Religion has failed Guyana so far

Jul 21, 2010 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

One of the most pathetic arguments I hear and read about in this country all the time centres on the adverse influence violent movies, gambling and related activities have on people’s minds. It is a waste of time and energy to debate the topic, because sociological evidence worldwide does not support the contention.
Take the influence of Indian films in this country. Indian films have one overarching theme – the need to stop the contempt of the rich for the poor. This was the great annoyance that turned me away from that industry. Movie after movie would have the same story in different forms – poor boy meets rich girl, falls in love, rich parents of girl are nasty to him and try to separate the two with the eventual acceptance by the rich that they should not discriminate against the poor. To this day, Indian films do not carry kissing scenes and nudity is completely banned. In my younger days, I had a lot of friends from Guyana Oriental College and the University of Guyana who were fanatical fans of the Hindu film industry.
Never, I repeat never, had I seen those friends behave differently from other Guyanese ethnic groups in their attitudes toward women and sex. Where was the influence of the message of the Hindu film industry on these people? The answer is there was completely none. Hollywood glorifies sex and violence yet those very Hindu actors who don’t kiss in their acting scenes would be overjoyed to get a role in Hollywood. Today, large numbers of Guyanese still glow over Indian films but I see no difference in the class values of rich business people. Where is the influence of the films?
Of all the CARICOM countries where homosexuality is prevalent, I would say per capita, Barbados has more male homosexuality than the rest of its CARICOM neighbours. Once you live in Barbados, this practice cannot escape your eyes. Barbados remains one of the world’s most placid, tranquil and stable countries.
Contrast Barbados and Jamaica. I would advise a male homosexual never to land in Jamaica. It is one of the world’s most homophobic territories. You just don’t joke with a Jamaican and call him a “batty boy.” Jamaica has the sustained reputation of being (per capita), Planet Earth’s most violent region. Here then is an enigma. There is hardly any homosexuality in Jamaica, there is plenty in Barbados yet crime and violence are higher in the former. Jamaica of course is the land of one of history’s greatest composers of philosophical pop music – Bob Marley. Where is the influence of Marley’s peace message in the ghetto where he still remains an icon?
Someone once wrote that per capita, the most religious region in the world is the West Indies. Churches abound in the CARICOM region. Guyana may be the top of the list. Dale Andrews of this newspaper and I went to Ann’s Grove to cover a story of a married couple who chalked up 50 years of marital union. I was told that in Ann’s Grove alone, there are more than ten Christian churches of different denominations. That is a lot for a small village. All over the entire body of Guyana, there are churches of all types. Have they failed their parishioners?
The answer lies in the evidence. We are a society where child molestation, incest, violence against women, prostitution, homicides, police brutalities, divorces, gambling are reaching depressing proportions. As we get more nihilistic we get more religious. This is a dialectical contradiction that the genius of the great German philosopher, Hegel, would not have been able to explain if he were alive. Where is the influence of the great churches, temples and mosques in this land?
The truth that is hard for the religious community to take is that religion has failed in Guyana so far. Given the number of religious organizations we have in this nation, we should have been an angelic people.
I broke with the rest of the society when the Government was legislating casino gambling. I wrote three columns in support. I didn’t believe then, I don’t believe now, I will not believe in the future that casino gambling will lead to a further degradation of values in Guyana.
The evidence worldwide is just not there to support it. What needs to be explained is how with all these churches those values are disappearing slowly in a land where God’s presence is more than ubiquitous.

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Religion has failed Guyana so far

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