Cedric Moss
11-11-02, - 10:39 PM
The purpose of this position paper is to add to the already started public discussion about the introduction of some local form of legalized gambling for the participation of Bahamian citizens and residents. This paper represents what I believe is the Scriptural position. Accordingly, my procedure in this paper is to consider various aspects of the subject of gambling, with particular emphasis on the Biblical perspective.
What's right with gambling?
You will notice that this question is the opposite of the common question being asked by many Bahamians. Many are asking, "What is wrong with gambling?" However, a better question for those who support gambling to ask is "What is right with gambling?" Really, in and of it self (ignoring the means for which proceeds might be used), what is right about gambling?"
For some people, if they cannot find a Scripture verse specifically prohibiting gambling, there is nothing wrong with it. However, that is a faulty approach because the Bible is not and was never intended to be a "code book" that one can go to find a chapter and verse for every single situation. The reality is that there are times that we cannot find a specific Scripture verse that speaks directly to an issue. Further, because the Bible represents the whole written counsel of God for mankind and provides an authoritative, dependable and unchanging basis for our belief and behaviour, we are obligated to consider what it says as a whole to find principles that speak to the specific issue or situation. Such is the case with gambling. Therefore, we are not left to exercise our personal conscience; we must sincerely exercise a conscience that has been informed by the counsel of God in His Word. Consider the following Scripture verses that support this approach:
2 Tim 3:16-17
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
2 Peter 1:3-4
His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
Whether it is gambling or some other practice not specifically mentioned in the Bible, God's Word is sufficient for us to be guided in what our position or approach should be. Therefore, those who are serious about their commitment to glorify God in all that they do must appeal to His authoritative Word as their basis for conviction and conduct.
Please note that this approach is no different from the law of our land. Our system of law does not specifically codify every single possible act or situation to determine right from wrong. Judges and magistrates consider common law and the law of equity to make determinations of right and wrong in matters not codified on our law books.
Let us now consider why the practice of gambling is wrong. First of all, let us define gambling. Our working definition of gambling is as follows:
"Gambling is a game or activity of chance in which players pay to enter, consciously chancing loss of their own money in the hope of gaining the money of others with nothing given in return."
There are 3 basic elements of gambling: (1) an uncertain, arbitrary event, (2) the wager (something of value like money) that is deliberately chanced on a specific outcome, and (3) a winner and a loser. The winner wins at the direct loss of the other gambler(s). Whether it is seemingly as small as a church sponsored money Bingo or as big as a government sponsored lottery, it is still gambling. Also, the same dynamics are at work, regardless of the cause for which the profit proceeds are to go, whether to the owner of an illegal numbers house or a church's building fund or for sports. The end does not justify the means.
Some people put forward illogical views about other activities being gambling, like investing in the stock market. However, this is not the case at all. Gambling is engaging in chance while investing in the stock market is taking a business risk. There is nothing anyone can do to improve his chances of winning a lottery. However, a person investing in the stock market can do many things to reduce his risk of loss; like understanding how stock markets work, and studying the companies and economic sectors he invests in. Courses are offered to help people invest successfully in the stock market, but not on how to gamble successfully. When one does traditional investing in the stock market, he spends money to buy (invest) in shares of a company. All shareholders have the same opportunity to equally share in the company's profits/losses and rise/fall of the stock price. No shareholder wins/loses against other shareholders. They all gain or lose in equal proportion. This is not so with gambling. The very nature of gambling is that there will be far more losers that winners.
Here are 7 Biblically grounded reasons to support my view that gambling for money in all of its forms is wrong:
1. Gambling Promotes Greed. One who gambles is greedy for materialistic gain above what he presently has and is therefore willing to chance losing what he has to win what he never might. The Bible teaches against all forms of greed and coveting. Specifically, Jesus warns, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions" (Luke 12:15). It follows that the larger the jackpot, the greater the greed of individuals who would wish to win it. Gambling appeals to "the love of money" (1 Tim. 6:9-10), which is the root of all sorts of evil. The success of gambling depends upon the material greed of men. The greed appeal of gambling is so strong that even though the odds against winning are astronomical, people still have a blind, false optimism about winning.
2. Gambling Promotes Selfishness. Gamblers win at the direct economic loss of others. All gamblers are hoping and praying that they win and the others lose. Therefore, the objective of gambling is to risk money that one owns to try to enrich oneself at the expense of others. This is contrary to love that we see in Scripture; "Love does not seek its own" (1 Corinthians. 13:5). Also, "Love does no harm to a neighbor" (Romans 13:10). Gambling violates the golden rule; "Just as you want people to treat you, treat them in the same way" (Luke 6:31). A gambler violates the golden rule because he seeks to do to another person what he himself does not really want the other person to do to him.
