Setting the record straight

September 7, 2004

Dear Sir,

Since I was badly misquoted in a review of our recent concert at the National Sports Centre, I felt it was important to rectify the situation. I would not state that the Brooklyn Tabernacle is the ?best? church; such a comment will not only be arrogant, but foolish, for there is no ?best? church in the world. I am pleased to know that the Editor of has corrected the error. In my comments at the close of the concert, I strongly emphasised that mere denominational affiliation or local church membership does not always equate with a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I pointed out that in America, 66 percent of the population professes Christian ?faith?, yet their lifestyles and daily choices resemble those who identify themselves as atheists/agnostics.

Being a Baptist, Presbyterian, Seventh Day Adventist, or a member of any local church (including the Brooklyn Tabernacle which I pastor) is not what the Christian faith is really about. In addition, my intention was not to send a message that all Seventh Day Adventists were mean. My point in light of the whole context of what I stated is that any denomination or church ? including the Brooklyn Tabernacle or even Cornerstone Bible Fellowship which I oversee ? may contain people that are mean because many people claim to be believers, but do not live accordingly.

The reality is that God sent Jesus into the world so that we might receive the gift of eternal life through faith in Christ. All such true believers have been born again and make up the one true church of Jesus Christ throughout the world. In other words, in the difficult spiritual days that we live in, we need to proclaim Christ rather than the exaltation of a denomination or local church. I received many comments that evening from those in attendance who realised afresh that their relationship with the Lord was the most important thing in the world. Thank you for the opportunity to set the record straight.

End cruelty to horses

September 2, 2004

Dear Sir,

Re: The letter from a tourist about the abuse of the horses used to pull carriages. Upon reflection, how sad that it takes a visitor to speak out on what stares us in the face each day. I have always felt that the horse drawn carriages are a disgrace to Bermuda There are several reasons that this practice should be completely banned, and there are no good reasons why we should allow it to continue. These animals are maltreated and there is nobody looking after their welfare. While I?m sure the horse owners will say that they love their animals and take care of them, the fact is that in His wisdom, God did not put horses in Bermuda at all, let alone intend for them to pull around vacationers wearing white socks and running shoes.

The oppresive heat and humidity is too much for these animals to withstand. While horses may have been necessary many years ago, they are not now. The next reason is that these rides seriously inconvenience traffic and are a danger to motorists. I?ve often been trapped in a convoy travelling at a turtle?s pace during rush-hour along Harbour Road, only to find that the cause of the delay was a horse-drawn carriage. Drivers become frustrated and pass unsafely. It won?t be long until somebody coming in the other direction is struck head-on. Let?s prevent that, shall we? Another danger is that there are giant piles of horse dung on the road. Try riding a scooter around a corner through a giant heap of manure, and see if you can keep your balance.

Which brings me to another point: Apart from being dangerous, having horse excrement on our streets is disgusting. If dog owners are required to pick up their pet?s mess, why aren?t horse owners? The driver has a perfect view to see when the horse goes, so they should have to clean up the mess. It stinks and it is dirty. If there is no way to safely stop the horse in the road and clean the mess up, which of course there isn?t, then they should be fined every time the animal makes a mess on the street. I do respect that there are some people who depend upon horse-drawn carriage rides for their income.

To this I say that the drivers could easily follow suit on what is popular in many large North American cities. Rickshaw drivers can be found in New York, Toronto, San Francisco, and many other cities, and are primarily popular with tourists. They are smaller than carriages and can easily jog on the side of the road. It would be cleaner (assuming that the drivers wouldn?t defecate in the street), safer, more humane, and the drivers would certainly enjoy their new-found fitness. And if they didn?t like it, then at least they would know how the horses feel.

Act now to protect people

September 2, 2004

Dear Sir,

There is an article on the front page of today?s RG titled ?Lifeguards save 100 people in three days.? The Director of Parks mentions that many people ignore the warnings posted only to get into difficulty and need to be rescued later. I heard a caller on the David Lopes show make a very valid point this morning. The lady stated that if warnings are posted and people still venture into the water, that they should be fined. I agree with this lady 100 percent. As she pointed out, once these silly people decide to venture into the water, they are not only jeopardising their own lives, but the lives of the rescuers who have to go in after them.

Some may say that this is their job, but there is a distinct difference between say someone suffering a cramp and getting into trouble and deliberately ignoring posted warnings saying that it is unsafe to go into the water. We have other laws in effect such as helmet laws, seatbelt laws etc. and to me this is even more important as again, you are not only risking your own life by being stubborn, but someone else?s as well.

Hopefully someone in authority will take note of this and try to get this very important matter passed into legislation. Then when these signs are posted, they can also state that swimmers risk a fine of x amount by ignoring the warnings. I know there will be sceptics, but remember one doesn?t set their house on fire because they know the fire brigade will respond, or deliberately get into an accident because they know that an ambulance will come, do they? We shouldn?t wait until it?s too late before we do something. Unfortunately, some people just need protecting from themselves.

In defence of Diana

September 2, 2004

Dear Sir,

I am replying to the letter in today?s RG signed ?Phenomenal? and titled ?Diana was no saint?. Phenomenal has no idea what he/she is talking about. I agree that the late Princess Diana was probably no saint, but to label her ?fragile, neurotic and terribly insecure? is very unfair. If you were married off at nineteen years of age to a powerful man thirteen years your senior, who by his own admission didn?t love you at the time, and then forced to live you life in a fishbowl you?d probably be that way, too. Furthermore, your assertion that she was an adulteress at the time of her death is totally and completely untrue. If you would check your facts properly, you would recall that she and Prince Charles were divorced at the time of her death. What was she supposed to do ? live the rest of her life alone?

You say that ?had she remained faithful to her husband, an adulterer too, she would still be in the land of the living?. What about condemning him ? or are you saying that it is okay for a man to cheat, and for the woman to just accept it and look the other way? What about saying that if her husband had stayed true to his wife, and given her the love and attention she needed, that they would still be married and she would still be alive? Or is it acceptable because of his position? What type of role model was he for his followers?

People like you really need to think things through first before you open your mouths or put pen to paper. Again, we all know that Diana wasn?t perfect, but as far as I am concerned, Princess Diana was a caring, loving person who brought a lot of sunshine and happiness into the lives of millions of people of all countries, races and colours. It seems so sad when all these terrible allegations are thrown around by the media and others after she is no longer around to defend herself. It was an absolute tragedy what happened to her, and for people like you to continue to slander her memory makes it even more tragic.

Blame goes around

August 19, 2004

Dear Sir,

While I sympathise, as much as is understandably possible, with the Cox family over the death of Tyaisha, I do feel not all the blame is to be placed on one person. The young woman, who hit this little girl, will never recover from this tragic accident and it will haunt her for the rest of her life. I am advised that she was not speeding and does not own a cellular phone, as was stated in the letter to the Editor in dated August 18, 2004 by ?Kinda makes you wonder doesn?t it??. I understand there is speculation that the cross walk, at the accident site, is too near the bus stop but that is for Works and Engineering to clarify. It is also alleged that the bus driver involved should also shoulder some of the blame by his/her actions or lack thereof, but my main question is ? where was the adult that should have been accompanying this small child and her brother at the time of the incident?