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Church Session Statement Attacks Gambling as “Anti-Christian”
July 6, 2000
Toronto, Canada .... [ANN]
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Seventh-day Adventists meeting in Toronto for a world session have issued a statement that identifies gambling as “incompatible with Christian principles” and that the “addictive quality of gambling is clearly incompatible with a Christian lifestyle.”
The strongly worded statement comes during the Adventists’ ten-day Church business session that brings together up to 50,000 from many of the 205 countries in which the Church is represented.
“The idea of taking money from the many and giving it to the few is a reverse of Robin Hood,” says Jonathan Gallagher, news director for the Adventist Church worldwide and church spokesperson on the issue. “It is ‘legitimated theft’ and reveals a selfish principle completely at odds with those of Jesus who taught mutual love and support. Christians are encouraged to be responsible and look to the needs of others, not to run down to the local casino or lottery ticket seller. This statement is designed to show the anti-Christian aspects of gambling as a business.”
The statement was released at a news conference on Thursday, July 6, at the Toronto SkyDome. Dr. Alex Currie, assistant to the President of the South Pacific Division, presented a perspective on the gambling within the Australia culture. “Since the 1980s it has become more and more common and socially ‘acceptable’ to gamble,” said Currie. “We, in the South Pacific Division, have also formulated a statement that clearly outlines the Adventist Church’s view of gambling, and that takes a stand against the acceptance, by churches, of gambling profits.” Barry Bussey, secretary of the Ontario Conference, cited statistics that show an increase in spending on gambling in Canada.
“Gambling has a massive impact on society,” says the statement. “Financial costs result from crime committed to pay for the gambling habit, increased policing, and legal expenses, as well as associated crimes involving drugs and prostitution.” In addition, “Society pays the escalating cost of associated crime, victim support, and family breakdown which erodes the quality of life.”
But this should be viewed more than a statement of theory, says Gallagher.
“We want to be personal and practical,” comments Gallagher. “Gambling is based on a non-Christian perspective of living just for the moment and demands total commitment of time and resources. It’s ruining the lives of so many people who need help, just in the same way as other addictions do.”
The statement concludes: “The Seventh-day Adventist Church calls on all government authorities to re-examine their reliance on funds gained from gambling and to prevent the ever-increasing availability of gambling with its damaging effects on individuals and society.”
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A Seventh-day Adventist Statement on Gambling
GamblingCdefined as a paid game of chanceCincreasingly impacts more and more people all over the world. The concept of winning at the expense of others has become a modern curse. Society pays the escalating cost of associated crime, victim support, and family breakdown which erodes the quality of life. Seventhday Adventists have consistently opposed gambling as it is incompatible with Christian principles. It is not an appropriate form of entertainment or a legitimate means of raising funds.
Gambling violates Christian principles of stewardship. God identifies work as the appropriate method for gaining material benefit; not the playing of a game of chance while dreaming to gain at the expense of others. Gambling has a massive impact on society. Financial costs result from crime committed to pay for the gambling habit, increased policing, and legal expenses, as well as associated crimes involving drugs and prostitution. Gambling does not generate income; rather it takes from those who often can ill afford to lose and gives to a few winners, the greatest winner of course being the gambling operator. The idea that gambling operations can have a positive economic benefit is an illusion. In addition, gambling violates the Christian sense of responsibility for family, neighbors, the needy, and the Church.
Gambling creates false hopes. The gambling dream of Awinning big@ replaces true hope with a false dream of a statisticallyimprobable chance of winning. Christians are not to put their hope in wealth. The Christian hope in a glorious future promised by God is Asure and certain@C unlike and opposite to the gambling dream. The great gain that the Bible points to is Agodliness with contentment.@
Gambling is addictive. The addictive quality of gambling is clearly incompatible with a Christian lifestyle. The Church seeks to help, not blame, those suffering from gambling or other addictions. Christians recognize that they are responsible before God for their resources and lifestyle.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church organization does not condone raffles or lotteries to raise funds and it urges members not to participate in any such activities, however well intentioned. Neither does the Church condone statesponsored gambling. The Seventh-day Adventist Church calls on all authorities to prevent the everincreasing availability of gambling with its damaging effects on individuals and society.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church rejects gambling as defined above and will not solicit nor accept funding that is clearly derived from gambling.
This statement was voted by the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists Administrative Committee (ADCOM), for release at the time of the General Conference Session in Toronto, Canada, June 29-July 9, 2000.
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1.) 1 Thess 4:11; Gen 3:19; Matt 19:21; Acts 9:36; 2 Cor 9:8, 9
2.) 1 Tim 6:17; Heb 11:1; 1 Tim 6:6
3.) 1 Cor 6:19, 20 |
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