The only hope for my country

EDITOR, The Tribune.

I will state up front that the only Hope for The Bahamas is found in God and His Word. “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.” - Romans 1:16

And this “good news” will keep an individual and a country from destruction and ruin, stop us from losing our direction and sanity, and it will guide us, and correct us.

“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints, and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” – Hebrews 4:12& 13

All the Bahamian public may not believe that the things that I highlighted here will ever apply to us, but they are, and will be more strongly pushed around the world, including here at home, a sort of secular humanism that goes against our Judeo-Christian constitution and laws. A greater onslaught is knocking at our door. With the United States pushing this “equality act” which is actually unequal, unfair, and unjust, and adds transgender rights to the many other “unequal rights” in the Civil rights bill, and how these “rights” will destroy everything we know and love.

I love my country and will speak out against any laws or changes that I believe will end in our country being destroyed. Each of us takes our standards for life, our choices between what is right and wrong, from one of two sources – either from God and His Word, or from man and his wisdom.

How can anyone honestly argue that a country based on the Word of God, that recognises that marriage is between a man and a woman, that recognises that God created us man and woman, that recognises the sanctity of life, since God created us in his image, that allows you to raise your own children, and not have the Government put you in jail for refusing to allow your child to go through an operation to change their sex, (thereby creating more physical and mental problems). Where sports are healthy and fun. (And where men compete against men, and women against women, not women against men), and where there is an abiding respect for Christian values is not better than a country that wants to leave God out of their laws?

The Bahamas should not become a country that leaves God out of its civil rights, nor out of its gender equality bills, which, if it is allowed means that marriage is anything that goes, that men marrying and having sex with men, and women with women is good and normal, and to say differently is to make you evil. The Bahamas should not become a country that approves of abortion on demand at any stage of pregnancy, and say that this is fine, because you have a right to make your own decisions, even if it is killing a baby. The Bahamas should not become a country that says kindergarten kids have a right to tell their parents what sex they want to be, and that the parents do not have the right to correct them and help them see that they were born that way and will be that way until they die. The Bahamas should not become a country that will allow sports as we know it to die, where transgender women, who are effectively still biologically and physiologically men, can now compete against women, where they can change in the same bathrooms. We need to protect our children to ensure that this does not lead to abuses in any way, shape, or form.

The Olympics, where there used to be the joy of competition, and good sportsmanship, will soon be a thing of the past,

Bahamas which way do we want to go?

The Word of God is clear, “Let us not be conformed to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of our minds by the word of God” - Romans 12:2. Let us as a nation lead the way, and set the pace for our Caribbean region, and take a stand against the foolishness that the world is trying to force on us.

Let me assure you, as sure as the sun rises in the east, and sets in the west, we will all one day come to know that God alone has the answer for the world, and our lives, and we will all one day have to answer to Him, whether you believe it or not, it will happen. So, let us heed His Word now while we still have time. Let us not delay, or it may be too late, and our next generation may be lost without hope.

You may ask how I can be so sure that I am right, well because the evidence is all around us, and when one reads or hear others say “that we as a country need to move into the 21st century, and get away from all this Bible quoting, living in the past, outdated morals,” it hurts me, because I know where our country will end up, if we do so.

“Without the right foundation people will become more and more lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.” - 2 Timothy 3:2-4

We as individuals and us as a country have two choices before us, and there is not much time left before the return of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, so let us choose wisely:

1) We choose life and hope with a blessed future based on God as our foundation. Or (2) We choose death and despair and a future of pain with no hope based on man’s wisdom, which is the world’s system.

Fellow Bahamians let us choose life and hope.

Bahamas Olympic swimmer and coach

ANDY KNOWLES

Nassau,

March 15, 2021.

Comments

hrysippus says...

This letter is thankfully not so full of hate, bigotry, and misinformation as the last one that he co-signed with the church person, but why these overly religious types feel that they have the right to push their limited viewpoints and prejudges on every one else is beyond me. Please keep your bigotry to yourself or at least to your church members. Thank you.

Posted 16 March 2021, 5:15 p.m. Suggest removal

nancytreco says...

AMEN!!! pardon the pun :)

Posted 17 March 2021, 5:18 p.m. Suggest removal

proudloudandfnm says...

Andy keep your opinions and your religion to yourself.

Thank you...

Posted 16 March 2021, 5:35 p.m. Suggest removal

nancytreco says...

His article made me an embarrassed Bahamian...shame on him.

Posted 17 March 2021, 5:19 p.m. Suggest removal

joeblow says...

@proudloudand fnm ...while you are free to express your own views to the dismay of many. Well that is quite undemocratic isn't it? What makes your opinion more valuable than his or anybody else's?

As much as I dislike reading your shallow, often irksome bloviations you have a right to do so and so does the writer of this article!

Posted 17 March 2021, 9:23 p.m. Suggest removal

OMG says...

One or two seemingly sensible suggestions but the hands of the Bahamian economy rest in fiscal commonsense, hard work and minimizing corruption. Year after year month after month we hear the same old " God is the answer, God will sort things out " on and on ,yet if he exists his efforts fail at every turn.There is no logic to praising a higher entity that never ends misery, starvation, violence or crop failures as is shown in so many countries. I echo hrysippus and proud........ stop pushing this religious stuff onto the general public.

