Facing the fire in the battle for Jamaica
While there are thousands in church pews across Jamaica on a Saturday or Sunday morning, there are concerns that the majority of Christians are reluctant to go on the front line and speak out against ungodly agendas that have been plaguing the nation.
This concern has been amplified following the attack on president of the Love March Movement (LMM) and campaign director for ‘40 Days for Life,’ Dr. Daniel Thomas on Monday (March 10).
Dr. Thomas was leading a peaceful prayer protest against abortion along Ivy Green Crescent in Kingston, when his life was threatened.
Several Christian advocacy groups, including the LMM, the Jamaica Coalition for a Healthy Society, the Association of Christian Communicators and Media, Jamaica Evangelical Alliance, Jamaica CAUSE, Christians for Truth and Justice, and Chosen to G.L.O.W Ministries have since condemned the act.
Attorney Shirley Richards, who is known for her staunch advocacy against unrighteous issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage, said the recent attack on Dr. Thomas’s life should not be taken lightly and speaks to some of the challenges being faced by those who are vocal against immorality in our nation.
“We should all be outraged at that. That’s a very serious situation. It shows what can happen when you stand up for your beliefs. That’s the kind of thing that can happen,” the attorney lamented.
She noted that issues raised by these organisations often do not get as much publicity, events do not attract much funding, and there is the shortage of manpower to fuel the fight on the frontline.
“There is also the lack of administrative capabilities. Most of us who are in this work are just in there as volunteers; nobody pays us, and so the admin work that is to be done, we have to do it ourselves,” explained Richards, a member of the Jamaica Coalition for a Healthy Society (JCHS) and a former president for the Lawyers Christian Fellowship.
Richards has been at many protests over the years, including those aimed at fighting for the life of the unborn and preserving the sanctity of marriage. She has contributed to parliamentary discussions on several pressing issues and has often shared her legal expertise on matters that should be of concern to the Christian community. The reluctance of many Christians to lend their professional support and advocate publicly is very glaring.
“I think, unfortunately, people do not see this type of activity as being a part of their Christian mandate, because essentially when you do not stand up for the tenets of your faith, it comes around to bite you as a citizen in this country. We do not realise the implication of just sitting down and allowing things to just go by us. I don’t want to say that we are lazy, but that might be a part of it. Who wants to go out and stand up in sun hot? I don’t know that our pastors have exposed congregations to the necessity of understanding current issues and the necessity of taking a public stance on these issues,” she said.
“That’s why we give thanks for a man like Dr. Daniel Thomas, who has been able to garner support amongst youngsters, but they are also in need of more committed individuals…A generation is coming up behind them, and that generation needs to be raised up. The sparks need to go from one generation to the next.”
Dr. Thomas and his team at the Love March Movement are known for confronting several social issues that raise moral concerns. His public confrontation with Prime Minister Andrew Holness over the National Identification System (NIDS) and later, Jamaica’s intention to sign the Samoa Agreement are among several that have gone viral. His protests against the LGBTQ pride flag in front of the US Embassy and other embassies in recent times have also garnered national attention. The medical doctor and his team at the LMM have also brought attention to some troubling issues, including the implementation of the Yute Chatbot by the National Family Planning Board, which was eventually pulled by the Ministry of Health and Wellness last year.
The 40 Days for Life prayer protest is the latest of the Love March undertaking.
The project concentrates on forty (40) days of prayer, fasting, peaceful vigils, and educational outreach. The initiative is part of an international campaign taking place in more than sixty (60) countries around the world.
Since the local inception of 40 Days for Life in 2024, organisers have reported that twenty-two mothers and twenty-three (23) babies (and counting) have been saved.
