Bahama Pundit

Pope Francis, Dr. Munroe & the Gift of Mercy

by Simon

Kýrie, eléison (Lord, have mercy).  It is one of the most ancient prayers in the Christian tradition by penitents seeking and celebrating divine mercy in private prayer and at public worship.   

Throughout the Christian Gospels are those hungry and thirsty for mercy: the woman caught in adultery, the family of Lazarus, the publican, Peter after denying Jesus, the apostles panicked amidst stormy weather, the thief crucified alongside Jesus, and others pining to taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

Their common supplication: “Lord, have mercy!” 

The mercy of Jesus, indeed the Incarnation itself, scandalized the religious leaders of his time.  And still, millennia later.

The Pharisees and others were scandalized that Jesus was not rigid in upholding the Law as they demanded.  Oh, the outrage when Jesus cured on the Sabbath.  They preferred that Jesus adhere to exacting legal codes rather than respond to someone in need of mercy’s balm.

The Nassau Guardian recently reported the comments of a local religious leader:
“A Bahamian pastor has branded as ‘reckless’ Pope Francis’s decision to reveal that he would not judge priests if they were gay. Dr Myles Munroe, Pastor of Bahamas Faith Ministries, said he was disappointed the Pope had voiced his personal opinion.”

Clerics in Politics

by Simon

The recent brouhaha over retired Archbishop Drexel Gomez’s participation at a recent PLP rally raised important issues of the involvement of clerics in politics, and the relationship between church and state (more of which at a later date).

Unfortunately, these and related issues were obscured by all manner of uncritical thinking.  This included slipshod editorializing byt he Guardian, which weighed into the debate with rushed judgement and little historical context, seemingly making judgements based on a simplistic reading of the daily headlines rather than a closer reading of history. 

The editorial was a textbook example of making poor analogies.  It attempted to support its sloppy conclusion by equating and forcing a false equivalence between the involvement of Rev. Frederick McAlpine in politics and the attendance of Mrs. Delores Ingraham at political events on the one hand, with Bishop Gomez’s participation at the PLP rally on the other.

Religious Leaders & Political Involvement

by Simon

The temptation of religious leaders to become obsessed with political power and influence is older than the Christian Scriptures.   Among many others, Rev. Billy Graham warned pastors and prelates to be judicious in the manner in which they interact with political leaders. 

Speaking from painful experience, Rev. Graham reproves himself for often having become too cozy with political leaders.  He appreciates the array of compromises which often come from such coziness.  

Rev. Graham’s insight is part of a broader debate concerning the relationship between church and state.  The cliché that the church should stay out of politics begs many questions, some of which may be answered in distinctions often ignored in thought and action. 

The separation of church and state does not mean the separation of the church from the broader society, of which both church and state are integral parts.  How they relate to each other within that context is the real issue. 

Such separation does not mean isolation.  Instead, it provides a framework for cooperation, protecting against both theocratic impulses and the state discriminating against religious communities.

While many recall and recite the reference in the Constitution’s preamble of the country’s Christian heritage, that reference is more of an acknowledgement and celebration of this heritage. 

That poetry does not have the force of law found in the constitutional prose protecting religious freedom, which buttresses and safeguards the principle of the separation of church and state.

Christmas Gifts

by Simon

Years ago, a friend entered a crack house in the middle of an epidemic which laid waste to the bodies and dreams of thousands.  In the dark hours after midnight he waded through his fears, crack pipes and excrement to rescue a friend who the drug had soaked through and tossed around like a hurricane might tissue paper.

Unlike many interventions, this one was successful, moving from chronic addiction to sustainable recovery because of a leap of faith by a good friend and 12 steps by an addict who admitted that he was powerless over his addiction and that his life had become unmanageable.

My friend’s courage was an act of mercy.  Mercy is the willingness to enter into the chaos of another’s life.  It is an amphibious virtue standing on the shores of hope and possibility, ready to wade into the depths of suffering with the knowledge that life is often tragic, that many lives end in wasted potential.

We cannot force others to embrace the dawn or respond to an invitation to conversion.  We are all muddling our way.  And, it is exactly this muddling through and the mess we often make of our own lives which should inspire us to be more empathetic and merciful.

Bishop Boyd Misses the Mark

by Simon

The pastoral letter by the Rt. Reverend Laish Boyd Sr., Anglican Bishop of the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands, on the numbers business is a welcome contribution to the dialogue on the ethical dimensions of a complex issue of public policy.

In important ways, it is an improvement on his statement on marital rape in that this letter is timelier and considerably better written.  It is clearly motivated by pastoral concern for his religious community and a spirit of goodwill for the broader Bahamas. 

