Social activist Felix Bethel said real practising Christians who agree with capital punishment still have a ways to go in their “Christian journey.”
Speaking as a guest on the radio talk show programme “Issues of the Day”, Mr Bethel said there is no doubt that people who proclaim to be Christian but agree with the idea of enforcing the cat-o’-nine-tails, or any form of capital punishment, must re-evaluate their faith.
“To deal with any human being properly you have to understand and see the Christ in them. The Christ is in you, the Christ is in me and if you see the Christ in me, you would love your neighbour as you love yourself,”he said.
Altulus Newbold of Orange Creek, Cat Island was convicted of burglary, attempted rape and causing harm to an 87-year-old woman a few weeks ago. Justice Jon Isaacs ordered that Newbold be given eight strokes of the Rod – four on entering prison and four immediately prior to his departure. Justice Isaacs also sentenced Newbold to 16 years for burglary, six years for attempted rape and two years for causing harm, which are to run concurrently. But it was his whipping punishment that sparked the activists to rally against the use of the cat-o’-nine -tails.
Numerous protestors have since rallied against his punishment calling it “bizarre and barbaric.”
Archbishop Drexel Gomez also weighed in on the controversial issue while giving his annual Charge at the 106th session of the Anglican Synod at Christ Church Cathedral.
“Simply put, our Saviour has warned us, even in the Garden of Gethsemane, ‘Those who live by the sword die by the sword,'” he said.
“As a community, we must strive to eschew violence in our daily lives. We must set examples of Christian love and attempt to control our anger so as to ensure that at all times we make Christian responses to all situations in which we are challenged.”
But according to Mr Bethel, the Archbishop is “out of step” with many of his followers as some of them don’t agree with his views.
“I believe that Archbishop Gomez, like many, has in his midst people who are being rebellious and are worshipping idol gods,” Mr Bethel said. “I believe it makes this challenge even greater and I am even saddened myself not to see more people in the Anglican community out there in the public square pushing the idea that this country has to better itself.”
Even as many people are calling for the government to get rid of the cat-o’-nine- tails as punishment for criminals, Attorney General Allyson Maynard-Gibson said, “The courts in The Bahamas are fully prepared to see the laws of our country fully brought to bear in punishment of offenders.”
By: IANTHIA SMITH, The Nassau Guardian
