AS MAINE VOTERS NEAR DECISIONS ON ALLOWING A RESORT CASINO IN SANFORD AND A RACING CASINO IN BANGOR, ANYONE SCANNING THE FAITH STATEMENTS AND WEB SITES OF A SLEW OF RELIGIOUS GROUPS WILL FIND PLENTY OF CAUTION LIGHTS – AND A FEW EXPLICIT STOP SIGNS.

WHY?

PERHAPS IT’S THE NOTION OF SOMETHING FOR NOTHING THAT MOST OFTEN TROUBLES BELIEVERS ACROSS RELIGIOUS LINES.

“THE RAMIFICATIONS OF SUCH A HABIT REACH DOWN TO THE VERY ROOTS OF CHARACTER,” ARGUES THE EPISCOPAL BISHOP OF CONNECTICUT IN A STATEMENT EXPLAINING HIS DIOCESE’S POLICY ON GAMES OF CHANCE.

THE ECLECTIC WEB SITE WWW.BELIEFNET.COM, IN A SECTION CALLED “DOES GOD PLAY DICE?” QUOTES A HINDU TEXT AS SAYING: “DO NOT TAKE TO GAMBLING, EVEN IF YOU CAN WIN, FOR YOUR WINS WILL BE LIKE THE BAITED HOOKS THAT FISH SWALLOW.”

YET THE SAME WEB SITE, IN AN EXTENSIVE DISCUSSION OF GAMBLING AND RELIGIOUS EXPRESSION, INCLUDES AN ANONYMOUS CORRESPONDENT WHO CONCLUDES: “I’VE BEEN DOING SOME THINKING AND I CAME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT GAMBLING JUST ISN’T AS BAD AS I WAS TAUGHT TO BELIEVE.” IT’S A GAME “AND NOTHING MORE.”

BIBLICAL ROOTS

“GAMES INVOLVING THROWING DICE OR OTHER OBJECTS WERE KNOWN IN BIBLICAL TIMES,” SAYS A RESOLUTION APPROVED IN 1996 BY THE GENERAL BOARD OF AMERICAN BAPTIST CHURCHES IN THE U.S.A. THE RESOLUTION, WHICH QUOTES BOOKS OF THE BIBLE TO MAKE ITS POINT, IS NOT BINDING ON INDIVIDUAL AMERICAN BAPTIST CHURCHES IN MAINE.

“THESE GAMES EXTENDED TO GAMBLING BUT ARE ONLY MENTIONED IN REFERENCE TO JESUS’ CLOTHES (JOHN 19:24). ‘CASTING LOTS’ WAS A CULTURAL WAY OF DETERMINING RESPONSIBILITY AND A RELIGIOUS WAY TO KNOW GOD’S WILL (NAHUM 3:10); (JOSHUA 18:6); (ACTS 1:26). ‘CASTING LOTS’ IS NEVER ENDORSED AS A WAY TO GET MONEY.”

WHAT SEEMS TO TROUBLE THE AMERICAN BAPTISTS’ BOARD IS THAT GAMBLING PROMOTERS “KEEP PEOPLE COMING BACK BY GIVING THE IMPRESSION THAT THERE IS A GOOD CHANCE TO WIN.”

“COVETOUSNESS AND GREED, WHICH MOTIVATE GAMBLING, ARE STRONGLY CONDEMNED BY BIBLICAL ETHICS AS CONTRARY TO TRUSTING GOD FOR OUR DAILY BREAD (MATTHEW 6:11). SUSTENANCE IS THE BLESSING OF GOD (MATTHEW 6:31-34) AND THE RESULT OF WORK (EPHESIANS 4:28).

“GAMBLING’S GLORIFICATION OF MERE CHANCE DENIES DIVINE ORDER IN NATURE AND DISREGARDS THE INSISTENCE OF THE CHURCH OF EVERY AGE THAT POSSESSIONS ARE ENTRUSTED TO US AND WE ARE ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR USE. THE PERSISTENT APPEAL TO SELF-SATISFACTION IS FUNDAMENTALLY OPPOSED TO THE UNSELFISHNESS WHICH WAS TAUGHT BY JESUS CHRIST AND THE BIBLE.”

IT’S JUST A GAME…

THAT ANONYMOUS CORRESPONDENT ON WWW.BELIEFNET.COM THINKS THE IDEA THAT GAMBLING IS MORE THAN JUST A GAME IS A SUPERSTITION – “THE THOUGHT THAT IT IS SOME SORT OF PAGAN SPIRITUAL PATHWAY TO THE WORSHIP OF SOME MIRACULOUS GOD OF LUCK OR GOD OF CHANCE.”

“GAMBLING IS A GAME. AS WITH ANY GAME, THERE IS HOPE AND JOY FOR A PARTICULAR WINNER, AND HOPE AND SORROW FOR A PARTICULAR LOSER. NO, YOU DON’T REALLY HAVE ANY CONTROL OVER THE OUTCOME OF A GAME. THAT IS WHAT MAKES IT A LOTTERY. IT’S ALL ABOUT COMPLICATED PHYSICS OR MATH THAT IS UNPREDICTABLE TO THE PLAYER. MY POINT FOR THE MOMENT IS THAT IT IS A GAME AND NOTHING MORE.”

