Christian coalition mum on church sex scandal

THE EDITOR, Sir:

INTERESTINGLY, WITH all the talk and even scandals going on concerning the allegations against a particular member of the Church concerning inappropriate sexual behaviours and the questionable actions of one school principal, I find it interesting that one notable member of the public has nothing to say. How is it that the Jamaica Coalition for a Healthy Society (JCHS) has been so silent on these allegations?

Some time ago, a news report mentioned the coalition’s opposition to the United Nations’ (UN) voting to elect a high official who, it said, would protect the rights of homosexuals.

The JCHS, in an instant and automatic response, congratulated the Jamaican Government for voting against the appointment. Of course, the organisation has every right to voice its opinion – and we must respect that.

However, that UN vote is so relevant to what is happening in Jamaica, with all of our crimes and now a major sex scandal within the Church.

My point is that while the JCHS was so eager to raise strong objections to the UN vote, so far, I have heard it say nothing about the allegations of sexual impropriety in the Moravian Church. Could it be because the JCHS is closely aligned to the Church why it has chosen to remain silent?

I seriously doubt that there were very many Jamaicans who gave much of a second thought to that UN vote. However, the same cannot be said about what is happening in the local Church today.

We must remember that that particular pastor, like any other accused, must be assumed to be innocent until proven guilty. However, the church has admitted that it was aware of particular allegations regarding that pastor, which, based on what is now coming out, it did nothing about it. I wonder if the allegations concerning the Church involved homosexuality would have prompted the JCHS to raise a stink.

Ignoring the allegations against that particular pastor, I really do hope that the coalition does not consider heterosexual predators against our children as less sinful than homosexual ones.

Whenever there is anything ‘gay’, the JCHS is always the first to make a fuss – and the loudest. Its silence with regard to this church sex scandal is very deafening indeed.

The actions of the JCHS reminds me of that bull that will remain still – even fall asleep, if a butcher comes to it with a knife, but will get into a rage and charge when a child waves a red flag at it – or in the case of the rainbow flag!

MICHAEL DINGWALL

michael_a_dingwall@hotmail.com

Kingston