The Truth

Forgive is a big word. It’s huge, even gigantic. Just seven letters but it’s something that takes years to learn how to do well. And more than learning how to do it, it takes grace from God. But before we go any further, we need to define what   forgiveness   is. Or, let’s start with what   forgiveness   is not. Forgiveness   is not a compromise of morality. Don’t ever think that God would confuse moral clarity and moral responsibility with grace and forgiveness. God’s justice ensures that the murderer will not get away with murder, and the sex offender will not get away with molestation. Forgiveness is not a violation of justice. God will never compromise His justice. Forgiveness is not merely the avoidance of conflict. There are a lot of us who do not like conflict. And since we don’t want to have hard feelings or hard words with someone else, we skirt around issues of conflict. Sometimes forbearance is the right thing to do, but simple avoidance of co...

Presentation on Gender Based Violence Inter-Faith Service & Round-Table Discussion International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women In my work I have discovered four themes that seemed very important, these included: -        Physical Effects, -        Emotional Effects, -        Behavioural Effects and -        Psychological Effects Let me talk about the theme of Physical Effect, which i found to be one of the most common factors that were faced by most of the survivals of violence. Women will tell you things like: -        “He would hit me physical, punches, kick even slaps, once my mouth started bleeding” -        “He was beating me with his fist and belt, all over my body especially my face” -        “I remember felling the bloo...

We all agree that the economic crisis has affected nearly every country in the world and has had a negative impact on the well-being of youths, but like many Guyanese I have doubts that the world economic crisis is the reason for the state of youths in Guyana. I believe that unless the authorities address the problems of employment and education in particular, the crisis facing youths will remain unresolved and possibly worsen. Comprehensive data on the situation of youths in Guyana is not available, but in the context of a high incidence of poverty and the adverse social impact of economic restructuring, there is increasing concern that large sections of youth have become ‘marginalised,’ or are ‘excluded’ from education, well-paid jobs and even access to the status of ‘adulthood.’ It is not surprisingly that many young people who are affected by poverty and unemployment, claim that the education system has no relevance to their lives. There is little incentive for young peopl...

AT TIMES I have been disheartened by the number of churches that talk about egalitarian theology, but are not actually practicing it. Egalitarianism, is a movement based on the theological view that not only are all people equal before God in their personhood, but there are no gender-based limitations of what functions or roles each can fulfill in the home, the church, and the society. It is sometimes referred to as biblical equality. Egalitarians understand the Bible as teaching the fundamental equality of women and men of all racial and ethnic groups, all economic classes, and all age groups, based on the teachings and example of Jesus Christ. Let me also say that it should not be confused with secular political, economic, social egalitarianism. Growing up, many of us were taught that the man is the head of the household (which hold truth in the word of God), and we’ve probably heard about how the husband is supposed to “wear the pants in the family.” But most of what is said ...

It is difficult to obtain a complete picture of Gender Based Violence in Guyana because it often remains hidden. A person who is being abused may have done so for a long time before seeking support, while some survivors never tell anyone about the abuse. Person who is abused may endure it before seeking help, while others may never tell anyone or have the opportunity to speak out. Some Psychologist are of the view that  person who is being abused may be reluctant, unable to talk about, or report abuse for many different reasons, including having a strong emotionally attached to the abusive partner; having a strong beliefs about keeping their relationship or family together and paramount of them all is the economic situation of the woman. It is no secret that women are  approximately three times more likely than men to report being sexually assaulted, beaten, choked, or threatened with a gun or a knife by their partner or ex-partner in the previous five years (34% ve...