There is a great temptation in today’s world to ‘throw out the baby with the bath water’ or in the jargon ‘mash up and build back’. As the blogmaster was traversing St. Michael’s Row last week one could not help to be overwhelmed by sadness viewing the relatively dilapidated state of St. Michael’s Cathedral. It is a historical building located in a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Specifically the state of disrepair of the church tower signals for many the current slide in societal stability. We observe it in the lawlessness witnessed daily on the roads.There is increasing reported cases of violent crimes and murders. The lack of poor governance affecting delivery of justice by the courts, inability to hold elected and appointed public officers accountable. Not to forget the government coverup taking place under our eyes at the renamed NISS formerly NIS.
St. Michael’s Cathedral Tower
Notwithstanding the myriad of concerns about poor governance the free fall from grace of the Anglican Church should command a case study. Of course there is credence in the obvious rebuttals, the Anglican Church is a vestige of a sordid past established in a majority Black country. There was the disestablishment of the Church in 1969, why should the rest of society care if the Anglican Church is falling short in the role it once played in a Barbados society.
One does not have to be an anglican or overly religious to appreciate the role the Anglican Church contributed to shaping Barbados in its early development. What we can agree is that the Anglican Church was the fulcrum for concretising norms undergirded by traditional values. What we have witnessed in the last twenty to thirty years is the lack of adequate alternatives to fill the role of the once influential Anglican Church.
Typically when there is an effort to discuss matters that involve the role of the Church, we get the predictable debate that will ensue, religious people quoting the bible, atheists levelling personal attacks at all and sundry and agnostics happy to sit on the fence like the proverbial deer in headlights. In the meantime the problem caused by the stabilising influence the once mighty Anglican Church had on local culture and social norms remain a worry issue given current state.
It is no secret the significant influence the parish priest exerted in surrounding communities. The 64k question is what have we seen since the decline in the influence of the ubiquitous ‘parish priest’? Although there has been attempts by other denomination to serve local communities in different ways, in the opinion of the blogmaster there is a wide disparity in what the Anglican Church delivered back in the day.
The blogmaster can recall the fiery sermons delivered from the pulpit of the St. Michael’s Cathedral by Dean Harold Crichlow, many were broadcast on the defunct Barbados Rediffusion. He commented without faith or favour about political, labour and other non religious matters. His comments helped to stoke public commentary and had to be considered by civil society leaders given the influence of the Anglican Church membership at that time.
Given the current worrying state of affairs, what are good non economic options we need to consider to repurpose our small country? Looking to a political leader for 100% of our solutions is a simpleton’s way.
The blogmaster invites you to join the discussion.