Christianity in the Bahamas

Our spiritual searchlight for this edition of the magazine is on the Bahamas. The country is located within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the Atlantic Ocean. It is bordered by Cuba to the north, Hispaniola, Turks and Caicos Islands to the northwest, the American state of Florida to the southeast and Florida Keys to the east. The country comprises more than 700 islands, cays and islets, while the capital Nassau is located on the island of New Providence. 

 Religion in the Bahamas is dominated by various Christian denominations and reflects the country’s diversity. There is no state religion, and there is generally free practice of religious beliefs. The major Protestant denominations include Baptists/Evangelicals (30%), Pentecostals (23%), Anglicans (10%), Seventh-day Adventists (5%) and Methodists (4%). Other denominations are Roman Catholic Church (14%) and other Christian groups such as Greek Orthodox Church (1.3%). Smaller communities of adherents of other faiths such as Judaism, Baha’i, Jehovah’s Witness, Islam, Rastafarianism, African traditional religion and Hinduism are also active.

Modern History

The islands were inhabited by the Lucayans for many centuries. Christopher Columbus was the first European to set foot in the area in 1492. Later, the Spanish authorities shipped the natives to Hispaniola, an island now shared between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The islands were mostly deserted from 1513 until 1648 when British colonists from Bermuda settled on the island of Eleuthera. The Bahamas became a British colony in 1718.

After the American Revolutionary War, the British government resettled thousands of its American loyalists in the Bahamas. The settlers took slaves of African descent with them to work on plantations. African slaves and their descendants constituted the majority of the population from this time on. When the British abolished slave trade in 1807, the Bahamas became a haven for freed African slaves. The country gained independence in 1973, with Queen Elizabeth II as its monarch.

God’s Canvass in the Bahamas

 All islands in the country are low and flat, with ridges that usually rise no more than 15 to 20 metres. The highest point in the Bahamas is Mount Alvernia on Cat Island at 64 metres. The country contains three terrestrial ecological regions, namely Bahamian dry forests, Bahamian pine mosaic, and Bahamian mangroves. Its climate is mostly tropical savannah, with hot, wet, warm and dry seasons. Tropical storms and hurricanes occasionally impact the islands.

Fauna

 The Bahamas is home to many exotic animals. These include Iguanas, sharks, flamingoes, sea stars, turtles, assorted species of fish and snails. The most celebrated ocean floor resident and staple of Bahamian cuisine, the Queen Conch (pronounced “konk”) is a sea snail that thrives in these warm blue waters. Some animal species native to the islands are shown below.

Flora

There are over 1,400 species of vascular plants in the country. This flora includes native species as well as the invasive, naturalized, horticultural, and agricultural plants. Among the Bahamian plants are the bull vine, whose bright red blooms attract butterflies, the wild grape, several kinds of fig, and the boldly coloured and shaped bromeliad. There are also wild tamarind and pigeon plum trees, both of which produce edible fruit, and the ubiquitous casuarina pine. Some of the plants are shown below.

Beaches in the Bahamas

Culture

The Bahamas has a distinct culture which has evolved over generations. It is a mixture of mostly African, combined with some British and American influences. Bahamians are best described as easy-going, friendly and hospitable.

Traditional Attire

 With the island nation located 45 miles from the east of coast of Florida, its weather is similar to what obtains on the American side. Therefore, popular dress in the Bahamas reflects its climate. The proximity to the United States also influences the dressing style of the islanders. For business meetings, funerals and church services, men and women wear formal attires like suits. Casual attires include flip-flops, cut-off jeans shorts and T-shirts with all manner of logos. The traditional hula attires made of natural materials such as ti leaves and tapa cloth are worn at special occasions. The pictures below show some of the popular traditional attires.

Cuisine

The country’s cuisine is rich in seafood such as shellfish, lobster, crab and conch (sea snail), as well as tropical fruits, rive, peas, pigeon peas and pork. Popular seasonings are chilies (hot pepper), lime, tomatoes, onions, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, rum and coconut. Bahamian cuisine is somewhat related to that of the American South, with dishes held in common such as “fish ‘n’ grits”. Some of the popular dishes are presented below.

Status of Christianity in the Bahamas

 Although the country is secular, there is a tendency for most people to describe it as a ‘Christian nation’. This is because of the strong flavour of the Christian faith in its national life. However, the reality is that many people do not practice their faith. Most attend churches but the fruits of their spirituality are lacking. Many preachers in the Bahamas engage in shady lifestyles, while some community leaders who claim to be Christians have been linked with criminality. This is not peculiar to the Bahamas though. Many who profess the faith in other countries also have their shortcomings. That is why we must consistently pray for one another and strive to lead the fallen back to true faith in Jesus Christ.

Prayer Points

1. Christians are called to be light of the world and salt of the earth. Pray that those who profess the faith in the Bahamas would honour Christ with their lives.
2. Ask the Father to destroy all faulty spiritual foundations in the lives of Christian believers in the Bahamas and lay a new one that is in Christ alone.
3. Pray that Christian believers in the country would be delivered from the spirit of Ecumenism, a false religion that is the foundation for the worship of anti-Christ and satan.
4. Pray that God would sanctify all Christian believers in the Bahamas with His word and empower them to pursue His holiness.
5. Ask the Father to send workers into His harvest in the country.
6. Pray that God would judge all demonic principalities and powers operating in the Bahamas and destroy their hold on its people.
7. Pray that He would remove the blindfold of false religions from the hearts and minds of Bahamians.
8. Pray that God would pour out His Spirit on them to convict them of their sins and lead them to genuine repentance.
9. Also ask the Father to destroy the influence of occult-related practices and witchcraft that were imported from Africa by freed slaves.
10. Pray that God would reveal Himself to those who doubt His existence due to the influence of Satanists posing as Evolutionists.

Intercession Checklist

1. Select a city, town or region from the political map of the Bahamas included in the article for focused prayer.
2. Present the chosen city, town or region to the Father and tell Him that you are claiming its inhabitants for Christ as His ambassador. This is in line with God’s charge to the Messiah in Psalm 2:8, “Ask of Me and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. 1 Timothy 2:1-2a also exhorts us to make “supplications, prayers, intercessions and giving of thanks for all men, for kings and all who are in authority”.

***** Materials sourced from The Bahamas, https://en.m.wikipedia.org.