Comments on: Murders, Christianity, and Research

By: Global Voices Online » Caribbean: A More Violent World?

Global Voices Online » Caribbean: A More Violent World? — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 19:40:11 +0000

[...] fellow Bahamaian blogger, Nicolette Bethel, writes: Thereâ€™s a lot of fear going about out there. My mailbox lights up on a regular â€” [...]

By: haitianministries

haitianministries — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 16:06:31 +0000

You raise some good issues here, Nicolette–issues that deserve some serious theological reflection (much, much more than what I could possibly offer here). My wife and I have been studying the book of Matthew together for the past several weeks and I have found it interesting that Jesus so frequently pronounces judgement on the religious leaders of his day.

You are absolutely right that the “invocation of God”–at least in and of itself–is not sufficient to solve the current crime wave. Repentence of our hubris and intolerance is needed as well and I mean repentance in the full-biblical sense of the term as in “turning away from sin and towards God.” In other words, not simply apologizing for or abstaining from wrong behavior but proactively seeking to right the wrongs that we have committed. (Which for many of us may simply be our complicity through silence!)

Possible solutions? I think the best contribution that local churches could make towards alleviating the current crime wave would be to start a restorative justice or victim offender reconciliation program. See, for example:

http://bcm-net.org/restorative_justice/restorative_justice.html

While many secular restorative justice programs have been quite successful, it is certainly an approach that is consistent with the best theology and traditions of the church: forgiveness, restitution, and love for one’s neighbor. If we wish to invoke God’s help to solve this crisis, then we must do so fully prepared to put our faith in to action and participate in the solution.

Obviously, much more could be said. But I think this is a good starting point for dialogue within the church as well as between the church and the broader community.

Grace and peace!

By: Esteban Agosto Reid

Esteban Agosto Reid — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 20:02:03 +0000

Jamaica has more churches per capita/per square mile than any other society in the world and considers itself a very and extremely religious/Christian nation.Yet,Jamaica has more murders/homicide than any other Caribbean nation-state and is often classified as the murder capital of the world.How is this possible,that an extremely religious and Christian nation is the murder capital of the world? This can be considered a non sequitur,it does not follow.Therefore,the need to turn to God as being advocated or advanced in the Bahamas, as the possible solution to crime and violence may not necessarily be the answer,although religious transformation in itself is positive.Certainly,critical variables involving politics,economics,sociology,poverty,drugs,cultural penetration,socialization of kids,alienation of youths,breakdown of institutions including families and communities,lack of proper roll models,inter alia, also can and will contribute to the increasing incidence of crime and violence.Consequently,resolving crime and violence requires a mulitifaceted approach including spiritual and religious transformation/development, while incorporating appropriate social science paradigms,modalities,methods,and techniques to abate the cancer of crime and violence.

By: Global Voices Online » Bahamas: Religion and Violence

Global Voices Online » Bahamas: Religion and Violence — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 11:55:20 +0000

[...] current crime wave in the Bahamas has many people citing a need “to turn to God” – Nicolette Bethel refers to studies which suggest that “the higher the religiosity of any society, the more [...]