Church still pushing for biblical laws
(CNS): Even as hate speech is increasing on social media, the radio waves and public spaces against the LGBT+ community, the leaders of various churches are still pushing back against the Civil Partnership Law. The Cayman Ministers Association has claimed that it “counters the clear biblical, age-old practices and basic biology of human sexuality”, in a response to Premier Alden McLaughlin’s comment that Cayman is a democracy, not a theocracy.
“We believe that the rule of law finds its origin from the Supreme Law Giver as given in the Bible,” said CMS Chairman Pastor Torrance Bobb.
In a statement released Monday the ministers said they were “fully aware that the form of government in the Cayman Islands is a democracy, rather than a theocracy” but nevertheless argued that local legislation should be based on biblical practices.
Pastor Bobb said that both the preamble to the Cayman Islands Constitution and the introduction to the Bill of Rights, which both talk of Cayman’s Christian heritage but are not law, “should still be seen as consequential to legislative actions and meaningful, not mere window dressing that has nothing more than sentimental value”.
He stated that this Christian heritage should influence legislation. “We in the Cayman Ministers’ Association are fully persuaded that we must do all within our power to point people in the way that God has directed us to follow,” the CMA leader said. “We do not see directing people to follow God’s Word as being either demeaning to them in either attitude or action, but rather seeking what is for their greatest good.”
The church leaders, some of whom were involved in a religious social media group that had suggested gays should be hanged “in a loving way”, made no mention of this troubling hate speech. However, the CMA and other church groups’ objections to government providing human rights for LGBT people is fuelling the increase in threats and insults against the community.
The Civil Partnership Bill was passed into law on 31 August by the governor using his reserved powers after the Legislative Assembly failed to support the government’s bill. The civil service has been given three weeks to prepare and same-sex couples are expected to begin applying to register their partnership on 21 September.
CNS contacted the DG’s office and officials have confirmed that the relevant public departments will be ready to begin registering couples next Monday.
There are many things written in the Bible that are totally ignored by many “deeply religious “ people. Like thou shalt not commit adultery or lie or covet things or eat lobsters There is a lot of killing in the name of god applauded in the Bible like the wife who put a spike threw her husband’s temple while he slept. Jesus lived a life of tolerance as he washed the feet of many so called “lower class” people.
God made us all the way we are for a reason and we leave that to God. accept all of her creations and leave the judging to her. As long as no one else is being hurt then all people have the right to believe or not believe in “your” interpretation of god’s word but we do have universal legal laws that DO mandate universal behavior for the good of all to prevent murder, theft, etc But this anti gay attitude is NOT something to be allowed because this partnership law does not hurt anyone. It supports an expression of love and devotion and the rest is none of our business. Let’s spend our energies fighting child and spousal abuse instead. What is the church doing about that? Abuse hurts everyone.
I most definitely believe in an omnipotent being because I do not believe we just appeared out of nothing but religion is totally whack. It has done nothing but divide and cause harm to innocent people. Meanwhile the sheep are struggling to pay their bills and put food on the table and the pastors own huge houses buy private planes and wear thousand dollar suits. They laugh all the way to their banks to deposit what their sheep hand over so readily and can’t afford. Biggest racket. I won’t even get into all the pedophiles that run the churches. If only people would wake up. Did God stutter when he said to love everyone and not to worship money.
I’m an Atheist Caymanian but I entirely respect this view.
The “vicious rumor” you heard is not a rumor, 11:56am. His church was, maybe still is, only made possible by funding by a rich English lawyer who lived in a house in George Town called Buckingham House, which kind of speaks volumes. In the early 1980s he and Mr Sykes caused a bitter schism in the formerly peaceful and well run Anglican Church and set up “St Albans”. He was made a “bishop” by some odd western Canadian breakaway from the Anglican tradition, I believe. Google it.
CNS: For anyone interested, the other side of what seems to be an argument is laid out here. Perhaps someone can explain to the rest of us why it matters.
Brilliant CNS for unearthing this. Sykes (and Calder) wrote a book about this whole thing which few read and even fewer understood except them but which did two things: it tore the Anglican Church in Cayman apart for a while and created another church St Albans with about 15 white people or those married to white people and it cemented the idea that there always has to be something special and different when the word “England” is in a name; it became a black West Indian and white expat issue, just what we needed!! Most of us realise it matters not a damn; it was a bunch of men in silly frocks arguing with each other over things that have not mattered in the real world for the last 400 years. CNS asks if it matters: well, it speaks to the fact that the word “bishop” should not lead us to presume there is any reason for us to assign any more authority to a view on a matter than someone who is not a “bishop”. So Sykes’s homophobic opinions are not only worthy of our dismissal but they are opposed to those of the Church of England which he and Calder fought to preserve in Cayman through St Albans.
CNS, here is why I think it matters. Sykes purportedly represents the Church of England, but his attempts to revoke the recently passed law is definitely not in line with the thinking of the Church of England. He was also part of the Cayman delegation that “negotiated” our new constitution with England, and I can say that his views are definitely NOT in line with mine with regards to our constitution.
I hope that the CoP is taking note of all of the hate speech being directed at Christianity and people of faith. These hateful comments are most certainly causing harassment, alarm and distress.
You lot are meant to turn the other cheek. That is what the Big J said in the Sermon on the Mount.
Sorry did someone say to hang churchy people or to put them in front of a firing squad on a radio show with an MLA who never spoke up to the abominable comment? I must have missed that.