Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves (File photo).
KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent – Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves on Monday met with officials of the Christian Council on the heels of a Feb. 13 letter to the head of the multi-denominational body about the “growing threat of secularism”.
In the letter, Gonsalves, a lawyer, said that while no one in St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) is forced to participate in prayers at public institutions and functions, he feared that “judicial challenges elsewhere may become copycat precedent” in SVG.
He told Parliament on Tuesday that the letter to Anglican bishop Leopold Friday, chair of the Christian Council, also speaks to reconciliation and Muslim-Christian dialogue. These are “three question not touching on bread and butter but are important to our way of life and which would touch on bread and butter at the second remove,” Gonsalves said.
In his letter, Gonsalves detailed how the Bideford Town Council in Britain had lost a legal battle to hold prayers at the start of meetings despite having voted twice in favour of the practice.
“This is a troubling decision given the fact that the Law Courts in the Eastern Caribbean look to the rulings of the High Court and Court of Appeal in England as ‘persuasive’, though not ‘conclusive’, precedents’,” Gonsalves said, adding that the decision in England follows several legal judgments “which points to a growing secularism in that country”.
He mentioned British Airways employee Nadia Eweida who was sent home for failing to conceal a small cross, and the defeat at the appellate level of request by Lillian Ladele, a Christian and Registrar in the London Borough of Islington, to be excused from officiating over a civil union.
The Islington Council also commenced disciplinary proceeding against Ladele’s and the law courts rejected her application for relief, ruling that marriage was not a core value of Christianity and that Ladele’s was being unreasonable.
Gonsalves also pointed to the United States, which, he said, was “profoundly influential in shaping our region’s values”. He said that the North American nation “has established a ‘wall’ between Church and States and has authoritatively endorsed a bundle of stances on socio-religious issues which are antithetical to Christianity and offensive to the tried and tested values of our Caribbean civilization”.
The preamble to the Constitution of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Gonsalves noted, affirms that the nations is “founded on the belief in the supremacy of God and the freedom and dignity of man”.
“Over the years, a sensible balance has evolved between Church and State, between community religious beliefs and individual choice, and collective activities grounded in Christian ethos and individual group tolerance,” he said of the situation in SVG. He mentioned that meetings or Parliament and the Cabinet begin with prayer and public function routinely begin with prayers and the singing of the National Anthem while prayers are said at public school and nurses pray with patients.
“Those who are non-believers are not forced to participate in prayers; indeed, no one is. It is a voluntary activity. Rightly, we accept all this as proper. But I fear that judicial challenges elsewhere may become copycat precedents in St. Vincent and the Grenadines,” Gonsalves wrote. “The Churches must this be on guard and thus avoid complacency even as we celebrate our continued rights, privileges and good sense. In the process, our Churches ought not to marginalise the public expression of public faith or, more properly, the expression of faith publicly.”
Gonsalves, who publicly professes his Catholic faith, further said in this letter that he was pleased that there is growing awareness in the Christian Community of the “necessity and desirability” for Christian-Muslim dialogue, regionally and internationally, to deepen understand and bolster peace”.
He said that this ideologue “does not obviate the requirement for evangelism among ‘[Jews] and Gentiles] alike” and that he was encouraged by “the on-going efforts of the Churches to foster national reconciliation, unity, peace, and love between and among person of different political affiliation/persuasion”.
Friday and a delegation from the Christian Council met with Gonsalves on Monday to discuss the issues he had raised. Gonsalves, who in January offered to withdraw as a tangible act of reconciliation two high court judgments against two opposition lawmakers, told Parliament that “quite a bit of time” was spent discussing reconciliation.
Minister of National Reconciliation Maxwell Charles was at another meeting and did not attend the discussion with the Christian Council delegation. Gonsalves, however, told lawmakers that Charles has submitted to and Cabinet had approved a document on national reconciliation, which would be “shortly circulated to all the relevant entities in the country”.
I-Witness News Legacy Site 
The Christian Council are a bunch of disgusting hypocrites who need to get more involved in correcting the wrongs that this Marxist government renders to people.
Also you are a bunch of very un-Christian morons if you fail to bring to task Gonsalves for taking dirty blood money from states such as Iran.
Iran, tortures imprisons, murders, executes, jails, persecutes whole families, stops them from working and earning a living. WHY? because they are Christians, and refuse to denounce their Christian faith. [take a look on any search engine]
Iran gives us money to help them at the UN, money for the airport at Argyle, now named the Christian Blood Airport [CBA] In return we vote for them, with them, and abstain when necessary to protect them against UN votes criticising their human and Christian rights behaviour.
The Gonsalves government in taking this money is directly involved in Iran’s treatment of Christians.
This is the action of an evil Marxist government. Your such a bunch of fools that you cannot see that everything else is a smoke screen. Its what is happening here that matters, and its happening here right now.
I would hate to have you renamed the ‘Christian Blood Council’, but I can assure you I will unless you take notice and act accordingly.
