The article, published in The Gleaner of November 5, titled, 'Time to fight religious dogmas', written by Alfred Buckland, seems to me to be more of an assault on the religious freedom of the Jamaican people than it is a call to arms for the emancipation of Jamaica from immorality and inability of the Jamaican people to think critically, caused by religious dogma.

I think Mr Buckland did little to disguise his real motive. That religion is deeply imbedded in the Jamaican psyche, I agree, but to insinuate that that experience, is cause for a lack of critical thinking, not only shows that he is out of touch with the Jamaican experience but in itself lacks thought, and flies into the face of the many Jamaicans with deeply embedded religious convictions who continue to make indelible contributions to our economy and other sectors and resources in this land.

I ask Mr Buckland: If not the Church as the entity that serves as 'watch' for morality, then who, J-FLAG? I take note that he wrote from Atlanta, USA. Which recent incidents of deviant and repugnant behaviour by Church officials is he referring to? Is it the US evangelist who was recently arrested for luring two minors to a hotel room where he conducted indecent sexual acts with them? Deviant and repugnant indeed!

It seems to me that the failed effort by the gay community in the USA and other parts of the world to bring down Buju Banton for his Boom Bye Bye tune has taken on renewed war-like energies, only this time against the Church. But if you can't conquer Buju, what makes you think you can bring down an 'angry God'?

I would advise Buckland and his EFMS group, channel your energies and initiate a massive pushback to debunk the USA and the rest of the world of injustice, intolerance and immorality on all fronts, rather than trying to war against people for their religious convictions.

I am, etc.,

DAVE A. MCFARLANE

nerdav@anngel.com.jm