3. Gambling Promotes Laziness. Laziness is condemned in numerous places in Scripture. Gambling to earn money is contrary to honest working that Scripture promotes. For example, the Apostle Paul says, "Let him who steals steal no longer; but rather let him labor, performing with his own hands what is good" (Ephesians 4:28). Frankly, gambling is stealing, even if it is a State sponsored lottery. God commanded man to work for a living, honestly labouring at that which is morally good and productive. Gambling appeals to laziness, and does not produce an economic exchange of goods or services. The winner is not remunerated for providing useful goods or services. Again, a larger jackpot encourages increased laziness because the amount is more enticing.
4. Gambling Is Bad Stewardship: According to Psalm 24:1, all material goods on earth ultimately belong to God. Whatever we have, we are called upon to gratefully steward and use. Gambling is bad stewardship, and this is especially so in lotteries where the chances to win are almost impossible. Throwing away hard-earned money on the contrived, artificial chance of gambling is a foolish use of our material prosperity; it is not responsible stewardship. Some people reason that a raffle ticket or a lottery ticket is just $1.00. The amount does not matter. It is still bad stewardship.
5. Gambling is Addictive. Self-control is a clear teaching of Scripture, and some activities have inherent risk of enslaving people to them. Gambling is one such activity. Those who say that gambling is not addictive are either ignorant or dishonest. There are thousands of Gamblers Anonymous chapters around the world, with tens of millions who attend and have attended meetings. A state sponsored lottery will increase the addiction of those who are currently addicted to gambling because the stakes will be higher. It also stands to reason that if tens of thousands of additional gamblers play the lottery, it will create many more gambling addicts.
6. Gambling is Deceptive. Deception, in all of its forms, is clearly taught as being wrong in Scripture. Yet deception is at the heart of gambling. For example, a primary feature of gambling is that there are many losers and very few or even just one winner. However, people are not warned that thousands will lose their money. The big jackpot is dangled before them and they are encouraged to play to win. The unbelievable odds against winning are not mentioned and if so, it is in very, very fine print at the bottom of the newspaper or television screen. Is this not deceptive? It certainly is.
7. Gambling Hurts the Poor and Vulnerable: The Scriptures teach that we should help and protect the poor and vulnerable, not hurt them. Lotteries and gambling are contrary to helping and protecting the poor. While it is important to note that there are many poor people who choose not to gamble, it is also very true that many choose do so with the false hope of hitting it rich. The glitter of big lottery jackpots is a greater allurement for people of all economic standings to play. Drawing on the broadly reported experience of the United States lotteries, it is generally accepted that a disproportionate number of lottery players are the very poor. They take food out of their children's mouths in their weekly pursuit of their virtually impossible dream of winning the jackpot against incredible odds.
I have no doubt that, if the government follows the ill advised path of bringing a lottery, the poor will be economically harmed because thousands of them will lose scarce funds attempting to win a jackpot that some wealthy person could possibly win.
Accordingly, my position is that gambling in all of its forms violates clear principles and teachings of Scripture, and is therefore wrong.
I go back to our original question. What is right about gambling?
What about Casinos and Christians who work in them?
A previous government, in its wisdom at the time, decided to legalize casino gambling in the Bahamas. The reasoning was that there was economic benefit to be derived by adding gambling to the tourism product. In my view, this was a wrong and shallow decision because a case could have also been made to develop a different kind of tourist product without casino gambling and achieve similar or even greater success. Nevertheless, casinos are here and it is morally right for the agreements made with them to be honored by governments and Bahamians in general. A Biblical precedent for taking this view can be found in the story of Israel's wrong covenant with the Gibeonites (Joshua 9 and 1st Samuel 21:1). Even though God told Israel not to make this covenant with the Gibeonites, once it was made, God Himself honoured and enforced it.
Therefore, since casinos are legitimate businesses in the Bahamas, the jobs that Bahamians perform in them are legal. Accordingly, a Christian can work in a casino, even if he thinks that gambling is wrong, so long as he can do so with a clear conscience before God. There are hundreds and perhaps thousands of committed born again Christians in our country who have worked and continue to work in casinos performing various jobs. They are best poised to answer this question. The responses I have heard over the years from different casino workers have varied and will continue to vary. Each Christian must be honest before God and not violate his conscience for economic gain. In addition, we must refrain from judging those who work in casinos and leave this and other matters of conscience to God Himself to righteously judge.
Can Morality Be Legislated?
