EDITOR, The Tribune.
THE so-called privatised carnival has come and gone. Like the overwhelming majority of Bahamians, I did not attend. However, I’ve viewed many videos and pictures over social media and on the internet. Once again, I’m appalled and heartbroken to see what was allowed to take place in our streets and public spaces with government permits and government support.
I saw videos of people literally (yes, literally) engaging in sexual intercourse in the street. Bare-bottomed women were wining, twerking, and jerking on the genitals of men wearing more clothes than them (for obvious reasons). Women in g-strings and thongs stood in the streets and on the hoods of trucks, wining, jiggling, and twerking their naked bottoms for all to see. A scantily clad female lay drunk on the sidewalk, as the camera panned her half naked body and zoomed in on her barely covered bottom — a prime candidate for sexual assault. I saw a visibly drunk man being taken off a parade vehicle draped with the colours and logo flags of one of the economic blood-sucking gambling houses and literally thrown on the sidewalk and left there, face down and gyrating his body to blaring sound of the vulgar music being played. And I even saw videos and pictures of carnival participants with young children in tow, watching it all and taking it in. And all of this took place in broad daylight, on public streets and in public spaces.
And yet, when asked by a news reporter whether he was surprised by the conduct in carnival, the Minister of Youth Sports, and Culture, Michael Pintard, said he was not. And he further added that the conduct in carnival takes place all across The Bahamas every day.
In my view, Minister Pintard has once again added to his growing list of duplicitous and disingenuous carnival-related comments. If the public indecency, drunken debauchery, and lewd conduct in carnival takes place every day all across The Bahamas, why is there any need for the government to consider a ‘carnival code of conduct’, as indicated by Mr Pintard? Why try to make carnival participants exhibit conduct that is better than the conduct that Mr. Pintard says takes place every day all across The Bahamas? Once again, I say Mr Pintard’s comment is duplicitous and disingenuous, and glaringly so.
After the first carnival event, in the May 19, 2015 issue of The Guardian, Mr Pintard admitted that in carnival “we are promoting sexuality even more so than we are promoting culture”. But today, Mr Pintard is singing a different song and comes across as one of the biggest cheerleaders of carnival, as evidenced by his enthusiastic praise for and public advice to the so-called private owners of carnival.
And the entire fiasco is sad because, as minister with responsibility for youth, Mr. Pintard seems to have overlooked or is indifferent to a greater priority: the large number of children on the carnival parade and on the sides of the road watching acts of live pornography, sexual indecency, drunken debauchery, and lawlessness.
Although I know that the blight of carnival on the moral fabric of this nation is part of the infamous legacy of the Christie-led PLP government, I still find myself asking: How did we get here? And why has the Minnis-led FNM government decided to receive the baton from the Christie-led PLP and continue to run this carnival race of national disgrace? Why did they not drop the carnival baton like they dropped many bad contracts and reversed many questionable decisions of the Christie-led PLP government?
Minister Pintard said he believes that carnival conduct is a debate that we must have as a community. But, with due respect, Mr Pintard is proposing the wrong debate. The right debate that we must have as a community is whether we want carnival at all. The Christie-led PLP government imposed the public version of carnival on the Bahamian people, without consultation. I urge the Minnis-led FNM government not to impose the private version of carnival on the Bahamian people without consultation. If this is truly the people’s time, please consult us, and let the people decide.
Organise town hall meetings and listen to views from both sides. And let the people decide. The Bahamian people have now had four years of experience with carnival, so they can make an informed decision. And if an obvious majority of people want to have carnival, then continue to permit it to take place. But if an obvious majority do not want carnival, it should not be permitted on our streets and in public spaces. That’s the democratic way. And it’s the best way to determine what is allowed or not allowed in publicly shared space.
May the Lord give us and our leaders wisdom as we make decisions that will have lasting consequences, not just for ourselves, but generations to come.
PASTOR CEDRIC MOSS
Nassau,
May 14, 2018
Comments
ThisIsOurs 5 years, 11 months ago
"How did we get here?"
