Jamaican church defends reggae hymns

Peter Tosh's song Creation, will be included in the hymnal
The Anglican church in Jamaica has been defending its plans to include lyrics from renowned singers Bob Marley and Peter Tosh in its hymnal.
The first two songs to be listed are Marley's One Love and also Tosh's Creation - his take on Psalm 27.

However, this move has sparked a debate about whether lyrics from musicians who wrote songs about their devotion to Rastafarianism should be placed in a Christian hymn books.

Rector of the Church of St Mary the Virgin in Jamaica, Reverend Canon Ernle Gordon, said there is nothing wrong with embracing such songs.

He told the BBC's Doreen Walton why the church took the dicision.

Do you agree with Canon Gordon? Should churches include more popular lyrics in their hymnals? Or is the church going one step too far to attract more people?

Share your views with us by sending an e-mail via the form on the right of this page.

YOUR VIEWS

The prophet (Bob Marley) music is inspirational. I run to it faster for comfort than any hymnals...
Curtis, Antigua and Barbuda

Bob Marley was undoubtedly a very good musician. He was however not at all a good person. Apart from his music there was not much else to admire about Bob. Maybe we should wait until everyone who knew Bob is dead and all that remains is the myth.
Andrea from London, England

Both Bob and Peter belive in Jehovah God. Their songs are about love not war so nothing wrong about a little reggae in church.When I'm on vacation in St.Lucia my birth place, on Sundays driving by the little Pentecostal churches makes me want to boogy down, so let a little reggae be heard in churches nothing wrong with that Amen.
Writes Lisa in Hollywood, Florida

These sons of the Caribbean deserve to heard in churches all over the world there songs sing of love to all men.
Randolph in the UK

Of course! Contemporary musicians can help to motivate the young to join the church. Besides, both Peter and Bob were particularly spiritual in some of their lyrics.
Writes Egbert in Belize

Five stars for a new awakening. The church is wise in doing what is relevant and hopeful for our times and our people. Reggae is rooted in that God-centred faith-filled spiritual place where thanks and praises to the Almighty and love and justice for his creation is the ultimate message.
Ife Smith, British Virgin Islands

These songs are about love and praise for the almighty, why not include them in our hymnals.
Stephanie in England

It is instructive that most of the comments have come from non Jamaicans. As we say here "no big thing".
Albert in Jamaica

I believe this is a good thing, change is needed in the church to draw people back in and I believe singing traditional hymns just because thats tradition is not the way to go about it. Bob Marley has influenced millions and used his lyrics to preach messages of love and peace. We need to realise in order to move forward you must embrace change and relate to all people on all levels.
Writes Ruth in St George's, Grenada

Definitely not. Bob Marley is one of my favourite singer. He was a Rastafarian and did not believe in the christianity. There are too many changes that are taking place in Jamaica these days. I am a Jamaican.
Gerald says from New York

Is this a joke? next Canon Gordon will want lyrics from 50 Cents.
Vieanna, England

What next? Legalise it? Easy Skanking?
Titus

The current hyms in hymnals were written in days when that type of music was the thing of the day. Personally I find them boring at times. However, the question of whether Bob's lyrics should be included must be carefully thought out. There is a question of perception. Would perception or the origin cause the congregation to be devided? Another issue is their non-Christocentric contents. Nothwitstanding this, the world is getting crazier. Who knows one day we might actually see them in hymnals.
Trelson Mapp, St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Amazing Grace - a song about the transformative powers of God's love on a former slave-trader - to this day is sung with hardly a thought about the author's prior beliefs. Caribbean clergy - Jamaicans - want to transform their worship using lyrics just as inspired, from their own cultural experiences. I say why not. We, too, can be creators of liturgy and not merely repeaters of an inherited tradition.
Michael, Trinidad and Tobago

Rastafarianism is a Christian religion! We all follow the guidelines from the Bible. There is no mention of Haile Selassie or Rasta in either of the chosen songs. The songs are about loving each other and praising God, Jehovah, Jah. What could possibly be wrong about that?
Skene, Tobago

At last! The church is waking up to the fact that 'Sir' Bob Marley and Peter Tosh wrote from the heart about spiritual things. It is good and right that these words are used in Church. The disciples of Jesus would have used popular songs of their day in worship so why change for the 21st century? If all the Christians in the world united under "One Love..." what a better world we would see.
Steve, England

I don't agree. The reason for this is because it will just not work. Some churches will agree and others will not so...I will say I don't agree.
Dennis Requena, Belize

I am a St Lucian living in England. I cannot see why the church should not use the lyrics of those two great musicians.
Statham Prudent, England

Christian hymnals should include songs about God's love and Christian love and brotherly love. If songs display this then fine.
Andrea Richards, Jamaica

Yes. I think it would be nice to have their songs as hymns.
Melissa Cadle, Belize

Oh yes! Who would not want Bob Marley's and Peter Tosh's music included in their hymnal? The youngsters would come flooding back to sing their heroes music in praise of Jah.
Charlotte Nanton, UK

Yes I believe that his (Bob Marley's) music should be played in the church. It is inspirational and can be meditated on.
Devern London, St Vincent

I think it is a great idea to include songs from our conscious reggae legends in hymnals. Most people gravitate towards the down to earth lyrics from reggae artists such as Lucky Dube, and the legend, Bob Marley...I give the idea 2 thumbs up.
Keda, St.Kitts