In his recent annual address to the Anglican Church, Arch-Bishop Drexel Gomez echoed a statement that is on the lips of many people regarding the issue of gambling. In referring to the issue of gambling, Arch-Bishop Gomez said that morality cannot be legislated. However, that simply is not true. Morality can and is being daily legislated in our country and all nations of the world. All of the laws on our books have some kind of direct or indirect moral objective with the view to govern people's conduct within prescribed boundaries of those laws. These laws determine right and wrong based on how the lawmakers view right and wrong. Therefore, the real question is not whether or not morality can be legislated but whose morality will be legislated to govern us. This is why it is so important that people try to elect individuals who reflect their morals and values, whatever they might be. Hopefully, in our country, those who presently have the privilege of determining right and wrong would follow the only dependable guide given to mankind that we have which is the Word of God, the Bible. While I am able to give an exhaustive list of moral laws that have been legislated, let's consider the following examples of how some of our current laws legislate morality.
1. Traffic laws: Traffic laws govern how we drive on our streets. The primary objective is no doubt to minimize harm and loss of life and property as a result of accidents. About 2 years ago, someone or some persons decided that the speed limit should be reduced from 35 miles per hour to 25 miles per hour on the Cable Beach strip and it now governs how we drive on that road. It is right to drive at 25 mph or less and wrong to drive above that limit. The only thing that makes driving on Cable Beach at 30 miles per hour wrong is the law says that the limit is 25 miles per hour. If that law is changed to allow motorists to drive at 35 miles per hour, driving between 26 and 35 miles per hour would no longer be wrong. Clearly, traffic laws determine right and wrong and are therefore moral laws.
2. Sex with minors: The morality of those who set the current laws to govern sexual relations with minors chose to set age 16 as the safe harbour threshold; below age 16 is statutory rape. Why age 16? Since a 16 year old is not an adult, would it not be more consistent for the age to be 18? Again, this is someone's morality, and it does govern people. To be sure, there are adults who are electing to have sex with 16 and 17 year olds, as opposed to those who are younger because of this law. However, if the law was set at age 18 it would no doubt cause many of these persons to change and discontinue the practice of engaging in sexual intercourse with minors. Those who do not and are discovered will be brought before the courts. Clearly this is moral legislation.
3. Tobacco versus Marijuana: Currently, our laws prohibit the possession and use of marijuana but tobacco possession and use are both legal. They are both plants, both of which are highly addictive and linked to cancer, yet our current morality sanctions one and prohibits the other. What is the basis? Whose morality is this? Would it not be more consistent to legalize or criminalize them both? Please do not get side tracked! This is not about controlled substances! My point is merely to show that the criminalization of one kind of addictive cancer causing plant (marijuana) and the legalizing of another (tobacco) is moral legislation that represents the current morality of our laws.
Do you get the point? Again, it is simply this: we can and do legislate morality.
Currently, we have a legislated moral law that prohibits gambling for Bahamians. That was the morality of the then framers of the existing law. Today, we seem to have a new group of legislators, the majority of whom seem to represent a different morality that advocates legalizing gambling for Bahamians. The focus is solely on the economics and there seems to be a total disregard for anything else. It is my view that our nation will be better served by laws that reflect a Biblical morality as opposed to a humanistic one, because humanistic values keep changing to keep up with the "progressive" trends of other nations. These "progressive" trends are not progressive at all because they run counter to God's Word. This no doubt sounds dogmatic, but it is true. History has borne it out and the future will continue to bear it out.
Therefore, the relevant question is, "Whose morality will we legislate?" Those who are in parliament at any given time have the privilege of answering this question, and we can only pray that they see the wisdom in following a Biblical morality, and not a humanistic one.
The Role of Government
Governments are elected to govern. However, they do not govern in a vacuum. Romans 13:1, tells us that governmental authority is delegated by God Himself. Therefore, governments are answerable to God for how they use the authority He delegated to them. Any government whose priority is to give the people what they want does not understand how delegated authority works. While people get to participate in a democratic process and elect leaders, leaders are still ultimately answerable to God and must therefore seek to please Him, and NOT people. After all, He alone is sovereign, and raises up and brings down governments.
