If Errol Bolt, senior pastor at the Kencot Christian Fellowship Church in St. Andrew, is right about the effect (or, rather, lack thereof) of the Church and women on men's behaviour, as reported in yesterday's Gleaner, then we are in more serious trouble than the already staggering murder rate indicates.

After all, with the majority of households being headed by single women and Jamaica having an astounding concentration of churches, it is apparent that these are two of the strongest agents of socialisation in the country.

And, with women long constituting, by far, the majority of tertiary institution graduates, at the highest level, the education system is certainly not instilling in as many men, as desired, the focus and discipline requisite for self-control and development.

We do believe, though, that the Reverend came close to shooting his bolt at Thursday's Editors' Forum, held at The Gleaner's North Street offices, when he said that "If you were to take all Jamaican males, including the young ones, and lock them away on an island for a week, this country would be crime-free". After all, women, too, have their faults and this viewpoint also ignores the fact that non-violent crimes, such as fraud, do occur frequently in Jamaica.

And, we are sure that there are quite a few women who would scoff at the notion of men reclaiming a leadership role in the society, questioning not only their ability but also right to lead in the first place.

However, Bolt is right on the button when he says that "boys cannot be mentored to be men by women. Women can't teach boys to be what they themselves are not".

As well intentioned as he is, though, Rev. Bolt's urging of the media to implement programmes to rescue the Jamaican male population falls into the familiar, unfortunate trend of attention being paid to the miscreant male, while the ones who exhibit good behaviour are left to their own devices.

It is all well and good to have initiatives designed to rein in the men who are running wild, creating mayhem and neglecting their responsibilities but, simultaneously, there should be a programme to encourage those men already on the socially cohesive path. For one, to concentrate only on rescuing the wayward creates the false impression that there are no good apples in the lot. In addition, it creates an incentive for the well-behaved, socially responsible male to test the waters of maladjustment, as it attracts attention and concern.

And, the concept of what constitutes manly behaviour as women see it would also have to be revisited, as it is they who determine what is desirable and, hence, to a large extent, determine male behaviour not only as partners but also family members.

The opinions on this page, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner. To respond to a Gleaner editorial, email us: editor@gleanerjm.com or fax: 922-6223. Responses should be no longer than 400 words. Not all responses will be published.