Catholic Social Teaching On Gambling
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By Basil L. Merenda • Posted November 24, 2020
Our country’s soul is troubled. The COVID pandemic, civil unrest, economic inequality, climate change and national uncertainty have exposed the glaring shortcomings in the ideology of laissez faire — unfettered free market — libertarianism of the Reagan Revolution which has dominated public policy for the last 40 years.
Includes the Catholic Encyclopedia, Church Fathers, Summa, Bible and more — all for only $19.99. Gambling, or gaming, is the staking of money or other thing of value on the issue of a game of chance. It thus belongs to the class of aleatory contracts which the gain. Through a series of reflections, role plays and discussion, participants were invited to engage through the principles of Catholic Social Teaching with issues such as our Aboriginal heritage, people trafficking, homelessness, gambling and the migration of peoples. Catholic social teaching is central to our faith, and is based on — and inseparable from — our understanding of human life and dignity. These teachings are derived from: the Gospels and the words of Christ; papal statements and encyclicals; and Catholic bishops’ statements and pastoral letters. A Catholic Perspective on Gambling in Illinois 'Church teaching is clear. Gambling is not immoral in itself but may become so under certain circumstances As gambling in our state increases, so also does the number of people whose passion for gambling is enslaving them.” In 1999, the Catholic Bishops of Illinois issued a statement entitled. Catholic Social Teaching has evolved through a rich tradition of documents written by popes, councils and bishops. To learn more about Catholic Social Teaching, it is important to read the documents themselves. See the list on the left side of this page as a starting point.
Its stark and strident principles of “survival of the fittest,” “greed is good,” and “trickle down” economics are diametrically opposed to Christian love and charity.
Even amid this crisis our country has an opportunity to experience, as Abraham Lincoln said, “a new birth of freedom” by replacing this misguided and exhausted ideology and tackling these serious problems with the century-old tenets of Catholic social justice, which are grounded in uplifting and inspiring values found in the eternal truths of sacred scripture, the Beatitudes and moral considerations.
Indeed, Catholic social justice principles are not mysterious, not parochial, not intolerant but are as American as motherhood and apple pie.
They include widely accepted values: protection of all human life; fair play in economic and social life; dignity of every person and their rights as workers and consumers; strong families and participation in neighborhood communities; charity for the poor and disadvantaged; active role for government to promote the general welfare; and ultimately, stewardship of God’s creation so we can pass on a vibrant and sustainable planet Earth for future generations.
In 1891, faced with the rise of a brutish and inequitable industrialized world economy, Pope Leo XIII used a papal encyclical, which is the most authoritative teaching a pope can issue, entitled Rerum Novarum to introduce the world to the teachings of Catholic social justice.
He proclaimed that the Catholic Church must always use its teaching authority to speak out on social issues with a particular preference for the poor, disadvantaged and vulnerable.
Leo went on to recognize the rights of labor through trade unions and collective bargaining, and he rejected unrestricted capitalism and “Godless” communism-socialism, acknowledging that government is necessary for promoting justice through the protection of these rights.
Over the years Pope Leo XIII’s successors, including the ardent anti-communist pontiff from Poland, St. John Paul II, have developed and advanced these principles in a series of timely encyclicals that convincingly demonstrated how Catholic social teaching can be applied to the many economic and social problems faced by our country and the world at the time.
Coming on the heels of the 2008 financial crisis of the Great Recession, Pope Benedict XVI issued Caritas in Veritate, advocating for more, not less, governmental intervention in the economy as a way to rein in Wall Street and its high-risk financing and unbridled greed that directly caused the global financial meltdown.
In 2015 Pope Francis applied Catholic social justice principles to climate change. Decrying the exploitation and destruction of the environment in his encyclical Laudato ‘Si, Francis called for “all people of the world” to develop accessible sources of renewable energy, so “swift and unified global action” can address the serious consequences of the existential threat to the planet posed by climate change, global warming and the lack of clean water and biodiversity.
Catholic Social Teachings Usccb
On Oct. 3 of this year Pope Francis used his comprehensive and well-received encyclical Fratelli Tutti to apply the tenets of Catholic social teaching to the long list of woes our country has been experiencing. He condemned racism as a sin against God and noted the death penalty and war were unacceptable.
Francis then warned against selfishness in the economy and the marketplace and denounced the “dogma” of neoliberalism economics that resorts to “magic theories of spillover and trickle-down economics to solve society’s problems, including the pandemic” and prayerfully urged the entire world to work together on the COVID-19 pandemic, international politics and the dignity of women.
These Catholic-American values can lead to commonsense policy initiatives: 1) an increase in minimum wage to the more livable rate of $15 per-hour; 2) support for union card check to permit workers to more easily organize unions and protect their workplace rights; 3) guarantees that health care won’t be taken away from folks in the midst of a pandemic and neither would they be penalized for pre-existing conditions; 4) end racism in voting, criminal justice, health care and the economy; and 5) enact sensible climate policy to protect the planet.