While it is commendable that our government wishes to consult with voters on matters of national importance, it must be remembered that governments are ultimately answerable to God on whose behalf they exercise authority. Therefore, we must allow those we elect to govern with a conscious awareness that they will ultimately answer to God. While we can and should give them any input that we feel is valuable to aid their decision making, we must not seek to dictate to them. It defeats the process of our system of governance. We only get to dictate to them once every 5 years by determining who will represent us. During their term in office, they must be allowed to do what they sincerely believe is best for the country
Is a referendum necessary to determine whether we should legalize gambling for Bahamians? I do not think so. Furthermore, the constitution does not require it. A referendum would be an unnecessary exercise and a waste of already scarce resources. Based on public statements, our parliament is full of individuals who range from being God fearing to being Born Again Christians. If the government is of the view that gambling should be legalized for Bahamians, then legislation should be brought to parliament and each member should be released from the party whip and allowed to vote his or her conscience on the matter. In such a case, it would be our hope that a majority of the members of parliament would represent Biblical morality and vote against the legalization of local gambling for Bahamians.
Having said that I believe that there should be informed, sensible dialogue and discussion within all interested sectors of society and between these sectors. Part of this dialogue must necessarily include revenue-raising alternatives to lotteries for the government to consider.
The Illegal Local Numbers racket
One of the arguments put forward for a Government sponsored lottery is that many people are patronizing illegal numbers houses. While this is no doubt true, nationalizing gambling is not the solution. The solution is to close the numbers houses down and amend the laws to significantly increase the fines and prison terms of those who engage in it. The fines and prison terms attached to crimes reveal the degree to which the legislators see certain activities as being wrong. If we are serious about getting rid of illegal numbers houses, it can be done in a matter of days as was shown when the Bahamas was blacklisted recently. It is far easier amending the laws prohibiting illegal gambling than it was to pass a basket of complex financial services laws. Additionally, since police officers are also normal citizens of our country, they know where the illegal numbers houses are located because it is common knowledge to most Bahamians. Those in the country who have been charged with the responsibility of legislation and law enforcement simply need to do their job in this area.
Socio-Economic Effects
The government would be wise to study the lottery experiences of other countries in our region, especially the United States where lotteries have been in existence for quite some time. It is reasonable to assume that there are tens of thousands of law abiding individual Bahamians who do not presently buy illegal numbers or play lotteries but who would do so if a legal lottery was made available locally. Therefore, considerable amounts of money that would have been spent on goods and services or saved (producing economic activity and growth) will be diverted to a non-productive lottery. Lotteries have a negative effect on businesses, the size of which cannot be accurately measured upfront because it is dependent on a number of factors. However, whatever the size, we do know that it is negative, except those businesses that replace lost sales on traditional goods and services with lottery ticket sales.
The introduction of a lottery will also bring added social fall out and suffering to the already poor. People being people will chance some or all of the money earmarked for important expenses like food, clothing and shelter on lottery tickets because they had a dream, it is their birthday or they just feel lucky. One USA study found that the poor bet approximately three times the amount wagered by persons in middle-income and upper income areas (State Legislators Magazine, October 1981). In 1976 the Dallas Times Herald reported of a pawn shop owner who had patrons who sold their artificial limbs, in one case a glass eye, and pulled out their gold teeth with pliers to hock them for gambling money. In the July 10, 1987 issue of Christianity Today, reference was made to a Maryland study found that the poorest one-third of the state households bought half of all weekly lottery tickets. In the same article, reference was made to another study that concluded that the lotteries in Connecticut and Massachusetts were equivalent to a state sales tax of over 60 percent on lower-income groups.
I have heard it said that we as Bahamians love to gamble. If this is true, a legalized lottery will have devastating socio-economic effects on our nation. In light of this, here is a question to consider: "Which one will do more socio-economic harm, the illegal numbers houses as they now operate or a government sponsored lottery?" Clearly a Government sponsored lottery will do much more harm than the illegal numbers houses. Comparing the illegal numbers houses to a government lottery is like comparing a child's piggy bank to the Royal Bank! There is no comparison! Therefore, those in authority must consider this part of the equation as well.
Our Role as the Church
In this matter of gambling, the role of the Church is to advise the government honestly, and sincerely in accordance with God's Word. Like other groups who are supporting the legalization of gambling in some form, we are to share our views with the government and the general public. Additionally, we are called to pray to the Almighty God who is the Sovereign over all things. We should not seek to dictate to or use undue influence on the government to not localize gambling, even though we believe that such a move would be wrong and detrimental for our nation. Beyond voicing our views and concerns, we must trust the outworking of our Sovereign God in this and other matters.
In the event that those who make our laws do not hear our voice, it then becomes important that those who are followers of Jesus Christ make a fixed decision to live counterculture and not participate in any form of gambling. In such a case, it will be the statement of our lifestyle that will speak much louder than our words in the discussion of this issue.