WAKE UP AND SMELL THE SULPHUR
Posted by Peter | March 1, 2012, 10:52Very intersting the Pm should write on such a topic, very deep one at that. First is another effort to rid the world of Almighty God, which is totally impossible but these things are to happen. It will get worst and yes it will hit our shores leagally, but it already has been there and getting worst. Many people do not want to hear the name of God or Jesus mentioned in any conversation especially on social networks. Many abuses within the Church Organism has already contributed heavily to this and also the fall of the Catholic Church as the truths begin to get exposed. All in All God is still in control and we as a people ought to take heed that with these signs brings the expected Kingdom of Heaven even closer to manifestation. We pray that others will take serious note and with an already failing society at all levels llets repent of our ways and truly seek God and He will indeed restore our land…
Posted by Vincy to the Bone | March 1, 2012, 14:53VINCY TO THE BONE, SO HOW ABOUT IRAN? HOW ABOUT THE MURDER OF CHRISTIANS? HOW ABOUT THE CHRISTIAN BLOOD AIRPORT? HOW ABOUT THE CHRISTIAN BLOOD COUNCIL?
Posted by Peter | March 1, 2012, 22:06CHRISTIAN COUNCIL, IN YOUR SUPPORT OF THIS ULP GOVERNMENT YOUR HANDS ARE AWASH WITH THE BLOOD OF INOCENT CHRISTIANS.
Posted by Peter | March 1, 2012, 22:11Peter, didnt the same christians kill christians as well and were part and parcel of the trans atlantic slave trade? conflicts happen all over the world. Should we refuse assistance from the US whose nation started on the same abuse of the Indians. Do i need to go on.
Posted by John | March 2, 2012, 15:47JOHN, no they didn’t, and if they did two wrongs do not make a right.
The Atlantic slave trade was started by Antonio Gonsalves a Madeiren Portugues, he captured 8 Africans from the West Coast of Africa. At this time Africans were not Christians. These Africans were given to the Catholic Pope by Prince Henry of Portugal, as a present. The Pope was so pleased he carved up the World as it was known at that time, between Portugal and Spain. They were given the right by the Pope to enslave persons of a certain class, Africans fell into that class.
John your argument is pretty silly, whatever happened in the past was a lesson for the future. There can be no excuse whatsoever for what this government is doing, with what appears to be the blessing of the Christian Council.
Right into the late1800’s the established Christian church’s as they were at that time supported and agreed with slavery. Even the Bible in many sections supports slavery. The Church of England were the greatest slave owners in Barbados and one or two other islands, they owned huge sugar cane plantations. The Catholic priests, French and Spanish, were great slave owners in the Caribbean and Americas, and some even traded slaves.
Nothing that has gone before can make it right to try and behave in that fashion again. I hope you are man enough to understand and see the folly of your argument. I correct you least people believe what you say.
Posted by Peter | March 3, 2012, 00:40Obeah
Obeah, obea, obi, oby: The sorcery practiced by sub-Sahara Africans, and sometimes found in the Caribbean and New World. A black magic ritual, or practice of the devil, the anti-Christ.
When a man states that he he works obeah for the lord, it cannot be the Lord our God, because no one can work obeah for God.
One could of course work obeah for the Lord of Darkness, Lord Lucifer, the Devil.
It may follows that a man that claims he works obeah for the Lord is a devil worshipper.
As for a man that is a known liar or admits thereto.
Liar. John 8:44
“You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.”
This list of names for Satan has been taken from the New King James Version of the Bible.
Names of Satan
The Bible calls Satan by many different names. Each name has a slightly different meaning. The many other names for Satan give a fuller picture of who Satan is and what he does. There are more names for Satan in the Bible than for anyone else except Jesus Christ.
This list of names for Satan has been taken from the New King James Version of the Bible.
There may be other names for Satan in the Bible.
Very soon Satan will leave the spirit world that he has lived in for thousands of years. He will become visible to us and will claim that he is God. The Bible calls him the beast.
Abaddon, Revelation 9: 11:
Hebrew name for Satan meaning “Destruction”. “And they had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name Apollyon.”
Accuser, Revelation 12: 10:
“Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, ‘Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.’”
Adversary, 1 Peter 5: 8:
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”
Angel of light, 2 Corinthians 11: 14:-
“And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.”
Angel of the bottomless pit, Revelation 9: 11:-
“And they had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name Apollyon.”
Anointed covering cherub, Ezekiel 28: 14:-
“You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones.”
Antichrist, 1 John 4: 3:-
“And every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.”
Apollyon, Revelation 9: 11:-
Greek name for Satan meaning “Destroyer”. “And they had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name Apollyon.”
Beast, Revelation 14: 9,10:-
9/ “Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, ‘If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand,
10/ he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.’”
Beelzebub, Matthew 12: 24:-
“Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, ‘This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.’”
Belial, 2 Corinthians 6: 15:-
“And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?”
Deceiver, Revelation 12: 9:-
“So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”
Devil, 1 John 3: 8:-
“He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.”
Dragon, Revelation 12: 9:-
“So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”
Enemy, Matthew 13: 39:-
“The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels.”
Evil one, John 17: 15:-
“I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.”
God of this age, 2 Corinthians 4: 4:-
“Whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.”
