LETTER OF THE DAY - Church's zeal misplaced
Published:Thursday | June 20, 2013 | 12:00 AM
The Editor, Sir:
The call by the group 'Prayer 2000' for a rally outside Parliament to protest the upcoming constitutional challenge to Jamaica's buggery law is yet another example of Christian piety gone awry.
The group has taken a tremendous leap of faith by asserting that an amendment to the relevant sections of the Offences Against the Persons Act will necessarily lead to an erosion of their freedom of religion, freedom of conscience, and freedom of speech. My understanding of their position is that their right to expression of contempt for homosexuality is more important than the rights to quality citizenship for gay Jamaicans, and as such, the Government is compelled to accommodate their doctrine because it is the only truth. This logic runs counter to the spirit of a free and democratic society.
Their zeal would best be placed were they to similarly protest outside Parliament for anti-gang legislation and the other critical legislative reforms that the country needs in order to be placed on a path to prosperity. They need to speak strongly for greater efficiency in how we do business, for the elimination of corruption from governance, and for access to justice for ALL Jamaicans. The Church is seemingly not alarmed that most young people, including many of their parishioners, do not have much hope for a successful future in this country. It is, therefore, alarming that church leaders are preparing to bawl out and flex their muscle because a young Jamaican is asking his government to determine that a law is unfairly prejudicial against his human dignity.
Calls for martyrdom and reminders that most Jamaicans are religious are interesting demonstrations of the influence of religiosity on a society, but I submit that, in light of their penchant for meaningless parades, perhaps if the churches paid taxes their numbers would be better put to use for the public good. I sincerely hope they will take a collection at this rally and use it to buy meals for the malnourished children in the vicinity of Gordon House who, I'm sure, will be gathering to watch the excitement. I also pray that they will be awakened to the hatred which permeates this campaign of intolerance and do their best to correct it.
Brian-Paul Welsh