Conclusion
It is my sincere prayer that this paper helps to serve the position of the Church on gambling from a Biblical point of view and also assists our leaders and citizens in determining what is right for our nation in this matter of national importance. I welcome feedback in written form as follows:
E-mail at gambling@kingdom-life.org
Fax to 394-0621
Snail mail: P.O. Box N-8151, Nassau, Bahamas
What's right with gambling?
You will notice that this question is the opposite of the common question being asked by many Bahamians. Many are asking, "What is wrong with gambling?" However, a better question for those who support gambling to ask is "What is right with gambling?" Really, in and of it self (ignoring the means for which proceeds might be used), what is right about gambling?"
For some people, if they cannot find a Scripture verse specifically prohibiting gambling, there is nothing wrong with it. However, that is a faulty approach because the Bible is not and was never intended to be a "code book" that one can go to find a chapter and verse for every single situation. The reality is that there are times that we cannot find a specific Scripture verse that speaks directly to an issue. Further, because the Bible represents the whole written counsel of God for mankind and provides an authoritative, dependable and unchanging basis for our belief and behaviour, we are obligated to consider what it says as a whole to find principles that speak to the specific issue or situation. Such is the case with gambling. Therefore, we are not left to exercise our personal conscience; we must sincerely exercise a conscience that has been informed by the counsel of God in His Word. Consider the following Scripture verses that support this approach:
2 Tim 3:16-17
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
2 Peter 1:3-4
His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
Whether it is gambling or some other practice not specifically mentioned in the Bible, God's Word is sufficient for us to be guided in what our position or approach should be. Therefore, those who are serious about their commitment to glorify God in all that they do must appeal to His authoritative Word as their basis for conviction and conduct.
Please note that this approach is no different from the law of our land. Our system of law does not specifically codify every single possible act or situation to determine right from wrong. Judges and magistrates consider common law and the law of equity to make determinations of right and wrong in matters not codified on our law books.
Let us now consider why the practice of gambling is wrong. First of all, let us define gambling. Our working definition of gambling is as follows:
"Gambling is a game or activity of chance in which players pay to enter, consciously chancing loss of their own money in the hope of gaining the money of others with nothing given in return."
There are 3 basic elements of gambling: (1) an uncertain, arbitrary event, (2) the wager (something of value like money) that is deliberately chanced on a specific outcome, and (3) a winner and a loser. The winner wins at the direct loss of the other gambler(s). Whether it is seemingly as small as a church sponsored money Bingo or as big as a government sponsored lottery, it is still gambling. Also, the same dynamics are at work, regardless of the cause for which the profit proceeds are to go, whether to the owner of an illegal numbers house or a church's building fund or for sports. The end does not justify the means.
Some people put forward illogical views about other activities being gambling, like investing in the stock market. However, this is not the case at all. Gambling is engaging in chance while investing in the stock market is taking a business risk. There is nothing anyone can do to improve his chances of winning a lottery. However, a person investing in the stock market can do many things to reduce his risk of loss; like understanding how stock markets work, and studying the companies and economic sectors he invests in. Courses are offered to help people invest successfully in the stock market, but not on how to gamble successfully. When one does traditional investing in the stock market, he spends money to buy (invest) in shares of a company. All shareholders have the same opportunity to equally share in the company's profits/losses and rise/fall of the stock price. No shareholder wins/loses against other shareholders. They all gain or lose in equal proportion. This is not so with gambling. The very nature of gambling is that there will be far more losers that winners.
Here are 7 Biblically grounded reasons to support my view that gambling for money in all of its forms is wrong:
1. Gambling Promotes Greed. One who gambles is greedy for materialistic gain above what he presently has and is therefore willing to chance losing what he has to win what he never might. The Bible teaches against all forms of greed and coveting. Specifically, Jesus warns, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions" (Luke 12:15). It follows that the larger the jackpot, the greater the greed of individuals who would wish to win it. Gambling appeals to "the love of money" (1 Tim. 6:9-10), which is the root of all sorts of evil. The success of gambling depends upon the material greed of men. The greed appeal of gambling is so strong that even though the odds against winning are astronomical, people still have a blind, false optimism about winning.
2. Gambling Promotes Selfishness. Gamblers win at the direct economic loss of others. All gamblers are hoping and praying that they win and the others lose. Therefore, the objective of gambling is to risk money that one owns to try to enrich oneself at the expense of others. This is contrary to love that we see in Scripture; "Love does not seek its own" (1 Corinthians. 13:5). Also, "Love does no harm to a neighbor" (Romans 13:10). Gambling violates the golden rule; "Just as you want people to treat you, treat them in the same way" (Luke 6:31). A gambler violates the golden rule because he seeks to do to another person what he himself does not really want the other person to do to him.