King of Babylon, Isaiah 14: 4:-
“That you will take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say: ‘How the oppressor has ceased, The golden city ceased!’”
Angel of the bottomless pit, Revelation 9: 11:-
“And they had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name Apollyon.”
King of Tyre, Ezekiel 28: 12:-
“Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “You were the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.”’”
Lawless one, 2 Thessalonians 2: 8-10:-
8/ “And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.
9/ The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders,
10/ and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.”
Leviathan, Isaiah 27: 1:-
“In that day the LORD with His severe sword, great and strong, Will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan that twisted serpent; And He will slay the reptile that is in the sea.”
Liar, John 8: 44:-
“You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.”
Little horn, Daniel 8: 9-11:-
9/ “And out of one of them came a little horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Glorious Land.
10/ And it grew up to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and some of the stars to the ground, and trampled them.
11/ He even exalted himself as high as the Prince of the host; and by him the daily sacrifices were taken away, and the place of His sanctuary was cast down.”
Lucifer, Isaiah 14: 12-14:-
12/ “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations!
13/ For you have said in your heart ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north;
14/ I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’”
Man of sin, 2 Thessalonians 2: 3,4
3/ “Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,
4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.”
Murderer, John 8: 44:-
“You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.”
Power of darkness, Colossians 1: 13, 14:-
13/ “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,
14/ in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”
Prince of the power of the air, Ephesians 2: 1,2:-
1/ “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,
2/ in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience.”
Roaring lion, 1 Peter 5: 8:-
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”
Rulers of the darkness, Ephesians 6: 12:-
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
Ruler of demons, Luke 11: 15:-
“But some of them said, ‘He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.’”
Ruler of this world, John 12: 31,32:-
31/ “Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.
32/ And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.”
Satan, Mark 1: 13:-
“And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him.”
Serpent of old, Revelation 12: 9:-
“So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”
Son of perdition, 2 Thessalonians 2: 3,4
3/ “Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,
4/ who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.”
Star, Revelation 9: 1:-
“Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit.”
Tempter, Matthew 4: 3:-
“Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, ‘If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.’”
Thief, John 10: 10:-
“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”
Wicked one, Ephesians 6: 16:-
“Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.”
Posted by Peter | March 4, 2012, 16:46Gonsalves does your Christian-Muslim dialogue include asking them for money for the airport. Do you request them, ask them, or demand that they stop killing their people who are Christians.
You know exactly what I am talking about. In many Muslim countries Christians are persecuted. One in particular persecutes, rapes, murders, renders jobless, imprisons, tortures and executes their citizens just for being Christians. That country is Iran, yes the very Iran that you take money from for the Christian Blood Airport at Argyle. Why do they give us money, its not because they like you or your son Gonslaves, as Christians they see you as dirty dogs, and as infidels. It doesn’t matter how much you talk with these people, you will never be less than scum in their eyes.
They give us money and in return at the UN in New York we vote for them, vote with them, abstain from voting if it helps them. Why do they need help, because they have such dreadful and evil human rights record against their citizens. and in particular Christians who they torture and murder. They need to buy ours and others votes to try and help them from the wrath of the UN.
Their record against Christians is a well know fact, its in the public domain and references are easily found in news reports and on the internet.
I just hope that the SVG Christian Blood Council take notice of this, because I am going to write to all their leaders and Church higher international authorities. They need to be exposed for dealing with this evil ULP regime that is knowingly supporting the wholesale murder of Christians in Iran.
I will also publish these matters in all the Worlds Church publications.
Money that we take from these people is dirty money, Christian Blood Money.
I have warned against it for years now, so its now time to take action against this criminal act.
Posted by Peter | March 4, 2012, 17:40PETER, you are truly comic relief.
Who is CHINA’s and VENEZUELA’s biggest trading partners?
Who is the USA BIGGEST TRADING PARTNER in tue MIDDLE EAST?
Posted by VINCYPOWA | March 5, 2012, 03:59VincyPowa, I have not selected your post for reply due to its stupidity and crap content.
What you have posted has no relevance at all to what I posted.
But have changed my mind in answering you. Venezuela do not count they are led by another Marxist scum leader Mr ALBA his self. He illegally sells the Iranians uranium, he is nearly as big a lunatic as Amahdinajad. His cancer may have been caused by carrying uranium in diplomatic bag during a flight to Iran. He also visited the Iranian nuclear plants on more than one occasion. Yet he claims that the American have a machine that gives people cancer and they used it on him, no reference to his mucking about with the Iranians.
Yes USA trade with Venezuela, what has that got to do with my post? What is more unusual is that Venezuela trade with the USA, what a two faced peabrained dick head Chavez is.
China deals with everyone, there policy is to deal with everyone possible, good or bad, what has that got to do with my post?
If you are saying that China is the biggest trading partner of USA, so what, or are you saying that Iran’s is, if that is what you are saying that is a load of crap.
So VINCYmalpracticePOWA, crawl back up the backside of Gonsalves. Just be careful of the greenhouse gas.
Repay the people of Caliaqua their money.
BUBbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb
Posted by Peter | March 6, 2012, 11:35