THE CHRISTIAN PARTY

Dec 22, 2019 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

Not many of the analyses of the Donald Trump presidency have focused on the support he obtained from the Christian right. But Donald Trump is pro-life and is moving to ensure that the Supreme Court of the United States will be dominated by pro-life judges. It is for this reason that he enjoys substantial support within the Christian community.
The Christian right has ignored Trump’s personal indiscretions, including his acerbic tongue and the accusations which have been leveled against him over adultery and inappropriate comments about women. Even in the recent impeachment proceedings, the Christian community did not rally for his removal.
The Christian right in the USA is prepared to look the other way so long as they have someone in power who will help push their agenda. This is why the Christian right is so indifferent to Trumps faults.
In Brazil, the Christian right supports President Bolsonaro. And they too, if confronted with the same problem, will look the other way. They certainly looked the other way in relation to his environmental policies.
The Christian right is keen on having candidates who support them because they are facing a reversal throughout Europe and North America. Same-sex marriages are legal in more than 30 countries around the world. Abortion is permissible to save the life of the mother in most countries and elective abortion is legal in more than sixty countries, including Guyana.
The Christian right is concerned about the growing acceptance of consensual sex between persons of the same-sex. And they are afraid that increasingly this practice will spread across the world. And so they have devised a strategy to ensure that state power is in the hands of candidates who will reverse the legality of abortions, same-sex marriages and homosexuality.
It therefore should not surprise anyone that where such candidates do not exist, the Christian right will create their own candidate and even their own political party to ensure the success of their moral agenda.
A Christian party has been formed in Guyana. Some persons have expressed surprise at this development. It shows that they do not understand contemporary trends in the Christian right. The legalisation of abortion has inflamed the passions of the Christian right. The establishment of a strong Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual and Transgender (LGBT) community is creating deep concerns with the Christian right in Guyana. And to counter these developments, a Christian party has been formed push for the retention or return of conservative moral values.
A number of local pastors launched a Christian party – the People’s Republic Party – on 1st December 2019. They pledged to lead the country away from the path of corruption. The party announced plans for job creation, economic diversification and mending rather than ending the sugar industry. However, the party would preserve the definition of marriage as a legal union between a man and woman. In other words, it is opposed to same-sex marriages. According to a report in the Stabroek News, the party said it would not recognise gender fluidity – this an euphemism for derecognising LGBT rights.
No study has been done to determine how many Christians are opposed to same-sex marriages, LGBT rights, abortion and homosexuality. But it is believed that the majority do.
And this is where the paradox arises. You would expect that given what is believed to be the widespread opposition, within the Christian community, to abortion, same-sex marriages and the legalisation of homosexuality, that a Christian party would sweep the Christian vote in Guyana.
Not at all! In as much as the majority of Guyanese Christians are believed to be opposed to these things, they are more likely to withhold their vote for a Christian party in favour of either APNU+AFC or the PPPC.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)

Discover more from Kaieteur News

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Latest News