Re: Should religion speak on gambling for the whole country?

Quote from: peter0425 on July 14, 2025, 02:14:53 AM

If you do not know, Philippines is heavily Catholic. 85 million individuals are Catholics in The Philippines and that makes up 78.8% of the country. A lot of the laws and beliefs in the country are influenced by the Catholic church. Even matters like divorce and LGBT rights are decided with the influence of the religion.

Now that gambling is booming in the country, it is expected that the Catholic church will intervene. The Philippine Church has described this as "a deepening crisis in the country" and is sounding the alarm about a social and cultural scourge that is destroying the lives of young people and entire families.

Obviously, we should respect the religion and the beliefs upheld but what about those who are not Catholic and would wish to continue to gamble? Does religion have the right to be included in conversations regarding gambling if their beliefs cloud their judgement?

Should they? No. Do they? Yes. The fact is that if the leadership of your country derive a lot of their authority from having a religious connection, then they will have to reward that connection by enforcing laws that align closely with that religion. In my experience, the most successful countries are those which successfully separate the two, but religion can be very pervasive and influential because of the structures it is designed around. If you are expected to attend a Mosque or pray five times a day, then certain routines get embedded within your psyche - you're more likely to support politicians who perpetuate and agree with the laws of the religion, instead of allowing man to judge man based on societal morals that may change over time.