Still, with great respect for his office and his intentions, Bishop Boyd’s pastoral letter misses the mark.  It is poorly constructed on a foundation of dubious reasoning and premises leading to flawed conclusions.  He has taken a complex and multidimensional moral issue and offered his moral analysis in the form of assertions that are unfortunately overblown.

Salt & Light

by Simon

Bahamian religious leaders are often leagues behind our political leaders on the ethical dimensions of a broad range of public policy issues.  Many of the former have buried the inspiration of Genesis, the urgency of the Prophets, and the salt and light of the Sermon on the Mount, under a bushel.

In seeking to discover the plenitude of this great Sermon in today’s Bahamas, it may be best to review a Speech from the Throne or legislation before the houses of Parliament, rather than the sermons of far too many religious leaders.

If the Master came back today to question ministers of the Gospel and ministers of Government, he may find that it is mostly the former who have hidden their talents under mounds of convenience and caution, fear and trembling.

Surprisingly, He will discover that the commands to care for creation and to bind the wounds of the Samaritan are often heeded more passionately by those who collect taxes on Caesar’s behalf, than those who collect tithes on His behalf.

Suicide, Mercy and Redemption

by Simon

Whatever the circumstances of our birth, there are no “bastards” in the Kingdom of God.  This is a human conceit.  It is a form of false pride and moral apartheid to separate God’s children into legitimate and illegitimate. 

Yet, years ago, in a church on a southern Family Island, the pastor converted his community of faith into a jury to expel a vile sinner from the Body of Christ.  In this incarnation, the woman at the well was single, young -- and pregnant.  In expelling her, they were also punishing her unborn child.  

In their self-righteousness, these disciples of Christ judged that her iniquity stained their community like communion wine seeping from a broken chalice might bleed through an altar cloth.  Purging the defiler was necessary for their salvation and purification.  There was no room in the inn for this unmarried mother-to-be.

That Family Island church did not use stones to assault this teenager or her unborn child.  Instead, they stoned her with a torrent of loathing intended to break her spirit and sever her umbilical cord from the worshipping community in which she had been nourished since infancy.

Words of Our Mouths, Meditations of Our Hearts

by Simon

•Simon is a young Bahamian with things on his mind who wishes to remain anonymous. His column 'Front Porch' is published every Tuesday in the Nassau Guardian. He can be reached at frontporchguardian@gmail.com.

It was just about a fortnight ago that the government released and granted temporary asylum to 102 Haitian migrants at the Detention Centre.  That decision continues to provoke and inspire the words of many mouths, flowing from the meditations of many hearts.  Except in some cases.

The words from some prominent voices have yet to catch up with the meditations of their hearts and the treasury of their theological traditions.  Religious leaders such as Dr. Myles Munroe and Bishop Simeon Hall have addressed the hysteria surrounding the granting of temporary asylum for the migrants in question.

Other heads of various prominent denominations have yet to match their extraordinary charitable actions with the just words needed to stem a tsunami of prejudice unleashed by the Haitian quake.

The Church’s Defining Moment

by Simon

•Simon is a young Bahamian with things on his mind who wishes to remain anonymous. His column 'Front Porch' is published every Tuesday in the Nassau Guardian. He can be reached at frontporchguardian@gmail.com.

Soon after the government’s introduction of legislation to outlaw rape within marriage, the debate on the matter began spinning out of control, fuelled substantially by fear and misinformation, before being rescued in great measure by a new generation of Christian leaders.

Mercifully, what could have descended into a slippery slope was elevated into a tipping point, an occasion for conversion, a moment when our post-independence democracy took a critical and perhaps decisive step.

While leaders should learn not to repeat the mistakes of the past, they should also learn not to refight recent battles which no longer apply.  We are not replaying the referendum fight of 2002 as regards women’s rights – a lesson some in both major parties are starting to learn.

Bahamas Christian Council’s Moral Confusion

by Simon

•Simon is a young Bahamian with things on his mind who wishes to remain anonymous. His column 'Front Porch' is published every Tuesday in the Nassau Guardian. He can be reached at frontporchguardian@gmail.com.

We are not solely engaged in a debate on marital rape.  As critically, it is a defining moment for this generation of religious heads as to why, when and how to engage the state and others in dialogue on a range of ethical and moral questions from gambling to the most capital of punishments.

Surprisingly -- or perhaps not -- some leaders, often more vocal on other occasions, seem to have been struck temporarily deaf, dumb and mute, perhaps waiting to see how the wind blows, careful not to get on the wrong side of some who may be mainstays of their ministries.

Meanwhile, the dramatic contrasts in the statements on the proposed rape within marriage amendment, between that of Roman Catholic Archbishop Patrick Pinder (and others) and that of the Christian Council, issued under the name of its President, Rev. Patrick Paul, are instructive and revealing.