It is observed that both leaders of our main political parties, Portia Simpson Miller of the People's National Party and Andrew Holness of the Jamaica Labour Party have indicated publicly that they are religious persons. The religion they subscribe to is Christianity as indicated by their public utterances. This should probably be a good omen in a country that reportedly has more churches per square mile than any other on the planet.

With such a strong Christian leaning, most Jamaicans would be comfortable that the country is in good hands as it is expected that these leaders will, as much as is humanly possible, adhere to the principles espoused by Christ, the Christian deity. All this is predicated on the assumption that both Portia Simpson Miller and Andrew Holness are true followers of the faith. The fact that they support the same religion is also reassuring from the standpoint that there should be less conflict and more tolerance between the two.

Of course, there are others who do not share the same faith-based religious leanings of these two, and may at times become annoyed and nervous by their utterances. It may also be argued that this brings into sharp focus the matter of whether there can ever be a clear separation of Church and State. The official word is that there is a separation but trappings of the Church's influence are very much among us. For example, parliamentarians, other legislators and witnesses in our law courts swear on the Holy Bible. Also by edict, certain functions and sale of commodities are not carried out on a Sunday, bringing into focus remnants of the so-called Blue Laws.

It is also interesting to note that our current head of state, Governor General Sir Patrick Allen is not just simply a religious man, but a man of the cloth, meaning he is a pastor. He too is a practising Christian. Of note too is that one of his predecessors, Sir Howard Cooke, publicly proclaimed his Christian belief. Their belief may not directly affect their public duties, but indirectly have a bearing on their general attitude and conduct.

public perception

There is also the public perception in our nation that the Church has better managers than those in the general public sector. This is noticed especially in the school system. For instance, recently there has been a call from some quarters for the churches to once again run and manage our schools. Several religious groups, they claimed, have made an indelible mark on the education system and our country's development. The involvement of the church has scaled down in recent years and some argue that this is one reason for the breakdown of the education system in terms of poor behaviour and low achievement of the students.

In respect of the number of churches and the high number of murders, one could argue that this comes about because the number of persons attending these churches is not coterminous with them being true Christians. There is also the point to be made that no Christian or groups of Christians are truly free of the attacks of the Devil or Satan. Indeed these attacks may intensify for the very reason that persons have decided to follow Christ.

It is good that Dr Orville Taylor, senior lecturer in sociology at the University of the West Indies and radio talk show host, has recently opened up a discussion regarding the matter of the church and politics. Perhaps out of this discourse, the Church (Christian) will take another look at itself and hopefully reassess its mandate to serve humanity.

In whatever way we choose to look at it, as a nation, the Church affects us more than we care to admit.

Of course, there are others who do not share the same faith-based religious leanings of these two, and may at times become annoyed and nervous by their utterances. It may also be argued that this brings into sharp focus the matter of whether there can ever be a clear separation of Church and State.