Don't beat up on GG for casino approval, says pastor

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Monday May 17, 2010

Don't beat up on GG for casino approval, says pastor
Published: Monday May 17, 2010



IN A bid to defuse simmering tension within the Seventh-day Adventist movement over King's House's approval of the Casino Gaming Act, a St Andrew pastor has warned members of the denomination not to expect the establishment of "an Adventist papacy" in Jamaica.

Pastor Lorenzo King, rector of Andrews Memorial Seventh-day Adventist Church on the outskirts of New Kingston, cautioned congregants on Saturday that it would be improper for Sir Patrick Allen, immediate former head of the West Indies Union of Seventh-day Adventist Churches, to seek to impose his religious beliefs in the secular role as Jamaica's head of state. Theocracy, King said, would be contrary to the will of the people.

The issue of casino gaming has been a minefield in Jamaican society, with the majority of churches - including Adventists - denouncing it as immoral and evidence of deterioration of the island's work ethic. A few denominations, such as the Roman Catholic Church, do not outrightly condemn gambling, but draw the line if it promotes obsessive behaviour which jeopardises personal and family financial commitments.

The approval of the bill has paved the way for multimillion-dollar investments in the roll-out of casino-gaming lounges, particularly in the hotel sector.

Control emotions

King also urged Adventists to temper rage within the church's ranks that Sir Patrick had compromised his conscience and undermined Adventists' image by acceding to political expediency.

He said he knew of "Sunday Christians who are kinder and more understanding of the issues than we are. That is my belief, I have heard them, and they are not expressing themselves in the way that we express ourselves.

"I'm calling upon my brothers and sisters not to abandon what we believe, but to be moderate, be moderate in your expression. ... Remember that prayer changes things," he said in defence of his former boss.

"... I'm calling upon Seventh-day Adventists to show love, and even if a member has done wrong, we do not kill that member. ... It is uncharitable, it is unkind."

Sir Patrick was appointed governor general in 2009. It is largely viewed as a ceremonial post as governors general are expected to rubber-stamp government policy and endorse, as a matter of course, bills passed by legislators.

Adventists claim the largest share of denominational Christians in Jamaica, but are dwarfed in number when compared with doctrinally diverse adherents whose main day of worship is Sunday, as opposed to Saturday, the Adventist Sabbath.
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Source: http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20100517/business/business3.html
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