A medical doctor has urged the church community to get their voter ID ready in the likelihood that Jamaicans are called upon to vote for retaining the buggery law.
Dr. Brittanie Clacken, who volunteers with the Youth Christian Organisation, the Love March Movement, noted that Jamaica has been coming under immense pressure from international organisations to overturn its buggery laws. These organisations have been investing heavily in the pro-LGBTQ+ movement.
“As holiday finish, make sure you go get your voters card because a referendum is coming and the enemy’s side is ready to vote and they are ready to vote to shut down the buggery law, so we as God’s people need to vote in favour of family-friendly laws,” she said.
The pro-family advocate noted that the government seems to be caving in to international pressure despite numerous polls indicating over the years that Jamaicans are not in support of the homosexual lifestyle. The recommendation has always been to allow the Jamaican people to vote in a referendum to determine if there should be any amendments to the Buggery Act.
“You want to put your finger in the ink; you want to be a part of the change. Remember what to do when referendum time comes,” Dr. Clacken said, during a specially convened information forum organised by the Association of Christian Communicators and Media (ACCM) on Good Friday at the Freedom Come Rain tent along the Spanish Town by-pass. The forum was dubbed “Man + Woman = God’s Perfect Plan.
The ACCM, which comprises Christian media workers and owners across the region, sought to alert the Christian community to the renewed push by LGBTQI activists and others to force changes to the Jamaican Constitution as it relates to the Buggery Law and the promotion of abortion.
“The advance of this agenda seeks to undermine the family, endanger our children, and attack Godliness,” the group said.
“We will not relent from our principled position that our children will not be coerced into accepting these practises as normal. Our very vulnerable education system is a prime target for this anti-God lifestyle. We are firm in our resolve that this must be resisted by the Christian Church through the power of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,” it added.
Dr. Cacken noted that the European Union is one of the organisations partially financing the budget of at least one LGBTQ organisation in Jamaica. Canada has also given Jamaica CDN$9.8 million (approximately J$1.12 billion) to launch two new programmes focused on gender equality and strengthening access to inclusion and leadership for sexual and reproductive health rights.
“The European Union is trying to encourage poorer nations to change their laws, change their culture, change their speech, change their attitude, actions and behaviour, to accommodate these lifestyles that are contrary to life, Godliness and fruitfulness, and they link it to money,” said Dr. Clacken, who is among several Christians who have expressed concern that a Canadian is among the 14 persons selected to sit on Jamaica’s Constitutional Reform Committee.
“He a Canadian, who doesn’t live here, who doesn’t have no children here, he has no business here, he is not going to be affected by the laws here, he sits on the committee that is going to change the constitution of Jamaica; tell me if that makes sense?” she queried.
Minister Donna Hussey-Stewart, A Jamaican-born journalist who now resides in Canada pointed out the fact that Christians are not free to speak out against homosexuality in that country.
“I can tell you from a personal point of view that there is no church in Canada that can open their mouth at all about homosexuality. They cannot do it. They will shut down the church, and they will arrest the pastors. It has happened before, many times, and so they can’t do it. So they preach prosperity and they preach love,” said Hussey-Stewart, who encouraged Jamaicans to stand firm like the Ugandans who refused funding from pro-LGBT groups to accept the homosexual lifestyle.
Pastor Ucal Thompson also urged Christians to stand on the Word of God. He said there were attempts to muzzle him when he went to Canada to preach.
“The Word of God is just the Word of God; we cannot compromise,” he insisted.
“God made man and woman, and a so it must stay until God come again,” said the senior clergyman.
Pastor Musa Laing noted that while the homosexual lifestyle is against God’s plan, Christians do have a responsibility to minister to members of the LGBTQ community because they are souls. He noted that, unfortunately, some Christians are endorsing the lifestyle by remaining silent.
“We are allowing it to slide because it is our family members; it is our friends from primary school; it is our past friend from whenever,” he said.
Despite efforts by the LGBTQ community to get people to accept the lifestyle, Dr. Clacken said Jamaicans will not bow.
“The Christian church in Jamaica will not stand for this foolishness,” she said, while noting that the Muslim and Rastafarian communities are also against homosexuality.