Churches rally against lottery

Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2000 | 10:14 a.m.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- More than 300 church leaders and parishioners stood on the Statehouse steps Monday to oppose a state lottery.

The Rev. Joe Darby of Morris Brown AME Church stood with AME Bishop Henry Allen Belin Jr. and said the lottery would exploit people who go to his church.

In another development, Gov. Jim Hodges' pro-lottery group reported that donations have reached more than $750,000, with about $250,000 pouring in during September.

No Lottery 2000, the leading lottery opponent that many church groups are supporting, said it has raised about $470,000 through the end of September.

Hodges, who campaigned on a lottery-for-education platform in the 1998 election, would not comment on the church members' gathering.

Church leaders had nothing good to say about the lottery as they stood on the Statehouse steps.

"We stand together with one voice," said the Rev. Richard Dozier, president of the South Carolina Christian Action Council, which organized the event. "A state-run lottery would diminish, not further, good government and the proper stewardship of all of South Carolina."

Darby said a lottery "would teach our children that for the purpose of education that it is acceptable to use immoral means to pursue your goals."