Death stalks Jamaica

on the role of religious leaders in a diverse world. We plan on including human sexuality among the diversities explored in the workshop.

For those who would like help in understanding the various passages in the Bible that are often referred to as anti-homosexual, there are some great books, one of which is my own, In Defense of God’s Children. Another book that can be consulted for some guidance is God and the Gay Christian: The Biblical Case in Support of Same-Sex Relationships, by Matthew Vines.

I believe church leaders need to expand their knowledge of human sexuality. The Bible tells us that people perish from lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6). My experiences have taught me that there is not one, but four purposes of human sexuality: procreation, companionship, pleasure, and creativity. These four purposes need to be respected, accepted, and embraced for a person to be their whole self.

The denial of a person’s complete human sexuality may lead to depression, inability to exercise one’s talents, selfhate, and even suicide. A holistic person is able to voluntarily choose to be celibate or sexually active without feeling guilty.

I hope and pray that the risen Christ is able to lead church leaders to fully understand human sexuality in its entirety. But humans also have a responsibility to be masters and not self-indulgent beings with the good endowments given to them by God.

This includes the powerful gift of human sexuality, which should only be used as an expression of intimacy between consenting adults. Anything else constitutes a perversion of this divine gift and would demand the imposition of the full weight of the law. CHRISTOPHER SENYONJO Retired Ugandan Anglican Bishop THE EDITOR, Sir: IF JESUS were to come back and live in this world, he would be crucified within 24 hours because the world has gone mad with crime and violence, and man’s heart is becoming more desperately wicked as the days go by.

Everything under the sun has its purpose. The knife, which is a very vital tool, has its purpose, and we can’t do without it. But it was not made to stab people to death or to cut people’s throats. Many have been stabbed to death for nothing at all. In other words, for the things they possess.

The machete, otherwise known as the cutlass, is another very important tool, but it has claimed the lives of many people in this crimepolluted country. Too many Jamaicans have already been slaughtered by the machete.

The knife, the machete, and the gun – like three powerful missiles – in the hands of vicious hooligans, have turned Jamaica upside down into a bloody battlefield. I could add a fourth missile: the stone. Some have been killed by the stone too – an awful blow to the head by the wicked. Yes, the stone has claimed a number of lives, too.

Stabbing incidents, machete slayings, and gun crime have become a norm in this bloodspilling society and have robbed our country of many innocent people. DONALD J. MCKOY donaldmckoy2010@hotmail.com