The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

Christendom Bahamas is a melting-pot of cultures, religions and ethnicities. Much to the chagrin of many conservative Bahamians, the spectre of multiculturalism has become deeply entrenched in this country due in part to the thousands of Bahamians who have studied at universities abroad and have been exposed to a plethora of heterodox worldviews and ideas that generations in bygone years were oblivious to.

Many of these academic elitists have succeeded in importing these foreign secular ideas and worldviews to Christendom Bahamas which have caused a cultural shift in the past few decades

They have succeeded in at least starting the conversation on gay rights and same-sex marriage – something that would have been unthinkable a mere decade ago.

Nowadays, an increasing number of Bahamians view homosexuality as palatable. But this group, inclusive of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender ideologues, is in the minority. The overwhelming vast majority of Bahamians believe in traditional and moral values such as monogamous heterosexual marriage and the nuclear family.

They staunchly oppose same-sex marriage – a hot button issue that has arisen because of the controversy surrounding the word “sex’’ in the fourth constitutional amendment Bill and a recent gay pride event held in Grand Bahama by pro-LGBT ideologue Victor Rollins.

Many Bahamians don’t see it as a coincidence that members of the LGBT community would unashamedly flaunt their sexual preference while the topic of same-sex marriage is being vigorously debated by lawmakers and pundits. However, real or imagined, some suspect that the said fourth constitutional bill was a furtive attempt to legalise same-sex marriage in The Bahamas which would only further erode the moral fabric of this country. The LGBT community has already been given a very generous concession by the government of The Bahamas when the former made a crucial error in legalizing same-sex activity between consenting adults on May 16, 1991. Perchance that date marked the beginning of The Bahamas’ sexual revolution, similar to the sexual renaissance America underwent during the 1960s, and which was chronicled by the late Allan Sherman in his book ‘‘The Rape of the APE: The Official History of the Sex Revolution.’’ The acronym APE stands for American Puritan Ethics.

Interestingly, during the turbulent 1970s there was a raging battle over the wording in the Equal Rights Amendment, which was to give women the legal protection of an amendment to the US Constitution. The late televangelist and pastor of the Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia, Jerry Falwell, opposed the amendment on the grounds that it would allow homosexual marriage. Many Bahamian counterparts of the late televangelist and founder of the Moral Majority are as apprehensive today as Falwell and millions of American evangelicals were in the 1970s when the issue of equal rights and gender equality were discussed.

Many US states have since legalised same-sex marriage. It is here that I would like to commend Bahamas Faith Ministries International President Dr Myles Munroe, a man of moral scruples who has boldly stood at the vanguard of evangelical Christianity and who has fought to preserve the moral values and traditions many Bahamians hold near and dear.

I wholeheartedly endorse Munroe’s stinging condemnation of the gay pride event in Freeport. In my humble estimation, Munroe is perchance the greatest Bahamian living today who carries tremendous clout on the international stage. The Oral Roberts University graduate and prolific author has sold millions of books and has been a regular fixture on American Christian television networks such as the Trinity Broadcasting Network and The Inspiration Networks or INSP. He has also rubbed shoulders with many megachurch pastors such as Bishop TD Jakes and Benny Hinn and prominent foreign government dignitaries. His recent anti-LGBT press release, while lengthy, was nonetheless apropos and timely.

LGBT ideologues should heed the 18th century French iconoclast Voltaire’s manifesto which says: ’’I do not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it.’’ They talk plenty about democracy and free speech when it best suits them. When it comes to their detractors, however, the rule changes. To LGBT ideologues, to say you’re against homosexuality is tantamount to saying you hate gays and lesbians. They cannot differentiate hate for a pestilential habit from hate for a person.

For instance, while I hate philandering, I love the philanderer. Why can’t we do both? LGBT ideologues obviously cannot or rather are unwilling to see the difference.

Rather than being civil in their opposition to Munroe because of his views on homosexuality, LGBT ideologues have chosen instead to rake him over the coals by launching vicious and scurrilous attacks against him. In addition to offering pseudo-scientific evidence which they say buttresses their pro-gay arguments, LGBT ideologues have engaged in ad hominem attacks on Munroe. They have run the gamut of name calling.

LGBT ideologues have shown little reverence for the esteemed man of the cloth. His academic credentials have also been questioned, as if this in some way invalidates his message. This is nothing more than a red herring to deflect from the issue at hand. Human physiology militates against homosexuality. I dare any scientist to present objective, ironclad scientific data that proves LGBT sex habits are natural. Munroe should and must continue to fight to preserve the moral fabric of The Bahamas. Many conservative Bahamians are cheering him on. Nevermind the loud and boisterous LGBT community. They are in the minority.

KEVIN EVANS

Freeport, Grand Bahama,

September 7, 2014.