Dear Editor,
Of late we Jamaicans have been flirting with the idea of "divine intervention for crime reduction" as stated by National Security Minister Peter Bunting. Prior to advancing along this road, however, perhaps we should have a look at the ills perpetrated and perpetuated worldwide by religion.
It is one thing to view a small geographical area and say religion has reduced crime, but what about the many millions who have died and are still dying as a result of the countless wars and divisions caused by religion from time immemorial? And what about the instances of ethnic cleansing and genocide sprinkled generously throughout the Bible, purportedly on the instructions of God? Don't these scenarios sound eerily similar to the one that played out between the United States and Iraq? Incidentally, how many weapons of mass destruction were actually found?
It wouldn't come as a surprise if Christians took solace in referencing the Bible to justify slavery or any other division. Wasn't it the same God of the Bible that divided the people in the first place? Don't take my word for it, read Gen 11 vrs 6-7.
Religion engenders constant divisions and any study of history will confirm this fact. We see today Sunnis fighting against Shiites, Christians against Muslins, Muslims against Hindus, Israelis against Palestinians, and the list goes on. Not so long ago there were Christians fighting against Protestants. Religion was a good excuse that allowed us Africans to be captured and enslaved. But how many lives were lost? Looking at apartheid as another example, weren't the ruling class religious people? At the end of the day if we were to weigh the lives lost against lives saved because of religious intervention, in which direction would the scale be tipped?
My humble advice to our goodly Minister Bunting, and other like-minded individuals, is to stop looking to belief systems for solutions, and instead look within self. Dig deep and devise meaningful strategies that will yield the desired results the nation craves. New York did it so it is not beyond us. If we continue to abdicate our responsibilities, as adults, what examples are we setting for our children? Eventually creativity and hard work will become things of the past. After returning to Singapore from a visit to Jamaica Lee Kuan Yew's speech to his people proved rather interesting. Among other things he told them that when slavery was abolished the Jamaicans abolished hard work with it. Fact or fiction, Mr Bunting?
Fitzroy Whyte,
Mandeville, Manchester
littled_1969@yahoo.com
Beliefs kill, but do they cure?
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Of late we Jamaicans have been flirting with the idea of "divine intervention for crime reduction" as stated by National Security Minister Peter Bunting. Prior to advancing along this road, however, perhaps we should have a look at the ills perpetrated and perpetuated worldwide by religion.
It is one thing to view a small geographical area and say religion has reduced crime, but what about the many millions who have died and are still dying as a result of the countless wars and divisions caused by religion from time immemorial? And what about the instances of ethnic cleansing and genocide sprinkled generously throughout the Bible, purportedly on the instructions of God? Don't these scenarios sound eerily similar to the one that played out between the United States and Iraq? Incidentally, how many weapons of mass destruction were actually found?
It wouldn't come as a surprise if Christians took solace in referencing the Bible to justify slavery or any other division. Wasn't it the same God of the Bible that divided the people in the first place? Don't take my word for it, read Gen 11 vrs 6-7.
Religion engenders constant divisions and any study of history will confirm this fact. We see today Sunnis fighting against Shiites, Christians against Muslins, Muslims against Hindus, Israelis against Palestinians, and the list goes on. Not so long ago there were Christians fighting against Protestants. Religion was a good excuse that allowed us Africans to be captured and enslaved. But how many lives were lost? Looking at apartheid as another example, weren't the ruling class religious people? At the end of the day if we were to weigh the lives lost against lives saved because of religious intervention, in which direction would the scale be tipped?
My humble advice to our goodly Minister Bunting, and other like-minded individuals, is to stop looking to belief systems for solutions, and instead look within self. Dig deep and devise meaningful strategies that will yield the desired results the nation craves. New York did it so it is not beyond us. If we continue to abdicate our responsibilities, as adults, what examples are we setting for our children? Eventually creativity and hard work will become things of the past. After returning to Singapore from a visit to Jamaica Lee Kuan Yew's speech to his people proved rather interesting. Among other things he told them that when slavery was abolished the Jamaicans abolished hard work with it. Fact or fiction, Mr Bunting?
Fitzroy Whyte,
Mandeville, Manchester
littled_1969@yahoo.com
Beliefs kill, but do they cure?
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