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Last Updated: Feb 13, 2017 - 1:45:37 AM |
 Crime has really become a major hindrance in the growth and development of our Bahamaland!
Some blame the drug dealers, the number houses, the single-parent home and others put major blame on the government.
While we can all agree to some degree, all governments carry the responsibility of enforcing the laws that are on the books that govern their societies, and failure to do so often times can and will take away the natural fear of breaking these laws away from its citizens.
I agree that the government can help to reduce crime by carrying out strict laws that penalize criminals, but the blame goes deeper.
Crime begins in the heart of a person. By experience, fear helps to deter humans away from wrongdoing when they know they will be penalized. There are always people who believe that they will get away with a crime.... and those who think this way are usually those who do not believe that whatever a person sow, that he shall also reap.
Crime begins in the heart from childhood and if children are not punished for wrongdoing, they grow up thinking that they will get away with it.
"Show me a man's companions and I will show you his character,"says one writer.
Usually and in most cases, you can judge a person by the company they keep. Just as gossipers find each other, and thieves gravitate toward each other, so does murderers.
Gangs are formed I believe because of persons who share a lot in common. I grew up in a single parent home, but it made me no criminal, why? My mother was a disciplinarian. When I broke the laws that were the basis for home life, I was punished. the greater the rule, the heavier the consequences.
Daniel in the Bible had friends who shared the commonality of having great faith toward God. not only did they believe God's word, but they obeyed it.
Daniel’s three Hebrew friends were thrown in a furnace of fire for not bowing to a foreign god. Daniel was thrown into the lion's den for praying to his God (Yahweh) and disobeying the command to bow to a foreign god because he (Daniel) understood that to obey God rather than man, was more important to his Christian faith.
Even though some may argue that all these young men disobeyed the law of the land, they did not rebel concerning their punishment because they understood that with their rebellion came great and deadly punishment. Their faith in God was being tested, not their ability to disobey the laws of the land. Despite their willingness to obey God, they were still punished. They did not run and hide but rather they held on to their faith even though they would be put to death.
I am not suggesting that we ought to disobey the laws of the land, but in the context of Christian faith, we must hold on to and obey God's word even if it will cause our death.
Criminals today break the law and then go in hiding. They are not only breaking laws that adhere to the word of God, but rather, they are committing criminal acts that go against both spiritual and natural laws.
Crime in my opinion stems generally from the heart. Only God knows the heart of a person, but sometimes based on their movements in society and the company they keep, there is a good chance that birds of a feather usually flock together.
Parents do not spend enough time disciplining their kids. Some don't discipline at all and some are just friends with their children to the point where there are no boundaries as to what these kids can and cannot do. Children who are reared to be held accountable for disobeying their parents usually turn out quite okay and shun criminal activities.
My son once told me, "Mommy you know something, if some of my friends had a mother like you they would be alive today!"
I took that comment into heavy consideration and realize that all of my discipline toward my son had paid off somewhat.
Parents, we have a responsibility to raise our children in the fear of God and to love another person as they love themselves. Teach them the value of a human life and help them to recognize they have a purpose. Speak positive things into their lives. Ask them about their future endeavours and encourage them to study toward that end. Punish them when they disobey you and follow up on them when you give them chores and tasks within the home.
Crime is everyone's business, so let's get busy making a difference in our home so that the country may benefit in the long run.
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