The Tribune

By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

CEDRIC Moss, pastor of Kingdom Life Church, is urging the government to allow Bahamians to make the call on how marriages are defined in the constitution by way of a national referendum.

While stating emphatically his belief that matrimony can only be a union between a man and woman, Pastor Moss said that if the majority of Bahamians support another definition of marriage, it would be the way of a true democracy to honour this.

He was speaking to The Tribune in the wake of landmark decisions in the United States which require the federal government to recognise same-sex unions that were formed in states allowing gay marriage.

“I would not be out there with placards or picketing,” Pastor Moss said. “If Bahamians agree that two persons of the same sex should be married, if that happens, then so be it. That is the way of a democratic government.

“I would only pray and continue teaching the Bible’s message of what I believe is right.

“This is something that the country is going to have to tackle head on. Something such as marriage would clearly be a matter for the citizens to decide. It would be a grave injustice for the 38 members of parliament to decide something like this for the Bahamian people.”

He added: “We need to go a step further and have a constitutional amendment to say that marriage is a union between man and woman.”

Pastor Moss said he strongly doubts the tide of public opinion in the US will have a significant impact on attitudes in the Bahamas, despite the many opportunities for cultural exchange.

“I don’t think that the decisions in America will have a great deal of traction here. I believe that there are those who strongly feel that marriage should be between and man and woman, then there are those who believe otherwise and then there are some small groups who are undecided. That group might be swayed either way.

“But I believe that the majority of Bahamians still agree that marriage should be between a man and a woman,” he said.