3. Gambling Promotes Laziness. Laziness is condemned in numerous places in Scripture. Gambling to earn money is contrary to honest working that Scripture promotes. For example, the Apostle Paul says, "Let him who steals steal no longer; but rather let him labor, performing with his own hands what is good" (Ephesians 4:28). Frankly, gambling is stealing, even if it is a State sponsored lottery. God commanded man to work for a living, honestly labouring at that which is morally good and productive. Gambling appeals to laziness, and does not produce an economic exchange of goods or services. The winner is not remunerated for providing useful goods or services. Again, a larger jackpot encourages increased laziness because the amount is more enticing.
4. Gambling Is Bad Stewardship: According to Psalm 24:1, all material goods on earth ultimately belong to God. Whatever we have, we are called upon to gratefully steward and use. Gambling is bad stewardship, and this is especially so in lotteries where the chances to win are almost impossible. Throwing away hard-earned money on the contrived, artificial chance of gambling is a foolish use of our material prosperity; it is not responsible stewardship. Some people reason that a raffle ticket or a lottery ticket is just $1.00. The amount does not matter. It is still bad stewardship.
5. Gambling is Addictive. Self-control is a clear teaching of Scripture, and some activities have inherent risk of enslaving people to them. Gambling is one such activity. Those who say that gambling is not addictive are either ignorant or dishonest. There are thousands of Gamblers Anonymous chapters around the world, with tens of millions who attend and have attended meetings. A state sponsored lottery will increase the addiction of those who are currently addicted to gambling because the stakes will be higher. It also stands to reason that if tens of thousands of additional gamblers play the lottery, it will create many more gambling addicts.
6. Gambling is Deceptive. Deception, in all of its forms, is clearly taught as being wrong in Scripture. Yet deception is at the heart of gambling. For example, a primary feature of gambling is that there are many losers and very few or even just one winner. However, people are not warned that thousands will lose their money. The big jackpot is dangled before them and they are encouraged to play to win. The unbelievable odds against winning are not mentioned and if so, it is in very, very fine print at the bottom of the newspaper or television screen. Is this not deceptive? It certainly is.
7. Gambling Hurts the Poor and Vulnerable: The Scriptures teach that we should help and protect the poor and vulnerable, not hurt them. Lotteries and gambling are contrary to helping and protecting the poor. While it is important to note that there are many poor people who choose not to gamble, it is also very true that many choose do so with the false hope of hitting it rich. The glitter of big lottery jackpots is a greater allurement for people of all economic standings to play. Drawing on the broadly reported experience of the United States lotteries, it is generally accepted that a disproportionate number of lottery players are the very poor. They take food out of their children's mouths in their weekly pursuit of their virtually impossible dream of winning the jackpot against incredible odds.
I have no doubt that, if the government follows the ill advised path of bringing a lottery, the poor will be economically harmed because thousands of them will lose scarce funds attempting to win a jackpot that some wealthy person could possibly win.
Accordingly, my position is that gambling in all of its forms violates clear principles and teachings of Scripture, and is therefore wrong.
I go back to our original question. What is right about gambling?
What about Casinos and Christians who work in them?
A previous government, in its wisdom at the time, decided to legalize casino gambling in the Bahamas. The reasoning was that there was economic benefit to be derived by adding gambling to the tourism product. In my view, this was a wrong and shallow decision because a case could have also been made to develop a different kind of tourist product without casino gambling and achieve similar or even greater success. Nevertheless, casinos are here and it is morally right for the agreements made with them to be honored by governments and Bahamians in general. A Biblical precedent for taking this view can be found in the story of Israel's wrong covenant with the Gibeonites (Joshua 9 and 1st Samuel 21:1). Even though God told Israel not to make this covenant with the Gibeonites, once it was made, God Himself honoured and enforced it.
Therefore, since casinos are legitimate businesses in the Bahamas, the jobs that Bahamians perform in them are legal. Accordingly, a Christian can work in a casino, even if he thinks that gambling is wrong, so long as he can do so with a clear conscience before God. There are hundreds and perhaps thousands of committed born again Christians in our country who have worked and continue to work in casinos performing various jobs. They are best poised to answer this question. The responses I have heard over the years from different casino workers have varied and will continue to vary. Each Christian must be honest before God and not violate his conscience for economic gain. In addition, we must refrain from judging those who work in casinos and leave this and other matters of conscience to God Himself to righteously judge.
Can Morality Be Legislated?
