Patrick L. Allen, Contributor
THE ALARMING levels of crime and violence in Jamaica today reflect all the hallmarks of a Godless society. The ruthless abandon and the frequency with which violent crimes are committed have law-abiding citizens scrambling for cover, and law enforcement agencies appear helpless in the wake. In a country where the name of God is held high, and religious life is flourishing, many are concerned by the seeming impotence of our profession of faith.
Despite the prayer vigils, the special services and the prayers of many mothers and fathers, the ranks of the ruthless and the lawless continue to swell. This situation raises questions about the efficacy of prayer. Are God's ears stopped up so that He can no longer hear us? Is He blind so that He does not see?
A careful examination of Scripture will disclose the answer and may prove profitable in arriving at a solution to our national dilemma. II Chronicles 7:14 states: "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land". What is evident from this passage is that prayer is not without conditionality.
HEALING IN OUR LAND
For our prayers to be answered and for us to experience healing in our land, we must not only confess our sins but we must also turn from our 'wicked' or unjust and dishonest ways. Those of us who make and oversee the administration of policies whether it is in schools, churches, government agencies or in the Parliament must do so in fairness and justice. Those of us who make deals with criminals must extricate ourselves from our questionable associations and dealings. Those of us who harbour the gunmen and the criminals must serve them notice; and those of us who turn a blind eye to all these goings-on must speak up.
We must not only seek to root out crime and violence but we must also work for a just society. Many in our society feel disenfranchised and discouraged because of what they perceive as a society that is stacked against them. Many experience persistent poverty which they associate with a system that favours the already affluent, while leaving no honest path to upward mobility for them. This hopelessness and despair will often provide a fertile breeding ground for crime and violence.
HIERARCHY OF NEEDS
According to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, unless and until the basic needs of hunger, bodily comfort, safety, belonging and esteem are met, individuals will not aspire, nor can they move on, to the growth needs of cognitive development, aesthetic development, self-actualisation and self-transcendence. Furthermore, Article 22 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: "Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realisation of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality." Our prayers, our sermons and our Values and Attitudes programme will not reach those who are most in need of reform until we have taken care of the more basic and fundamental matters within our society. Matters such as our high unemployment rate, the high prices on basic foods and transportation and the ever-increasing taxes imposed upon our citizenry must be addressed.
While some of our most visible criminal offenders are seemingly from the ranks of the poor and the underprivileged, they are not the only ones who contribute to the breakdown of law and order in our society. Lawbreakers exist at every level of our society and those of us who stand by and watch must also share the blame. As Plutarch stated: "The omission of good is no less reprehensible than the commission of evil." It is still true that all that is required for evil to flourish is for good men to do nothing. (Burke) We have long passed the place where any individual, group or agency can afford to continue to be spectators and commentators. We must act.
As a church leader, I must commit my organisation, its leaders and members to more decisive and proactive involvement. We will continue, and be more active in community outreach programmes, and we will be even more engaged in social reform. We will do these things because we must and because crime and violence are often fed by hunger, disease and despair. It is time for us to come together as patriotic and God-fearing Jamaicans to create the conditions under which God can truly hear from heaven, forgive our sin and heal our land.
Pastor Patrick L. Allen, Ph.D., J.P., is president of the West Indies Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.