I believe we're going to be asking ourselves that question over and over again. The LOVE.of money is blinding many. If Gaming King of debauchery who considers himself "a member of cabinet already" had a contest to have women running naked from Arawak cay to east street, Sunday morning at 11 for a prize of 10,000, you can bet half your congregation would be there. What did George Moss say on national TV the night of the gaming referendum "Why does it master how you made your money?"
How did we get here? By sowing a seed.
Pastor_Cedric_Moss 5 years, 11 months ago
No member from Kingdom Life Church would participate in your hypothetical situation. God has his people who have not bowed their knees to idols. The people of Kingdom Life Church are among that number who have not bowed.
But I should not have to defend them because you should not make such a wreckless, unfounded assertion, especially when you hide behind a pen name.
ThisIsOurs 5 years, 11 months ago
Wreckless and unfounded :> ...gee and I was actually agreeing with your article. You asked "how did we get here". My answer: "the love of money". Ain't the bible say you reap what you sow? So we must have been sowing something to get here, we didn't just materialize into 2018 with women parading in the streets in thongs
Btw don't swear for your members, the only person who knows the heart is God. I'm not a stranger to church culture and ministry, ordinary normal people are a part of these ministries. I know of people coming to church and spending the whole time outside rapping...(that scenario may not be your church). I personally know of a pastor who was found in bed with one of those "dedicated" members. And they were both "sincere" people. I've seen choir members at work acting like the devil...so do I believe you can find people in EVERY church in this country who would do anything for a big payday, yes I do. Love of money
But my point is we are sinking because of our love of money, drug running, gambling, human smuggling, selling passports, drivers licenses, bribery, extortion, cronyism, all love of money.
As to hiding behind a pen name, it's a free country, I can say what I like as do you in the article, no matter what name I say it under as long as it's not libelous or defamatory
Pastor_Cedric_Moss 5 years, 11 months ago
I did not swear for anyone. I only stated my very firm conviction that no member of Kingdom Life Church would participate in the scenario you posed.
Your post was not defamatory, but in it you unfairly cast an aspersion of members of Kingdom Life Church.
ThisIsOurs 5 years, 11 months ago
Lol ok if you want to take it that way. Scratch out "your" church and replace it with "any church in the Bahamas". Because unlike you, I am aware that every in church een Christian
joeblow 5 years, 11 months ago
People continually knock the church, blaming it for hypocrisy without considering that those who fail to apply the teachings are the hypocrites. The principles of Christianity are sound, the problem is with the failure of people to practice and teach their children the principles.
That is how we got here!
Pastor_Cedric_Moss 5 years, 11 months ago
I fully agree with you.
DDK 5 years, 11 months ago
Amen!
Aegeaon 5 years, 11 months ago
Seriously?
It's bad enough that "Christians" bash people for trying to enjoy themselves, but it's far worse when churches around Nassau tends to steal wives from other husbands, waste the money given by their followers, then secretly rape little boys and girls.
If anything, stop bashing others and fix your fellow pastors that commit sins and throw up excuses.
Pastor_Cedric_Moss 5 years, 11 months ago
You should not broad brush. It is not fair to do so, especially since you would not want others to broad brush you with heinous accusations.
I don't speak for other pastors and other churches. I speak for myself and for the church I've privileged to lead, Kingdom Life Church. The immorality and unethical conduct that can be rightly laid at the feet of some pastors and some churches cannot be rightly laid at feet of myself and Kingdom Life Church. If you think I and Kingdom Life are no different from the immoral pastors and churches you have in mind, why don't you pay us a visit? We meet on Sunday mornings at 10 am, 25 Chesapeake Road. Our website is www.kingdom-life.org. Then I encourage you to come back to this post and give an honest report of what you see and hear. For starters, you will find that you don't have to leave your brain at the door.
Aegeaon 5 years, 11 months ago
I can ensure that you don't associate with other fake pastors around here, but all I'm saying is that there's no need for judgement for the people attending carnival, and just informing you that there's bad apples in your line of work that is ruining the image of Christianity.
Pastor_Cedric_Moss 5 years, 11 months ago
Where have I judged people attending carnival? Please point me to it in anything I've written.
Aegeaon 5 years, 11 months ago
With the reactions, it sounds like you're judging from the reactions. Directed at both the PLP and the FMN administrations. I'm being fair, I know you're not doing it. I guess I'm sorry for that, I can't stand Christians fighting over the wrong things.
