Senior clergymen of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church have made it clear that any decision to repeal Jamaica’s buggery law will not be in alignment with the Bible, and as such, warned policymakers to keep God at the centre of their deliberations.
Speaking during a Gleaner Editors’ Forum at the company’s head office in Kingston last week, Dr Merrick Walker, pastor of the Washington Gardens Seventh-Day Adventist Church in St Andrew, said that while he was not in support of anyone discriminating against homosexuals, he urged individuals to desist from indulging in sinful acts.
“We are very conversant with the discussions and developments taking place, and the short answer is that we are not supportive of removing the buggery law. When it comes to the matter of legislation, we believe that we should be very meticulous … looking at the repercussions that can result, and pursue the continuation of the family as the Lord established it. I often say that we are very tolerant of those who are different, but we disassociate ourselves from the difference if it is construed to be something immoral,” he declared.
“We are guided by a Bible-based worldview, and our understanding of the family is from that standpoint. We are aware of the need to cater to other forms of families that have been established, but our focus is to strive for the ideal family (nuclear family),” Walker said. Read More
