The past 11 years have been very difficult for the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. We have experienced one crisis after another. The hurricanes of 2004 which pummel- ed Grand Bahama and Abaco; the lingering recession through- out the nation, a bloated national debt, the dengue fever and AIDS epidemics and the crime and illegal immigration crises have all taken a dramatic toll on this young independent nation. Hurricane Irene has only made our dilemma worse. There was a time in this nation’s past when nearly all of the hurricanes safely passed by our archipelago. Now it appears as if every few years a major hurricane slams into one of the Family Islands. All of a sudden God is refusing to spare this country from these severe tropical storms.
During the 1990s, The Bahamas experienced some of the greatest years of financial prosperity in its modern history. The unemployment rate was in the low single digits. Now financial experts are saying that the national unemployment rate is around 13.7 percent. I believe, however, that the national unemployment rate is really around the 20 percent mark. An unemployment rate that is only 13.7 percent would be considered an economic boom in this unusual recession. But I am not writing to debate unemployment statistics. I will leave that to the politicians. I would like to know, though, why The Bahamas has fallen out of favor with God. There has to be a reason why all of these calamities have befallen us.
Bahamians have for many years bragged about this country being a Christian nation. However, I don’t see anything in this nation’s past or present that would even remotely suggest that The Bahamas is an out and out Christian nation. True, many of our forefathers attended church, but that appears to be the extent of their religion. Many Bahamians to-day attend church on a regular basis, yet the nation’s spiritual condition leaves much to be desired. The Bahamas is a nation of contradictions. We have many churches, but we also have many bar rooms and web shops. The churches are made up mostly of women. While they are in church, their spouses are either home watching the ball game or they are hanging out at the bar rooms with their buddies.
Most Bahamians would tell you that they are Christians, yet over 70 percent of the babies born in this country are born out of wedlock. This is a clear indication that some in this country are ferociously pro-miscuous. Rape, incest and other heinous sexual offences are being committed in this country on a daily basis, it seems. We have men in this country who don’t respect women at all. Women are viewed as sexual objects by these men. I have seen many posters of scantily clad wo-
men on display on businesses throughout Freeport. Bahamian women are being exploited by a generation of voyeurs. Collectively speaking, Bahamians tend to ignore God’s laws regarding sexual purity. Prostitution and teenage pregnancy have become all too common in New Providence and Grand Bahama. Even homosexuality is no longer a taboo in The Bahamas. Many marriages are failing because of infidelity and abuse. The Bahamian family structure is in deep trouble. Many single mothers are now raising children in this country. Many of the fathers of these children are elsewhere siring more children. Many of these children will become wards of the state.
The hands of this nation are stained with blood. We don’t really value human life anymore. We have had around 186 murders committed in 20 months, from January 1, 2010 to August 2011. How is it possible that in a so-called Christian nation we have had a staggering 92 murders committed in just eight months in 2011? Our murder rate is among the highest in the region. Something is fundamentally wrong. Even witnesses in murder cases are now being bumped off by known criminals; yet the state and the judiciary sits idly by as this happens. Many convicted murderers are only getting a tap on the wrist for their heinous crimes. While career criminals roam the streets of Nassau,the politicians continue to stare into the headlights like befuddled deer.
Armed robberies and house break-ins are now the order of the day. According to some analysts, house break-ins have seen a sharp increase in recent years, owing to the high number of Bahamians who are jobless. Even churches are being broken into by thieves. Anything from the money in the collection plate to the sound system are fair game. These thieves have no more regard for God’s sanctuary.
Sir Lynden once said that the Bahamian male is an endangered species. I believe him. Look at Fox Hill Prison. We have a prison population of well over 1,200. Over 95 percent of those incarcerated are males. Many of our young men don’t have an education or even a trade. Yet they are fathering children left, right and center. It’s a vicious cycle. Most of the crimes are being committed by these young Bahamian men. Many of them are simply unemployable. They have no skills. Many of them cannot even properly fill out a job employment form. Yet these are tomorrow’s leaders. Heaven help us.
Too many of our men are strung out on marijuana and cocaine. We turned a blind eye to the drug crisis of the 1980s, now the chickens have come home to roost. While some Bahamians were busy reaping the monetary rewards of the illicit drug trade in the 1980s, no one saw the attendant consequences it would have entailed. I believe that many of the murders that are being committed in this country are somehow related to the illicit drug trade. Gang members are now bumping off their hated rivals who are attempting to take over their turf throughout New Providence. Money has become our god. Where is our morality? We continue to proudly say that we are a Christian nation, yet we have no qualms voting for politicians who are openly unfaithful to their wives. We are a very overindulgent nation. Many Bahamians are obese; because they refuse to eat moderately. We have no discipline in this country. Many of our children are very disrepectful and rude. Any teacher who attempts to spank our unruly children is in grave danger of being assaulted by the parents. Our national grade average is a D. Our children aren’t learning anything in school. Our children know a lot about video games, American R&B and rap music, movies and the latest fashion designs, but know very little about Bahamian history. What has happened to this country? Where have we gone wrong?
If The Bahamas continues along this dangerous path,then this nation will meet its demise. I am not a prophet, but I do know that God will not allow any nation to point its defiant finger in His face forever. It will come to an end. The prophet Jeremiah moaned over Jerusalem’s fall in the book of Lamentations. He had preached the message of repentance to its citizens for years. But the Jews ignored him. Then finally God brought the feared Babylonians against the city in the sixth century B.C. Jerusalem was toppled by the pagans. If God allowed His people and His beloved city to fall into the hands of pagans, what makes Bahamians think that we are immune from divine chastisement? We must repent. No politician or government can save this nation; only Jesus Christ can: If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. (II Chronicles 7:14)
By: Kevin Evans