Undeniably, Catholic social justice can restore social, economic and racial justice which have been under attack before our eyes.
In fact, folks of all faiths, religions and political registrations can embrace these principles, including the president-elect, Senate majority leader and speaker of the House, by just resolving to leave our children and grandchildren a more fair and equitable country and vibrant and life-sustaining planet Earth.
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Basil L. Merenda is the beneficiary of a Catholic education from kindergarten to eighth grade, high school, undergraduate and graduate school, and law school. He holds a master’s degree in economics from the University of Notre Dame and a law degree from Villanova University. He has spent almost his entire legal career practicing in the public service, law enforcement and union labor law.
My Baptist friend says that gambling is a sin. Yet, I know many good Catholics who visit places like Atlantic City and Las Vegas, and play slot machines and the like, or schools that have casino nights as fund raisers. What should I say to my friend?
Gambling, whether it involves games of chance (e.g. card games), wagers or betting, or even lotteries, is not intrinsically evil (Catechism, no. 2404). However, a person may only engage in these activities with a strict adherence to virtue. First, he must act with temperance, whereby he keeps his passions and emotions under the control of reason, acts with moderation and uses material goods in a good way and in accord with the circumstances of his life.
Second, the virtue of justice governs both the game itself as well as the person playing the game. The game must be fair and all players must have an equal chance of winning. In justice, the player’s gambling must not prevent him from meeting his obligations to support himself or his family, pay his debts or fulfill other responsibilities.
Consequently, a person must be careful not to become addicted to gambling because of its excitement or the possibility of making “quick, easy, big money.” He must not risk money that is necessary for the livelihood of himself or those entrusted to his care. Moreover, a gambler should always weigh whether that money could be better used for something of clear, tangible benefit. Even a wealthy person who may have great disposable income must use moderation, recognizing that the money risked on frivolous gambling could be used to help those less fortunate.
With this foundation in mind, several “classic” rules govern gambling:
1. A player must be free to dispose of the stakes wagered in the game. He must be able to accept the risk of losing the stakes without incurring harm to himself or to others. Basically, the stakes should be “disposable” money.
2. The player must make the gamble with full knowledge and consent.
3. All players must have an equal chance of winning.
4. The game must be fair. All fraud or deception is prohibited.
5. While everyone enjoys winning, the motive for playing the game should be one of pleasure rather than of gain. One must not depend upon gambling for one’s livelihood. (Prummer, Handbook of Moral Theology).
Even if one conscientiously follows these rules, he must always remain on guard. While gambling can be fun, it can also be very addictive. In a recent study, Harvard Medical School found that 1.29 percent of the adult population in America are pathological gamblers: this equates to 2.2 million addicted gamblers. Another 4 percent are considered “problem gamblers.” Such addiction is a spiritual enslavement that a person allows to happen.
Besides addiction, a spiritual problem emerges when a person thinks he can make the quick, easy, big money gambling rather than by simply working hard. Here he accepts great risks that could have dire consequences. Such a condition deteriorates when a person loses money he should use for himself or his family, and even accrues greater debt.
Be on guard, because gambling is a prevalent, luring, big business. In 1999, the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey estimated that betting on that year’s Denver-Atlanta Super Bowl reached $4 billion not including side bets and office pools. (Who knows what it was this year.) As of 1999, 37 states and the District of Columbia sponsored lotteries, and 26 states have legalized some form of casino gambling. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, Americans spend $600 billion annually in legal gambling operations, at least $100 billion more than they spend for food. The revenues of the gambling industry continue to rise each year, and are becoming more tempting. Currently, the Maryland legislature is considering having slot machines to raise revenue for the state.
When I was studying at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia back in 1981, two fellow seminarians and I ventured to Atlantic City when we had a free weekend. Of course, we wanted to see this attraction, which was new at the time. I think we planned to spend $20 on the quarter slot machines, of course winning a little, losing a little, but in the end losing everything. Granted there was that temptation to keep going, thinking, “The next one will be the jackpot,” but we held to the limit. I was appalled though by how many people spent hours loading the slot machines with multiple coins. Worse yet, I remember watching the action at a poker table and seeing the well-dressed, distinguished manager approach one of the players with a document to sign, which basically mortgaged his home. While I am sure most people had kept their self-control and had fun, never really expecting to win, I wonder how many went away sad, regretting their actions. Herein we see the problem of gambling.
Catholic Social Teaching On Gambling Addiction
St. Augustine said, “The Devil invented gambling.” Maybe so. Remember, as Our Lord hung on the cross, the Roman soldiers threw dice to see who would get His tunic, seeking only their own benefit while being oblivious to the greater good (Jn 19:24). Granted, there is nothing wrong with gambling as long as it is kept within the confines of virtue. Nevertheless, one must always be very careful and vigilant.
This article courtesy of theArlington Catholic Herald.