Curious onlookers take a photograph of the Travelling Bible held by Pastor Arlington Woodburn (left), president, North East Jamaica Field, and Pastor Adrian Cotterell, president, East Jamaica Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, as they carry the holy book into the National Arena in St Andrew on Sunday. The Bible had been displayed in Montego Bay, St James, last Friday. - Rudolph Brown/Photographer

WESTERN BUREAU:

Jamaicans are being urged to return to the practice of dedicated study and application of the Bible's teachings in order to engineer change across the nation.

This is the view expressed by Ewen Corrodus, custos rotulorum of St James, and a host of Seventh-day Adventist pastors during a meeting in Montego Bay last Friday afternoon to welcome the international Travelling Bible to the island.

"Crime and violence, in various forms, threatens to overrun us, but the same Bible reminds us that righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people," he said in his welcome. "So here we have the remedy. A return to the principles of the Bible is the greatest tool in crime fighting."

Corrodus said the Travelling Bible had been launched at a time when Jamaica was struggling with the consequences of a departure from the Bible's teachings, and called on citizens to make a new commitment to read and live by its precepts.

Special version

The Travelling Bible is a special version of the holy book, which has text translated in 66 different languages. It is the focus of the Follow the Bible campaign, in circuit around the world over a two-year period from October 2008 to June 2010, as an initiative of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists to renew commitment to reading and sharing the Scriptures. Jamaica is the 112th country to which this Bible has been taken so far.

"The (Travelling Bible's) journey around the world is a powerful reminder of how much we need to refocus our attention on what the Word of God teaches and how much we can benefit by obedience to its principles," the custos said.

According to Pastor Charles Brevitt, president of the West Jamaica Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, the Bible was the road map that would lead to restoration of the nation's culture, define principles, guide youths, repair broken relationships, strengthen families and restore sanity.

"We still believe that God's word is 'a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path'. We further believe that it is the condemnation of Jamaica that the light of God's word is available to us, but many prefer darkness rather than light," Brevitt shared.

Pastor Michael Harvey, president of the North Jamaica Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, agreed.

"We live in a world where things have come unglued, broken and fallen apart," said Harvey.

"We live in a society where some feel at liberty to rob, maim and kill without remorse, or impunity. There is an erosion of the fabric and foundation of our nation that is taking place, and we want to present what we believe is the antidote to these ills."

christopher.thomas@gleanerjm.com