SIN OR NOT?

FOR MAINE’S 300,000 ROMAN CATHOLICS, GAMBLING IS NOT A SIN, IN AND OF ITSELF. THE POCKET CATHOLIC DICTIONARY DEFINES GAMBLING AS “THE STAKING OF MONEY OR OTHER VALUABLES ON A FUTURE EVENT, CHANCE, OR CONTINGENCY THAT IS UNKNOWN OR UNCERTAIN TO THE PARTICIPANTS. THE ESSENTIAL FEATURE OF GAMBLING IS WAGERING, OR THE ACT OF HAZARDING AS SUCH.”

“THE CATHOLIC CHURCH HAS NEVER CONDEMNED GAMBLING OUTRIGHT, IN SPITE OF THE EVIDENT ABUSES TO WHICH IT GENERALLY GIVES RISE. YET GAMBLING MAY BECOME A SIN, EVEN A SERIOUS SIN, WHEN IT GOES TO EXCESS THAT WOULD DESTROY PERSONAL HONESTY OR EXPOSE A PERSON TO LOSS SO GREAT AS TO JEOPARDIZE SOCIETY AND, ABOVE ALL, HIS FAMILY DEPENDENTS.”

STRICT OPPOSITION

THE UNITED METHODIST NEWS SERVICE, IN A DISPATCH DATED SEPT. 24, SAYS GAMBLING BY SENIORS POSES A DISTINCTIVE PROBLEM – AND THE UNITED METHODIST BOOK OF DISCIPLINE OPPOSES THAT GAMBLING IN ANY FORM.

SENIORS ARE ESPECIALLY VULNERABLE TO BECOMING PROBLEM GAMBLERS BECAUSE WHEN THEY WERE YOUNG, GAMBLING WAS SINFUL, OR AT LEAST HARMFUL, ACCORDING TO THE REV. TOM GREY, A METHODIST WHO IS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL COALITION AGAINST LEGALIZED GAMBLING.

“I NAIVELY EXPECTED THAT THE CHURCH WOULD WANT TO GET IN A GOOD FIGHT, BUT AS FAR AS A NATIONAL BATTLE, IT HASN’T HAPPENED. AMERICA SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF ITSELF THAT IT HAS LET GAMBLING HAVE A FREE RIDE …,” GREY SAYS IN THE DISPATCH.

RISKY BUSINESS

“IN THE BABYLONIAN TALMUD … THE RABBIS DEBATE THE REASON THAT GAMBLERS ARE INVALID AS WITNESSES. RAMI BAR HAMMA SUGGESTS THAT ALL GAMBLING IS A FORM OF ASMAKHTAH (RELIANCE) – THAT BECAUSE GAMBLERS BELIEVE, ERRONEOUSLY, THAT THEY WILL WIN, THEY ARE NOT WHOLEHEARTEDLY PUTTING THEIR MONEY AT RISK. TAKING WINNINGS, THEREFORE, IS A KIND OF THEFT.”

ELIEZER DIAMOND, “WHEEL OF FORTUNE: A RABBINIC PERSPECTIVE ON GAMLING”

TOUGH QUESTIONS

THE MAINE COUNCIL OF CHURCHES CONCEDES IT HAD A STRUGGLE IN DEVISING ITS STATEMENT ON THIS YEAR’S REFERENDUM ON CASINO GAMBLING. THE COUNCIL INCLUDES SUCH DENOMINATIONS AS THE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST MAINE CONFERENCE, THE NORTHEAST DISTRICT OF THE UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST ASSOCIATION, AND THE NEW ENGLAND YEARLY MEETING OF THE RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIENDS.

ITS SEPT. 26 STATEMENT OPPOSES THE PROPOSAL TO ALLOW MAINE INDIAN TRIBES TO BUILD A GAMBLING CASINO. BUT IT CONCLUDES BY RAISING EIGHT QUESTIONS:

. WHAT IS OUR LEVEL OF CONTACT WITH, AND KNOWLEDGE OF, MAINE’S ABORIGINAL PEOPLE?

. WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE EXTENT OF INJUSTICE EXPERIENCED BY THEM?

. WHAT SPECIFIC STEPS CAN YOUR CHURCH TAKE TO MAKE JUSTICE FOR MAINE’S TRIBES A PRIORITY OF YOUR MINISTRY.

. AT WHAT POINT DO WE BELIEVE GAMBLING MOVES FROM A HARMLESS PASTIME INTO BEHAVIOR THAT IS PERSONALLY AND SOCIALLY DESTRUCTIVE?

. WHAT [EFFECT] DOES GAMBLING HAVE ON OUR FAMILIES, ESPECIALLY OUR CHILDREN?

. SHOULD GAMBLING REVENUES SERVE AS A SUBSTITUTION FOR TAXATION?

. WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GAMBLING AND A RESPONSIBLE WORK ETHIC?

. WHAT IS THE APPROPRIATE ROLE OF STATE GOVERNMENT IN REGULATING GAMBLING?