Posted 17 March 2021, 8:07 a.m. Suggest removal

nancytreco says...

agreed.

Posted 17 March 2021, 5:20 p.m. Suggest removal

tribanon says...

Mr. Knowles is fully entitled to express his views and certainly poses no harm to anyone in doing so. Those alarmed by or fearful of his views likely suffer from a narrower perspective of life, possibly to the point of being unprincipled or uncivil, or even intolerant. But that's their problem.

Let's not forget too that the influence of the Communist Chinese Party (CCP) in the affairs of our government and public education system has the eradication of Christianity from our society as one of its key objectives. It's well known the CCP detests and despises our references to being a Christian nation and for good reason.

Make no mistake about it, the CCP sees Christianity as a very strong and powerful glue that holds most of the Bahamian people together in opposition to the dreadful way of life they seek to forcefully impose on us as part of their strategy to dominate as many nations as possible.

Posted 17 March 2021, 11:59 a.m. Suggest removal

bogart says...

China seeks not to dominate as many nations, ...but seeks dominance of the world relayed in reputable media and in economic sphere is likely to dominate it in a few decades. It is difficult to see peaceful mmeshing of economies or two systems existing under one when looking at the Hong Kong situation and protestors, Taiwan, Tibet, Urghurs genocide and creating fixed land masses to establish dominance in South China Seas with disputed borders, disputes with Indian border etc. Local history and tragedy in dealing with Communists powers was the Bahamas Navy boat flying Bahamian flag in Bahamian territorial waters doing lawful duties and being gunned down by Communists Migs warplanes and wickedly and evil gunning down Bahamian sailers swimming for their lives in the water. Other Communists wicked saga was stockpiking missiles on Cuba just off our border bringing Bahamas and world to extreme dangerous position, Thanks God and our brothers and sisters and JFK in the US for saving our behinds. Forgotten, NEVER. !!!!

Posted 17 March 2021, 1:35 p.m. Suggest removal

nancytreco says...

Why are so called Christians so hateful? Why can't they just accept the fact that people have the freedom to be who they are and believe what they wish? Noone is condemning their beliefs/faith. The Bahamas is not a safe place for many, and the mental health effects of this type of rhetoric is dangerous and sad. These self-righteous homophobic judgemental hypocritical and hateful people are the ones that fuel violence against those who have done you no harm! Whatever happened to 'let us not judge'...I think that this spiel of Andy Knowles makes one wonder if he is hiding his true self behind the gospel verses he spouts out. Hmmm

Posted 17 March 2021, 5:12 p.m. Suggest removal

joeblow says...

... in your diatribe you both contradict yourself and expose your hypocrisy. It seems you are unaware that there are different laws at work in our world. While you may not believe it, there is a natural, civil and spiritual context to our existence. Those who are Christians consider the spiritual context when you do not, creating a divergence of opinion!

People have a right to choose any course of action they want, but there are spiritual and natural consequences of those choices. Same sex relationships may have civil approval but violation of spiritual laws cause problems people do not have natural explanations for like addiction and mental illness etc. which plagues the LGBT community. Sexual activity is always by choice and therefore is not an immutable characteristic like race and should not be treated as such!

You call Christians hateful, but why can you not respect their views in the same way that you desire they would respect the views of others. You call for tolerance while being intolerant? Your views can easily perceived to be equally as hateful as those you seem to condemn. At the end of the day, God will judge, unless you presume to take His place!

Posted 17 March 2021, 9:18 p.m. Suggest removal

nancytreco says...

Some shun their own family members! How in the world is this ok? How is it 'Christian'?
I'm so tired of the hypocrisy. There are so many people in the Bahamas doing one thing in public, but under cover they do something that is completely the opposite. This Christian hatred is so tiresome. The church also condemned inter-racial marriage back in the day and they were on the wrong side of history then too. Andy Knowles' personal opinion is his to have and live out. But Andy Knowles as SWIM COACH and BAHAMAS OLYMPIC FEDERATION is this type of bigoted outlook something appropriate for a person potentially coaching children/young adults? Is this proper representation since we are so concerned with the Bahamas name. Shame on Andy Knowles for using the Bahamas Olympic Fereration's name...does everyone on our Olympic federation feel like he does? He does not have the right to speak for any others...again remember - HE THAT DOTH PROTEST TOO MUCH....

Posted 17 March 2021, 5:18 p.m. Suggest removal

tribanon says...

And I guess you think it's entirely appropriate for children as young as three years of age to be taught by teachers in an 'educational' setting to question or doubt their sexual orientation. Suggest you stop behaving like the one yelping potcake in the pack hit by a large stone. After all, it can't just be all about you and how you see the world or want the world to be.

Posted 18 March 2021, 11:53 a.m. Suggest removal

nancytreco says...

For the record...the IOC states that discrimination against LGBT people is at odds with Olympic Charter and Human Rights protection...wonder how the IOC would feel if they read his article..whatever happened to the "One Bahamas" movement? the one that 'strives to promote unity, loyalty, social harmony and friendship among every person residing in the Bahamas".???

Posted 17 March 2021, 6:22 p.m. Suggest removal

joeblow says...

... one day you will die and the IOC will not, in all probability have any input into your continued extracorporeal existence.

One with just a smidgen of wisdom and humility considers such things!

Posted 17 March 2021, 9:32 p.m. Suggest removal

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