By Azara Lavia
President of the Antigua and Barbuda Evangelical Alliance, Reverend, Dr. Olson Daniel says “the Church has done more for the society than any other institution.”
He made these remarks on a crime forum hosted by ABS Television on Sunday evening when he was asked “Why is the church so silent in the midst of the crime epidemic now taking place in Antigua and Barbuda?
“Adding more light to his statement, he explained that no organization has done more to any society than the church. The church is the institution that connects people with their God and their purpose. Yes. The reality is, and we see it happens all year round, where people live like hooligans and as soon as something is happening, oh, where the church, the church is asleep.
Reverend Daniel further stated, Christian teachings and the values of the church donot play an important role in many people’s lives today. He is of the view that people are not as concerned about Christian moral teachings as they might have been in the past but it has never abandoned the nation.
“The church has never closed its eyes or its doors yet. Why has it not been talking more? We have been. But ask why people are not listening to us any more”. I need to ask the nation and the people; how do you view the church? Why have you not taken on the recommendations that the church has been making on this? The church has been ignored seriously. Now, the church is the institution that brings peace, that brings reconciliation, and most importantly, should be the spiritual equilibrium of any society”.
The President of the Antigua and Barbuda Evangelical Alliance says the influence of social media on youth mental health is shaped by many complex factors, including, but not limited to, the amount of time children and adolescents spend on platforms, the type of content they consume or are otherwise exposed to, the activities and interactions social media affords, and the degree to which it disrupts activities that are essential for health, proper communication and the most important aspect of life – the spiritual component.
“They have seriously opened themselves to a wider margin of experience and like in the days when we grew up, we had all the opportunity to play, run around, connect. Now, children don’t talk to each other in a family as they do. They are on their devices. They have been exposed to a number of things. Can we, in fact, arrest that problem? Those problems are bigger than any human to arrest and so I seriously believe that one, there has to be that definite connection to God. God, we need your direction now”.
With the gravity of criminal activity that has been undermining the feeling of safety and security within the country, the cabinet of Antigua and Barbuda sought the assistance of the Ecclesiastical Commission is set to propose appropriate strategies to address the escalating challenge of youth violence and crime.
The Cabinet of Antigua and Barbuda has declared Thursday 12th of September 2024, to be a day of prayer for the nation. The Ecclesiastical Commission is planning a programme befitting such a day as the nation seeks God’s divine intervention.
