Bishop Simeon Hall
By KHRISNA VIRGIL
Tribune Staff Reporter
kvirgil@tribunemedia.net
BISHOP Simeon Hall yesterday said he was “disappointed” by former Court of Appeal President Dame Joan Sawyer’s recent comments branding the impending referendum “a waste of time”, as he urged support of the four Constitutional Amendment Bills.
The prominent religious leader said a “yes” vote to all four referendum questions would put the electorate “on the right side of history”.
The bills, Bishop Hall said, will give this country’s Constitution the capacity to view all persons with the worth that God gave them.
Explaining his position on the amendments, he said it was his wish that all of his children are afforded the same rights under the law.
“The future will be bicultural, biracial and our great grandchildren will judge us fair for creating a progressive society,” he said yesterday in a press statement.
“Christian scripture underscores the worth of each individual be they male or female.
“The bills, as I understand, will give our Constitution the capacity to view all persons with the worth that God gave them.”
He added: “I encourage Bahamians to study, speak their minds, and then vote. Also we should respect those who differ with us and have a healthy debate.
“I was disappointed in Dame Sawyer’s comment but not surprised . . . This woman has a tendency to make comments short of thought.”
Dame Joan served as chief justice from 1996 to 2001. That same year she was appointed president of the Court of Appeal, a post she held until she retired in 2010.
Last month, she told The Nassau Guardian that while she had not seen the referendum questions, she did not think the upcoming vote is necessary.
Her comments drew rebuke from supporters of the referendum.
Former Cabinet minister George Smith last week said her comments were proof that she is “absolutely mistaken” on the needed constitutional changes.
Her statements, Mr Smith said, may be a “haunting” example of how thousands of Bahamians view the impending referendum.
Attorney General Allyson Maynard-Gibson also responded. In a statement she said the main purpose of the referendum is to ensure that “equality under our laws be enshrined in our nation’s most important legal document.”
Meanwhile, Long Island MP Loretta Butler-Turner questioned Dame Joan’s motives.
Mrs Butler-Turner said what “bothered” her the most about Dame Joan’s comments, was the former chief justice’s declaration that if she did vote, she would vote no, despite not having read any of the proposed questions.
Comments
TigerB 8 years, 7 months ago
Here we go again!
sheeprunner12 8 years, 7 months ago
The bottomline is that Parliament has the power under Article 13 to review and amend the laws pertaining to citizenship as needed ............. just read it for yourself ... But the PLP/YES coalition want to have a classic hoodwink/cover-up or switch and bait tactic to use against dumb(naïve) Bahamians by saying that WE THE PEOPLE need to vote for these citizenship rule changes (Questions 1-3) ...... when in actual fact the only thing we need to vote on is Question 4 (that will give the politicians carte blanche power to change any existing social constructs that we have that we are culturally sensitive about (like homosexuality or trans-gender issues) ...... this is in keeping with the ONE WORLD agenda ........... that is the PLP conspiracy ........... Simeon Hall and the other one in the photo are ass-deep in PLPism
viewersmatters 8 years, 7 months ago
I absolutely agreed with your statement, people are being fooled and deceived.
licks2 8 years, 7 months ago
also, Article 26 (4)(5) allows for the government to not discriminate in marriage. . .the just need to change the marriage Act. . .Mr. Hall is fulla that thing. . .HE IS NO INTELLECTUAL MATCH FOR THE DAME. . .
jusscool 8 years, 7 months ago
Bishop Hall needs to explain to the people ,what the preacher special is all about and just sit tight!
ThisIsOurs 8 years, 7 months ago
The man telling us he's fighting for the equal rights of women as God commanded, refers to Dame Sawyer as "this woman"????
bogart 8 years, 7 months ago
There should be greater need for the Church ---some 3,000 Church units? plus to preach the TEN COMMANDMENTS, ....thou shall not kill,......bear false....love yer neighbour.......etc so that with religious broughtupsy we can be better at being Christians ..people....AND let the STATE LEGISLATORS whom the majority of citizens voted to earn their pay in providing LAWS for us to do lawful things and run the country as one of the 194 countries of a group of countries in the world. What your neighbour does in the bedroom noone should be peeping and if one suspects and does not like it one can use Christian scriptures to convince them remembering your LEGAL rights end where that person's face or fence begins. Church and state are separate. Lawfully NATURE is not perfect and noone, no CITIZEN should be deprived of rights to happiness, liberty, guided by religion or not etc because they are born with two organs, or 11 fingers, or physically or mentally challenged.
Chucky 8 years, 7 months ago
“Christian scripture underscores the worth of each individual be they male or female.
Did someone really say that? They must have closed their eyes when they passed the pages that say women are property. Or perhaps they missed Exodus 21.21 where it says you can beat your slaves.
