Bibles for weapons: tackling violence in the Dominican Republic
“I give my weapon and my soul. Praise the Lord!” said the man as he handed over his gun in exchange for a Bible. This was the scene at a recent event in the Dominican Republic, where the Bible Society has been working with local police on a campaign to tackle the country’s escalating violence.
The Dominican Republic is experiencing appalling levels of violent crime. Shootings and stabbings occur with alarming frequency, some by children as young as nine, and the country’s prisons are filling up. So when the chief of police in the city of Puerto Plata asked the Bible Society to help tackle this problem, it readily agreed.
Its Bibles for Weapons campaign, launched in September and widely publicised by the media, has met with an overwhelming response. Thousands of people from all walks of life have already attended events in two cities, lining up to hand over their knives, machetes, firearms and other dangerous weapons to the police and getting Bibles in return.
Blighting their lives
Many of them told Bible Society staff how violence was blighting their lives, or how they were afraid that having weapons lying around the house could lead to violence. One woman came to hand in a knife because she feared that she or her husband could use it to kill each other. Groups of youths, who didn’t want to be seen by police, said they were handing in their weapons because they knew that using them would destroy their lives.
One man who attended one of the events handed in what had proved to be a dangerous weapon for him: a bottle of rum. He told the Bible Society that alcohol had damaged his life and that he no longer wanted it to have a hold on him. “I want to be a good family man,” he said, and prayed with Bible Society staff, dedicating himself to God. At least 40 other people have become Christians so far through the campaign.
The Bible Society planned to make 5,000 Bibles available through the campaign but is extending this to meet the high demand. Please pray for many lives to be changed through this campaign, and for the violence in the Dominican Republic to stop.
(Words and image courtesy of the United Bible Societies)