Are Places of Worship Safe?
In today's world there is high levels of violence occurring in every imaginable location affecting both young and old. The amazing thing about the world is that we adapt by providing security in our homes, businesses and schools to continue our daily lives. However, when it comes to religious institutions, there is no sign of security of the members or church to feel comfortable. Constantly there are reports of criminals and terrorist attacks on religious institutions such as churches, mosques and synagogues. These institutions usually cater to families which means there must be children. So this begs the question, are religious institutions safe? Well let us examine the facts. I attend a christian church in Kingston, Jamaica and somehow I am not satisfied with the safety that my church offers. Recently a member's vehicle was stolen from the church's parking lot during service. The member was extorted of a large sum of money from the criminals to return his vehicle in a safe condition. What did the church did? Pray. That's all. Until this day the church has not made any measures to ensure the protection of the members' vehicles during the service. Another safety problem is the influx of mentally ill homeless person on the church's compound. These persons usually cause sporadic outburst of violence and uncontrollable behaviour. Some of the person may even damage the church property which according to Malicious Injuries to Property Act Section 42 is a crime. However, the church stands by and watches as the homeless invade, attack and threaten the lives of sound minded christians. Good Job, religion. In my view all mentally ill person should not be allow to be let out in the general population because persons are not trained to handle the mentally ill and family members with mentally ill relatives should ensure that they have a tight leash on them. However, being the third country Jamaica is, the Government does not care about the people so I should get use to it. Just like we should get use to other crimes because we can do nothing about it. Another thing I see happening in my country are criminals stealing and murdering persons in churches right across the island. This has caused many churches to close their doors during the rest of the week to protect their items. So you can see that just in Jamaica alone the church is a dangerous place. What about internationally? Well we can see on the news daily of Churches and mosques being blasted by mortar fire even with members inside. Even in the unrest in Venezuela, protesters attack churches while members were having mass or service. http://www.christiantoday.com/article/churches.attacked.in.venezuelas.ongoing.unrest/36183.htm
So are places of worship safe? No. Religion does not assure the safe of its members or visitors. Unlike other institutions, religion is yet to satisfy the needs and assurances of its members. In terms of safety, religion heavily relies on deities to give protection. So are their deities protecting them? Religion needs to update itself to the modern world just like other institutions are quickly making the changes to satisfy their members. So, are you safe at church?
Comments
Post a Comment