nevertheless the financial consequences in either case can be just as devastating.

Some Church leaders debate the morality of the lottery. According to some leaders, the lottery will take money away from many less fortunate people and offer them only a remote at best chance of gaining any returns. This actually is quite true. It is interesting however that these leaders do not adopt the same attitude towards raffles. Many of us play raffles time and time again never winning any prizes. A raffle really is a lottery in a disguised form. It adopts the exact same philosophy. Raffles generally collect large amounts of money only to give the Bahamian consumer a remote chance of winning. Strangely many church leaders are quiet on the topic of raffles. There is an obvious double standard here.

But exactly how far would the church take the morality question. It is a statistical fact that approximately 90% of all new businesses fail within the first two years. This makes going into business a big gamble, a concept in which church leaders are strongly opposed. The concept behind gambling and the lottery is that you take a small risk for hopefully the chance at a big payoff. Needless to say this is the exact same concept behind opening of a new business. New business owners are in fact taking a gamble with the hopes of a big payoff. Business owners entice you to give them your money with the hopes that it would make them more financially independent. Big businesses prosper by taking money from a number of less fortunate people. In the end all this money is channelled in the hands of just a few people. Now does that sound highly ethical? Not really but it is simply a hidden perfectly legal rule of business. So we can conclude that both businesses and lotteries take from less fortunate people. However unlike businesses the national lottery can be used to for the benefit of the entire country and not just a selected few. Now if we consider the high failure of most new businesses, then we must recognize the opening of a new business as a gamble. If opening a new business is in fact a gamble like the lottery how can church leaders rationally justify support of one and not the other? Quite frankly it is possible for someone to lose just as much money in a failed business venture as he could in a lottery. How can church leaders truly justify that one form of risky behaviour is highly moral and the other is not? These are all questions we crave answers.

But it would not be fair to end this discussion without actually examining what the Bible says about the topic of gambling. Actually the Bible offers no clear-cut objection to Gambling. It does however teach that anything done in excess is sinful. This is only suggestive of the fact that moderation is an important key in life. Some proponents of gambling have referred to the story of Job. Many believe this story was based upon a bet. With this in mind we must examine whether or not the religious leaders opposition to gambling is simply based on their very own opinion and not the Bible itself. If their objection was based upon the Bible, it certainly will have merit. On the other hand if the objection is simply just the opinion of many religious leaders, their opinion in a democratic society should not hold anymore weight than anyone else’s.

The reality of the matter is Bahamians overeat, drink, smoke and gamble. A national lottery is the only one out of the group that can be channelled for good. Unfortunately it is also the only one of the group that is not legal. Risk taking is also a fact of life. Engaging in a new business venture is a gamble. Choosing a career is a gamble. LIFE, Yes my friends’ life itself is a Gamble!

Spirit you said a mouth full you show very good signs of being a free thinker. The religious leaders will call you a heretic. But the religious leaders called Christ a heretic as well.

There are a few reasons that the religious leaders don’t want a lottery.

Greed Power and to Glorify them selves.

Every dollar that is spent on a lottery ticket is a dollar they will have to compete for. The religious leaders don’t like competition
The religious leaders use the people ignorance to keep the people thinking, as the religious leaders want them to. So the religious leaders can have control over them and how they think. In the past religious leaders would have those people that did not think and live as the religious leaders dictated the religious leaders would accuse them of being a heretic and they would be put to death. That’s power.

The money given in church is used to buy fancy clothes and cars. Not to mention to build a church that they can preach in. That’s where they glorify them selves. Still can’t find where Christ said build a church, temple and or building to worship himself and the Creator in, when there are homeless and hungry. Did Christ have the best clothes did he have a fancy wagon to ride in.
The real question; would Christ build himself a church Temple or building when there were people around him that were homeless?

Bahamians buy lottery tickets now from the US and Canada. Our money is employing foreigners in there land. If we had our own lottery we would employ our own.

Wonder how many religious leaders would refuse a tithe from someone employed by a Bahamian lottery. How many of them would refuse an offering from a winner. How many people that work in the casino go to church and give their tithe to the church. Don’t see these religious leaders refusing the money that comes from gambling.

Religious leaders power comes from the ignorant and the mindless that can’t think for them selves. Having an open mind thinking for you self and speaking your truth as you see it does not mean you don’t believe in the Creator.