Michael Abrahams | Blessed are the sinners

In 2017, the Jamaica Yellow Pages produced a telephone directory with a cover featuring a painting depicting a dancehall session. However, a church lobby group, the Jamaica Coalition for a Healthy Society (JCHS), led a campaign against the cover, expressing concerns about “values.” The organisation felt so strongly about the issue that they pressured the Yellow Pages to produce an alternate cover.

This is now 2025, and Jamaica has just experienced one of its worst-ever natural disasters and is now facing a massive humanitarian crisis. Health refers to physical, mental, and social well-being, and Hurricane Melissa has adversely affected all three for many people. The JCHS advocates for a “healthy society”, so you would expect them to feature prominently at this time. But their voice is noticeably absent from the Hurricane Melissa relief conversation.

Ironically, one of the groups front and centre is the dancehall fraternity, “sinners” you would see in scenes like the one depicted on the “offensive” telephone directory cover. People like Romeich, Shaggy, Sean Paul, Spice, Vybz Kartel, Buju Banton, Bounty Killer, Beenie Man and others have been providing an enormous amount of aid to hurricane survivors. They have taken food, clothing, and other supplies to the needy, and some have even begun building homes while encouraging others to join them on their missions.

It would indeed be appropriate for an organisation such as the JCHS, which has a platform and is “Christian”, to raise its voice to increase awareness and encourage those of us who can assist to do so. I searched assiduously for evidence of the organisation commenting on the hurricane but found none. I visited their website and Facebook and Twitter pages and there was no mention of the disaster or its victims. I checked the Facebook page of its leader, Dr Wayne West, who posts multiple times daily, and apart from the sharing of a post about the Christian humanitarian aid organisation Samaritan’s Purse, there was nothing else. No showing of compassion or empathy for the victims. No sharing of information encouraging or telling us how to help. No advice on how to protect ourselves from diseases that may result from the disaster. No advocacy. What did I see? Multiple anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ posts, as well as many supporting Israel and Donald Trump and his policies, praising slain American right-wing Christian activist Charlie Kirk and mocking, denigrating and rebuking the Democratic Party and its supporters. I also found that the JCHS in conjunction with another similar church lobby group, the Love March Movement (LMM), had organised a vigil for Charlie Kirk. Grief for a deceased American rabble rouser, but none for the dozens of Jamaicans left dead in a Category 5 hurricane’s wake.

DISINGENUOUS

I find this organisation to be disingenuous regarding their claim to be a Christian group interested in our well-being. Being a Christian does not mean that you cherry-pick what parts of the Bible and Jesus’ instructions you follow. The organisation is rabidly anti-abortion and is stridently outspoken regarding certain issues relating to the LGBTQ community, and has led or been a part of several protests concerning these topics. However, there is nowhere in the Gospels where it is documented that Jesus Christ spoke specifically about abortion or queerness. This leaves room for speculation. Maybe he spoke about them and those comments were not recorded. We do not know. But there are issues Jesus spoke about that are unequivocal in their clarity, such as helping those in need. For example, Matthew 25:35-36 states, “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”

An argument can be made that maybe these groups have donated quietly, in keeping with Matthew 6:3-4, which states, “But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” I get that. They do not have to advertise every move they make. But what about advocacy? What about a call to action? What about allocating at least a smidgen of their energy to advocating for those who are suffering now, and whose health is seriously compromised? The leader of this group is not only a Christian but also a physician, which makes the apparent nonchalance toward the suffering perplexing.

What do I make of this? We should not be too quick to judge and dismiss those deemed “sinful.” The dancehall community has done and continues to do way more for hurricane survivors than many of the so-called “Christians” and even some political leaders. It is also apparent that Christians are not a monolithic group. There are many religious organisations, clergy and church folk who are actively involved in reaching out to those in need at this time.

However, I question the legitimacy of the JCHS as a Christian organisation. At a time like this, we need all hands on deck to feed the hungry, clothe the naked and shelter the homeless, but these folks have not openly demonstrated an interest in doing so. They vociferously advocate for foetuses but not for babies whose umbilical cords have been severed and are crying, suffering, and in need of food, clothes and shelter. Their website claims that they “envision a Jamaican society in which Judeo-Christian values nourish and enrich the social, spiritual, physical, emotional and mental health of the society.” So why are they not visible at a time like this, when all the abovementioned aspects of health have been compromised for so many? “Judeo-Christian values” do not only concern what people do with their internal and external genitalia, but also include reaching out to the vulnerable and needy.

Michael Abrahams is an obstetrician and gynaecologist, social commentator, and human-rights advocate. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and michabe_1999@hotmail.com, or follow him on X , formerly Twitter, @mikeyabrahams