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| BAILEY... we stand firmly against the decriminalisation of buggery (Photo: Bryan Cummings) |
…Evangelicals
turn their backs on pro-buggery conference
Wednesday,
October 11, 2017
THE
umbrella group of evangelical churches, the Jamaica Evangelical Alliance (JEA)
has joined the Seventh-day Adventists in frowning on tomorrow's two-day
international conference on the church and anti-buggery laws across the
Commonwealth.
JEA President Bishop Dr Alvin R Bailey said the
alliance wished to dissociate itself from any organisation or individuals,
local or international, that “promotes or seeks to promote the normalisation of
deviant sexual behaviour such as homosexuality and buggery”.
“The JEA also upholds the law against
buggery as set out in sections 76, 77 and 79 of the Offences against the Person
Act, and is strongly and unequivocally opposed to its alteration or repeal,” Bishop
Bailey said in a separate press statement yesterday.
He said the JEA “strictly
considers as sinful and unacceptable, sexual practices that are contrary to
biblical principles”, and stood by all previous statements made by its member organisations
and individuals on this matter.
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Jamaica CAUSE in huge numbers protesting on
June 29, 2014 at 5pm
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That included the statement published by both the
Jamaica Theological Seminary and the Missionary Church Association of Jamaica
on their stance opposing calls to remove the buggery law.
“We stand firmly against the decriminalisation of buggery, decriminalisation of prostitution and of abortion. We hold firm to the current definitions of the following: sexual intercourse, rape, marriage, the family and oppose any other changes to the Jamaican Constitution and laws which in our estimation, aims to impose on Jamaica a philosophy and culture that is morally nihilistic and detrimental to the well-being of all society,” he added.“An unavoidable and timely inclusion to this statement is our responsibility to unequivocally dissociate the JEA from the upcoming conference entitled 'Intimate Conviction'. We deem this conference as another attempt by the homosexual community to advance the homosexual agenda and to undermine the stance of the church against the normalisation of homosexuality.“We categorically deny that any of our member denominations, organisations or individuals are presenters at or supporters of this upcoming conference. In addition we are fully aware that the Jamaican church stands united on the matters of buggery and homosexuality.“…Over the next couple of weeks, efforts will be made by the homosexual advocates to further impact the Jamaican society by using certain church leaders in order to give a false credibility to their support for the normalisation of homosexuality.“On the matter of the buggery law, the time has come in the interest of biblical integrity of the Jamaican Christian Church, to make clear that the declarations of personal opinions by certain persons from the church be differentiated from the stance of the Jamaican Church as a whole,” said Bishop Bailey.
He advised homosexuals to
“repent and be baptised, seek trained professional counselling to address your
sexual and relationship addictions”, affirming that “true freedom and healing
are possible through Jesus Christ”.
INTERNET SOURCE:
Bishop Dr. Alvin Bailey on
Homosexuality and the LGBT Conference
Published on Oct 13, 2017
VIDEO SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnqVMqnpJoQ
Buggery backlash - Church
groups distance themselves from conference
Two powerful church groups, the Jamaica Evangelical
Alliance (JEA) and the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Jamaica, are distancing
themselves from a planned two-day conference, to start tomorrow, which seeks to
examine the Church and anti-buggery laws across the Commonwealth.
Bishop Alvin Bailey, JEA president said that his
organisation strictly considers as sinful and unacceptable, sexual practices
that are contrary to biblical principles, including the hot-button topic of
buggery, in his reaction to an ad placed in The Sunday Gleaner under the
title 'Intimate Conviction', an international conference examining the Church
and its stance against the repeal of the buggery law.
Putting distance between the JEA and convenors of
the conference, Bailey said that his group "wishes to dissociate itself
from any organisation or persons, local or international, that promote or seek
to promote the normalisation of deviant sexual behaviour such as homosexuality
and buggery".
"The JEA also upholds the law
against buggery, as set out in sections 76, 77 and 79 of the Offences Against
the Person Act, and is strongly and unequivocally opposed to its alteration or
repeal," Bailey stated.
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Meanwhile, the Seventh-day Adventist Church is
advising its members that although one of the speakers at the conference, Dr
Keisha McKenzie, may be an Adventist, she does not speak on behalf of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church globally or locally, and that any statement or
utterance by her concerning the conference's theme should not be taken as an
official statement or position of the church".
"We believe that sexual intimacy
belongs only within the marital relationship of a man and a woman. This was the
design established by God at creation. Throughout Scripture, this heterosexual
pattern is affirmed. The Bible makes no accommodation for homosexual activity
or relationships. For these reasons, Seventh-day Adventists are opposed to
homosexual practices and relationships," a release over the signature of
Nigel Coke, its communication officer said.
The dialogue was ratcheted up when, in July, Bishop
Howard Gregory, head of the Anglican Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands,
made a submission to the parliamentary committee examining the Sexual Offences
Act and related laws.
Gregory underscored his personal position in
recommending the removal of the offence of buggery from the law books, the
widening of the definition of rape, and recognition of marital rape.
Further, the Missionary Church Association of
Jamaica recently rebuked one of its own, the Rev Dr Garnett Roper, over his
support for the repeal of the buggery provision in the Offences Against the
Person Act.
Roper and Gregory, to date, are the most senior
Christian leaders and thinkers in the country who have come out in support of
the buggery law repeal. They have said that they do not personally support the
act.
The conference is scheduled for October 12-13 at
the University of the West Indies Regional Headquarters and will have several
speakers from the Anglican, Adventist, Baptist, Roman Catholic, Evangelical and
United Churches delivering addresses.
Multiple attempts to reach the organisers of the
conference for a comment were unsuccessful.
INTERNET SOURCE:
 |
Movement to overturn
Jamaica's colonial-era anti-gay laws
Published on Oct 28, 2013
CCTV's
John Holman reports from Jamaica, where murders and attacks on gays have led to
an impassioned movement challenging the country's anti-gay laws dating back to
colonial times.
VIDEO SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4q2Xx2UzkQ&t=158s
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