Two prominent pastors said yesterday the "inappropriate" comments about religious leaders made by Prime Minister Perry Christie and Deputy Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis underscore their lack of "moral authority to continue to govern this nation under the current circumstances".
In a statement, Pastors Cedric Moss, of Kingdom Life Church, and Lyall Bethel, of Grace Community Church, said Christie and Davis' attempts to "vilify" men of God are ultimately attacks on God.
"They are free to disagree with us, but they are wrong to vilify us," read the statement.
"Since we are ministers of the gospel, who have been called by God, ultimately God is the one whom they are attacking.
"In this regard, we remind and warn them that God has experience in bringing down leaders who become arrogant and proud and who forget that the most high rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will."
During debate on the Gaming Bill in Parliament on Thursday, Christie said no religious leader in the world can give him a "passport to heaven".
He said whether or not people believe he is doing the right thing in regulating the web shop industry, it is not a "sinful action".
Christie was responding to several pastors who condemned the government's decision to ignore the results of the 2013 gambling referendum.
A majority of people who voted, voted against the regularization and taxation of web shops and the establishment of a national lottery.
MPs yesterday passed the Gaming Bill, which would regulate web shops.
Last Thursday, Davis charged that the Bahamas Christian Council previously turned a "blind eye" to web shop activities.
Davis questioned whether members of that religious group are concerned about whether gambling proceeds make it into their collection plates.
He also questioned whether some pastors have gambling accounts.
The pastors said these statements are "obnoxious, repugnant and uncalled for".
"For the record, we state emphatically and categorically that we individually and collectively do not have, and have never had any dealings whatsoever, financial or otherwise, with any gambling web shop or operators of gambling web shops," read the statement.
"Now, we call upon the prime minister and the deputy prime minister to go on record, as we have, and tell the Bahamian people whether or not they personally and/or the Progressive Liberal Party have received any financial donations or other benefit from any of these gambling web shops or the people who run them.
"Further, we again call on the prime minister to explain to the Bahamian people why with the majority "no vote" on one hand and the warnings of the governor of the Central Bank on the other hand he chose to legalize web shops, instead of shutting them down as he initially promised he would do."
Bethel, Pastor Alfred Stewart, of New Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church, and several other prominent
religious leaders have been sparring with Christie over the gambling issue.
Yesterday, Bethel and Moss said it is "perplexing" that Christie and Davis would seek to belittle and condemn ministers of the gospel instead of condemning the "lawless numbers bosses".
They said web shop owners and their illegal gambling activity continue to "financially rape" the poor and "suck the economic life blood" from legitimate businesses.
The pastors said Christie should stick to his word and the wishes of the Bahamian people expressed in the gambling referendum, rather than reward the web shop owners for their illegal activity.
Davis has said the government would be hard-pressed to close down web shops.
When the Gaming Bill was tabled two weeks ago, Moss, Bethel, Stewart and Bahamas Christian Council President Rev. Dr. Ranford Patterson sat in the House of Assembly dressed in all black, morning the "death of democracy in the country".

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