Add a line to the constitution that says " Men and Women are to have equal rights on every issue" problem solved.
Leave the god dogma , delusion out of government, it should be made illegal anyhow!
John 8 years, 7 months ago
Any church leader who is calling for a 'yes' vote on these referendum bills is definitely lost and needs to do a search of the scriptures before he leads his entire congregation to the gates of hell. These bills are a first in a series of constitutional changes that will put every country that has signed up on one accord. Their constitutions will be so similar that eventually an agreement will be made to do away with individual constitutions and all counties be joined in 'a new world order.' All the central banks are now under the control of one organization and now the focus is on getting all the world nations to join up as one federation. So while we are being distracted by bill #4 and whether or not it will allow for same sex marriage, or otherwise being led to think it is about women's rights, the matter is much bigger than that. This is another step in an effort to bring the world under a one world government. There are 17 goals set out to be accomplished by the year 2030. Every country and every people must voluntarily sign up (change their constitutions) to join the union and receive the mark. (membership.) Those who have ears let him hear.
John 8 years, 7 months ago
"In his apocalyptic vision in the Book of Revelation, the Apostle John sees the “beast,” also called the Antichrist, rising out of the sea having seven heads and ten horns (Revelation 13:1). Combining this vision with Daniel’s similar one (Daniel 7:16-24), we can conclude that some sort of world system will be inaugurated by the beast, the most powerful “horn,” who will defeat the other nine and will begin to wage war against Christians. The ten-nation confederacy is also seen in Daniel’s image of the statue in Daniel 2:41-42, where he pictures the final world government consisting of ten entities represented by the ten toes of the statue. Whoever the ten are and however they come to power, Scripture is clear that the beast will either destroy them or reduce their power to nothing more than figureheads. In the end, they will do his bidding.
John goes on to describe the ruler of this vast empire as having power and great authority, given to him by Satan himself (Revelation 13:2), being followed by and receiving worship from “all the world” (13:3-4), and having authority over “every tribe, people, language and nation” (13:7). From this description, it is logical to assume that this person is the leader of a one-world government which is recognized as sovereign over all other governments. It’s hard to imagine how such diverse systems of government as are in power today would willingly subjugate themselves to a single ruler, and there are many theories on the subject. A logical conclusion is that the disasters and plagues described in Revelation as the seal and trumpet judgments (chapters 6-11) will be so devastating and create such a monumental global crisis that people will embrace anything and anyone who promises to give them relief.
Once entrenched in power, the beast (Antichrist) and the power behind him (Satan) will move to establish absolute control over all peoples of the earth to accomplish their true end, the worship Satan has been seeking ever since being thrown out of heaven (Isaiah 14:12-14). One way they will accomplish this is by controlling all commerce, and this is where the idea of a one-world currency comes in. Revelation 13:16-17 describes some sort of satanic mark which will be required in order to buy and sell. This means anyone who refuses the mark will be unable to buy food, clothing or other necessities of life. No doubt the vast majority of people in the world will succumb to the mark simply to survive. Again, verse 16 makes it clear that this will be a universal system of control where everyone, rich and poor, great and small, will bear the mark on their hand or forehead. There is a great deal of speculation as to how exactly this mark will be affixed, but the technologies that are available right now could accomplish it very easily."
John 8 years, 7 months ago
"Those who are left behind after the Rapture of the Church will be faced with an excruciating choice—accept the mark of the beast in order to survive or face starvation and horrific persecution by the Antichrist and his followers. But those who come to Christ during this time, those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life (Revelation 13:8), will choose to endure, even to martyrdom.: "Recommended Resources: End Times Prophecy by Paul Benware and Logos Bible Software. No use preaching the word from the pulpit if you don't expect to live it and see God's word manifest itself.
viewersmatters 8 years, 7 months ago
These Pastors are deceiving their people hard, who then can we turn to when the so called "Christians" are creating a pathway for the people that leads directly to hell's gate. It's clearly that none of these referendum are for the Bahamians but yet these are for foreigners and making life easier for foreigners while us Bahamians who had long resided and love our country would be driven out and put more back into slavery. WAKE UP BAHAMAS.
hallmark 8 years, 7 months ago
Well I beg to differ from him. I read her explanation, which was very well written and clearly understood, and so I stand with her.
EasternGate 8 years, 7 months ago
Two political prostitutes
sheeprunner12 8 years, 7 months ago
Simeon Hall and Philip McPhee should be the last "pastors" to be speaking on moral issues ...... they need to go and sweep their own personal, ethical and ideological doors first ....... they are political prostitutes par excellence ............ they cannot be taken as moral/spiritual or legal policeman on these topical issues of marriage/citizenship/gender equality
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