'The Church must act now'

THE EDITOR, Sir:

THE nation is speeding towards becoming ungovernable. Crime, violence, corruption, drug trafficking are almost out of control. The Government is losing, if it has not already lost, the grip on the nation's affairs.

The death toll rises weekly, migration fever is on, lay-offs and cut-backs mount and poverty rises. Making the compound effect of everything on the population and particularly the poor, devastating.

Of growing noticeable concern is the spirit of lawlessness that is overtaking our society. Increasingly individuals and communities are taking the law into their own hands. They seek their own justice, pass their own judgement and execute as they deem fit. They act lawlessly believing that nothing will happen as a result of their action, and sadly they appear to be right.

Last week a man was killed and tied to a light pole, a community in St. Catherine, Angel Farm district, was invaded by a group of men who chopped, burned and shot at will and had the audacity to return and continue their exercise after the police visited and left, and nothing was done.

Lawlessness flourishes where leadership authority is weak and justice is absent. The absence of justice is an indication of the presence of corruption and evil. These prevailing conditions speak to weak leadership that lacks vision, integrity and the will do what is right. Our Government, contrary to Romans 13:4, wields the sword of justice in vain.

The primary responsibility of Government is the defence of its people to ensure justice. Failure here is failure in general. Moral and social decline always produces economic collapse. Moral and social restoration always produces economic revitalisation. If our leaders cannot restore the moral and social they will never see restoration of the economic. All the present talk about growth and economic prosperity in this ever-worsening moral and social chaos is an elusive dream - It cannot happen!

The national emphasis must now be on the restoration of the moral and social fabric to give any hope of economic prosperity. The moral and social can only be built on a solid spiritual foundation which does not exist among the majority of the existing political leadership. Hence, as long as they remain in the seat of power we can only look forward to greater decline.

The Church is where that spiritual foundation ought to exist. This makes it critical that the Church now release leaders of integrity to provide interim leadership for the nation as the last hope, or else destruction is certain. The non-involvement approach by the Church and fear of rocking the boat must cease and let love of divine principles and love for the people drive the necessary action to produce change. Evil prevails because good men do nothing.

THE CHURCH MUST PLAY HER ROLE AND ACT NOW!

I am, etc.,

AL MILLER

Pastor

Back to Letters