Protest re National Lottery Bill
In view of the National Lottery Bill, at present before Parliament, which proposes that State lotteries be legalised, the Religion and Morals Committee of the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland wish to express their strong opposition to this proposal.
Gambling, judged in the light of the moral standards of God’s Word, is an iniquitous trade, violating the Eighth and Tenth Commandments of the Divine Law, and it can never be made respectable whatever process of legalisation may be resorted to in an attempt to make it so. Gambling is not, therefore, in our view, a trade in which any Government can honourably engage. We respectfully draw your attention to the views of our Church on gambling as expressed in a resolution on the subject passed at our annual Synod at Inverness in May 1967, a copy of which was forwarded to the former Home Secretary by the Clerk of Synod, Rev. R. R. Sinclair, F.P. Manse, Wick, Caithness.
We would remind the Government that Royal Commissions have twice recommended against having National lotteries. We refer also to the admission made by Mr Taverne, Under Secretary of State, Home Office, in replying to the debate on the second reading of the Gaming Bill, that there is “widespread opposition to the idea of State ownership of gambling.”
In view of the foregoing, we urge the Government to abandon its attitude of neutrality to the Bill but rather to oppose it and refuse to sanction the legislation contained in it. (Copies of this protest have been sent to the Home Secretary and to the Secretary of State for Scotland). D. B. Macleod, Convener.
Meeting of Synod
The Annual Synod of the Free Presbyterian Church will meet (D.V.) in the Hall of St. Jude’s Church, Glasgow, on Tuesday, the 21st of May, at 6.30 p.m. The retiring Moderator, Rev. D. A. MacLean, M.A., will conduct Public Worship. — Robert R. Sinclair, Clerk of Synod.