Anglican Bishop cautions on marijuana

A strong note of caution over the legalisation of marijuana was sounded yesterday by the region’s top bishop of the Anglican Church at the opening service of the Provincial Synod at Holy Trinity Cathedral, Port of Spain.

The ongoing rush of many Caribbean governments to legalise the drug was commented on by the church’s senior bishop in the province of the West Indies, the Right Reverend Leroy Errol Brooks in his sermon at the opening service of the synod.

While admitting that medicinal claims had been made for marijuana, Brooks urged, “Our governments need to proceed with an abundance of caution and not rush to legalise the wholesale use of ganja.”

He warned that history was studded with examples of what happened when decisions were made with economics as the only consideration.

“The social, moral and spiritual fallout can be catastrophic. We need to proceed with an abundance of caution.”

Brooks also lamented that guns and gangs seemed to be beyond the control of the authorities, as he lamented the scourge of crime in the region.

“All is not well. Let us not bury our heads in the sand.” He said the church cannot afford to stand by, wring its hands and utter platitudes, amid the fallout of crime.

He warned, “The times are urgent. The days are evil.”

However, he said just as Good Friday (Jesus Christ’s death) had been followed by Easter Sunday (His resurrection), so too today God is in control.

“God has the final word,” Brooks declared.

Earlier, Brooks urged members of the congregation to think how the church can share its message in this digital age.

“Is the Holy Spirit prompting us to form disciple groups through streaming?” he asked. “We have the technology and connectivity and expertise to do this global work of God. We will reach large numbers. Our young people are perhaps the best to help us with this.”

He said the church must be innovative and seek new ways to tell of Jesus and His love. “We must never fall prey to the thinking that we have always done it ‘this way.’” Brooks urged church members to embrace others of different faiths and be ecumenical. Bring them into the presence of Christ, he said, rather than displaying prejudice and exclusion.

“We can find Christ in others and other faiths that don’t look or sound like us.”

Brooks used two bible stories to explain discipleship. The story of Christ recruiting his apostles from local fishermen shows that He initiates a relationship by asking a favour, in turn eliciting obedience and a commitment from followers, as still obtains today.

Secondly, the story of a disabled man being lowered down through the roof of a house to be cured by Christ showed that extraordinary things happened at the point of intersection of a person’s faith and God’s power.

“It shows how friends can lead us to Christ. They overcame every hindrance and on the basis of their faith, Jesus healed the man.”