The UMC and the Issues 2012: Gambling

The Social Principles reserve their strongest language for the issue of gambling calling gambling “a menace to society.”  The full statement reads as follows,

Gambling is a menace to society, deadly to the best interests of moral, social, economic, and spiritual life, and destructive of good government. As an act of faith and concern, Christians should abstain from gambling and should strive to minister to those victimized by the practice.

Where gambling has become addictive, the Church will encourage such individuals to receive therapeutic assistance so that the individual's energies may be redirected into positive and constructive ends.

The Church should promote standards and personal lifestyles that would make unnecessary and undesirable the resort to commercial gambling—including public lotteries—as a recreation, as an escape, or as a means of producing public revenue or funds for support of charities or government. (Discipline paragraph 163.G)

Also, the United Methodist Church has rules prohibiting local churches, conferences, and agencies from using “raffles, bingo, door prizes, other drawing schemes, or games of chance for the purpose of gambling or fundraising.” (Book of Resolutions of the United Methodist Church 2008 page 556)  Churches are also prohibited from accepting funds from gambling sources.

I am aware that this is a sensitive issue for us here in this area due to the presence of the Meskwaki Casino.  Our Book of Resolutions, which contains resolutions by General Conference that expand on the Social Principles, does address the issue of tribal casinos.

While we support tribal self-determination and self-governance, resorting to gambling as a form of economic development is regrettable... We encourage tribal governments to wean themselves from gambling as a form of economic development; and we encourage and fully support tribal efforts to diversify economically away from gambling. (Book of Resolutions of the United Methodist Church 2008 pages 555-556)

We all know deep in our hearts that gambling is not a sustainable method of economic development because it takes more than it gives and destroys more than it creates.  We also know deep in our hearts the damage that gambling does to individuals, families, communities, and society as a whole.

I know that many of you may gamble recreationally.  I would encourage you to consider less destructive methods of recreation.  I encourage those of you who struggle with gambling to reach out to me or to others for help.  And, if you have a problem with excess money on your hands, I am sure the church can help you out with that!  Ha ha!