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Saturday, February 04, 2012 2:25 PM
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Published On:Monday, March 01, 2010
BY AVA TURNQUEST
aturnquest@tribunemedia.net
A GROUP of evangelical pastors are concerned that the visit of a gay cruise ship to the Bahamas could potentially threaten the "morality and decency" of the country's "Judeo-Christian" heritage.
In response to the resurgence of intent made by gay cruise organisers to make the Bahamas its port-of-call, the Bahamas Coalition of Evangelical Pastors has reaffirmed its opposition.
Due to the potentially lasting negative effect they feel such events will impact, the group pledged: "Please be assured that we would be taking the very same position, and with the same fervour, if this were a cruise dedicated to self-proclaimed adulterers, fornicators, liars or any other such biblically defined sinful behaviour, who have it as their determined end purpose to have that sinful behaviour accepted as a morally legitimate lifestyle."
Defended
Two weeks ago, organisers of the expected gay cruise, defended their decision to come to the Bahamas, arguing that the homophobic incidents experienced in the Bahamas happen everywhere.
Cindy Brown, Miami Gay Pride operations director, claims the only way to affect a change in public perception of homosexuals was to "allow them to see who we really are".
While the Evangelical Pastors maintain their intent is not to discourage any individual from visiting the Bahamas, they feel it is imperative that visiting persons are not allowed to mock the country's values and ideals by "openly flaunting" contrary social behaviour.
A statement said: "It is our hope that the Ministry of Tourism and the organisers of these types of events would make a concerted effort to communicate our country's societal and cultural norms regarding homosexual conduct, especially in public places."
The pastors maintained that they were in no way a hate group, but instead seek means to " prayerfully, lawfully, and lovingly" prevent the Bahamas from 'falling prey' to the evolving global mentality towards homosexuality as a legitamate and acceptable lifestyle.
Posted By: Erasmus Folly On: 3/2/2010
Title: Bahamian Hypocrisy
The gay cruise thing is revs playing politics to win supporters. Pick a 'non-issue' make noise and watch the fools flock to you and give you their money. They would rather condemn and judge others and listen to a corrupt reverend make them feel good, than actually practice anything moral and decent in their own lives. They happily point the finger and claim the splinter in their neighbours eye, while blissfully ignoring the log in their own eye! Bahamians, stop being hypocrites, religious nuts, ignorance uneducated morons and join the REAL world please. Open your eyes, your mind, read more, get out... the world is big and this rock is very, very small. Don't hide your womanizing, philandering and outside children habits by bashing gays - that doesn't make you Godly... it makes you a hypocrite!
Posted By: Toni Brown On: 3/2/2010
Title: What would Jesus do?
How do we expect to draw these people to Christ, if we are killing them before we get the opportunity to be a witness. We get ship loads of tourists who are adulterers, fornincators, liars, etc in our ports everday - we live, work and worship in our churches with them as well, but we are not worried about morality and decency in these cases. Why are we so ready to destroy the gays, they are God's children too. Leave these people alone and let your Christian walk be a testimony to them. Spread the gospel of LOVE
Posted By: paul hanna On: 3/2/2010
Title: The christian tourism killers
Well here we go again,the poor gay tourists are going to get it from the christians.This third world mentality has got to stop.(by the way i am not gay)Having watched the last documentary of the discusting behavior of the baptists etc towards the last gay tourists we were lucky not to have suffered very bad repercussions.A tourist is a tourist they are not coming over to corrupt our society so leave them alone and get on with the business of saving our almost corrupt society.
Posted By: Ms. Smith On: 3/1/2010
Title: What morality and decency????
This pastor is a fool... and probably a hypocrite too. A boat load of criminals and adulterers could not threaten the morality and decency of my beloved Bahamas; the most they could do is just join in with what's already going on - immorality and indecency.
A boat load of gay people just want to come here and spend their money. PLEASE LET THEM! PLEASE! Doesn't he know we're in a recession? This is not the time to let ridiculous bible-thumping con-artists talk a bunch of foolishness up in the newspaper.
These are serious times and I'm tired of airplane owning, benz driving, little girl molesting, sweathearting, porn watching Pastors leading Bahamians around like lambs to the slaughter.
They're worse than politicians, because while politician's lie, cheat and steal, at least they don't do it in the name of the most high.
Posted By: Jerry stults On: 3/1/2010
Title: Pastors against homosexual cruise ship
I feel that these pastors are spreading hate and not the love of god or the love god gives to all of us. they to me, are a hate group.
Posted By: Gilbert Gray On: 3/1/2010
Title: You have to be puttin da robe over
After working and living in the Bahamas for 5 years, and seeing what "values" are exercised by the local elements, the Pastors are hardly in a position to point fingers. A threat to morality and decency from a boatload of guys that could be employed as interior decorators and florists ? How about the local Rev in the Bahamas that drives around in a Rolls Royce while Bahamians are suffering through a huge economic downturn. How about tourists literally being slaughtered in their hotel rooms ? How about tourists being held up at the Queen's staircase ? How about tourists being held up at horse ranches ? Here's a good one, how about Fathers' Day in the Bahamas, talking about mass confusion, its commonly accepted that married men have "Sweeties on the side". You talk about flaunting contrary social behaviour, I would say, after a great deal of experience living in New Providence, good. Quite honestly, I found a good many of you, Revs, Police, Government officials, etc., to be animals, and corrupt ones at that. Why don't you (the Pastors) do something productive with your time (as according to many media reports, The Punch included, ) and actually contribute to your society , rather than poach on it. On a final note, you should be grateful people are actually coming to New Providence on purpose these days, the daily news report suggest it is a place that really should be avoided.
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