In his recent annual address to the Anglican Church, Arch-Bishop Drexel Gomez echoed a statement that is on the lips of many people regarding the issue of gambling. In referring to the issue of gambling, Arch-Bishop Gomez said that morality cannot be legislated. However, that simply is not true. Morality can and is being daily legislated in our country and all nations of the world. All of the laws on our books have some kind of direct or indirect moral objective with the view to govern people's conduct within prescribed boundaries of those laws. These laws determine right and wrong based on how the lawmakers view right and wrong. Therefore, the real question is not whether or not morality can be legislated but whose morality will be legislated to govern us. This is why it is so important that people try to elect individuals who reflect their morals and values, whatever they might be. Hopefully, in our country, those who presently have the privilege of determining right and wrong would follow the only dependable guide given to mankind that we have which is the Word of God, the Bible. While I am able to give an exhaustive list of moral laws that have been legislated, let's consider the following examples of how some of our current laws legislate morality.
1. Traffic laws: Traffic laws govern how we drive on our streets. The primary objective is no doubt to minimize harm and loss of life and property as a result of accidents. About 2 years ago, someone or some persons decided that the speed limit should be reduced from 35 miles per hour to 25 miles per hour on the Cable Beach strip and it now governs how we drive on that road. It is right to drive at 25 mph or less and wrong to drive above that limit. The only thing that makes driving on Cable Beach at 30 miles per hour wrong is the law says that the limit is 25 miles per hour. If that law is changed to allow motorists to drive at 35 miles per hour, driving between 26 and 35 miles per hour would no longer be wrong. Clearly, traffic laws determine right and wrong and are therefore moral laws.
2. Sex with minors: The morality of those who set the current laws to govern sexual relations with minors chose to set age 16 as the safe harbour threshold; below age 16 is statutory rape. Why age 16? Since a 16 year old is not an adult, would it not be more consistent for the age to be 18? Again, this is someone's morality, and it does govern people. To be sure, there are adults who are electing to have sex with 16 and 17 year olds, as opposed to those who are younger because of this law. However, if the law was set at age 18 it would no doubt cause many of these persons to change and discontinue the practice of engaging in sexual intercourse with minors. Those who do not and are discovered will be brought before the courts. Clearly this is moral legislation.
3. Tobacco versus Marijuana: Currently, our laws prohibit the possession and use of marijuana but tobacco possession and use are both legal. They are both plants, both of which are highly addictive and linked to cancer, yet our current morality sanctions one and prohibits the other. What is the basis? Whose morality is this? Would it not be more consistent to legalize or criminalize them both? Please do not get side tracked! This is not about controlled substances! My point is merely to show that the criminalization of one kind of addictive cancer causing plant (marijuana) and the legalizing of another (tobacco) is moral legislation that represents the current morality of our laws.
Do you get the point? Again, it is simply this: we can and do legislate morality.
Currently, we have a legislated moral law that prohibits gambling for Bahamians. That was the morality of the then framers of the existing law. Today, we seem to have a new group of legislators, the majority of whom seem to represent a different morality that advocates legalizing gambling for Bahamians. The focus is solely on the economics and there seems to be a total disregard for anything else. It is my view that our nation will be better served by laws that reflect a Biblical morality as opposed to a humanistic one, because humanistic values keep changing to keep up with the "progressive" trends of other nations. These "progressive" trends are not progressive at all because they run counter to God's Word. This no doubt sounds dogmatic, but it is true. History has borne it out and the future will continue to bear it out.
Therefore, the relevant question is, "Whose morality will we legislate?" Those who are in parliament at any given time have the privilege of answering this question, and we can only pray that they see the wisdom in following a Biblical morality, and not a humanistic one.
The Role of Government
Governments are elected to govern. However, they do not govern in a vacuum. Romans 13:1, tells us that governmental authority is delegated by God Himself. Therefore, governments are answerable to God for how they use the authority He delegated to them. Any government whose priority is to give the people what they want does not understand how delegated authority works. While people get to participate in a democratic process and elect leaders, leaders are still ultimately answerable to God and must therefore seek to please Him, and NOT people. After all, He alone is sovereign, and raises up and brings down governments.
While it is commendable that our government wishes to consult with voters on matters of national importance, it must be remembered that governments are ultimately answerable to God on whose behalf they exercise authority. Therefore, we must allow those we elect to govern with a conscious awareness that they will ultimately answer to God. While we can and should give them any input that we feel is valuable to aid their decision making, we must not seek to dictate to them. It defeats the process of our system of governance. We only get to dictate to them once every 5 years by determining who will represent us. During their term in office, they must be allowed to do what they sincerely believe is best for the country
Is a referendum necessary to determine whether we should legalize gambling for Bahamians? I do not think so. Furthermore, the constitution does not require it. A referendum would be an unnecessary exercise and a waste of already scarce resources. Based on public statements, our parliament is full of individuals who range from being God fearing to being Born Again Christians. If the government is of the view that gambling should be legalized for Bahamians, then legislation should be brought to parliament and each member should be released from the party whip and allowed to vote his or her conscience on the matter. In such a case, it would be our hope that a majority of the members of parliament would represent Biblical morality and vote against the legalization of local gambling for Bahamians.
