In the image of God created He him, male and female created He them. – Genesis 1:27
Christianity must of necessity be tolerant.
When the woman who was caught in the act of adultery was brought to Jesus, there was an expectation of condemnation. Instead, Jesus distanced himself from that condemnatory posture and consequently the elders, the scribes and the Pharisees, recognising that none was without sin, “split the scene”, leaving the Master alone with the woman. The Master’s words to the woman remain very instructive and suggest a principle by which those who follow Him should live. He commanded her: “Go and sin no more.”
The position of the Barbadian society towards homosexuals must be one of tolerance but with respect to the practice of homosexuality, it must be one of condemnation and abhorrence. While hating the sin, we must embrace the sinner, whether he be liar, thief, embezzler, fornicator, adulterer or homosexual. So as a Christian Peter, I embrace you, but like the Master said to the adulterous woman, I say to the gay and lesbian community: “Go and sin no more.”
When the social and political history of Barbados is written, Peter Wickham’s prominence as a political scientist will unfortunately take second place to his unstinting advocacy of homosexuality. Mr Wickham and I agree on one thing. It is that the Barbados Secondary Schools’ Entrance Examination does more harm than good and as such we are both abolitionists.
Recently, Mr Wickham would have us believe that, all of a sudden, Barbadians have shifted significantly in our position with respect to gays and lesbians.
All of a sudden, Mr Wickham would have us believe that conservative Barbadians have become “more tolerant and accepting” toward this practice which The Bible does not advocate.
According to the Saturday Sun of November 1, 2014, Mr Wickham is celebrating what the article calls a Gay Shift. In my estimation, this so-called “gay shift” is as non-existent as “gear shift” automobiles. Mr Wickham is longing to believe that more and more Barbadians will embrace the lifestyle of the gay community or what Peter calls “sexual minorities”.
Hours later, in the Sunday Sun of November 2, 2014, this product of Errol Barrow’s free education from nursery to tertiary, speaks of a Gay Conundrum. He chides our Prime Minister for denying the existence of “anti-gay” laws and for not speaking with clarity and for ignoring what Mr Wickham refers to as an “equally obvious reality”. Obvious to whom, Mr Wickham?
While I accept that society is dynamic and that the only thing constant is change, I am not a proponent of “change for change sake”. In science and technology, yes, change is inescapable and inevitable and for the “greater good”. Twenty-five years ago the Berlin Wall came down. Just a few days ago, the Germans celebrated the placement of a spaceship on the surface of a moving comet. We wait with bated breath and excitement to see how this development will impact the price of bread.
Where I take issue is in relation to those who believe that because times are changing, we must contort ourselves, our morals and values and standards to conform with “the changing times”. This is nothing more than a recipe for anarchy and disaster.
Let me reiterate my own view that Barbadians must condemn the act of buggery as going against God’s mandate and model for family life and while we may be “tolerant and accepting” of homosexuals, this should not be misconstrued as a conundrum or any confusion on the issue. As Christians we love “them” but hate “it”. Sorry, Mr Wickham, I do not buy your analysis that Barbadians are “backing-back” on the issue of homosexuality.
Matthew Farley is a retired secondary school principal and a social commentator. Email principal208@gmail.com.