JohnDoe 5 years, 11 months ago
Are you not guilty of this same broad brush accusation, innuendo, generalizations and insults?
ThisIsOurs 5 years, 11 months ago
We are all clay Pastor Moss. The Devil tempted Jesus. Can you believe that???? the Devil come up with something so sweet he could entice the man who never sinned!!! And I don't believe that was a walk in the park for Yeshua, he was in human form, I believe he had to fight his human nature to win that battle. If the Devil could do that to him, what you think he gat for you me and your church members?
Pastor_Cedric_Moss 5 years, 11 months ago
Being clay does not mean that people will sin in every which way.
ThisIsOurs 5 years, 11 months ago
No one really does...(other than the really depraved of course). The point is you don't know the "one" thing that will challenge someone, the Devil does. Remember Paul talked about "the sin that doth EASILY beset us"?
seamphony 5 years, 11 months ago
I would like to hear from bahamian ladies on this not just churchy folk. i am torn between "we should not impose our own moral values on other people" and "let them be." but how on earth can any self respecting woman act like that. i guess it's cheaper than going to trinidad to wear slutty clothes. when BTC was advertising it on TV under "our culture", I simply turned my head, I couldn't look.
ThisIsOurs 5 years, 11 months ago
I een churchy, I did grow up in church so there are lots of things I hold on to. I've seen too much stuff in what we call the church . Realized that in Nassau, church is just another social outing And meeting place. And there's some status associated with going to certain churches. Go figure
I don't like where this carnival thing is headed. This year three, and each year the standards drop a little. They'll be painted and naked soon. Watch and see
Pastor_Cedric_Moss 5 years, 11 months ago
I don't see it as imposing our moral values on other people. The issue is how do we live in shared space and what kind of conduct should we as a community allow in shared space (like streets and public parks).
For example, we have laws against engaging in sexual intercourse in public. This means that people are free to engage in whatever kind of sexual relations they wish, so long as it is done in private and with the consent of a person who is 16 (in the case of heterosexual intercourse) or 18 (in the case of homosexual intercourse). To require people not to engage in sexual intercourse in public is not imposing a moral value on them...it is imposing a community standard on everyone.
So, it is appropriate not to allow certain conduct in public that the community believes should not be allowed, and it is not imposing a moral value because those people can resort to private space and engage in the same conduct.
It is my view that an overwhelming majority of Bahamians oppose the carnival conduct that takes place on our streets and in our public spaces. This is one of the reasons I speak out against it.
If you've not attended carnival, take a look at www.thinkbahamas.org to see some of the videos and pictures showing what takes place on our streets and public spaces. I must warn you: The content is very graphic.
And notice the children on the parade in two of the videos. In one of those videos you will see a group of children on the side of the road imitating the vulgar and lewd dancing they were seeing in the parade. In one video (which is from the first carnival held here), you will see an adult woman in a Marshall t-shirt showing a group of little girls how to wine, and you will then see those little girls sexually gyrating on the ground.
I say we can do better as a country.
stillwaters 5 years, 11 months ago
As a Bahamian woman, I say let's get rid of this carnival nonsense. The thing that worries me most is that women outnumbered the men and seemed to be looser in their morals than the men were. People, when the women of a country sink to this level of immorality, drunkenness, debauchery, and public showcasing of sexual prowess............sad days are coming.
OurBahamas 5 years, 11 months ago
I have had this argument with numerous people since year one of Bahamas carnival and no matter what logical and/or moral points I present, the bottom line is those who take part in this event simply have their mind on one thing only...having "fun". No moral, cultural or economic disadvantage matters to them. I am blue in the face from having this debate with carnival supporters or 'okay-ers', so I keep my trap shut. I was very disappointed, though not even a little surprised, when our government at the time said yes to carnival. I'm hoping it dies out eventually ,but with the support it still receives from those with the resources to have it continue regardless of whether it makes money or not, I don't see that happening so I will just continue to ignore it every year. Sad state to see my country in - The Bahamas was not 'this' when I was a young girl growing up. Shame on us.
Well_mudda_take_sic 5 years, 11 months ago
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