Bishop Attacks State Lottery

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29931, 19 September 1962, Page 16

Bishop Attacks State Lottery

(N.Z. Press Association)

NELSON, Sept. 18. “I feel in duty bound to protest against the establishment by the Government of a State lottery. I make it on two grounds—the ill-effect it can have on the life of the individual, especially church members, and the disastrous effect it has on the character of society,” said the Bishop of Nelson (the Rt. Rev. F. O. Huhne-Moir) in his address to the Nelson Synod today. ‘‘A lottery is wrong because it is based fundamentally on an appeal to covetousness and greed.” he said. “In other forms of gambling other motives cer.tainly enter, such as excitement in watching a race, or comradeship in entering an , office sweep, or pleasure in ; exercising experience and skill in games. But these really are incidental. The basic motive in every gamble is covetousness. “A lottery is the quintessence of gambling. In this

mode of gambling, skill is scientifically excluded, and pure chance alone enthroned, excitement is minimal and comradeship is at a discount for nothing is more selfcentred or impersonal than the purchase of a lottery ticket. “The desire for inordinate gain is the sole motive for gambling in a lottery. “The alleged motive that the profits will assist some charitable cause is deceitful rationalisation. No participant in a lottery hopes for no return for his cash. If he wins, it is himself, not some needy cause that he has benefited. “Covetousness is emphatically forbidden in the moral law of the Ten Commandments. Its sinfulness is reiterated in the New Testament. Every Christian in judging this matter should regard Our Lord’s warning: ’Take heed and keep yourselves from all covetousness.’ “At a time when our coun-

try should be seeking to make ail its manpower productive of national wealth; when, as never before, we need to inculcate tn our young the spirit of craftsmanship and initiative, the satisfying and high purpose of dedicated labour, self-disci-pline and self-reliance; when large sums are being expended on education to develop intelligence and knowledge, lotteries, State sponsored. which undermine reason and distort life's values should receive no support from Christian men. “Furthermore. to seek monetary assistance from the special lottery fund would be to compromise conscience and be party to its ill-effects on the community,” said the Bishop.