Having said that I believe that there should be informed, sensible dialogue and discussion within all interested sectors of society and between these sectors. Part of this dialogue must necessarily include revenue-raising alternatives to lotteries for the government to consider.
The Illegal Local Numbers racket
One of the arguments put forward for a Government sponsored lottery is that many people are patronizing illegal numbers houses. While this is no doubt true, nationalizing gambling is not the solution. The solution is to close the numbers houses down and amend the laws to significantly increase the fines and prison terms of those who engage in it. The fines and prison terms attached to crimes reveal the degree to which the legislators see certain activities as being wrong. If we are serious about getting rid of illegal numbers houses, it can be done in a matter of days as was shown when the Bahamas was blacklisted recently. It is far easier amending the laws prohibiting illegal gambling than it was to pass a basket of complex financial services laws. Additionally, since police officers are also normal citizens of our country, they know where the illegal numbers houses are located because it is common knowledge to most Bahamians. Those in the country who have been charged with the responsibility of legislation and law enforcement simply need to do their job in this area.
Socio-Economic Effects
The government would be wise to study the lottery experiences of other countries in our region, especially the United States where lotteries have been in existence for quite some time. It is reasonable to assume that there are tens of thousands of law abiding individual Bahamians who do not presently buy illegal numbers or play lotteries but who would do so if a legal lottery was made available locally. Therefore, considerable amounts of money that would have been spent on goods and services or saved (producing economic activity and growth) will be diverted to a non-productive lottery. Lotteries have a negative effect on businesses, the size of which cannot be accurately measured upfront because it is dependent on a number of factors. However, whatever the size, we do know that it is negative, except those businesses that replace lost sales on traditional goods and services with lottery ticket sales.
The introduction of a lottery will also bring added social fall out and suffering to the already poor. People being people will chance some or all of the money earmarked for important expenses like food, clothing and shelter on lottery tickets because they had a dream, it is their birthday or they just feel lucky. One USA study found that the poor bet approximately three times the amount wagered by persons in middle-income and upper income areas (State Legislators Magazine, October 1981). In 1976 the Dallas Times Herald reported of a pawn shop owner who had patrons who sold their artificial limbs, in one case a glass eye, and pulled out their gold teeth with pliers to hock them for gambling money. In the July 10, 1987 issue of Christianity Today, reference was made to a Maryland study found that the poorest one-third of the state households bought half of all weekly lottery tickets. In the same article, reference was made to another study that concluded that the lotteries in Connecticut and Massachusetts were equivalent to a state sales tax of over 60 percent on lower-income groups.
I have heard it said that we as Bahamians love to gamble. If this is true, a legalized lottery will have devastating socio-economic effects on our nation. In light of this, here is a question to consider: "Which one will do more socio-economic harm, the illegal numbers houses as they now operate or a government sponsored lottery?" Clearly a Government sponsored lottery will do much more harm than the illegal numbers houses. Comparing the illegal numbers houses to a government lottery is like comparing a child's piggy bank to the Royal Bank! There is no comparison! Therefore, those in authority must consider this part of the equation as well.
Our Role as the Church
In this matter of gambling, the role of the Church is to advise the government honestly, and sincerely in accordance with God's Word. Like other groups who are supporting the legalization of gambling in some form, we are to share our views with the government and the general public. Additionally, we are called to pray to the Almighty God who is the Sovereign over all things. We should not seek to dictate to or use undue influence on the government to not localize gambling, even though we believe that such a move would be wrong and detrimental for our nation. Beyond voicing our views and concerns, we must trust the outworking of our Sovereign God in this and other matters.
In the event that those who make our laws do not hear our voice, it then becomes important that those who are followers of Jesus Christ make a fixed decision to live counterculture and not participate in any form of gambling. In such a case, it will be the statement of our lifestyle that will speak much louder than our words in the discussion of this issue.
Conclusion
It is my sincere prayer that this paper helps to serve the position of the Church on gambling from a Biblical point of view and also assists our leaders and citizens in determining what is right for our nation in this matter of national importance. I welcome feedback in written form as follows:
E-mail at gambling@kingdom-life.org
Fax to 394-0621
Snail mail: P.O. Box N-8151, Nassau, Bahamas