OIL PROBABILITY IN THE BAHAMAS The Responsibility And Focus Of The Church The earth is the Lords and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. Ps 24:1 Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Ps 100:3 KJV The Christian church holds to this Argument from creation. Reason tells us that the Universe must have had a beginning. Every effect must have an adequate cause. The universe is an effect and therefore must have a cause. The question is natural, for our minds are so constituted as to expect that every effect must have a cause. We conclude then that the Universe must have had a first Cause, or Creator. The Holy Scripture teaches, “In the beginning – God”, Gen 1: 1. This follows with the purpose of man in God’s creation. Man was made for fellowship, to share in relationship with his Creator: in ruling and managing the affairs of the earth. We move quickly to the Fall and the breakdown of that fellowship between man and his God. The disruption in the sharing and the experience of that relationship necessitated the need for salvation and redemption. This became paramount in God’s plan of salvation and redemption for man. So the Church is established to focus on God’s plan of salvation and redemption throughout the history of the human race. The Holy Scripture is the expression of God’s vision, God’s Plan and God’s strategy of His salvation to man. God goes to all ends to bring humanity a better quality of life. The Christian church then is the Statutory Instrument, the principal that forms the delegated or secondary power by which God chose to direct His moral and social affairs in the earth. Through the Church, God delegated and transferred His governing respectively and it is now seen and observed as a universal law: “ And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. Mark 12:31 It is the church’s responsibility to advocate for justice and equality for all. All through the ages righteous men and women stood up for various rights and truths, whereby “all men were made equal by God”. This principle became the foundation for the Constitution of the United States of America. While each person has their own gift, talent, and ability, some are more gifted than others. In principle all men and women should be treated equal. However it was in the third dispensation that God instituted Human Government (Gen 8: 1-11: 9). This was indeed another step in the history of salvation and redemption, as God erected the instrument of Human Government to ensure equivalence and uniformity of laws to direct the affairs of man to facilitate equal opportunity. Instrument of Government Therefore this instrument of Human Government was added by God to further His revelation concerning himself and His will in succeeding generations. However from this third dispensation God delegated his authority to Human Government. This dispensation began when Noah and his family left the ark. As Noah went into the new situation, God (in the Noahic covenant) subjected human to a new test. God in His wisdom instituted the instrument of government. Government is to ensure “Security of person and property, and equality of justice between individuals. These are the first needs of society and the primary end of government”. Otherwise we have an Abuse of Power. John Locke, a philosopher who had great impact upon the development of epistemology and political philosophy addressed the question of abuse of power by highlighting the importance of checks and balances to prevent or at least constrain abuse. The people of the Bahamas have elected a government of Representatives to serve them. The people of the Bahamas have given to this Government, the executive power vested in a Cabinet, composed of members of the legislature. This body is individually and collectively responsible for the good governance of our Country. The instrument of government is made up of a body of laws. The Laws are a system that is designed to regulate and preserve and protect the rights of all persons, organizations, and nations. The enforcement and carrying out of the instrument of the law, when it is done in various arenas, bring wholeness and provides for the protection of all people, to develop and progress in a civil manner. Consequently, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., one of the most profound and prolific leaders in the twentieth century, stated, “All reality has spiritual control. And there is a God that upholds and stands behind that reality!” The Fundamentals of Government Laws are primarily given to constrain the waywardness of man’s depraved and fallen nature, it is the penal code of man’s morality. Man’s morality is designed to bring the best out of every person. Civic society has various educational and social institutions with systems that are proactively intended to help each person to discover their gift and in so doing lend their support to the national development of their country. This is government’s responsibility. So it is in the observing and obeying of these principles, that is the Penal code, that a Nation is protected from imploding from the activities of lawlessness or being destroyed ultimately by the judgment of God. God in his mercy towards man has created redemption for him; and empowered the church through His Holy Spirit to advocate for adherence to the Penal code. As a church conforms to the standards of morality it assists in building its community, society, and indeed a Nation. In so doing God blesses that Nation. That is why He said: “Blessed is the Nation whose God is the Lord.” Psalm 33:12. The responsibility of Government is equality, quality of life and justice for all the people in its nation. Such is determined by the quality of persons that make up the government. Characteristically, those who occupy the office, ensuring that their responsibility is carried out effectively, carry out, this responsibility with respect to loyalty, fidelity and sincerity. Therefore government should be about systems and structures and accountability for positions of trust to carry out specific duties so that government acts in the best interest of the people. The Moral Obligation Of Government To Inform And Educate The idea of independence is the ideal of a nation and indeed the desire of most developing nations. However, government of the People, by the People, and for the People, is the superlative of Democracy. Independence recognizes first the sovereignty of a person, then the condition of a nation a country or a state. The people of that nation then can exercise self-government, in determining their own destiny. Independence can only function effectively if a people truly understand the power of their Sovereignty. As a people understand their personal ability, capability and responsibility with regard to self-determination and development of their human resources. This is also equal to the nation’s collective responsibility to its industries. Moreover, when this occurs, there will be an appreciation by its citizens of the supremacy of their autonomy. “Democracy is a system of government in which all citizens have an equal say in the decision making process which affects their lives. Preferably, this includes equal (and more or less direct) participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law. This also encompasses social, economic and cultural conditions that enable the free and equal practice of political self determination of a people. It is the rule of the people. This simply means that people should play a role in their social, economic and cultural legislation. History has shown that when a people do not sufficiently participate in public policy, the tendency for public uprising is common from 508 BC to AD and right up to the present time. When the people are not allowed to exercise their God given freedom, this creates civil discomfort. Economic Equality for all Bahamian The following excerpts from Wikipedia highlights certain key elements of Democracy. International laws have recognized this quality and value of the quality of human life. Stating that Human rights are what all human beings are entitled to. Acknowledging the concept usually assert that everyone is endowed with certain entitlements merely by reason of being human. Human rights are thus conceived as universal. Such entitlements can exist as shared norms of actual human moralities, as justified moral norms or natural rights supported by strong reasons, or as legal rights on a national level. Quality of life generally refers to the well-being of individuals and societies. It is also frequently related to concepts such as freedom of this human rights and happiness. However, since happiness is subjective and hard to measure, other measures are usually given priority. The freedom to correspond with comfort brings a measure of happiness to a person and a society. The natural resources of any country therefore belongs to all those who call that country home. These resources should be utilized overall in the best interest of the entire community of citizens adhering to the various rules of law and governance that have been established by that community of people. A democratically elected government should therefore act on behalf of the citizens of the country ensuring that all acts are conducted in the best interest of all parties. Optimally is the desire to not only act on behalf of the current citizens but also future citizens. Therefore everything done should be done in a conservative and judicious manner with regard to the long-term sustainability of ecosystems and natural resources. The Voice of the church should therefore be in the forefront of every discussion to ensure that the rights of all people, especially the poor and downtrodden who need an advocate, are upheld and not infringed upon.
Posted on: Mon, 10 Mar 2014 16:23:38 +0000
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