TWO weeks ago, Deacon Peter Espeut in his column in The Gleaner made mention of the fact that this year marks 1,700 years of Christian freedom. He also made the point that in 1913 Christendom made a big celebration of its 1,600th anniversary, but this year there is no celebration to speak of. It seems as if someone must have slipped up and no one close to the powers that be in the Church has remembered either.

Still, the year 2013 is the year of faith in the Roman Catholic Church. Also in this year, so far, Pope Benedict has resigned and now we have Pope Francis. Could so many things happening at the same time be the cause of forgetting to mark this very important anniversary? But what of the other denominations? Shouldn’t they observe this event also? Still, it is not too late, as there are a full seven months to go before the end of the year.

Jesus Christ was born and lived in Israel when that nation was a colony of Rome. Some of the early Christians — including St Peter, the apostle, revered by Roman Catholics as the first pope — brought Christianity to Rome. At that time, it was an undercover operation, which would last for over 300 years. During the undercover period Mass was said in the catacombs (the underground graves of the early Christians).

Many Christians were found by the Roman authorities and thrown to lions at circuses to the great enjoyment of the Roman crowds. But the attempts to cover Christian worship brought about the genesis of ushers in the old days who, at that time, were strong men ready to throw out anyone deemed to be an “informer” — Christians had to know a password to participate.

The Emperor Constantine, who was baptised on his deathbed, decreed that Roman citizens could freely profess their faith throughout the Roman Empire. From that day forward, Christians in most parts of the world have been free to practise their faith without fear of being arrested, which in many cases led to either their death by mob killing or by being thrown to lions.

The freeing up of Christians did not, by itself, mean that there would not be challenges, as there have been several over the centuries. Many have oppressed others in the name of Christianity. But, at the end of the day, the Emperor Constantine, whether you like him or not, is the principal reason Christianity could spread to the ends of the earth. I hope the anniversary will be marked before the end of the year.

One hundred years ago this year, the ganja law, which forbade its use under pain of prison penalties, was enacted in Jamaica. The ganja plant came here from India and was originally known as Indian hemp. More than 100 years ago, rightly or wrongly, crime and violence were being blamed on the smoking of ganja. Before I go any further, let me declare myself. I do not smoke at all.

There has been talk for many years about legalising the ‘weed’ especially as it is a sacred item in the Rastafarian community. The people who need to be petitioned, even more than the Government, are those in the illegal ganja trade. They, more than anyone else, do not want the law to be changed, as the value of ganja would go down. Illegal contraband anywhere in the world fetches a higher price on the underground market.

And it is not just the local ganja dealers who need to be petitioned. The United States Government has made it clear that sanctions will be used against Jamaica if the ganja law is ever repealed. Yes, an ounce or two of marijuana is legal in some states of the American union, but apparently what is good for the USA is not necessarily good for Jamaica.

Do political interests in the USA look to the marijuana dons for political funding as is rumoured about political parties in Jamaica? I could never tell you one way or the other. But nothing beats the power of prayer. And as many Rastafarians share the same Holy Bible with the Christians, they can start prayer vigils and live in hope that one day the law will be changed.

This Sunday will be exactly one year since police, in a case that is alleged to be one of excess, killed Kavorn Schue in his sleep on Jarrett Lane, off Mountain View Avenue. Will justice be done or will this be one more case of police excesses that is never brought to justice? I imagine that the Tivoli situation and the call for an enquiry will be given priority as it happened three years ago while Kavorn Schue’s case was only one year ago.

Kavorn Schue, who attended Jamaica College, was president of a police youth club. His brother reported to the press that he heard the police concoct a story about being killed in a shoot-out — the usual circumstances given by the police in such situations.

There was no real police force in Jamaica at the time of the Morant Bay Rebellion. An up-to-date police force came into being in Jamaica after that calamity in 1865. This was to ensure that the poor and unfortunate masses in Jamaica never again rise up against the white aristocracy that ruled Jamaica at the time of the Morant Bay Rebellion. And there have been police excesses since that time to now.

The mindset of the Jamaican police needs to be changed. But the mindset of many Jamaicans needs to be changed also. How many people are there who are willing to volunteer to overhaul the educational and training institutions (including the police academy) by changing mindsets?

Christian freedom came 1,700 years ago. However, many all over the world are still struggling to gain any sort of freedom. But are we free in Jamaica when there is still discrimination against Rastafarians and when innocent people who live in the inner city are more afraid of the police than they are of criminals?

How can we build a nation of peace and prosperity when so many are angry because of what has been done to them? Who is prepared to come forward to change the collective mindset?

ekrubm765@yahoo.com